How many civs do you usually play against?

techbota · January 17, 2004, 10:49

I have been staying at 5-6 on large maps just wondering if thats average...too much or too little?

Argos65987 · January 17, 2004, 12:19

I always play with the max amount of civs allowed on whatever map size I choose.

Fatwreck · January 17, 2004, 12:22

I also play with the max amount of civs available, I wish that number was higher though... I know I can change it in the editor but I like the HoF to much

vmxa1 · January 17, 2004, 12:48

Default number, since it is usually std mp, 8.

asleepathewheel · January 17, 2004, 12:58

max on huge (but not edited to 31)

techbota · January 17, 2004, 14:15

I wonder if its easier to play with more civs than less. This is the way it was with red alert. I could always do better against more AI's because they would get smaller areas and attack each other more.

pauli · January 17, 2004, 14:31

usually? 3-5, huge (or oversized) map. currently? 31, huge pangaea (it's actually oversized, but i increased the water area for some unknown reason, and it's basically just a huge map).

more civs is certainly... interesting. even for me, a consumate builder.

techbota · January 17, 2004, 15:43

Which do you feel is easier to win at?

Dont forget I only play at low levels of experiennce.

vmxa1 · January 17, 2004, 16:48

I would guess that the more room to have more ciies would favor the human. The AI will not do as well with its cities as you should.
Fewer civs would probably favor the human as the AI make more cities and have fewer trading partners.

Antrine · January 17, 2004, 17:12

I have been extensively play testing with/on only a 360 by 306 very rich and land friendly ancient world flavored map. I settled quickly to 8 civs, one of which is human.

My early conclusion is fewer stronger AI's is quite challenging. However, in order to achieve this I have had to do three things.

1. Pre-build main roadways throughout the world.

2. Pre-build 4 to 6 cities for each AI, planting pre-start settlers and additionally giving each AI another 9-12 settlers at start-up. This guaranteed their quick rise to power sporting 30-40 city empires inside turn 10 to 15.

3. Make many improvements spit out various units every so many turns, so when I encounter these empires at say turn 20 and on they already have 100 to 200 unit armies.

After all this, staying ahead and winning is difficult. However, it is set on conquest only, so winning is not feasible. I just pick out various objectives and truck on. Like to control a certain continent or eliminate any one opponent, while beating off the others and/or twisting another AI into being a dummy ally. Generally being my ally is not good.

pauli · January 17, 2004, 17:18

actually, i'm finding that at low difficulty levels, it's the more the merrier.

the human player is the only one with the initiative to eliminate nearby rivals immediately, thus ensuring a fair bit of lebensraum. the human player also does a MUCH better job of exploring than the ai, so you can quickly dominate the global tech trading network.

the ai will launch nonsensical wars, thus expending their military on your well defended cities. since everyone is so close, you can quickly take over their empire.

i'm really enjoying this game - i've got competitors ranging from tiny (several have yet to break 3 cities, and it's just about 1800), to large (a dozen cities, maybe two). i, of course, am the biggest fish in the sea

playing with so many civs is also really good diplomacy practice... more than once i've gone to war and easily obtained a dozen allies against whoever attacked me.

(once i went to war and had about 6-8 civs PAY ME to let them join me in the war!)

it's also a blast to watch the histograph change. so many stripes, slowly disappearing...

but yeah. once you've got the hang of the game - which playing against a minimal number of opponents is great for - i'd urge you to play a game against as many ai as possible. since it keeps most of the ai civs midsized at best, you never face a truly dire invasion.

pauli · January 17, 2004, 17:35

actually, i'm finding that at low difficulty levels, it's the more the merrier.

the human player is the only one with the initiative to eliminate nearby rivals immediately, thus ensuring a fair bit of lebensraum. the human player also does a MUCH better job of exploring than the ai, so you can quickly dominate the global tech trading network.

the ai will launch nonsensical wars, thus expending their military on your well defended cities. since everyone is so close, you can quickly take over their empire.

i'm really enjoying this game - i've got competitors ranging from tiny (several have yet to break 3 cities, and it's just about 1800), to large (a dozen cities, maybe two). i, of course, am the biggest fish in the sea

playing with so many civs is also really good diplomacy practice... more than once i've gone to war and easily obtained a dozen allies against whoever attacked me.

(once i went to war and had about 6-8 civs PAY ME to let them join me in the war!)

it's also a blast to watch the histograph change. so many stripes, slowly disappearing...

but yeah. once you've got the hang of the game - which playing against a minimal number of opponents is great for - i'd urge you to play a game against as many ai as possible. since it keeps most of the ai civs midsized at best, you never face a truly dire invasion.

