Confession. I suck at Civ III.

[SlowwHand]

Maybe it's because I greatly prefer MP, but I absolutely suck at Civ III.
The damned thing was a gift, but I broke down and bought the Stategy Guide, now I understand the game better. I still suck.

So all of you are great at it?
Beat the AI's as each Civ at the highest level?

[Apocalypse]

I don't play it very much so I never completely a game at diety.

[ChaotikVisions]

I'm decent, play around Regeant and Monarch every now and then. Never gone up past that really since for me the AI is still pretty tough. There seems to be a good amount of people around here who are very good at it and play at Diety.

[SlowwHand]

I can't imagine.

[nato]

I used to be very mediocre myself. I was able to win culturally and diplomatically, but conquering the world was out of reach.

My last few games, I've changed my playing style, and what a difference! Now I feel fairly tough. Monarch at least is easy... I'm going to see if Emperor is any different.

It has really changed my view on a lot of game issues ... things I used to consider problems are simply not an issue anymore. Thats what I'm trying to say kind of ... I feel so different gamewise, a lot of issues are totally different to me now. We may all be almost talking about a different game because of different play style/skill levels.

So probably I have jumped up to average, due to large change in play style.

[Paalikles]

I think it has to do with practice.
My first civ3 game was on chieftain level. I played with civ2 settings: 7 civs
and I completely underestimated the new gameplay - like resources. I actually read several chapters in the manual to calm myself down.
AND it took 3 attempts before I finally managed to complete a game (2nd time: program encountered a fatal error)
when I first completed the game I came in second (meaning that I lost)
what I lacked in skills with civ2 showed off clearly in civ3: now I need to EXPAND & improve.

Recently, I moved up from chieftain level after winning every victory condition. I am at warlord - will stay there untill my strategy improves, though in my last game, I won cultural victory (100 000) and got about 2200 points.
It is my addiction that drives me forward. I don't play for many hours a day. I don't play every day. But I play - and I haven't got bored yet

[SlowwHand]

Maybe that's part of my problem. I've never tried playing below Regent.

[Arrian]

Sloww,

Start with warlord and work your way up. I started out on chieftain even though I regularly thrashed CivII on Diety. My first couple of games at Regent didn't go well, and my first few games on Monarch kicked my ass. I'm still playing Monarch, but no longer consider it difficult to win. I still play it, though, because I've come up with a different definition of what I consider to be "winning." I'm kinda experimenting now.

Go on over to the strategy forum, and check out some of the ideas there.

A couple of quick pointers:

Civ choice is key. Match up a civ with your preferred playstyle. If you are a "peaceful builder" type, play Egypt or Babylon. If you are a raging warmonger, play Japan (personal favorite), the Aztecs, Persia, the Iroquois or China (it all depends on what you prefer in terms of UU, golden age timing, etc.).

Understand the power of resources, both strategic and luxury. The best way to defeat an opponent without overwhelming force is to deny him resources.

Unit upgrade paths are important to consider when chosing what units to build (I prefer horsemen to swordsmen for several reasons, but this is a huge part).

Mobility is power in war - CivIII's mobile ground units are much more powerful than their a/d stats may indicate.

Even if you wish to avoid war, remember that the AI will attack you if it perceives weakness.

Starting location is hugely important. Unless you are a "ironman" type who cannot stomach it, don't be afraid to utilize "ctrl+shift+q" if you find yourself in the tundra.

-Arrian

[Panzer]

I consider myself to be a decent player. I started at Warlord and I'm now playing at Regent (I know, I move slowly, but I want to make sure I master one level before going up to the next). By now I'm always the supreme power in the game so I may decide to move up a level pretty soon. But I notice the real difference when I'm playing Civ2 and SMAC. Those games are EASY now!!! I have to play at Diety or Transcend before the AI becomes even remotely chalenging. I already was pretty good with Civ2 but I never played on Transcend before and now I'm blowing the AI away. And I think Civ3 is the cause . And I used to play (and still do) those games 'by the book'. So I don't use massive amounts of crawlers, ICS or something like that.

[SlowwHand]

Yeah, I'm going to turn down the level I guess.
Picking the Civ, that's another stumper because I can see how each is important.
I've about decided Militaristic/something, so the Unit's experience level goes up quicker.
I did finally build a Wonder, by taking a Leader to the build site.

[planetfall]

SlowwHand-- If you want more help you are going to have to give us more information. You can't suck at everything, what parts of the game are giving you trouble?

General guidelines:
1. make sure patched to 1.21
2. check out forum articles on strategy
3. search for topics that are giving you trouble in both strategy and general
4. review summaries in war academy on civfanatics
5. don't be afraid to use the editor while learning the game. It is available so learning will be easier.

