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**Last Conformist** · May 30, 2004, 16:18

Tried the Tutorial mode? It's very basic.

**Solomwi** · May 30, 2004, 16:39

Move up a level. Chieftain's really only good for getting the basic mechanics down. It sounds like you've started browsing the forum, but make sure and check out Theseus' Must-Read Threads post at the top of this board. Aside from that, post a 4000 BC save and a later save. There are plenty of experts here that will give you specific pointers, and possibly even play the game along with you.

**vmxa1** · May 30, 2004, 17:14

The starting position is just a matter of seeing what you want to see after a few turns.

As you progress you will find a poor start can be a fun challenge. In the mean time, you want to have a lux some place close. I would say within 12 tiles. The higher the difficulty the more important that is to you.

Then I want to see a river to found my city next to, hopefully without moving much. The river means I can grow to size 12 without an aqueduct.

It is good to have a few bonus grassland tiles near the start point. You can then mine them to get the 2 food two shields.

A few tiles with forrest on them, so you can chop them to speed up granary and temple/barracks is sweet. The forrest tile will be used normally by the govenor to be worked by new citizen. This is a useful thing as you want those 2 shields.

One hill in the city radius to be mined later to get that wonder boost. Really sweet if it has iron, but it will be a while before you know that. If it has any resource on it, that is a big plus.

I would suggest doing what Solomwi mentioned. Post a 4000bc and maybe one for 80 to 100 turns later. This can be used to see if things are in order or not. If not, what needs to be addressed.

Most of the time it is not having enough workers and not using them optimally.

**I'mNowCivilized** · May 30, 2004, 19:21

So, starting out, do I need to build workers to get things going or do I build settlers to found more cities?

**vmxa1** · May 30, 2004, 20:23

That is a tricky question. So many things need to be factored in, but for a game below Monarch I would suggest using the location as the key.

IOW if you have lots of room and good lands to grab. I would be inclinded to do it the easy way and make a warrior and then if I had a wheat that could be irrigated, do that.

Once I had two warriors, then look at my tech. If I have pottery, make a granary, if not what is my timing for a settler?

Can I do one in 5 turns, or is it much longer? If longer, do a worker and get some tiles improved to crank out the settler in 5 or 6 turns.

At a level above monarch, I would probably not make two warriors first. I just want to get at least +4 food going, better yet +5. Now I can make settlers quickly.

**Harovan** · May 30, 2004, 20:28

Build a bunch of warriors (or scouts if you're expansionist) first and send them exploring. Build a new settler as soon as you can (the completion shield-wise is the same or later than the completion food-wise). Repeat this procedure with both cities. Leave the second wave of warriors around your home and let them hunt barbarians.

About workers: You start with one, let him improve 2-3 tiles around your capital. Don't irrigate grassland yet, it's mostly useless under despotism. Mine it, but irrigate plains and floodplains. Don't bother to improve desert, hills and mountains early on, it's not yet worth the effort. Build more workers as you found cities. Try to have about as much workers as cities. Protect them with units, if they're at your periphery, especially later when barbarians come mounted.

As soon as you have ~3-4 cities, build a small amount of archers (3-4 should do it) to fend off barbarians and AI civs who decide to attack you. Build more if you are going to attack.

Don't play Chieftain! It gets too many bonuses! Or else you learn bad habits (waste resources) and it will be hard to level up. Play Warlord as beginner. You still get some bonuses against the AI. Basically the AI is playing about Emperor against you.

**Tripledoc** · May 30, 2004, 21:57

A most important thing is:

Time the completion of the production of a settler or worker at the exact time the foodbox gets filled.

For instance, if you produce a settler one turn before the food box is filled then you waste 18 stored food for nothing.

It is all about not wasting any time or resources.

**Goethe80** · May 30, 2004, 22:28

To be fair, I don't think there's anything wrong with playing at chieftain to figure out the game mechanics and to understand the game at the various stages in the tech ladder.

