Absolute Newb needs advice.

[~Vodka~]

Ok, im about as new to civ3 as you can get.. I mean, not new in the sence I dont know the controls or what not. New in the sence I just cannot get my mind around the game.. I dont know its hard to explain.

I payed a lot of builder games in monarch mode. Seemed easy enough, UN wins mostly, some culture wins, a space race here and there.

Iv never been vary keen on Military operations. I seem to loose any wars that do not occur immidiatly off the ancient age (ala Jag Warrior Rush or somthing like that).

Is there anything I can do to practice.. hone my skills and learn new tricks? Other than just get my arse handed to me over and over, not learning anything? Iv read a ton of strategy threads, and they are helpful.. but they only go so far.

[Mad Bomber]

If you could post a save game of a game there are probably a few people that can give you good advice.

It also would help by answering a few questions.

1. What type of game do you typically play (world size, # of civ's, map options, Barb settings, and if you play C3C; AI aggression)

2. What size of a military do you typically have (number and types of units)

3. What types of units do you use (land, air, naval, bombardment)

4. How many barracks do you build (assuming you don't build Sun Tzu's)

5. How badly do you fare in war? Is it a matter of not gaining ground, or are you having cities captured?

As you have won a few games on monarch your problems probably are not ones of the traditional newbie which stem primarily from lack of infrastructure and production so answering these questions and posting a save would probably be a good start.

[Jaguar]

If you can win on Monarch, you aren't that newbish. Here are a few tips for you. Some of this might sound a little obvious, but I'm going to make sure you aren't making any really silly mistakes.


1. Prepare for war beforehand - Obviously, if you're planning on attacking an AI, you should build a lot of units before declaring war. Fighting a war without an overwhelming force advantage is never good.

2. Make big stacks - The biggest mistake new players make when going to war is not concentrating their forces. If you send just a couple of units to attack an enemy city, and a couple to attack another one, they will be completely ineffective. However, a large stack of units can take any city fairly easily.

3. Attack them before they attack you - If you have a nice, peaceful empire with a greedy neighbor nearby, they will attack eventually. You want this inevitable war to be at the time of your choosing. Either be ready to fight at all times, or prepare and then attack them when you're ready. Many builders neglect their militaries, and then get caught unprepared by weaker powers. Don't let this happen to you.