Your First Game

[mmtt]

Well I only play on warlord but for now I'm the first follow by the Persian(second biggest empire).
This strategy allowed me to build a strong territory in the western USA and to build enough units to push back English in Quebec.


I now have like 32 cities. I can build improvements and wonders at the same time of doing a great war effort.
Two wars vs the Russian gave me a great cavalry ready for action everywhere in my territory.

I have now enough territory but the IA(all civs) stupidly always build new town in the northern Canada(I control the south)....
Sometimes I have war with them and my cavalry just raze any city....Quite boring.


Just for my strategy, I only do that to build like 8 cities and in my capital I build the Pyramids, Sun Tzu etc(improvements granary and barracks are very useful). After I build improvements and take as many resources as possible....



I have a World War:
Japanese attacked by Persia. I did a military alliance with the Japanese. Persia did military alliance with a lot of civilizations in Asia and Africa. I did in America.

Now I'm building a great fleet to conquer the seven seas....

[MrRogers]

man reading this thread gets me off.
I CANT WAIT
........bugger, exam tomoro but then civ3 in a week!

[Thoth]

Bought the darn thing yesterday afternoon (allong with some nice, cheap RAM so it would run on my system). Got to bed about 6:30 this morning. My first game was without reading the manual, got to about 1 ad and the game crashed.

2nd game is still going on. Huge earth map, 16 civs playing the Persians. Started in southern Brazil. The Germans are to my north, the French were to my west, and the Russians were down in southern Argentina. I found myself rapidly hemmed in with only 2 cities, and the decent expansion routes blocked.

I made culture, iron working (for Immortals) and barracks a priority. Traded tech and cash with my immediate neighbors, and sent a warrior north who eventually made contact with the English, Japanese and Zulus. Peace was relatively easy to come by, and a few small tech payments kept me at peace with most of the world while I picked a fight with the Germans. Three conquests later, they beg for peace. I accept, as the Russians have gotten uppity, and the French are encroaching to the west.

A long distance war ensues with the Russians. They sue for peace after I destroy many of their warriors, raze a new city and capture 2 of their workers. The workers and the 2 Immortals of my expeditionary force begin the long task of road linking their way to the rest of my (now growing) empire.

A demand to the French that they hand over three of their border cities is refused, so I declare war (seriously blackening my reputation, we had a right of passage agreement). The border cities fall quickly (watch out for those Immortals!!), and by 1 ad the French are reduced to a couple of small cities on the Chilean coast.

If I can recall the blur from 6:00 this morning correctly, it's now about 700 AD, I'm a Republic, the Russians have been beaten down to a colony or two somewhere off South America, the French have been destroyed and the Germans are filling up the marginal city sites around my boarders. This has resulted in two defections so far, and I expect more. Culture, culture, culture seems to be the key.

I've now got something on the order of 15-20 cities, tech every 4-5 turns, lots of captured workers (who just aren't as good as our home grown Persian workers), a couple of wonders on the way, and a great feeling about the game.

PS: I only built 1 settler!!

[Pisthetaerus]

Okay, first game which is still going . . . Huge map, Warlord, I'm the Greeks.

I start out on what would be the southern part of a continent, in a decent area surrounded by mountains. I expand normally until meeting the Romans and Egyptians. I'm pretty much going culture as I get into ad without a war. I soon learn that the one of the AI's strategy is to build cities wherever there is empty space. Thus I made the mistake of trading maps to them when I had discovered a new island for myself and they all rushed for it. The Egyptians were there first; I wasn't going to have any of it so I attacked to the city and started my first war.

First War: In a sense, it was an utter disaster. My old civ 2 thinking was that a couple of musketmen could hold against his inumberable number of ancient troops. I've got cavalry too, but not alot at start. I quickly take one small city. Then, the Egyptian onslaught begins--about 30+ units begin swarming into my territory taking out musketmen and capturing Halicarnassus (size 6). He then starts shifting his troops around so I can't figure out the next target, argh! I manage to take Halicarnassus back and sue for peace. In the end I gained one size three city, swaped size ones, and had a size six city reduced to size one.

