I am new, and need tips

[Foolishman]

Good day, this is my first time playing a civilization game, I have tried the first difficulty and failed miserably at it, the AI computers walked all over me, what do I do?!?!

[Edrix]

Look around on the Strategy forum.
Seriously, some great stuff for newbies here. Just browse around some threads.

[Tuberski]

Or this thread:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=58720

Should help a lot.

[Edrix]

Of course, there's some general rules to live by.

At the beginning, focus on expansion. The AI in Civ3 does this in spades, and you'll find it hard to catch up if you only have three cities to their twelve. Pop-rushing can be of great value. To expand your culture into areas that you'd like secure (such as areas with luxuries or resources), pop-rush temples and other culture improvements. And don't forget to explore at the beginning, as well. Send out warriors, or even better, horsemen. Pop those goody huts ASAP and get the bonuses.
Finally, if you're ahead in the tech race (and you should be if you're on Chieftan), learn how to tech whore. That is, when you discover a new, valuable advance that nobody else has yet, sell it to all of the other civs. You'll make a mint, and you'll probably still be ahead in the tech race to boot.

EDIT: Ah, there's the thread I was looking for.

[Foolishman]

Is it best to make a large military and just try and conquer everyone, or is diplomacy a better way?

[Foolishman]

Is it best to make a large military, and if so, what units are good to start with?

[Edrix]

Originally posted by Foolishman
Is it best to make a large military and just try and conquer everyone, or is diplomacy a better way?

Well, early wars can help immensely. When the game calculates your score, the Ancient Era is just as important as the modern one. Plus, ancient wars tend to be a bit easier (that's how it is for me, at least). Just STAY AWAY FROM THE GREEKS. They've got the best defensive unit in Ancient Times, and you'll have little chance unless you overwhelm them.
Thing is, you shouldn't be afraid to get dirty and go kick some ass. Peace won't get you too far in this game, but landing 30 fresh tanks on enemy soil will garner some positive results. Just remember, that if you declare war, you've gotta focus ON THE WAR, and not on anything else. The AI will retaliate brutally unless you can hit them hard enough at the beginning. Stack your units, and always keep at least one or two defensive units with your offensive units when attacking (and keep the stacks together). And never forget to escort your artillery.

[Foolishman]

If one could dominate the AI and take all their cities, wouldn't the other AIs want to be your friends rather then enemies, because when I tried, they all attacked me and I died fast, and it was in the cheiften I think, my foreign advisor said they "allied" against me, can I do the same against one of them?

[Edrix]

Originally posted by Foolishman
Is it best to make a large military, and if so, what units are good to start with?

If you're going to build a military at all, you might as well make it big. When I attack a rival civ, I tend to use stacks of 7-8 offensive units, 2 defensive units, and 3 artillery. I use the artillery to weaken a city's defenses before attacking. When moving the stacks, try to keep to the high ground (mountains and hills). This provides a defense bonus in the event of an attack.
As for what units to use, it depends on the era. In the Ancient Era, Archers, Spearmen, and Catapults work nicely. Don't build too many Swordsmen, as they can't be upgraded. For the Middle Ages, go with Knights, Catapults (as Cannons don't appear for a while), and Pikemen. For the Industrial Era, start with Cavalry, Riflemen, and Cannons, and then eventually move on to Tanks, Infantry, and Artillery. In the Modern Age, it'll come down to Mech Infantry, Modern Armor, and Radar Artillery. But by that time, you should also have a wide selection of naval/air units available.

[Edrix]

Originally posted by Foolishman
If one could dominate the AI and take all their cities, wouldn't the other AIs want to be your friends rather then enemies, because when I tried, they all attacked me and I died fast, and it was in the cheiften I think, my foreign advisor said they "allied" against me, can I do the same against one of them?

You can sign a mutual protection pact with other civs, or a military alliance if you're ready for war, but the best way to ensure that the others don't attack is to appease them. Just agree to most of their trade deals, don't send units into their territory, etc... Plus, a good strategy is to NOT wipe out a civ all at once. Instead, "prune" them by taking a few key cities, and then grabbing some more in the peace negotiations. Wait 20 turns (to avoid a reputation hit), lather, rinse, and repeat.
If you can manage to make one or two really good friends, that should be enough to prevent everyone from declaring war on you (by the time MPP's are available, the diplomacy network should work to your advantage). One or two allies will usually sway more AI's to your side against the civ you're at war with. Just don't try to please everyone.

[Foolishman]

Oh, another thing, my Science Advisor said to me, " our scientific progress is barly moving, we should increase funding." when I saw that, I went to DOmestic Advisor and chnaged science to 60%, but, it made a good portion fo my gold disappear, it was only 1+, and thoughts on how to increase science and gold at the same time?

[Edrix]

Originally posted by Foolishman
Oh, another thing, my Science Advisor said to me, " our scientific progress is barly moving, we should increase funding." when I saw that, I went to DOmestic Advisor and chnaged science to 60%, but, it made a good portion fo my gold disappear, it was only 1+, and thoughts on how to increase science and gold at the same time?

Well, it's rather difficult to increase both at once, so try doing one or the other. If you cut science, you can always use the extra revenue to buy or trade techs from the other civs. Or, you can lower the taxes and increase the science funding, and go the tech-whoring route I mentioned earlier. Just don't forget about the luxury bar. It's important to have this at at least 10% starting in the Middle Ages (or even before), as unhappiness can soon cause problems.
As for the advisors, you shouldn't take them too literally. It's all about repitition with them. You'll eventually learn to judge things on your own.

[Foolishman]

Oh, so my advisors arn't as smart as you may think? Okay, well, how would I build up my cities, go straight for unit making or invest time in what buildings?

[Demerzel]

whenever possible keep the luxury rate at 0% otherwise its wasting research/tax money for you - really it only needs to be 10% or 20% when you're at war & attempting to stave off war weariness. Naturally if you don't have any luxuries of your own or can't gain any through trades, the above would need to be treated with a pinch of saly accordingly.

Best bet though is to check out the strategy forum as there is a tonne of very useful information in there that'll help you far more if you peruse that at your leisure instead of us confusing you

[Foolishman]

Oh no, I copy and paste all of this on Microsoft word so I can re-read it, and try and get more meaning, but thank you for what you have done.