WTH are these dots?

[m6tsu]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v704/i_heart_youX333/WTH.jpg

what ARE THEY?
and where can i go to learn how to be technologically advanced instead of backwards like every other country thinks i am...every time i play.

help a noob?

 

[axehaxe]

Those aren't dots. They are stones or small mineral clumps to show that that tile has 1 more shield compared to a same kind of tile without it. For example, you have bonus grassland and regular grassland. The bonus grassland has that and when you build a city and place an inhabitant on a bonus grassland, you produce one more production shield in that city as compared to having tha inhabitant work on a regular grassland.

You can go to your domestic screen advisor and drag the science line to 100% and build lots of libraries in your cities. Then you'll research faster and you can read the article in war academy about tech trading for beginners. Just go up top to Civ III and click war academy. There's a lot of useful articles there to help you out.

 

[Aabraxan]

Welcome to CFC, m6tsu! It looks like you have "show food and shields on map" turned on in the Preferences screen. An unimproved desert tile produces 1 shield and that's what you've got circled.

As to where to go to to learn to be advanced, axehaxe got it right. Hit the War Academy for lots of great articles. Also, dig through General Discussions and Strategy & Tips for other "Please Help a Newbie"-type threads. We tend to see lots of recurring problems with new players and I'm guessing you'll recognize some of the mistakes.

Falling behind technologically is often the result of more basic empire management problems. Some common mistakes include:

• Too few workers;
• Too few roads;
• Poor city placement; and
• Lots of unnecessary structures.

Down in "Stories and Tales," you'll find some Succession Games called "Training Day Games," aka TDGs. Read some of the Succession Games and especially the TDGs for lots of good information.

Finally, post a save. It's a good way to let some more experienced players take a look at what's really going on in your games.

Good luck.

 

[m6tsu]

thanks so much for that info!!!

you guys have saved my hair from being ripped out.

ill def check out the war academy.

is there any reason why i always seem to be the last person on the map with a galley? should i increase funding?

and what are the purposes of a colony? i never see any other civ's building them...

 

[Aabraxan]

You're probably the last person with a galley just because you're the last to research MapMaking. If you're just running 50% science, either increase funding and speed up research, or turn it down to ~10-20% (the lowest that will actually accumulate beakers) and buy techs. I suggest the former, especially if you're playing on Chieftain or Warlord.

Colonies allow you to hook up & use resources that are outside your cultural borders. AIs do not often build them, but I think I've seen one or two.

 

[capnvonbaron]

is there any reason why i always seem to be the last person on the map with a galley? should i increase funding?

The AI often hurries to mapmaking. IMHO its useless unless you're on an archipelago. Beeline to republic, then trade for mapmaking. Don't worry about being the last with a boat, it won't make or break the game.

and what are the purposes of a colony? i never see any other civ's building them...

A colony can provide you with a resource/luxury that is not within your cultural bounds. The AI will use them occasionally, but if you play with many AIs usually all the resources/luxs will be settled near before anyone can get a worker out to colonize it. In most cases, you are indeed better off to just build a settler and go claim the resource/lux with a city. However in wars of conquering I will sometimes use slave workers to build a colony on a resource/lux that is already connected (or can easily be connected) to me by a road. Very useful if I don't have a settler to spare or don't plan on settling on it before the game is over. Also, can be essential if my only iron resource exhausts itself while I still need to pump out knights, or if the added lux can help ease war-weariness. Keep in mind though as soon as an AI pops a city up next to the resource, your colony will disappear and the lux/resource will be unavailable (until you destroy that city, of course )

EDIT: WOOO! Epic Crosspost!!

 

[joycem10]

However in wars of conquering I will sometimes use slave workers to build a colony...

Why would you use a slave worker instead of a homegrown worker?

 

[m6tsu]

is there a way to change the resolution on this game? seriously.... lol

and i lost my last game due to time running out...i didn't know there was a time limit?! whens the limit?! a certain year???

 

[againsttheflow]

Why would you use a slave worker instead of a homegrown worker?

Pro: they're half as efficient as the native so you lose less efficiency when you 'sacrifice' the worker
Con: they cost no support while natives do, using a native would cut costs

 

[Aabraxan]

and i lost my last game due to time running out...i didn't know there was a time limit?! whens the limit?! a certain year???

Yes, there's a time limit. The year is 2050, IIRC.

 

[againsttheflow]

Correct, I think that translates to about 570 turns IIRC. In Conquests (an expansion) they actually give you a turn countdown on the screen when you near the end.

is there a way to change the resolution on this game? seriously.... lol

Ctrl + z will toggle the [somewhat limiting] zoom.

 

[NickyH]

is there a way to change the resolution on this game? seriously.... lol

On a Mac, you can change the resolution by holding down the option key while starting the game IIRC. I guess it's something similar on a PC, so you might try holding down ctrl or option or some similar key while launching the game.

 

[capnvonbaron]

Pro: they're half as efficient as the native so you lose less efficiency when you 'sacrifice' the worker
Con: they cost no support while natives do, using a native would cut costs

correct, and:

Pros: They're often the closest worker available to the front, and if I'm founding a colony in a wartime situation its usually because I need something NOW; I view slaves as expendible, as I typically end up with multiple dozens by mid-game; my homegrowns I will often join to my cities to rapidly grow them just after aqueducts or hospitals, once I have a good slave workforce going.

 

[splunge the 2nd]

Welcome M6tsu
A warning on colonies (learned the hard way). If an enemy moves a milatary unit onto an undefended colony, it disappears. Also, if you have a colony near an AI's territory and his cultural borders expand to enclose it, (again) good-bye colony!

 

[puwen]

is there a way to change the resolution on this game? seriously.... lol

For Windows:
How do I change my resolution to remain constantly parallel to my desktop resolution?
Add "KeepRes=1" to the "Civilzation3.ini" in your civ3 directory.

 

[Brainiac18]

isn't it more interesting for you to learn game concepts yourself!? Thank God people wont ask how to insert a game CD in your computer...