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After a long break from Civ3 and these boards, I've returned to the game over the last few weeks. Those of you who may have read my previous posts would remember that I was in favor of a builder-style, with concentration on wonder and infrastructure building. Warfare was limited to securing the continent, and often took well into the industrial age to accomplish.
The changes to the game (notably the much-improved armies) since I left have made the way of the warrior quite attractive, and I've refined my strategy to embrace this. For reference, my previous compliation of writings can be found here:
Civilization Selection
I enjoy playing a multitude of civilizations. In the past I have prefered the Persians over all others, but I have grown to embrace a number of different factions. Industrious, Religious, Scientific, and Militaristic civs all have their strengths, and I tend to select a faction with a combination of these. I have been meaning to explore the reported appearance of GL's from goody huts with expansionist civs, but I have not yet done so. However, the civ which I have become most fond of is the Aztecs.
The Aztecs have been praised in other threads, so I will not go into them at length, but I would like to note that I do not engage in "jag blitz" tactics at all. The Jag warrior is an exceptional unit for exploration in the early game, and are outstanding barbarian defense. I prefer to save my golden age for the later game, thus any military action in the Ancient Era will not include my UU.
Opening Strategy
REX seems to be the standard opening for most players these days, and I too expand as quickly as possible. After a few Jags, I pump out the settlers as soon as cities are able to produce them, mixing in early improvements (temple, barracks, granary, spearman) while the city is growing. Very early in the game, I will attempt to get a coastal city settled, where I will build my first wonder. I rely on my jags for defense in this period, both to protect my cities, and to escort my workers. Road building in the early game is critical, both for transportation and economic reasons. While I will generally wait until I have my first four cities up and running before building my second worker, from that point onward I agressively build roads all over my territory, linking cities and resources, as well as pushing my road network towards my neighbors.
Research and Wonders - Ancient Age
One of the great things about the Aztecs is that their starting techs are right along the beeline for Monarchy, and I shoot for it right away. While in the past I have advocated rushing for literacy, I've found an early government switch with a religious civ is quite strong. One word of caution - trading your techs too quickly can result in being beat to the next tech in your tree... if you are on a 35-40 turn timetable for Monarchy, it is often prudent to wait a turn or two before making your trades. The AI loves those government techs and they seem to go for Monarchy as soon as they have the prerequisites for it.
After monarchy, It's usually Literacy. I've had games where the AI refuses to research Literacy altogether. This is quite annoying, and you may find yourself in the middle ages with no Literacy, and having to research it yourself. For this reason, I now hit Literacy as soon as I have Monarchy.
In the past I've been a big fan of The Pyramids. Lately I've soured on them, both due to the enormous commitment (see my past posts) needed to win the wonder, and due to the dubious merit of it. Wonders in the ancient world have been taking a back seat in my games of late. The one that I do take a serious interest in is The Colosus. This wonder is simply outstanding, and I plan my first cities around getting it. A suitable costal site is top priority in city site selection. Whereas military solutions may be used to overcome stolen resources, you can never recoup the loss of tech from not getting this wonder. I would estimate that I get the Colosus in 90% of my games.
After that, it's gravy. If I'm on an island I definately look for the Great Library and Lighthouse if needed. If I can, I'll try for The Hanging Gardens, but this is a highly contested wonder, and it's rare that I get it. If I get a couple of high-food cites in the early game I will try to switch my capitol to wonder building early, but barring an exceptional start, generally it's just the one early wonder.
Warfare - Ancient Age
I'm still a big fan of the swordsman for early warfare. I just don't see how you can argue with a unit with the highest attack AND the highest defense of any non-UU unit in the ancient world. While I do use horsemen to some extent, the backbone is almost always the trusty 3/2 meatgrinder. Yes they are slow, and I do use horsemen for patroling the interior and dealing with counterattacks, but for my money you can't beat the cheap 3 power attacker. The upgradability of horsemen is mostly moot. I don't have 1600 gold lying around in 300ad to upgrade 20 horsemen anyway.
That said, my strikes in this period are generally very limited and usually only in reponse to (a) running out of space or (b) being attacked. While I do want to secure the contient at the earliest possible date, quite simply I find myself in the middle ages before I am ready to go to war. There is something to be said for weakening your opponents early to cripple them, but generally I will wait for knights to make my big push.
If I am fortunate enough to get a GL in this age, I will always build my army rather than my palace, unless I have an absolutely spectacular place to put it. I'm a big fan of the Heroic Epic (and the Military Academy), and the Militaristic trait combined with the epic ensures I will not lack for a palace leader later.
