ICS & OCC tougher in civ3

[aneeshm]

I read on the Civ 3 Site that settlers now decrease the size of a city by 2, & workers by 1 to prevent the use of the ICS strategy . This may have had an unforseen consequence on the OCC strategy , as you will need workers to build the colonies to harvest the resources that an "unfriendly" civ may refuse to trade with you . As it is , you may not have much to trade with in the first place , having only one city . Unless you have a REALLY big culture rating , you may need quite a few workers in the 'Early Republic' stage , when techs are faster than normal , but production is low due to support . The decrease in pop required to produce those workers may cripple you growth in the stage where you most need it . In OCC , you can't have the borders you really desire , as you have only one city . Can anyone suggest any remedy ?

[dainbramaged13]

dont do occ?

[Sabre2th]

OCC definately does suffer. That is not the only bad effect on it, but I'd rather have rock-solid gameplay under normal conditions than have to do OCC to be challenged.

[Father Beast]

The OCC is a special challenge, and I'm sure that it will still have an interesting group chasing after it in civ3, until someone breaks it. then we'll all be in awe for a couple of weeks, then play OCC every once in a while to show ourselves how easy it is.

making the game rock solid in normal play doesn't detract from the OCC. we'll find a way. it's only been a couple of years since the first OCC reported on this site. before then, people thought it was pretty impossible on deity.

now, I still haven't gotten the mix right to do OCC in civ1 on emperor

[Sabre2th]

making the game rock solid in normal play doesn't detract from the OCC

It doesn't detract from it, it just makes it harder. If the normal game is really a challenge, then OCC isn't necessary (for me)

[Urban Ranger]

It's not the pop requirements that makes the OCC harder, it's the resource requirements. Before Civ 3 you still need to build settlers that require 1 pop each, and you still have to suport them with food and perhaps shields.

The point about OCC is that it is a challenge. Why make it easy?

[Paul L]

Well, if the AI is anything worth, OCC should be totally impossible.

[Paul L]

I mean what would you do with that one big, wonder filled city in your backyard?

[Inverse Icarus]

i concur.

try that occ crap in a game of at least 4 human players and your dead. TOAST.

if there is a somewat competant AI in the game, they'll try to bully you around, at the very least.

[Ralf]

Originally posted by UberKruX
if there is a somewat competant AI in the game, they'll try to bully you around, at the very least.

I think that the AI-programmers at Firaxis should add a discrete under-the-hood "alarm-trigger" that regulary check out if the player stubbornly tries to play extreme OCC and extreme ICS.

Above can be achieved by simply letting the software collect HP "found city" actions, and compare the result with number of succesful HP "build city-improvenment (and wonders)" actions. If the result gradually shows more and more extreme results, an especially prepared AI-civ answering-response should spring in to action. A strong counter-acting response especially targeted at the weak Archilles-heels of above two strategies.

The reason, why the team should do this is that is most of us is sick and tired of hearing (some) civers bragging about "spanking the **** out of the AI" by playing in not-originally-intended and obviously game-rules-misusing ways.

[connorkimbro]

Well, if the AI is anything worth, OCC should be totally impossible.

I love it when people say something is impossible, and then proving them wrong.

Actually, I havn't set any records, as I was never the first person to attempt or do anything. . but i HAVE done some amazing things on civ2, things that sound impossibly, but if done right, are actually quite easy. size 1 city, located on a polar icecap OCC anyone? DONE 1890 landing, just 1 year ahead of the russians. That's not a record, but it's decent, and i'm a mediocre player at best.

So what will be impossible in civ3? Nothing, as far as i'm concerned.

Ralf: There is no reason to do anything like that. You know the game Monopoly? You know how somepeople, whenever they have to pay a fine, they put it in the middle, and then the first person to land on "free parking" gets the money? That's not the original rules, but it's still a fun game. You play the game how ever you want, and let others play the game how they want. Artificial rules to correct non-existant problems are needless.

Nevertheless, if they include silly rules like that, you can bet there will still be a way around them.

[Paul L]

I said that should be impossible when there is a decent AI. Just as it is impossible in multiplayer.

[Inverse Icarus]

Paul, from now on i want you to write in a russian accent and try to get an animated avatar .

also, end every post by saying "spank me" or something of the sort.

[isaac brock]

This is not a problem. Even if ICS and OCC were impossible in civ 3, which they won't be, with all the new features it has, I'm sure there will be many more interesting strategies and loopholes to use when playing it. People will figure out some great strategies for civ 3 within a week of its release. I'm sorry if you can't play exactly the same as you did in civ 3, but boo fugging hoo.

[Provost Harrison]

Well OCC should be rock hard, but it will just mean you have to prioritise; get the luxuries you need, forget resources except the ones you really need, and try and trade for resources until you have the power to gain access to them yourself...