I suck, need to vent.

[StainlessSteel]

Just curious, are you playing on a MAC or something? The graphics are pretty cool

[Jon Shafer]

Nope, I wouldn't get near a Mac. It's my custom graphics mod that I've created from a patchwork of other mod sets. The base graphics set is Sn00py's, I got the irrigation and borders from other modsets from CFC and the resources I made from some extra graphics packaged with Civ 3.

[StainlessSteel]

Hee hee, where do I download your custom mod?

[ZargonX]

Yeah, Trip... post your custom graphics because I'd like them too

[Dominae]

I like the historical basis for your city names, Trip.

[Jon Shafer]

Forgive me, I'm not much of a roleplayer.

Anyways, for those who wanted my graphics set, I've created a thread for it.

[StainlessSteel]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrr
Damn I'm pissed off right now...
I just had 12 riders slaughtered by 2 defending longbow men. ARGH! Sorry I needed to scream

SSR

[Jon Shafer]

12 Horsemen?

Were they attacking a hilled city? If so, that's probably not a great idea with Longbowmen's 4 defense. Probably get up to about 7 defense, which is enough to chew through quite a few attacking units unless they're Knights...

[StainlessSteel]

Chinese Riders, and longbowmen have 1 defense.. not hilled city either..

[Jon Shafer]

Ahhh, a different game.

Sorry, I was confusing myself with the role of Longbows.

/me nods at Dom

[Dominae]

Originally posted by Trip
* Trip nods at Dom

/me nods at Trip, oblivious to what's going on...

[Jaybe]

Some have said that the primary role of archer/longbow was of the defensive nature, and that their role in Civ3 should be as defensive units (with bombard capability).

[Raghnall]

I've always thought archers needed to be tweaked.

Here's what I'd do...

Archers
0(1)/1(2)/1

Longbowmen
0(2)/1(4)/1

Archers and Longbowmen never should be able to be employed as offensive melee units, hence their zero attack strength, and should be given the usual nominal 1 defensive strength. Archers were hardly every wiped out unless their whole army was wiped out. Probably a few exceptions where skirmishers (archers and sling shots) got caught by cavalry, but ancient battle lines were formed in such a way as to let the skirmishers shoot and then break and run through friendly troop lines to the safety of the rear before they could be engaged by the enemy.

They should have offensive bombardment capabilities, but they should not be as great as their capability to bombard on defense.

Reason:

When an archer's army is attacking an enemy on defense, the defending army can employ their shields as well as terrain to make the offensive archers job harder.

When archers are on defense against an attacker, they can use terrain (height of city walls or hills) to their advantage and the attacking units would find it harder to employ their sheilds vs. the hail of arrows the defending archers would release upon them due to their mobility (much easy to employ a shield when stationary. The Roman "testudo" took a LOT of practice).

Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever see units that have different attack and defense bombardment strengths.

[StainlessSteel]

Whee! Just had the best game. Picked Celts as my race. I think it was a good game becuase the continent I was on had almost all the resources. And I believe it DID have all the strategic ones. I was behind in Tech until I got the GL and after it wen't obsolete (I swear the computer beelines edu. once you have it)

4 other Civs on my continent, Japan, Spain, America, and Egypt. Early war vs Japan and Spain expanded my civ and brought about my GA (right at second age, allowing me to get Sun Tza)

During my catchup India suggest a MPP. while they were at war with the tiny Carthagians. Reluctantly I accepted to get an early supply of rubber for upgrading my riflemen (LW is nice with the Art of War). India then proceded to drag me into a World War, when he literarly declared war on every Civ but me. (Back when I was still in Democrat mind you.)

After about 11 turns of non-stop war, I declared war on india to break our MPP and declared peace with all of the other Civs.

America built into quite the powerhouse while I was behind in techs, but once I switch to Communisim, I was able to stockpile enough cash to steal techs every 2-3 turns from America and the Ottomans.

I then eliminated Spain. Japan and America at war with each other, both decided to take out the middleman (me). I reduced Japan to 1 city and took a good 1/2 of America's cities.

Declared peace and had to launch into space to defeate the rampaging Ottomans who were 2 pieces from launch.

Ahhhh it was a Fun game Finaly!