Transition to the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages always come too quickly. There is almost never enough time to get everything done that you wanted to in Ancient Times. Generally speaking, you want to have at few things done by the time you hit this point in the game. All established cities should have at least a temple and aqueduct. All core cities should have a library. Your two best cities should be ready for wonder building. You are probably going to want to start a palace for a later wonder. You should know where your forbidden palace will be (often your closest neightbor's capitol). Your infrastructure around your core cities should be developed to match their size, and you should be linked to your neighbors by road or sea. What you do in this age will generally determine the course of the game.
Research and Wonders- Middle Ages
Cearly, Chivalry and Theology are the two most important techs. Sistene Chapel is the most important wonder in the game. Some may argue for Hoover Dam, but generally, the game is in hand at that point, and it's uncontested. Generally I will research Feudalism first, since the Aztecs are not scientific. If playing a scientific civ, I'll hit Theology first and trade it. It's critical that you get one of the first techs in this period. Paying a large amount of cash to a scientific civ for Monotheism and getting Theology is also an option. Regardless of which tech I go for, my second tech is always Chivalry. I want to go to war ASAP (and use a jag warrior to trigger my GA) during the building of Sistene and JS Bach. This is by far the best time for a GA, allowing you to quickly pump out knights and produce wonders. After Chivalry it's Education and then Music Theory or Astronomy.
After JS Bach and Sistene, the only wonders I really try to build are Copernicus' and Newton's. The holy trinity of these two in your Collosus city is basicly a win if you can get it. Getting all four is rare, but possible through luck or GL's. Every wonder in this time has its uses, and it's nice to get them all. Sun Tzu's is great, as is Leonardo's, but choices must be made. Generally I'll try to secure the ones I don't get through military action as soon as possible. Taking out the city with Sun Tzu's is critical, as an AI apponent with all veteran units is a difficult task.
Warfare - Middle Ages
Clearly a golden age-powered knight rush is nearly unstoppable, and it's the backbone of my games. The goal is to cripple every civ on your continent. You want to hit them before they have pikemen if possible, as a knight against a spearman is almost a sure win. A common mistake by many players (including myself in the past) is to waste time eliminating civs once you have them bowed to your armies. Time is of the essence, and it takes no more time to cripple 3 civs than to wipe one out. Taking out half a civ's cities and then suing for peace leaves them just as vulnerable to your later cavalry than if you had wiped them out. Hit them hard and fast, and take what you need (luxuries, wonders), and then move on to the next civ.
Transition to the Industrial Age
By the end of the Middle Ages, you should have complete control of the continent. Crippled states should be polished off with cavalry towards the end of the age. As soon as possible, you want to have all wars completed and all enemies exiled to remote islands. Where the Middle ages were an age of conflict, the Industrial age should be one of peace. This is where you make up for the 1000 years of warfare with a little building. By now you should have your Forbidden Palace firmly entranched. Your worker army should have completed their terraforming, ready to build railroads. Military production should cease and those Universities and Banks which you neglected must be built. A government switch to Democracy is advisable.
Research and Wonders - Industrial Age
Clearly Steam Power is the defining tech of this age. I tend to shoot Industrialization, then right for Electronics, leaving Sanitation for later. I use a "size 12" city placement strategy anyway, so the tech can wait for after Replacable Parts. After the base techs are done, Flight is next on the agenda... many years away. The three major Wonders of this age are Hoover Dam, Theory of Evolution, and Universal Suffrage. Hoover Dam is the best wonder in the game. Sistene is more important, being so highly contested, but make no mistake, this one is the win. All three are important, and you want them all... but losing Hoover Dam is a disaster. A notable strategy which deserves mention in this time period is the stacking of your Iron Works (hopefully) with your Military Academy. Having both in one city will allow you many of those city-crushing armies which dominate the late industrial and early modern age.
Warfare - Industrial Age
While this is an era of peace, you are building for the world war to end the game. Continental invasion is no small task, but a strategy many players neglect is the use of airports. My invasion forces usually consist of 4 transports loaded with infantry and my old cavalry. I time this invasion to coincide with my discovery of Tanks. As the invasion force hits, my airport-equipped high production cities should be cranking out their first tanks. Note that this first invasion force generally includes 4-5 unloaded armies. Armies are not airliftable, and it is a good idea to bring a few empty armies over to load with tanks later. This force takes a single enemy city, in which I immediately rush an airport. After this first city is entrenched (protected with 1-2 infantry armies), new tanks and infantry produced on the home continent are immediately airlifted to the new city. While you may only transport one unit from a single airport, there is no limit on how many units may land at one. This eliminates the need for tiresome water crossings (and the need for any navy at all really), as all your transportation is done through the air. Once your newly-built tanks are moved over, I'm sure you know what to do.
Hopefully this summary of my current strategies has been helpful to some, but feedback to help me refine my strategies is very much encouraged. If I've learned anything from this game, it is that Civ3 is an incredibly deep game with many strategies beneath the surface. While this guide by no means includes all strategies I use, it's a good start.