ChrisiusMaximus · January 17, 2004, 18:40

Ive just finished playing a small pangea least water map with 31 civs, as the Celts, diff Regent. Capitol cities were as little as 8 tiles away in some cases, and most civs only managed 3 cities each before the entire map was filled.

I got Iron right next to my second city and went on the rampage with Gallic swords

IMO the AI was at a massive disadvantage in this game as it simply could not grow enough to put up a real fight, even though I was amazed at how many units a 3 city civ could throw out at you.

I will probably try it again at monarch but I think the AI will still find it tough due to the lack of space to grow.

I won the game by domination with MA against riflemen and cavalry. No matter what I did most AI's were usually mad with me throughout the game unless I gave them ROP and allied with them against another civ.

After the war though they usually hated me again.

Smellincoffee · January 17, 2004, 19:28

Were you razing cities and breaking agreements?

vmxa1 · January 17, 2004, 19:54

Quote:

Originally posted by ChrisiusMaximus

I won the game by domination with MA against riflemen and cavalry. No matter what I did most AI's were usually mad with me throughout the game unless I gave them ROP and allied with them against another civ.

After the war though they usually hated me again.

Any boost to relationships brought on by war/alliances are only temp.

PLATO · January 17, 2004, 21:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Argos65987
I always play with the max amount of civs allowed on whatever map size I choose.

DRoseDARs · January 17, 2004, 23:02

Since I only play huge 256x256 maps, I go for max#players (unmodded default# for huge maps).

The Slayer · January 17, 2004, 23:43

I don't care too much about the Hall of Fame, so I play with a mod, large maps, 26 civs, on Monarch...

That's a game

Switch · January 18, 2004, 05:12

I play with 8 civs (me plus 7 AI) on standard or large. keeps the map from getting cluttered with a lot of civs.

sabrewolf · January 18, 2004, 06:13

i prefer many smaller civs. i usually increase the max-civ number (huge to 31, ..., tiny to 8).
tech-race in the beginning is - well - fast.
don't forget that on any level above deity the AI has more than one settler and therefor you don't have a good chance of REXing

i always forget to put up the agression level. last time, there was virtually no war between AIs although land area is scarce...

ChrisiusMaximus · January 18, 2004, 06:26

@ Smellincoffee, No I razed no cities and broke no agreements intentionally. Civs were declaring war with me and and other AI's left right and centre, the maze of ROP's, MPP's and Alliances going on made it impossible not to break some deals.

Many times I watched as one AI sent most of its troops half way across the world to fight some war, when its neighbour would suddenly attack it and take at least one city.

I had very little trouble getting ROP's and alliances, MPP was harder to get but I would have been better off without them. MPP's always meant getting dragged into other civs wars in this game.

It was a small pangea with 31 civs

techbota · January 18, 2004, 09:11

Quote:

Ive just finished playing a small pangea least water map with 31 civs

I only have the option for like 8-9 civs how are you getting so many civs???

What is REXing?

You guys need a poly encyclopedia to learn all the terms.

sabrewolf · January 18, 2004, 09:27

REX means Rapid EXpansion.

check out the glossary in the Civ3-General or Strategy Forum:
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=40525

sabrewolf · January 18, 2004, 09:29

techbota
sorry, i forgot your first part of the question.

simple: go to the editor, edit rules (enable that first from the scenario-menu), go to world sizes, pump up the "max civ number" (or sth. similar) to however many civs you want.

dojoboy · January 18, 2004, 09:30

I play against the default number, 8 I believe on standard maps.

techbota · January 18, 2004, 16:05

sabrewolf

Does that change it from then on with all the maps.

Or

Does that just effect that one game after you change it.

Can someone give me url's to tuts on using the editor.

sabrewolf · January 18, 2004, 16:11

techbota:
it only changes the games you play with that modified scenario,
or - if you edit the conquests.biq file (which is risky!) - all regular new games.

sorry, no link... but the editor comes with a great help section. only some stuff isn't that well explained, but the basics are clear.

techbota · January 18, 2004, 16:18

thnx will check it out. Actually I got a whole staff of users on my site DYING to get into editing some other games other than UT and UT2003

Mad Bomber · January 18, 2004, 20:57

I typically play with 24 civ's on a 250 X 250 world

steoc4 · January 19, 2004, 22:00

Does it run at an acceptable pace? I was messing around with a 32 civ gigantic earth map I downloaded but it was far to slow to be playable..
Normally I do 16 civs on a huge map which works well enough, it's fast up till the industrial age or so when there's tons going on, still easily playable. Would be cool with 32 civs though...
Hmm thinking about it 32 small civs wouldn't take much more processing time than 16 bigger civs would they, maybe it was just because that earth map was absolutely massive. Gonna have to do some experimenting methinks.