Things go back to normal for awhile, until the Germans come into the picture. They are half-way around the world. They started on a large continent with the Russians, which they have obliterated. In the obliteration of the Russians they razed alot of cities. And since the AI will put cities in any empty spaces, all the other civs kept trying to build new cities in the Russian territory. Needless to say, the Germans razed them too! (This I gleaned from the retire replay history) Germans ask for democracy, I go to war.

Second War: My plan was to take a small secondary island of the Germans. The problem was that it would take about 12 turns for my transport to get there, when it was built. So when I got there and just start getting rolling, war weariness. I manage to stave it off for a couple more turns and get the island. Peace made, end of second War.

Its now getting near 1800, and something odd happens, the Egyptians, who are furious with me (been that way for along time), ask for a mutual defense pack. I accept, and plan building a new army in advance, bombers mostly. I declare war on the Germans, the Egyptians follow, then the Romans, then the French, then the English. Let the fun begin . . .

Third War: Bombers are fun. I get about 20 of them and just reduce whatever city I'm targetting to rubble. I have to wait for troops to arrive but once done so I manage to take seven cities, including his capital. Unfortunatly, during the war I learned the importance of garrisoning troops as your newly conquered cities could defect right back. I also found out that airlifting works a little different--you can only airlift once from a city, but infinite number of times into a city. The entire time the other civs built on the order of 30+ naval units and proceded to bombard any and every coastal terrain improvent the Germans had. They never actually invaded, but still, it was a neat tactic to see the AI employing. War weariness sets in again, just when Im moving in tanks to the front line. Sue for peace.

That's where I'm at now. I gave the russians military tradition so they can build cossacks and hopefully stand up against the Germans. I still havn't gotten a leader, which is annoying, but its a blast seeing everyone gang up on the leader (even if they arn't doing anything substantial).

[Keyser Soze 0]

Small Map, 6 Civs, played as the Greeks.
(Well, actually, this wasn't my first game, but playing the tutorial and losing doesn't really count as a first game, does it? Well, actually, I guess it does... ) (The names and dates might be a little off - I have to watch the replay when I'm done.)

This was an extremely uneventful game for the most part (not boring though). I learned my lesson from the previous game - crank out settlers! Starting near the ocean, surrounded by mountains, I exanded quickly, getting out 8 cities over a large section of the continent by the first 75 turns. I started in the western center of the largest continent, England to my North, Russia to the east. Southeast, beyond a twenty-tile thicket of jungle was Germany, and directly south across the ocean was France. India had a smaller continent all to themselves to the far east, and there was an archipelago full of small three-tile islands that all the other civs scrambled for. I didn't even bother - they were horrible places to found cities.

After making contacts with other civs, things were quiet. And I mean QUIET. I don't know why, but there wasn't a single war between anyone until 1960, which is quite a long period of time. I reaped the benefits of having almost all the major resources within my huge borders, with the exception of saltpeter - I had to set up a colony which was right outside the Russian capital. It got absorbed after 20 or so turned, but by then I had built up my army of musketmen. Suffering through intermittent periods of civil disorder in the beginning, soon I didn't have an unhappy citizen in any of my cities by 1 AD - I had 8 luxuries supplying all my cities with happy-face goodness. I managed to be able to build all the early wonders except for the Lighthouse and the Great Wall.

Meanwhile, all the other civs were slowly plodding along. I developed a gracious relationship with France, the second-largest civ in territory but desperately behind in tech. Throwing Joan a tech every five turns or so, she supplied me with even more luxuries. Win-win situation for me.

By 1800 AD I'd reached the industrial age. Gaining steam power definitely added more to the game - My press gang of 20 workers slowly but surely railroaded every tile of my empire. It's kind of a great sight to see the steady march of progress, and at the end be able to teleport a unit fifty tiles across with no movement penalities

The next challenge, of course, was the jungle. This dense thicket seemed impenetrable in ancient times, but now with industrial power I started to cut a swath through it. Coincidentally, Germany's two cities in the jungle converted to my empire at the same time. Though miserable at first (jungles don't exactly provide great resources), those two would become some of my strongest cities. It took about 50 turns, but by the end not one jungle tile remained - irrigated railroad was king

Even though it was peacetime, I did not forget about my army was well. Each city supported three riflemen, soon to be replaced by infantry, while the two aged cavalry per city would soon be replaced by tanks. I had neglected bombard units in the past, so I sought to make up for lost time with some artillery pieces. Under a democracy, the cost was pretty hefty, but I could support it - I was making 200 gold a turn.