Personal experience, I got the game at Christmas and never played a civ game before.
The learning curve on this game is one of the worst around. Take small bites.

A strategy that is working well for me:

1. start at settler level
2. play standard world, easier than small
3. start with only 3 other civs. Select them so you know how each AI acts and what they do with their UU.
4. If having trouble with concept of corruption move slider in editor between 50-70%.
5. If you have trouble with a unit or game play, post the problem as a new topic.
6. Start with sendentary barbarians

Now I am playing at warlord level vs 7 civs and looking to either jumping to next level or 16 civs. Just for fun. Warlord is getting boring.

[SlowwHand]

I jumped in at Regent level. Normal settings on all.

I think one thing was trying to be too nice and cultural.
Probably also mixing strategy with Civ.

What I'm thinking now is Japan, China, or maybe Persia; and playing them as they were meant to be played.

[planetfall]

Too nice does not work with civ3. I just learned the value of ancient era war. I had been waiting until Modern and that is both more boring and lower scoring. {I turn off culture win because playing nice ends the game too soon with a culture win. My culture is usually between 150-200K}
Somewhere here there is a thread on ancient era war.

[SpencerH]

CIV3 is unlike earlier games where the only test was deity (after you'd learned the rules). Civ3 can be tough in the early game even at monarch or regent. For me deity tends to be a luck of the draw affair, with the right starting conditions you can win but too often I'm swamped by 20 aztecs or impis before being able to build up any infrastructure. Emperor is a more reasonable level for me.

[SpencerH]

I forgot to mention I go my butt kicked in my first game at regent -no iron too slow expansion.

[monkspider]

I don't see you around these parts too often Sloww. I suggest you start off at cheiftain or warlord at very least. I hope you get into it, you may prove to be a worthy adversary when PTW comes around.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

I've yet to play above monarch level. I lead the AI there, but not by too much. As was my habit with CivII, I've also yet to play past 1600ad - so I don't know if I'd win or not...

[SlowwHand]

I'm playing with MP on my mind, Monkspider.

[notyoueither]

One phrase Sloww, expand early and often.

[Sava]

It's all about expanding and outproducing the AI.

[mwaf]

Civ I - I considered myself a guru. No Internet for me back then, so I really don't know good I actually was(/is).

Civ II - I usally played on prince or king (IIRC), although, I did beat the game at Deity once (Spacerace, with a perfect grassland continent to start off with (the world was generated as: warm, wet and young)) and that was enough of Deity for me.

Civ III - Bought the game last week. I won my first game on Cheiftain by score at 2050AD. I'm currently playing my second game, on Warlord, and I'm getting my ass kicked (one city left), gotta rethink my old tactics (which probably go back all the way to Civ I).

I'm probably going back to Cheiftain after the current game to improve my skills (fortunately, there's still time to imporve before anyone gets their hands on PtW).

BTW, I'm playing on a huge map with 15 civs+/me, is that considered difficult compared to, say, a standard size map with 7 civs+/me?

[Aeson]

Somewhat depends on your playstyle. With more civs there are more alliances/trades you can make, and no one civ gets really powerful until they take some of the others out. With less civs there is more room for you to expand.

I think uncrowded maps are easiest overall. The AI expands really quickly up to a certain point (about optimal number of cities), but then they slow down. The player never has to slow down until all the free space is claimed.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
I'm playing with MP on my mind, Monkspider.

I tried to go back to an unmod-ed game for that reason but I didnt like it so I stopped playing altogether. Maybe with PtW who knows.

[Sava]

I enjoy MODing the game more than MP... I just love conquering the mindless AI citizens

[Nakar Gabab]

*The* #1 thing that improved my play was unit production. I made WAY too many early improvements when I really should have been making units. Sure, having culture is great, but if you just rush a temple early, you'll get plenty of culture over time, and you don't NEED to rush to those libraries/colosseums right off.

I found that the more units I made early on, and the more... aggressive I was with them, the better and better I did at the game. It's not so much the leaders (I rarely get many of them) as it is the ability NOT to take the AI's guff. And if you're "too nice," you get that in spades.

Buck up, batten down the hatches, reach out, and crush somebody. You'll do 100% better at Civ3 if you start out strong and project your power.

Note that it's fine to be nice, just make sure you're nice with a better army.

Speak softly and carry a big stick. Or just speak loudly and hit people with the stick until they beg.

[Jethro83]

Originally posted by Nakar Gabab
*The* #1 thing that improved my play was unit production. I made WAY too many early improvements when I really should have been making units. Sure, having culture is great, but if you just rush a temple early, you'll get plenty of culture over time, and you don't NEED to rush to those libraries/colosseums right off.

