Cheating AI

[Catt]

The two separate worker groups toil away at mines. Several other workers start mining tiles near Inverness which has two cows nearby, menaing it has extra food and could stand more mines.

At the beginning of turn 2, two new mines around Aberdeen are completed. The two different worker groups converge in an irrigated tile between the two newly mined tiles, allowing a third tile to be mined by the end of turn 2. With the entertainer in Aberdeen put to work and three new mines the Wonder completion time has dropped to 31 turns even though in your save it would still have 39 turns to go.

A screenshot at this point.

Catt

[Catt]

Turn three allows the newly formed "miners group" of workers to mine another irrigated tile. The Wonder Completion time only drops to 29 from 31, but still better than the 38 turns in your original save.

Catt

[dexters]

nice work catt.

[Catt]

The worker group mines an irrigated bonus grassland before moving off to the next city. Aberdeen is now only 26 turns from JS Bachs. In your original save, JS Bachs would be 37 turns away (down from 41 turns originally); in other words, wonder completion time had been improved by 11 turns from your original save. I have no idea whether or not you'll be the first to JS Bachs, but I hope this one small example highlights how important looking at all your options can be.

Catt

[vmxa1]

Originally posted by Scottyb
Incidentally another thing which really annoys me is that i can tell another country to get off my land until im blue in the face and they will just keep on trying. Telling them to get off or declare war dosent help - they just relocate to the border then try again on the next stop - turn after turn - shot after shot. Why??

The main reason they will do that is they percieve you as weak. If you look at F3 and it say comapred to them we are weak, that is the problem. If it does not say that then, check to see if they are at war with someone on the other side of your empire. If they are they will want to come through anyway. If they do not come with settlers, I often let them go. No settlers, if I want the land they are headed towards.

[vmxa1]

I see Catt has done the honors, so no need for me to look at the game. I have absolute confidence in his skills.

You may want to peek at the link for Crackers opening moves. It in in teh strat section in the must rad topped thread. It explains how key it is to manage your workers and save moves and improve the best tiles first. Avoid things like working on hills until you have nothing better the worker could be doing.

[Scottyb]

Catt,
Thank you very much, i can see a good few more lost nights approaching, and to the rest of you guys as well.

I will try your suggestiuons and let you know, and hey - i want to learn, but jeez this game can get the better of my frustration tolerances sometimes.

After i posted last night - i wanted to try a few things with workers, and so set up a tiny map with the idea of getting my starting moves off the ground and learning more about the worth of tiles and what happens when irrigated and roads are built by manually ordered workers.

Im sure you can just clear this up with a simple answer, but I noticed that in the pedia, it mentions that a grassland square with rock will produce 2 food normally and then 1 extra food if irrigated. Likewise 1 extra commerce if a road is built (sorry doing this from memory as im at work so correct me if im wrong.), however what i find is that, at least under despotism, an irrigated grassland square still produces 2 food units even after irrigation.

Is that right, or is the pedia wrong?

[Tiberius]

No, the pedia is not wrong. This is the despotism penalty. This is why there is no point in irrigating while in despotism (except for floodplains, wheat and cattle).

Likewise there is no point in building mines on plains with cattle, because the despotism penalty will deprive you from the bonus shield.

When you will change government the food bonus will appear.

[alva]

No, it is right, however , and you say so yourself and I quote :
"however what i find is that, at least under despotism, an irrigated .."
despostism will penalise you on certain tiles/improvements. Look at the Goverment part of the Pedia for more info.
in short: Sometimes you won't get a shield or a food that you will get under other forms of goverment

[Grim Legacy]

Originally posted by Outsider
Because the computer is a relentless automaton. Usually it is trying to get to something on the other side of your territory (open land to found a city, or it is trying to get its troops over to another empire to attack it)

The best way I've found to prevent those annoying, repeated border incursions is to pick a narrow spot and line units up solidly across it (1 per square) such that the computer can't trace a path through my territory to whatever it wants to get to on the other side. If it cant find an unblocked path, it doesnt bother sending units down the first few steps.

It is a not so bad use for captured workers (the half efficiency ones) if you're not short workers but are tired of clicking on SO MANY of them to get anything done.

Funny- your posts sum up exactly what I found out to be a very helpful sort of 'semi-exploit' tactics.

I stumbled upon the "AI is lured to undefended cities" thing when I was so strapped for defensive units on my frontline that I left a few cities in safer territories unguarded. Next turn I immediately noticed the opponent doesn't launch as much as a single strike against my fielded units, nor against his former cities that I had just taken over, but instead gallops further into my lands in the vain hope of getting to those 'free' cities. Very convenient.
Things were similarly affected with the "unit-border" you described as well. The computer sees its simple trajectory cut off and just abandons the idea of moving on. I initially expected some tension- maybe the computer would move about feverishly in front of my units or perhaps it would be very tempted to launch a sneak attack, but nothing of the sort. Makes you realize it's still a computer you're playing.

[Catt]

Originally posted by Scottyb
I want to learn, but jeez this game can get the better of my frustration tolerances sometimes.

You can spend an awful lot of of time - time well spent - reading through the "Must Read" threads compiled by Theseus, located in the Strategy forum, and found by clicking HERE.

(Just remember that some of those threads were written a long time ago, and subsequent patches / changes in the game may have made specific tactics or strategies obsolete or at least less effective).

Catt

[MINNJPN]

The AI does have some inherent advantages at higher levels, so take advantage of what you can. You can pick your opposition so make yourself the only regligious civ. This affords you the opportunity to research Mysticism 1st. Don't trade Ceremonial Burial untill you have a 8-10 turn lead with Mysticism, trying to obtain Bronze Working so your Warriors are not over-run. Repeat with Polytheism, and at least you will have 2 tech discoveries, and a small chance at a SGL. You could also play as the Carts, do starts untill you find one with Ivory nearby, research Mathematics 1st, the build the Statue of Zeus and get Ancient Calv. every 5 turns for free-they can make a big difference in early warfare.

[vmxa1]

Scottyb, do you have the free CD that came with some orders? If so, IIRC, it has a strat guide that talks about the use of tile improvements. If not check out Crackers :

http://www.civfanatics.com/doc/civ3/cracker/civ3_starts/index.htm

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by alva

I have had my workers on Auto (Mistake?)

Actually this the biggest mistake one can make (and aotu-gouvernor)
You really need to learn worker actions, this is the basic concept for CiV, good worker actions are a deffinate must!!!

I have to second this. Plus, it is just PAINFUL to watch the AI try and manage workers.

[Tiberius]

However, to give a bit of relief to Scottyb : you can automate your workers once most your improvements are done (irrigations, mines, all luxuries and resources connected, essential railroad lines built) and let the AI do the rest of the job (railroad all tiles, clean pollution).
You must of course keep a few workers not automated, for important tasks, such as improving new cities, building fortresses, building supply lines for your armies, etc.