[Golden Bear]

My own Monarch tale

Well, I don't think I suck at Civ but I have been playing mostly Regent because it's easy and I did not want to have to think much. But after tuning in to this thread and the Demigod thread I figured I would step up to Monarch for good.

Here is my Monarch story.

I've played Monarch in the past and have won about half the time. But I needed a good start. So I fired up a world, skinny Pangaea, random age, Large and picked the Americans. I maxxed the number of civs because I think that makes things a little easier. I have never played the Americans because of their very late GA but I have been learning to push the GA out late anyway. Normally I play the French and it is pretty easy to postpone the GA with them. Plus I love the "AHUNH" the Musketeer makes.

Anyway, first try I got plopped onto a floodplain with three distant hill squares. What the hey, I am going to try building a worker/settler pump and this looks like a good spot. Fortunately, no civs were very close so I got to expand a little without pressure. The scout unit was awesome and popped about 20 huts and got me 3-4 techs plus a free city!! And the free city was near Ivory. I had an awkward geographical situation since I was at the left tail of the continental snake and the free city was around the curve. But I made it work.

Did lots of tech trading, smootched up to civs as well as I could. Made lots of warriors on the theory that aggressive civs only count number of units, not quantity. I did OK but then fell behind on tech in the middle of the next era. Maya was trying to be KAI - they had Temple of Zeus. I saw them moving troops into my region and preemptively gave them a lot of money. They left me alone.

Then I had no saltpeter. I tried to culture steal some from the Byzantines but no dice. Finally I attacked them and stole a couple of cities around the resource and then got a peace. Everything was pretty calm except for the Germans who had a tiny front with me and who allied with the Byzantines. I fought them out too but they left a stack of Riflemen in my territory.

Well, I decide to develop and produce since I had an Score edge and a tech lead on critical path. Dum de dum, sell old techs to the Chinese, etc., every body loves me. Boom, the Incas, from the far right of the continent, start attacking with no provocation. I turtle up and play artillery and Cav defense and clean them out. They eventually weary but other civs start allying and fighting. I see that Byz. declares against Maya and brings Germany into that war. Wait three turns, get peace with Inca and ask Germany to leave. They declare on me and bring a stack of 97 Riflemen across the border. No horses for them, you see!!! I was a little shocked but I battered them with arty for two moves and attacked them with Cav and Cav armies to sap them down. Killed 47 in two turns... not enough. I get three new civs to declare against them and attack from behind. This cost me my entire treasury plus payments but the juggernaut turned around for a turn. I healed and kept attacking. Finally, I wore them out and put a unit into Germany. Byz. declares against me and I came over the border with tanks which I had just gotten. German concedes after I take a city and gives me another. Byz won't quit so I exterminate them. Life is good. BTW, from the Inca invasion onwards I fought in Democracy and without US. Ugh, don't want to do that again. At the very end of the Byz. war I bombed a ship with and F-15 and popped the GA.

My country is now fairly well shaped and has good resources and goodies. I am friends with most countries - Germans will never much care for me but that's life. Anyway, I can now either run to Spaceship or try to expand. But most countries are covered with defenses and mobile infantry so SS is probably fastest.

So here are some questions and comments.

1. The first Monarch game I started played as if it was still Regent. I played it out but am not reporting it here. The one above was actually the second. Is there a bug in C3C where difficulty does not change right away? It seems as if I have noticed this before.

2. Why is there no UN? I was first to Fission and could build Manhattan, but there is no UN? I don't think I did anything to the victory conditions?

3. Money has been tough through this entire game. I really only stay ahead in tech by selling pretty new techs to wealthy, and close rival, competitors for lots of money. I made 7600 GP off of one which allowed me to run at -180 for a 6 turn research.

4. I read about people buying techs but I never seem to get a civ that is willing to trade me something critical for any amount. Maybe I am missing something.

5. Can somebody describe to me what the conditions are to set up a 4 turn worker pump such as I have read about.

6. Is there a world size/number of civs that most people play at? I typically cut down to 5-6 opponents if I want a tougher game. Plus I am SP only.

Anyway, it seems that my ability to cope with Monarch has improved so maybe I will get myself comfortable here for a while and then move up again.


Carlos