Which to play first in C3C?

[darski]

My son managed to get me a copy of C3 Completeand now it is just a matter of time until I receive it. I have been considering which new Civ I would like to try. I keep thinking Korea but that doesn't really make sense even to me... I just like the leaderhead.

I will likely play at Regent but I may go back a level while I get used to the new features.

I like my pangea maps but I could be tempted to go for continents if a seafaring Civ (Not England ) gets the nod.

So what would you recommend as a starting Civ in a new C3C environment?

 

[Optional]

What's this, Darski? You on Conquests? Now that's a surprise! I hope you're still speaking your son, eh?
I don't have a clear recommendation. Getting to grips with the new traits would be a good thing for you. Or some of the new units. Maya would be a good choice: Agricultural, and the enslave ability of the Javelin thrower; that would be something new for you. It's also a strong civ, whose workers aren't all that lazy. You will like that.
A Seafaring civ would be good as well; the Byzantines perhaps. Those firespitting Dromons; that's something else!

Don't forget to download the latest patch from this site straight away.

 

[darski]

Ok, I was not clear. I am getting Civ III Complete.

I thought C3C stood for complete

 

[timerover51]

I like the Seafaring group, so I would go with the Byzantines and the Netherlands. The Dromon packs a good punch, and the Swiss Mercenary of the Netherlands is a nice unit to have for defense. Also, postponed Golden Age unit the Medieval Period. I do sort of boost both units though. The Byzantines are Scientific, the Dutch are Agricultural, and the Carthaginians are Industrious. I have modified the Carthiginians to have the War Elephant as their UU.

 

[Pyrrhos]

As France, your favourite civ(?), is a builder's civ why not go for something completely different? With civs such as the Zulu or the Romans, you have to learn to perfect your early game and wage war a.s.a.p (ie when you get impis/legionaries). You have to learn to make do with an inconveniently early GA. In short, it cures you of many bad builder's habits.

Don't go for any civs that combine two of the three top traits agri, ind and com!

 

[Tone]

I don't recommend dropping down a level if you are comfortable with Regent. It may be a bit more testing for the first couple of games but I don't think that it would be that much different for you.

Don't forget that it's more than just the new civs that are on offer; other civs had had their traits or UU changed in some way. For example, two of my favourite civs are old vanilla/PtW civs. Iroqious are now agricultural which made a good civ great and the Celts UU is now only 40 shields and they are agri as well. There is no way that you would be dropping down a level when playing either of these.

If you want to play from the new bunch, Maya are pretty good, as Optional has already mentioned. Playing with loads of barbs to enslave and get a massive troop of slave workers is fun, although at 30 shields the Jav thrower is a bit expensive IMO. Optional also mentioned the Byzantines. Just try to get your dromons hunting in packs and use bombard whenever possible and you'll rule the seas for centuries. They also start with alphabet so you begin one step up the ladder to getting the Republic slingshot and Sci means an increased chance of seeing SGLs. However my favourite SCI civ is Sumeria simply down to be agricultural. OK, so the Enkidu is not that great a UU but a 10 shield spear is useful with barbs on the map. That would be my top three from the new civs but most are pretty good. I'd just avoid the Hittites and the Portuguese at first but do give them a go at some point.

 

[darski]

Thank you all, I'll be considering these until I get the game here and in the drive. I am tempted to try the Byzzies but I am not locked into that one yet.

 

[TheOverseer714]

All the ones mentioned are good choices. Another interesting tribe are the Ottomans, same traits as Persia(Industrious/Scientific) but a later, cavalry-replacement UU, the Sipahi. Sipahi are like early tanks, stats are 8/3/3, and not that much more than cavalry, shield-wise. A good strategy with them is when you research Military Tradition, shut research down and use the money to upgrade horses or knights, then go conquer your continent. If you haven't researched Education, go grab the great library, and you'll get lots of free tech if you are behind. At Regent, you should get the Republic slingshot, which is Writing=> Code of Laws=> Philosophy=> Republic(free) and use Republic to trade for the rest of AA tech. This gets you to the MA, and your free tech there. I think you'll like Conquests, and most of the changes are improvements.

 

[darski]

Why not go random?

too scary

... I could end up with Liz and Liz hates me!

 

[darski]

All the ones mentioned are good choices. Another interesting tribe are the Ottomans, same traits as Persia(Industrious/Scientific) but a later, cavalry-replacement UU, the Sipahi. Sipahi are like early tanks, stats are 8/3/3, and not that much more than cavalry, shield-wise. A good strategy with them is when you research Military Tradition, shut research down and use the money to upgrade horses or knights, then go conquer your continent. If you haven't researched Education, go grab the great library, and you'll get lots of free tech if you are behind. At Regent, you should get the Republic slingshot, which is Writing=> Code of Laws=> Philosophy=> Republic(free) and use Republic to trade for the rest of AA tech. This gets you to the MA, and your free tech there. I think you'll like Conquests, and most of the changes are improvements.

