Civs from easiest to hardest

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Dominae
The new UUs from PTW are all quite interesting, since they combine many tweaks to the standard units. I would say all of them are quite hard to use ...

Please don't tell me you're having problems with the Gallic Swordsmen? Or the Viking Beserk? These units border on insane for the extra power they provide.

[Dominae]

Originally posted by Stuie
Please don't tell me you're having problems with the Gallic Swordsmen? Or the Viking Beserk? These units border on insane for the extra power they provide.

Let me clarify: I don't think those units are difficult to use if you have them available (although the Berserk does require some naval coordination); I think it's difficult to efficiently produce them in mass quantities, like you would any stock Civ3 UU. The Warrior->Gallic upgrade is very expensive, meaning you really need to plan your money situation very carefully. Similarly for Archer->Berzerk. Sure, once they're in play, their stats speak for themselves, but that's only half the story (woo-hoo, 3 metaphors in one sentence!).


Dominae

[joncnunn]

An easier to afford UU for the time that's very powerful in Civ III:PTW is the Ottoman's 8-3-3 replacement for Calvary. By then the extra gold to upgrade from Knights shouldn't matter as much.

I'd strongly sugest building the Baracks before the Warriors for Celts / Archers for Vickies. It cost the same to upgrade a Vet Archer into a Vet Berzerker as it does upgrading a Reg Archer into a Reg Berzerker.

[djafrot]

Just got PTW today and played as the Celts.

Man, that swordsman of theirs ROCKS (although he sounds like he's puking half the time). I'm at the front in no time... although with that new medieval infantry the "shelf life" is pretty bad. Why an extra point of attack is supposed to be an advancement over a movement point is beyond me.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Dominae

I think it's difficult to efficiently produce them in mass quantities, like you would any stock Civ3 UU.

I see your point. First time I saw the price tag on a Gallic Swordsman my jaw dropped. But I was able to adjust my production and start churning them out at a pretty good clip. Still, I'm playing the Romans right now, and the Legionaires are coming fast and furiously. Sure I don't get the extra movement, but then again I'm defending better against horseman counter attacks.

On topic: hardest Civ I've played so far is the Ottomans... go figure. I've started three or four games with them, and every time I've gotten crushed before I can even get anywheres near Military Tradition. I want to play with the Sipahi!!! I found using the Celts and Carthaginians to be relatively easy. Still haven't tried the other five new ones. Found myself pining for some Roman exploits........

[Brizey]

To play the Scandies, you MUST pre-build Leo's and grab it when you get invention. It can make a difference of 1000+ gold at a time when that is a lot of dough. And don't forget to build you fleet.

Also you may want to just do some rampant destruction and raze a few cities you can't hold. You can destroy defenders faster than you can hold the cities when attacking a civ with no iron or no Fuedalism. Your big enemy is knights. When attacking a civ with knights, I hide out on my boats and try to pick them off when the AI is dumb enough to leave them in a coastal city or along the coast.

If anything, they make for a very different type of game in the early middle period, which is fun.

[Zero]

Originally posted by Arrian
The "worst" civs in my book:

England*
Korea
Greece
Russia*
Zulu*
Mongols*
Vikings*
Germany
Rome

* - expansionist is a wildcard, and can be quite powerful depending on map settings.

-Arrian

First off, IMO is that expansionistic isnt a "wildcard" as most people put it. Sure the strength of the trait may change, but its never to a point where its a weak trait IMO. Besides, all traits are map dependent...

Germany is a great early conquest civ. They can immediately go for Iron working while they can immediately warmonger with archers and spearmen.

Rome also. The Legion's life expectancy lasts until riflemen. (well as a defense unit at leas)

Korea's trait is pretty good. And Hwacha is downright the greatest UU, too bad it cant trigger GA, its biggest weakness.

