What difficulty level do you play on?

[Hywel Dda]

I'm currently having a fairly easy time at regent level but unlike Buckethead I'm still enjoying the game, so I shan't bump up to Monarch level until I feel like more of a challenge.

I've not varied map size at all yet - all on random standard size maps, but I can feel myself limbering up for a large map real soon.

Emporer and Deity can wait. I didn't get to those levels with CivII for well over a year. These people who are already on these levels after just a few weeks frankly amaze me. Do these people never sleep???

[Kolyana]

I would say someone's better to work on improving his early game

Couldn't agree more ... a fast and good start are essential. Start slow, end no where. The computer is constantly and aggressively growing, so if you don't carve out an empire *now* you never will.

I never play on small maps ... I always play on large. The best game I've had thus far was on Satya's World map ... gigantic?

[TrailerParkJawa]

Well, I've been playing at Chieftan. I've been having fun too.
I think once I can win a space victory I will go up to Warlord.

After 4-5 games where I lost, one of them by a SINGLE POINT!,
I won a histographic victory.

Normally, on Civ2 I would play Prince or King.

Ive found Civ3 to be much harder, which can be a good thing.

[ThaddeusAlexander]

I still say regent is the best.

Everything is even - no bonuses either way.

Now i know some people who want to make themselves look like amazing players so other over apolyton will be writing "I'm play diety and its too easy .. hahaha!" ... gimme a break!

Play the game for what it is suppose to be - fun. I think Regent is nice because the game is fun and can still go either way in the long run. Fun is KEY! I find that with anything above regent, you become tied to a strategy - some super plan that you just have to play step-by-step and you can win if everything goes well ... but in my opinion, i want to make an empire that I want - not one that a strategy dictates to me. I just want fun, and i want to be able to mess around with my game plan ... room to breathe so i can the game work the way i want and take suprises as they fall ...

But thats just my 2 cents ..

Cheers!
~Alex

[Buckethead]

Just my thoughts on your last post Alex.

If you have fun at Regent difficulty level, I think you should try Monarch soon. You still get the 2 content citizens per city, so no adaptation needed here. The only thing is a small increase of AI productivity, but hey!, i don't think 11 swordmen instead of 10 makes a big difference for the AI, since most of the time they'll get killed by a lone spearman on a mountain, or something similar.

I believe the big league starts with Emperor difficulty level. Note that i haven't played it yet, so it's a real theorical thought.

And for the having-fun thing.... Definition of fun tends to evolve. Playing civ2, i thought for a long time that King level was fun. But i got to beat the AI whatever my starting position was ; and i did beat it really bad btw. Next thing i know, i'm still having fun, but playing Emperor level instead ! At the very end of my Civ2 addiction, i would pull a win at deity level now and then. Then fun starts to fade, because you know you won't get much better even through a thousand more hours of playing.

Hoping i wont get a deity win too soon at Civ3 to make my investment worth it !

have fun,

Buckethead

[ThaddeusAlexander]

Originally posted by Buckethead
And for the having-fun thing.... Definition of fun tends to evolve. Playing civ2, i thought for a long time that King level was fun. But i got to beat the AI whatever my starting position was ; and i did beat it really bad btw. Next thing i know, i'm still having fun, but playing Emperor level instead ! At the very end of my Civ2 addiction, i would pull a win at deity level now and then. Then fun starts to fade, because you know you won't get much better even through a thousand more hours of playing.

No, i do agree with you

I just like regent right now ... once it becomes too easy, i'll turn it up a notch. i just don't like turning it to diety, losing horribly a half dozen times before i win ... i just want my money's worth too!

Good gaming everyone!
Cheers!
~Alex

[Bloodaxe]

Used to play Civ 2 on diety and always won, so didn't I get a shock with my first game of Civ 3. Just moved up to emperor as monarch was getting too easy.

[ThaddeusAlexander]

Originally posted by Bloodaxe
Used to play Civ 2 on diety and always won, so didn't I get a shock with my first game of Civ 3. Just moved up to emperor as monarch was getting too easy.

So long as you're having fun, thats all that really matters, right?

Cheers!
~Alex

[fikrii]

I started at Monarch, and am now steadily playing on Emperor.

There's no point and no fun playing on deity when the computer is no smarter, yet cheats a WHOLE LOT more (I know, I know, Emperor cheats too, but I can still tolerate it at Emperor).

My save file of my last emperor game is attached, about to win a space victory (always space here, conquest is not feasible w/ the corruption etc. , etc., hope they'll fix it)


- Emperor -

[Executor]

Originally posted by Mannamagnus


And you don't mind loosing all the time?

Right now its 330 BC and I'm making 1300 gold/turn by extorting huge amounts of money from the 15 other civs in exchange for tech. I spend 800 gold buying the tech from one civ and make a fortune selling it to all the others. Then I use that money to fund my war effort. Too easy. Haven't lost a war yet, especially considering that I always have all the latest tech and its easy to trade for any resources I don't have.

[ThaddeusAlexander]

Originally posted by Executor


Right now its 330 BC and I'm making 1300 gold/turn by extorting huge amounts of money from the 15 other civs in exchange for tech. I spend 800 gold buying the tech from one civ and make a fortune selling it to all the others. Then I use that money to fund my war effort. Too easy. Haven't lost a war yet, especially considering that I always have all the latest tech and its easy to trade for any resources I don't have.

For some reason, i can never get that much gold per turn from the AI ... oh well, just gotta try harder i guess

Cheers!
~Alex

[wervdon]

I keep trying different settings to mix it up.

Hmmm, prolly about 6-9 games at chieftan.
Prolly another 4-6 at warlord.
And another 6-9 at regent.

It really depends on what kind of mood Im in, and how many civs there are as opposed to the map size. (I changed all the sizes on mine to allow 16 civs, but I ussually either do:
5 tiny
7 small
8 or 9 normal
12 large
I give up on huge, it lags too much even on my athlon 1200 when the game gets going good :P

If its a smaller map or less civs, I ussually go for regent.

If I ever get to where regent is a "sure" win more or less, Id switch to something higher though In any case, Im going to vote "regent", since it ussually turns into the most fun.

[Whammy]

Started on Regent, won my third game about. Now just started Monarch, and am winning that so far. Although, this game has now become hindered at the discovering of a worker bug I made a thread on, and it's damn tempting considering my whole area is jungle.