The most important thing is to have fun, and in my opinion, the first thing you should do is figure out what everything does and what options you have.

Once you've figured out the mechanics, then you can work out how to play better. There are many facets to civ3, from waging war to building to figuring out how to maintain decent foreign relations.

One last thing, the manual is particularly good. It leaves out alot of things, and also doesn't mention the patch fixes. Oh! go download the latest patch too. it's 1.22 now

**Grandpa Troll** · May 30, 2004, 22:45

Ok..Im a Noob 2 for CIVIII Conquests!

I read somewhere sometime back about the benefits of cutting trees down then replanting?

Is this possible and is it worth the time and efforts?

Thanks Grandpa "CTP-2-CIVIII:Conquests"Troll

**vmxa1** · May 30, 2004, 23:18

IFC (infinite foresst chop) is not allowed any longer it was patched out very early.

You are allowed to chop and replant or plant and chop, but only the first chop get the 10 shields. Any furhter chops are just a waste of time.

So if you are playing an MP game, it will make sense to log the tiles you have chopped. In an SP game, it is rarely an issue. You may elect to chop a forrest on tundra and then replant, but other tiles are probably not worth replanting.

**Grandpa Troll** · May 30, 2004, 23:22

Originally posted by vmxa1
IFC (infinite foresst chop) is not allowed any longer it was patched out very early.

You are allowed to chop and replant or plant and chop, but only the first chop get the 10 shields. Any furhter chops are just a waste of time.

So if you are playing an MP game, it will make sense to log the tiles you have chopped. In an SP game, it is rarely an issue. You may elect to chop a forrest on tundra and then replant, but other tiles are probably not worth replanting.

So what would you get the next time?

U stated 10 shields first go round...

-0- next?

Thanks for bearing with me!

GT

**vmxa1** · May 30, 2004, 23:23

I think what Sir Ralph is poonting out is valid. You do not want to play more than one or two games on Chief as it will get you into bad abits.

You may as well jump to Warlord and learn to win there. It is not as if the AI will out play you there either, once you have the basics down. The AI is the same all the way down to Sid, the only thing that changes is the amount of bonus that is given and who gets it. So it is good not to get use to the bonus you get at chief.

**Grandpa Troll** · May 30, 2004, 23:30

Originally posted by vmxa1
I think what Sir Ralph is poonting out is valid. You do not want to play more than one or two games on Chief as it will get you into bad abits.

You may as well jump to Warlord and learn to win there. It is not as if the AI will out play you there either, once you have the basics down. The AI is the same all the way down to Sid, the only thing that changes is the amount of bonus that is given and who gets it. So it is good not to get use to the bonus you get at chief.

So moving up to the say 4th level (i dont have them memorized yet!)..chieftain 1 then warlord is 2..go m,aybe 2 more up..

The ai is not expotentially more aggressive?

I guess your just saying it has much more advantages like science rates?

Ok..Ill buy into that..not like it can follow me away from the keyboard and beat me down at i go to the garage..

Peace

GT

**vmxa1** · May 31, 2004, 01:22

Yes like that, the ai behaves the same, but will get bonuses. I would not go beyond regent until I was winning regularly. The AI plays even up at Regent.

The other thing that will occur is you will see a change in the contented citizens.

It is 4 at chief, 3 at warlord and then 2 regent and monarch. After that it is one. This will be very punishing, if you have not mastered the game.

What it means is you must take care to keep you pop happy sooner. You have to hook up lux or use the slider or you get unhappy pop and nothing gets done.

If you are using the governor, it mean it will start putting people on entertaintment. This will wreck you production. These concerns are not a problem at warlord, but soon are very pronounced above monarch.

At monarch you will have a cost factor for research that will make you pay more than the AI. The break even is 10 (regent). When at chief it is 20, so you are getting a boost on science.
This means it will cost you more to learn new techs as you move up.

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