Vikings. Even if they aren't amphibious. I'd say the UU is a great deal. Especially with the recent fix.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Adding my voice to those defending the Americans - I can't stop using them. Industrious is brilliant, and expansionistic pays off on large or huge maps (which I play exclusively). And the whole point behind them being even better than these two traits is not so much getting their UU, but in that you DON'T get it until so late. With a builder attitude (which I continue whilst at war) which certainly suits the industrious trait, a GA you can time perfectly is gold. Without the temptation of building the UU anytime before modernity (or the necessity of building it), you can use Wonders to time your GA whenever you want.

Some may see that this is exactly the utility of the UU, you can trigger the GA anytime with it, I have found that some UUs replace units that are absolutely crucial in the game, and since you have to build them, you have less control over your GA when sparked off by one involved in combat. There is less the compunction to build Wonders that accidentally spark off your GA, especially as the Americans. With a GA timed to perfection, the boost is IMO going to determine who wins and loses in a well-balanced game, and can turn around many bad situations.

[Mad Bomber]

MrWhere:

Couldn't agree with you more regarding the Americans, they are great for Huge map play in SP. When do you time your GA? I try to time it to happen 1 turn after switching to Monarchy. I like it early to help boost the REX phase, the most important phase of the game.

[vulture]

Originally posted by Stuie
On topic: hardest Civ I've played so far is the Ottomans... go figure. I've started three or four games with them, and every time I've gotten crushed before I can even get anywheres near Military Tradition. I want to play with the Sipahi!!!

Being new to PtW I'm still on my first game with it, but am playing as the Ottomans, and I find them a pretty good civ. Even if you don't make it as far as military tradition, the industrious/scientific combination is a good one, and the starting techs let you research the currency branch early and trade for the other techs (on emperor). The UU is great once you get there of course - you really can't go wrong with cavalry with an attack of 8...

[MrWhereItsAt]

MadBomber, don't EVER tell the Civ3 Democracy game group, but I am hoping to actually finish my first game of Civ3 EVER. I have had the game since December '01...

I just haven't had the patience to so far, so this is my first major attempt. I am timing the GA to just after developing Knights, so I can rush through those late medieval advance and get to Industrial earlier. That is an option here because of a single front for my war machine and great use of Industrious earlier on in some very high trade cities. I would ideally time it to after I became established as a Republic - either the Pyramids or Great Wall and Copernicus' or Magellan's would be my choice of triggers. This way I know it won't be wasted due to Republican unhappiness, and I can use it to fasttrack my cities towards having all they need to be most effective in Republic.

Of course I haven't thought things through thoroughly, and I guess I am a newconer to this part of the game, so things could fall apart, but with 7 lux (6 of them mine), a GA and the only one with Knights, I don't think such a thing will happen for a while.

[Arrian]

but with 7 lux (6 of them mine)...

You've won.

Anyway, a good wonder combo for the Americans is the Colossus & the Hanging Gardens (fits with Mad Bomber's Monarchy GA). Another would be Hanging Gardens + Copernicus. Excellent for MWIA's want of a GA with Knights.

-Arrian

[Mad Bomber]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
MadBomber, don't EVER tell the Civ3 Democracy game group, but I am hoping to actually finish my first game of Civ3 EVER. I have had the game since December '01...

I know that feeling, I myself have several unfinished games to my credit with CIv 3, which will probably never be finished. Some that I have played in excess of 3 months. Arrian is right, you are on your way to your first win, if you can tough it out and play it through. A midieval GA is good, but I prefer to out expand everyone and insure my eventual dominance through production.

[badman]

I've played some awesome games with the Greeks, the combination of scientific and commercial is pretty strong imho

the Americans and the Egypts are my favourite civs, followed by the Arabs.

The ones I don't like are:

Russia
Zulu
Mongols
Vikings
Romans

[joncnunn]

I always build the Colosus in my games; but the AI always beats me to the Pyraimds.

So, as America, if I manage to beat out the AI to either the Hanging Gardens or the Great Wall, my GA would start then.

Or if a neighboring country builds an Industrial wonder and I end up capturing it, my GA will be trigured when I build my next wonder.

Otherwise, my GA will be when I build the Hoover Dam.