which of the 8 Civ specific characteristics do you guys like most?

[CELTICEMPIRE]

expansionist can be the most powerful: build 2-3 scouts and pop the entire Ancient Age from goody huts! The fastest space race victories (in the 500s AD) have been achieved this way.

Was it Russia? Also, how is that even possible? That's around the time I get to the industrial age. I assume accelerated production was turned on.

 

[Bartleby]

It was Russia, but not AP, and it was on chieftain, which has half-price tech. DaveMcW did it first, and made a thread for it in the HoF forum, but I'm fairly sure his date was beaten later.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

I should probably get back to the topic at hand. While I recognize that agricultural is objectively the best trait, it also is one of the least interesting. It's a lot more "cool" to have no anarchy, a free tech, or fast ships.

It was Russia, but not AP, and it was on chieftain, which has half-price tech. DaveMcW did it first, and made a thread for it in the HoF forum, but I'm fairly sure his date was beaten later.

I found the game and downloaded the save files. I haven't played chieftain in a long time but I don't remember the AI being that bad. IIRC they would at least try to fill up the map, albeit slowly. There were civs with only 3 cities!

 

[justanick]

My recollection may be wrong,

It is. The german wiki seems to get city tile yield right.

https://wiki.civforum.de/wiki/Stadtfeldertrag_(Civ3)

I played commercial civs more than average and pending details it is worth it. During despotism the trait is practically useless. But in the early republic its effect is quite strong. This is about the time when the effect of lower corruption is most pronounced and the extra commerce helps with net commerce more than in any other phase of the game. What good is a library if you lack the net commerce to utilize it?

AIs with a commercial civ tend to be able and willing to fund more gtp for purchases of say techs. So keeping them as trade partner will likely be more beneficial than in case of noncommercial civs.

 

[Borderline]

ok, agricultural + industrious seems like the 2 best traits, at least on monarch difficulty. i couldn't fathom just how a +1 food on your city square would do much of anything, but it really helps, and also you don't have a dead city with a bunch of desert tiles, as long as you can irrigate it, you get an extra +1.

i chose the mayans on pangea. didn't bother researching monarchy, researched republic faster than usually for me, and waited just a bit until i have a few 7 size cities or close to 7 size cities.

changed to republic, adviser says it will take 6 turns.

sidenote: i kind of assumed that you accrue culture points even while in anarchy, but i checked 1 of my cities and it didn't accrue anything during that time.

i half assed tried to get to my golden age with my javelin thrower unique unit (2/2/1) while i was in republic and in war, but i was fighting swordsman and spearman inside their city, was close to killing a straggler then decided it was a futile endeavor.

so i haven't gotten to my golden age yet, but i am moderately ahead technology wise and army wise. im in early industrious period while everyone else is still stuck in late middle age, lulz.. i also have a pretty decent culture lead, and my neighbors cities was overthrown to me, i believe 3 times.

at this stage of the game, i pretty much won, but sometimes in fun pummeling the AI with my cavalry/cannons with their musketeers. XD

ps: what is GTP?? i think i know what it is i just don't know what it stands for and google failed me. it has something to do with the cost of 1 military unit in gold if you are above your allowed units??

 

[WeirdoJoker]

ps: what is GTP?? i think i know what it is i just don't know what it stands for and google failed me. it has something to do with the cost of 1 military unit in gold if you are above your allowed units??

I think, in context, justanick meant GPT, or "gold-per-turn" on trades. That's how I read it, anyway.

 

[Quintillus]

Although Agricultural has been proven to be the strongest at high difficulty levels, I almost never play above Emperor, and I admit to liking Scientific for the free tech and cheaper libraries/universities, and Religious for the lack of anarchy (while acknowledging it isn't really worth it) and cheap temples. Having one of the two at least is really nice for border popping early on, though both is rather overkill unless it's a 100K game. Religious also makes the Cathedral better than the Colosseum in every way, including cost, which can be helpful in games with few or no luxuries and without an abundance of shields.

And I agree that Democracy is not worth it; Lanzelot explained it quite well. Even in Vanilla, when Republic had no free unit support, Democracy wasn't worth it due to the research time, war weariness, and switch time; with Republic having free unit support in Conquests (and maybe PTW? not sure about that), Democracy definitely isn't worth it.

Conquests did give Republic one disadvantage, but it's so minor as to hardly be worth mentioning - once you go above your free unit limit, it costs 2 gold per unit per turn to maintain units. Thus, once you go above double the Republic unit limit, Democracy is cheaper. But with 1/3/4 unit support, having double the limit is very unlikely by the time of the game that you'll have researched Democracy - and with the high war weariness, you probably aren't going to be playing very militaristically with Democracy. You'd really have to speak softly and carry a big stick for this situation to apply.

 

[justanick]

i chose the mayans on pangea. didn't bother researching monarchy, researched republic faster than usually for me, and waited just a bit until i have a few 7 size cities or close to 7 size cities.

changed to republic, adviser says it will take 6 turns.

I hope you donnot mean to imply that you delayed switching to republic.

Getting rid of despotism as early as possible is pretty much the most important thing in the ancient age. Also if you switch to anarchy just with the popup resulting from research, than you reduce the anarchy period slightly. That is because commerce has been calculated already, but everything local like production is yet to occur and does thus occur in anarchy. Effectively you enter anarchy in the turn you are coming from and you will be a republic one turn earlier. But the big chuncks are really getting rid of despotism penalty, getting republic commerce and lower corruption.

