Strangle in the cradle & AI Restarts?

[IBNobody]

One of my favorite 4X game strategies is to annihilate my competition early in the game. How early? I'm talking attacking them before they have a chance to grow past one city/planet.

This type of strategy works exceptionally well with Civ3's small and tiny maps (the only maps I play) as well as the exploratory methods I employ. Since I never play expansionist civs, I use warriors to explore. This gives me a scout with a punch, and I use my warriors to quickly eliminate other civs.

The only problem I have with this strategy is that the AI cheats by restarting. If you kill them, they automatically get a free city somewhere in the fog of war. What's worse, is that by the time I find their city, they've already discovered bronze working and have built a spearman.

While I realize that the minimum research time will be extended in the patch (from 32 to 40), the extra 8 turns still won't allow me to find, reach, and slaughter the last remnant of my enemy.

Does anyone have a strategy that allows me to improve upon my own?

- Nobody

[Sevorak]

The AI doesn't 'cheat' per se if you intend to call that an AI only advantage. If you die early you also restart, with all your previous tech, a handful of units and 100 gold or something like that.

No option to turn off restarts, so...you're kinda stuck.

-Sev

[IBNobody]

The AI doesn't 'cheat' per se if you intend to call that an AI only advantage. If you die early you also restart, with all your previous tech, a handful of units and 100 gold or something like that.

I call it cheating because if I ever get wasted that badly, I'd admit defeat.

I don't know why they left "no restarts" out of the prefs. SMAC had it...

- Nobody

[MadWombat]

Solution: Use the aztecs or egyptians. Jaguar warriors withdraw, and cost the same as normal warriors, plus they're faster explorers. Egyptian war chariots are truly joyous, if you get horses at the start. =]