I found that the more units I made early on, and the more... aggressive I was with them, the better and better I did at the game. It's not so much the leaders (I rarely get many of them) as it is the ability NOT to take the AI's guff. And if you're "too nice," you get that in spades.

Buck up, batten down the hatches, reach out, and crush somebody. You'll do 100% better at Civ3 if you start out strong and project your power.

Note that it's fine to be nice, just make sure you're nice with a better army.

Speak softly and carry a big stick. Or just speak loudly and hit people with the stick until they beg.

Exactly the problem I had in the early days of buying the game. And because of it, I couldn't even make it past Warlord. Now that I am producing numerous units, and showing that I have the stones to send them out after anyone in my way, I am rapidly establishing my place as a superpower and maintaining it through the ages.

Furthermore, it seems to be more effective to be beating techs out of the enemy than to be researching them yourself in the early stages of the game. Despite being called Civilization, being civilized hardly gets you ahead until you are already powerful.

[delsolsi]

I've been playing this game about 3 weeks now and at first I sucked real bad too. I started on chiefton I won my first three games so I decided to go up to warlord and got my a$$ absolutly kicked. I went back down to chiefton again but it was so easy it wasn't fun, so I tried warlord again but with a new play style. I consider myself to be a peaceful player, I only go to war when I get attacked. On chiefton I never got attacked so I didn't build up my military very much. When I went up to warlord I tried playing the same way but the other civs would always gang up on me and kick my a$$ because I could not fend them off because my military was so weak.

On my last game on warlord I started building my military up from the start. I tried to stay atleast at average military compared to the other civs and strong against most. I didn't have any problems with the other civs attacking me but I fell way behind in tech. After noticing this I went straight for Literature so I could get the Great Library. I got six or seven techs from the Great Library, this caught me back up the rest of the civs. From this point I was able to gain a lead in tech and then sell the techs to the other civs for gold per turn. I used this to pay for my military and make it even stronger.

Russia decided to declare war on me after a while. My military was way stronger and much more advanced than theirs so I wasn't worried about them but from my other experiences on warlord I was worried about all the other civs sideing with them and declaring war on me so I signed mutual protection pacts with all the civs neiboring Russia. After takeing a bunch of Russian cities I signed a peace treaty with them and never had any problems the rest of the game with other civs.

I eventually ended up winning that game by space race in the 1930's. Last night I started my first game on regent. I'm playing Marla Singer's world map. So far so good. I kept restarting untill I got a starting position on North America. I think this may have given me an unfair advantage. There is only one other civ on the continent and they got stuck with a bad starting position while I got a good one so I'm kicking their a$$ in every aspect. I haven't found the other civs yet so I don't know if I really doing good or if the other civ on my continent just sucks worse than I do.

[dnassman]

Best piece of advice is to start at the bottom (Chiefton) and work your way up once you find it too easy. I started off at Chiefton and it took me a while to learn the ropes. I actually one my first game and played a couple more at that level and one them as well. Couldn't get a Conquest victory though. Mainly Cultural. Moved to Warlord and again won my games and achieved again Cultural victories with possibly one conquest. Went to Regent once I thought I was comfortable and started to expand and grow. Babs and India come along and kick my ass. Not enough military. Changed tactics and changed civs to Persia and started kicking their butts.

Big difference was the civ and building of early military and expand. Kept winning a lot with conquest and domination at Regent. A lot of fun with Immortals. Would try and wipe most civs off as fast as I can with them. Worked really well. Monarch was a nice step up and am winning in every game so far. Even played a Pangaa standard 8 civs and won by conquest before AD. 8000+ score. Greatest victory. Very warmongering though.

Most people have giving similar advice to me and I guess the majority has spoken.

Good luck

[Sava]

Usually the same strategies work. The AI only gets production bonuses. Combat and AI strategy is still the same as lower levels. Don't let Deity intimidate you.

[Theseus]

SH:

Lots of good tips above. here's my two cents, at a very broad level:

* I saw you're focused on Militaristic. I assume that's for GLs... don;t go there quite yet. I would recommend Religious and Industrious until you get comfortable.

* Understand that proactive early war helps quite a lot... don;t focus on GLs yet, just damage neighboring civs, and maybe (again, maybe) take a city or two.

* EXPLORE!! I don't care how, even Warriors are OK. Take down goody huts, and meet as many civs as you can. Know the terrain, and focus on the best sites.

* Despotism needs a new thread... it is the bulk of the game, and most importantly the determining period. Actually, I'll stop here... everybody, chime in.