I can't keep up w/the Jones'

[Alkis]

What you will research and how much you will allocate depends on many factors but to catch up in technology peacefully the main idea is to research a "later" technology.

Good techs to research are Mathematics/Currency, or Writing/Literature. It is important to get a technology first and then trade it for a lot of gold or techs. If you think you can't make it don't even try it. You have the alternative to go to war with someone and extort technologies.

When you trade have in mind that a technology costs less if many civs have it therefore establishing contact with the other civs early is important.

Something that no one mentioned, build the Great Library. It isn't that hard because the AI doesn't research literature very early. It is uncommon to be built before 500 BC.

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[Solver]

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet


Me too.

I've decided to only play on small maps because that way I can actually play more than one or two games per month.

I'm not enjoying small maps too much... but yeah, due to limited time, games sometimes take like a week or more to finish .

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Another tip:

You might consider this to be an exploit, and not want to use it, and probably know this already, but ...

When you are one turn away from researching a tech you can briefly reduce your science ...

*No way* is that an exploit - it's just the 'change' from your research which would otherwise be lost.

[Qilue]

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Another tip:

You might consider this to be an exploit, and not want to use it, and probably know this already, but ...

When you are one turn away from researching a tech you can briefly reduce your science down to 10% (will still research the tech in one turn) and jack your Tax up to 90%. You can move the sliders back the next turn and continue research as normal. It's a great way to get yourself a couple of hundred extra Gold.

I usually do this on every Tech on every turn to squeeze extra gold off research.

Btw, 8k is way too much. I usually see how much they want for a tech and if the price is above the spy mission cost, then I steal it. Stealing the tech also gives more satisfaction.

Confession - due to the half-assed design of espionage in Civ3, I generally employ the Picard Manaeuvre each turn until I get it.

Observation - the 3 options seem to have little difference. If the random seed says you will fail, then using a more expensive option has no effect.

2nd observation - Easy way to get the AI to declare war on you if you have the cash and are democratic. Keep performing the same failed spy mission over and over in the same turn and eventually the AI will declare war.

[Solver]

I do sometimes steal techs, because I fixed espionage... easy really. In Civ 3 as it is, espionage is quite useless due to extremely high prices. However, by going into the editor and slightly lowering the prices, I usually find myself with quite some ability to use intelligence.

[Theseus]

Picard Manouevre??

[johncmcleod]

If I'm correct, Theseus, the Picard Manouevre is saving right before you try something that is the luck of the draw then doing it, and if it succeeds, save again. If not, load the game. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but you guys talk of setting the science slider down to 10% and raising taxes to 90%. Do you mean to just move the science slider down to 10% so you can get more money, so it's like taxes would be at 90%? Or is there a tax slider? I have looked everywhere for one and I don't see one. Sorry if that's a stupid question, but every month or so I discover something new to this game that is common knowlege to almost everyone else.

[Velociryx]

Right you are! Science slider down to 10% = 90% taxes...effectively, both on the same slider....

-=Vel=-

[albiedamned]

It's definitely a little confusing at first. The tax rate is just 100 minus the science rate minus the luxuries rate. There is no specific tax slider.

Does anyone ever use the luxury slider? I can't recall ever using it, but I haven't played above Monarch so maybe you need it more on higher levels. I guess if you don't have enough luxury resources, and you can't get Sistine or Bach, then you might need it.

[Geekinstein]

...one thing you may want to consider:

if you don't want to set 10% aside for R&D, but still want the 32 moves to next tech: flip one person to scientist in any one of your cities and you'll see 32 show up in the number of moves to next tech slot.

[Theseus]

At Monarch and higher, I typically set Luxury to 10% on hitting Republic or Democracy, depending on my luxury resource / Marketplace / warweariness situation. Sometimes higher, if the wars fare poorly.