The changes to the game (notably the much-improved armies) since I left have made the way of the warrior quite attractive, and I've refined my strategy to embrace this. For reference, my previous compliation of writings can be found here:
Civilization Selection
I enjoy playing a multitude of civilizations. In the past I have prefered the Persians over all others, but I have grown to embrace a number of different factions. Industrious, Religious, Scientific, and Militaristic civs all have their strengths, and I tend to select a faction with a combination of these. I have been meaning to explore the reported appearance of GL's from goody huts with expansionist civs, but I have not yet done so. However, the civ which I have become most fond of is the Aztecs.
The Aztecs have been praised in other threads, so I will not go into them at length, but I would like to note that I do not engage in "jag blitz" tactics at all. The Jag warrior is an exceptional unit for exploration in the early game, and are outstanding barbarian defense. I prefer to save my golden age for the later game, thus any military action in the Ancient Era will not include my UU.
Opening Strategy
REX seems to be the standard opening for most players these days, and I too expand as quickly as possible. After a few Jags, I pump out the settlers as soon as cities are able to produce them, mixing in early improvements (temple, barracks, granary, spearman) while the city is growing. Very early in the game, I will attempt to get a coastal city settled, where I will build my first wonder. I rely on my jags for defense in this period, both to protect my cities, and to escort my workers. Road building in the early game is critical, both for transportation and economic reasons. While I will generally wait until I have my first four cities up and running before building my second worker, from that point onward I agressively build roads all over my territory, linking cities and resources, as well as pushing my road network towards my neighbors.
Research and Wonders - Ancient Age
One of the great things about the Aztecs is that their starting techs are right along the beeline for Monarchy, and I shoot for it right away. While in the past I have advocated rushing for literacy, I've found an early government switch with a religious civ is quite strong. One word of caution - trading your techs too quickly can result in being beat to the next tech in your tree... if you are on a 35-40 turn timetable for Monarchy, it is often prudent to wait a turn or two before making your trades. The AI loves those government techs and they seem to go for Monarchy as soon as they have the prerequisites for it.
After monarchy, It's usually Literacy. I've had games where the AI refuses to research Literacy altogether. This is quite annoying, and you may find yourself in the middle ages with no Literacy, and having to research it yourself. For this reason, I now hit Literacy as soon as I have Monarchy.
In the past I've been a big fan of The Pyramids. Lately I've soured on them, both due to the enormous commitment (see my past posts) needed to win the wonder, and due to the dubious merit of it. Wonders in the ancient world have been taking a back seat in my games of late. The one that I do take a serious interest in is The Colosus. This wonder is simply outstanding, and I plan my first cities around getting it. A suitable costal site is top priority in city site selection. Whereas military solutions may be used to overcome stolen resources, you can never recoup the loss of tech from not getting this wonder. I would estimate that I get the Colosus in 90% of my games.
After that, it's gravy. If I'm on an island I definately look for the Great Library and Lighthouse if needed. If I can, I'll try for The Hanging Gardens, but this is a highly contested wonder, and it's rare that I get it. If I get a couple of high-food cites in the early game I will try to switch my capitol to wonder building early, but barring an exceptional start, generally it's just the one early wonder.
Warfare - Ancient Age
I'm still a big fan of the swordsman for early warfare. I just don't see how you can argue with a unit with the highest attack AND the highest defense of any non-UU unit in the ancient world. While I do use horsemen to some extent, the backbone is almost always the trusty 3/2 meatgrinder. Yes they are slow, and I do use horsemen for patroling the interior and dealing with counterattacks, but for my money you can't beat the cheap 3 power attacker. The upgradability of horsemen is mostly moot. I don't have 1600 gold lying around in 300ad to upgrade 20 horsemen anyway.
That said, my strikes in this period are generally very limited and usually only in reponse to (a) running out of space or (b) being attacked. While I do want to secure the contient at the earliest possible date, quite simply I find myself in the middle ages before I am ready to go to war. There is something to be said for weakening your opponents early to cripple them, but generally I will wait for knights to make my big push.
If I am fortunate enough to get a GL in this age, I will always build my army rather than my palace, unless I have an absolutely spectacular place to put it. I'm a big fan of the Heroic Epic (and the Military Academy), and the Militaristic trait combined with the epic ensures I will not lack for a palace leader later.
Transition to the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages always come too quickly. There is almost never enough time to get everything done that you wanted to in Ancient Times. Generally speaking, you want to have at few things done by the time you hit this point in the game. All established cities should have at least a temple and aqueduct. All core cities should have a library. Your two best cities should be ready for wonder building. You are probably going to want to start a palace for a later wonder. You should know where your forbidden palace will be (often your closest neightbor's capitol). Your infrastructure around your core cities should be developed to match their size, and you should be linked to your neighbors by road or sea. What you do in this age will generally determine the course of the game.