Oh yeah. I have heard about the terrifying Sipahi... that might be fun to have and I also forgot about that Philosophy Freebies event. could be good to head for that one.

 

[Diviner]

well i could recommend playing the Inca, one of the most powerful civs in C3C. AGR/EXP is simply imbalanced. i recommend them not just for the relative easiness, but the fun. Incas tend to produce very funny matches. you will like the new, stronger expansionist trait, which is on regent very powerful (in stronger diff levels, expansionist is much weaker). once you gained all those techs, you will have a big empire. why? because agri is an unmatchable help at the rapid expansion phase at the start. so you could play builder perfectly with a big empire early with a decent tech lead. the Incans' only downside is a so early UU with the earliest Golden Age possible, though it is controllable (just dont build chasquis), then when you need eventually just gain a victory over a weaker, redlined unit and thats all, a timed GA

 

[Optional]

Ok, I was not clear. I am getting Civ III Complete.

My mistake. When I recommended to patch up it had slipped my mind that Complete already comes fully patched up.
It can be checked; if you start up the game, on the first screen that comes up a number should show up in the bottom left corner. If that number reads 1.22, then you're already fully patched up!

 

[TheOverseer714]

Chasquis are fine if you avoid fighting AI's with them. They are a scout with hitpoints, fine for tracking barb villages down and grabbing the free gold (at lower levels only, not a good idea above monarch level). Since they aren't an important unit, you can still have early wars and avoid a despotic GA. Also a fun civ to play as. And let us not forget the new wonders that Conquests has, not gamebreakers but real handy. If you have Ivory and research Mathematics, you can build the Statue of Zeus, which every 5 turns will spit out an Ancient Cavalry, a 3/2/2 unit with an extra hitpoint. Free celtic swordsmen, what's not to like? At 200 shields, a good investment. The Temple of Artemis gives free temples until Education is researched, a good wonder to capture, as it is hideously expensive (500 shields). Also, there is Knights Templar, gives free crusaders every 5 turns. Crusaders have stats of 5/3/1 and can build fortresses. 300 shields, requires Chivalry. Also, theres the Mausoleum of Mausolleus, good for 20K culture games mostly, 200 shields, 2 culture per turn and makes 3 unhappy content in that city.

 

[Diviner]

one more reason to play as the Inca: while you play them, the AI could not. this advantage would play for every imaginable downside in itself and not to be underestimated - never ever try vs the Incans, its like masochism.

 

[Optional]

one more reason to play as the Inca: while you play them, the AI could not.

You're getting extra points from Darski here, Diviner! If I remember right, that was exactly the kind of reasoning she herself used to play the Persians in Vanilla!

 

[Pyrrhos]

Also, theres the Mausoleum of Mausolleus, good for 20K culture games mostly, 200 shields, 2 culture per turn and makes 3 unhappy content in that city.

One more use - for those that do not build temples & cathedrals, it's a good wonder to have before marketplaces are available and as a complement to it should you want your capital to go to pop <12 in order to a) turn out units every/every other turn, or b) build wonders.

PS. MoM may trigger a GA for Sci & Seafaring civs.

 

[darski]

You're getting extra points from Darski here, Diviner! If I remember right, that was exactly the kind of reasoning she herself used to play the Persians in Vanilla!

yep... 'tis true and all.

 

[Whythat]

What's this, Darski? You on Conquests? Now that's a surprise! I hope you're still speaking your son, eh?
I don't have a clear recommendation. Getting to grips with the new traits would be a good thing for you. Or some of the new units. Maya would be a good choice: Agricultural, and the enslave ability of the Javelin thrower; that would be something new for you. It's also a strong civ, whose workers aren't all that lazy. You will like that.
A Seafaring civ would be good as well; the Byzantines perhaps. Those firespitting Dromons; that's something else!

Don't forget to download the latest patch from this site straight away.

How does the enslave feature work?

 

[Optional]

How does the enslave feature work?

When a unit with enslave ability wins a battle, it has a 1 in 3 chance to enslave the unit it has defeated. When the Javelin thrower enslaves a unit, the unit becomes a slave worker. Also the Man-O-War for the English has the enslave ability, then the unit it enslaves becomes another Man-O-War.
It's quite a cool feature.
Edit: Meisen beat me to the answer.

 

[Whythat]

Thanks, both of for your help. There are a lot of changes from Civ III vanilla to complete.