During anarchy you cannot use luxus slider or military police, thus you will have trouble keeping your people content. The smaller your towns are at the start of anarchy, the better. Food is the only thing you do produce during anarchy. Letting towns exceed say size 3 is what is meant to happen after leaving despotism.

 

[Borderline]

ahhh.. okkay.. i thought everything was at a standstill during anarchy, but if food is produced during, then it makes sense to not delay republic.

kinda off topic but:

i triggerred my golden age after i built the 'theory of evolution' which states that it may trigger GA if your civ is scientific. but im playing the mayans and they are agri/indust. didn't know it was possible to trigger a GA from a world wonder that doesn't coincide with your civ's 2 traits.

and on another note, i triggered a scientific researcher, i dunno how exactly, he just popped in my city.

i had the choice of buliding a wonder in 1 turn which i have done in the past, but since i was already finishing up 2 of my wonders and it would have been a waste, and there were no wonders in the near future from future tech, i chose the 'increase scientific output' option mistakenly thinking that it would trigger my golden age.

im not even sure i felt a real meaningful impact. i was in early industrial age, so i have a lot of 12 size cities and what not. what exactly does this option do?

 

[justanick]

i triggerred my golden age after i built the 'theory of evolution' which states that it may trigger GA if your civ is scientific. but im playing the mayans and they are agri/indust. didn't know it was possible to trigger a GA from a world wonder that doesn't coincide with your civ's 2 traits.

You do have wonders that do coincide and if you finish a wonder this is checked.

and on another note, i triggered a scientific researcher, i dunno how exactly, he just popped in my city.

You researched a tech before anyone else. Then you have a chance that is estimated to be 3% or 5% of you are scientific.

what exactly does this option do?

Nothing. It changes only what is shown, but that is a lie in the sense that nothing changes truthfully. Keeping the leader to build say the UN would be the proper choice.

 

[tjs282]

i triggerred my golden age after i built the 'theory of evolution' which states that it may trigger GA if your civ is scientific. but im playing the mayans and they are agri/indust. didn't know it was possible to trigger a GA from a world wonder that doesn't coincide with your civ's 2 traits.

The check for a Wonder-triggered GA is only run when you build a GWonder. But if before that, you have captured one or more GWs that match your traits, you will get the GA next time you build any Wonder of your own.

So in your game, as the Mayans, if you'd previously captured e.g. the Pyramids (AGRI, IND, REL) or HGard (AGRI, IND) at some point, possessing either (or both) of those would allow ToE to trigger your GA.

(For the Mayans, GWall [MIL, IND] + UniSuff [AGRI] would also work, or Hoovers [AGRI, IND] on its own.)

 

[Borderline]

Nothing. It changes only what is shown, but that is a lie in the sense that nothing changes truthfully. Keeping the leader to build say the UN would be the proper choice.

are you saying this does absolutely nothing?? lulzz.. wow, what a big game mechanics fail?

quick question about the Grand Wonders. if i am mayans, and i made either the pyramids or hanging gardens first, is it a guarantee that i WILL get a golden age? the text says that you "may" trigger a GA. just wondering if the text is wrong.

 

[Borderline]

i dunno how , but i just hit my 2nd golden age, WTF LULZ.. H HHAH.. how is this possible???

 

[justanick]

if i am mayans, and i made either the pyramids or hanging gardens first, is it a guarantee that i WILL get a golden age?

It will trigger it for sure if it is possible.

i dunno how , but i just hit my 2nd golden age, WTF LULZ.. H HHAH.. how is this possible???

Normally you can only have one golden age. But if you play at the very lowest difficulty setting of Chieftain, than 2 are possible.

 

[Borderline]

Normally you can only have one golden age. But if you play at the very lowest difficulty setting of Chieftain, than 2 are possible.

im playing on monarch difficulty.

also about using your scientific leader to increase scientific output, its called "age of science". scientific research in all cities is increased by 25% for 20 turns.

https://i.imgur.com/krixa83.jpg

i have to think it works, maybe it was just something i didn't notice when using the research/tax slider.

 

[justanick]

im playing on monarch difficulty.

Than you should not be allowed to have a golden age after having had one already in the same game.

also about using your scientific leader to increase scientific output, its called "age of science". scientific research in all cities is increased by 25% for 20 turns.

It really is completely useless. It is just the display that is lying to you while in fact nothing changes by it.

 

[Lanzelot]

while in fact nothing changes by it.

"Nothing" is not quite correct: the button does something: it deletes the Scientific Great Leader unit...

But anyway, yes, it's a well-known bug: apparently the UI-designer added the button ("Start Scientific Age" or whatever it is called) to the interface, but the game programmers forgot to implement it... So it does nothing (except deleting the leader unit...)

 

[Borderline]

ok, good to know about 'age of science' since game programmers have confirmed the bug.

anyways, yea i did get 2 golden ages in my current playthrough of monarch difficulty. i know im not getting it mixed up with 1 GA and 1 'age of science", it was distincly 2 GA at different moments of my time.

 

[Lanzelot]

it was distincly 2 GA at different moments of my time.

Impossible. Can you attach some .sav files (auto-saves, if still existing) for us to look at?

 

[templar_x]

Letting towns exceed say size 3 is what is meant to happen after leaving despotism.

i believe i understand what you mean, but i beg to differ to state this as a general rule of thumb. most likely one or a few core cities that drove my growth, production and science until this point will be considerably above size 3, rather 5 and 6 and maybe even above. one has to plan ahead for anarchy for these towns though, so much is true.

especially i like a few towns to hit 7 very soon after Republic is installed, for unit support, that could take quite a while if all i had then was only size 2 and 3 towns.

t_x