By 1900 I was firmly into the modern age. My ally France had just eked her way to second in the science race thanks to a liberal infusion of my advances - It was a bit strange to see my skyscrapers and her smokestacks amid a sea of castles (yes, everyone else was still in the middle ages.) My perfectionist infrastructure did not cease.

Then the interesting part happened.

1939 - Still working on railroad, when suddenly my coal resource ran out. This was not good, of course. Thankfully, Russia had three coal tiles to spare. So I entered into a trade agreement with her. 20 gold per turn for the coal - I could easily afford it. I had been polite and peacable to her in the past. I went on my merry way railroading until 1959. The deal expired, but I had finished a long time ago, so I thought nothing of it.

Then she attacked.

It was blind, it was stupid, and it was pointless. I still don't know why she did it. It was quite funny, though, to see a Russian Knight run up against Corinth's Mechanized infantry and get slaughtered. By the next turn I had 15 Modern Armor pieces heading toward her capital. Of course, I hadn't been paying attention to diplomacy, and didn't realize that she was allied to Germany and England.

When I declared war on Russia, Germany and England declared war on me. France, my ally, joined me against them. Isolationist India soon entered into a military alliance with France, which spread to war with the others. So after 4959 years without a single war, suddenly everyone was at war with each other. Hilarious.

1960 - Armor takes brings Moscow to its knees. I raze the city, giddy in triumph. A Russian musketman captures my stack of 10 workers - stupid mistake. Germany and France enter into border skirmishes, but nothing serious at the moment.

1961 - I win my workers back. After 10 bombing runs and 12 artillery barrages, my armored divisions enter the ruined rubble of Kiev, which also gets razed to the ground. St. Peterburg also gets razed, removing almost all of Russian influence to my immediate east. Thinking that it's basically over, I broker a peace with Russia in exchange for a few gold per turn. I then turned my attention south to Germany. I thought I would help soften up the German defenses for France's attack, then drop from the rear - we would close in with a pincer maneuver. I of course forgot about the alliances. I ended back in war with Russia the next turn.

1962 - Meanwhile, England went insane. Attacking both me and Russia at the same time, it found itself being at war with everyone at the same time. Raiding parties destroyed a fre of my tile improvements, pissing me off to no end. Armor slaughtered their cavalry. I just decided to get it over with. Took out Hamburg quickly and efficiently with only 6 armor pieces. Gave the city to the French, who were no slouches either - they had taken three southwestern coastal cities in the meantime. I moved my armor north, planning to crush England next turn.

1963 - France had managed to remove 1/3 of Germany's cities. Russia's last city lay there on the other side of Germany - I would have taken it out if I had bothered to get a navy. Hastings fell this turn. I decided to keep this city, and sent it my press gang (Now 40 workers - thanks, Russia) to railroad and irrigate the city radius. I almost finished the job in two turns

1964 (current turn) - London falls to the Greeks. I brokered peace with everyone, just to be on the safe side. I think I could have moved a little faster, but I made it through the whole war with no losses. And I managed this all under a democracy. Of course, it was a four-year war Alliance with France expired at this time, too. Well, I don't really think Joan needs my help - war's not my forte anyway... (This is the part where I wished that that there was a certain diplomatic function from SMAC - the request to end vendettas. I always liked being able to create world peace, if only for a while. Guess my favorite faction )

Just learned space flight at this time. I'm trying to decide whether I should try and build the SS or try for another victory. I won't have enough culture for a long time, so that's out. Even though I have 100 military units lying around, conquest has never appealed to me that much, so I'm thinking I'll take the SS route.

And that's pretty much it. Effortlessly dominated at Chieftain level. Maybe I'll try Warlord next