Research and Wonders- Middle Ages
Cearly, Chivalry and Theology are the two most important techs. Sistene Chapel is the most important wonder in the game. Some may argue for Hoover Dam, but generally, the game is in hand at that point, and it's uncontested. Generally I will research Feudalism first, since the Aztecs are not scientific. If playing a scientific civ, I'll hit Theology first and trade it. It's critical that you get one of the first techs in this period. Paying a large amount of cash to a scientific civ for Monotheism and getting Theology is also an option. Regardless of which tech I go for, my second tech is always Chivalry. I want to go to war ASAP (and use a jag warrior to trigger my GA) during the building of Sistene and JS Bach. This is by far the best time for a GA, allowing you to quickly pump out knights and produce wonders. After Chivalry it's Education and then Music Theory or Astronomy.
After JS Bach and Sistene, the only wonders I really try to build are Copernicus' and Newton's. The holy trinity of these two in your Collosus city is basicly a win if you can get it. Getting all four is rare, but possible through luck or GL's. Every wonder in this time has its uses, and it's nice to get them all. Sun Tzu's is great, as is Leonardo's, but choices must be made. Generally I'll try to secure the ones I don't get through military action as soon as possible. Taking out the city with Sun Tzu's is critical, as an AI apponent with all veteran units is a difficult task.
Warfare - Middle Ages
Clearly a golden age-powered knight rush is nearly unstoppable, and it's the backbone of my games. The goal is to cripple every civ on your continent. You want to hit them before they have pikemen if possible, as a knight against a spearman is almost a sure win. A common mistake by many players (including myself in the past) is to waste time eliminating civs once you have them bowed to your armies. Time is of the essence, and it takes no more time to cripple 3 civs than to wipe one out. Taking out half a civ's cities and then suing for peace leaves them just as vulnerable to your later cavalry than if you had wiped them out. Hit them hard and fast, and take what you need (luxuries, wonders), and then move on to the next civ.
Transition to the Industrial Age
By the end of the Middle Ages, you should have complete control of the continent. Crippled states should be polished off with cavalry towards the end of the age. As soon as possible, you want to have all wars completed and all enemies exiled to remote islands. Where the Middle ages were an age of conflict, the Industrial age should be one of peace. This is where you make up for the 1000 years of warfare with a little building. By now you should have your Forbidden Palace firmly entranched. Your worker army should have completed their terraforming, ready to build railroads. Military production should cease and those Universities and Banks which you neglected must be built. A government switch to Democracy is advisable.
Research and Wonders - Industrial Age
Clearly Steam Power is the defining tech of this age. I tend to shoot Industrialization, then right for Electronics, leaving Sanitation for later. I use a "size 12" city placement strategy anyway, so the tech can wait for after Replacable Parts. After the base techs are done, Flight is next on the agenda... many years away. The three major Wonders of this age are Hoover Dam, Theory of Evolution, and Universal Suffrage. Hoover Dam is the best wonder in the game. Sistene is more important, being so highly contested, but make no mistake, this one is the win. All three are important, and you want them all... but losing Hoover Dam is a disaster. A notable strategy which deserves mention in this time period is the stacking of your Iron Works (hopefully) with your Military Academy. Having both in one city will allow you many of those city-crushing armies which dominate the late industrial and early modern age.
Warfare - Industrial Age
While this is an era of peace, you are building for the world war to end the game. Continental invasion is no small task, but a strategy many players neglect is the use of airports. My invasion forces usually consist of 4 transports loaded with infantry and my old cavalry. I time this invasion to coincide with my discovery of Tanks. As the invasion force hits, my airport-equipped high production cities should be cranking out their first tanks. Note that this first invasion force generally includes 4-5 unloaded armies. Armies are not airliftable, and it is a good idea to bring a few empty armies over to load with tanks later. This force takes a single enemy city, in which I immediately rush an airport. After this first city is entrenched (protected with 1-2 infantry armies), new tanks and infantry produced on the home continent are immediately airlifted to the new city. While you may only transport one unit from a single airport, there is no limit on how many units may land at one. This eliminates the need for tiresome water crossings (and the need for any navy at all really), as all your transportation is done through the air. Once your newly-built tanks are moved over, I'm sure you know what to do.
Hopefully this summary of my current strategies has been helpful to some, but feedback to help me refine my strategies is very much encouraged. If I've learned anything from this game, it is that Civ3 is an incredibly deep game with many strategies beneath the surface. While this guide by no means includes all strategies I use, it's a good start.
I almost always lose becuase I can't keep an effect Growth, Military, Expansion balance. I've read a lot of good threads but can never turn all that useful advise into a game plan I can keep.
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