What strategy will you try out first?

[Grim Legacy]

I was just thinking about how I was going to handle my first (few) game(s).

Considering the importance of culture and diplomacy in Civ3, I thought it would be wise to try a balanced approach, mixing expansionism with development. Not breaking too many treaties, but still making sure I get cheap land mass and population (conquest and building).
I think I'll still focus on tech, not on culture. Looks like wonder building is going to be tough, so I'm planning on an eclectic approach there.

On the other hand, it would be fun to see how far my most aggressive strategies would carry me this time round... any thoughts?

How are *you* going to start off?

[campmajor!]

Well, similar to your approach I think. In civ2 I started expanding like hell, but with some military power to protect my cities.

In civ3 I will expand fast as well, because I want the resources! They are going to be very important in civ3 I estimate, so the more land you own the higher the chance that important resources are on your land. That also gives me power over the other players!

Culture I think will not be that important, especially in the beginning where nobody has much culture yet. But we'll see how that will work out.

And gradually the center of my civ will build wonders, culture buildings, science buildings, units, etc.

Something like that....

[Falconius]

I'll go for the balanced approach too, and make decisions based on the circumstances presented (ie if I see an opportunity for easy conquest, I'll go for it.)

Grim,
What's that Latin phrase in your sig mean?

[Grim Legacy]

Allright, but what about the increased costs for building cities? Settlers cost 2 pop. points now and workers are expensive too.

Also, with the increased barbarian presence (encampments etc), the possibilities of a smooth and effective expansionistic approach may be limited. I fully expect the AI to be able to play this way, because they will have less trouble with resources (cheating) and barbarian threats (cheating too), but not the human player.

I think it's crucial to invest in the military side of things in the beginning to be able to secure a stronghold. Once the land is 'safe', expansion may be more feasible.

[Grim Legacy]

Originally posted by Falconius
I'll go for the balanced approach too, and make decisions based on the circumstances presented (ie if I see an opportunity for easy conquest, I'll go for it.)

Grim,
What's that Latin phrase in your sig mean?

Crude translation is: "Each one/Everyone is closest/nearest (in a sense of 'caring about') to him or herself"

[campmajor!]

Well, if the opposition is indeed that strong, military must come first!

If it is not possible to expand by building than I will do it by conquest!

The pop2 thing can be a bottleneck. Maybe the goodie huts can deliver some free cities! Anyway I will play an expansionistic civ like the Russians, so the chance of good things out of goodie huts is higher.

However if my strategy fails I will have to adjust it! That makes a new edition of civ fun.

[Blake]

First game I'll just go with the flow

And once I've got an idea of the game play I'll (probably) start a new game and try some specific strategy.

I'll be using a largely peacefull strategy, anyway. Probably culture emphasis...

[Grim Legacy]

Well my experience with 'really' peaceful playing in Civ2 is that the Ai will always come along, surpassing you technologically by trading techs like crazy and invading your little island with bothersome units that hinder your settlers... and then attack you if you don't pay them and force you to upgrade those phalanxes.

[Rasputin]

i think i will go with the flow, start expanding but also defend with military... get a well established civ sort of perfectionist but not that perfect...

[Jason Beaudoin]

I usually played a "perfectionist/expansionist" in my earlier games, and I'll probably do the same. In CIV II, I used to try and conquer the continent, but that might be a little more difficult in CIV III, so I may take a much more cautious approach to launching any wars.

If I do engage in any war, I'll make sure that I can win quickly and also be able to hold conquered cities.

If I'm forced into war and not entirely prepared, any cities that I capture, I'll raze to the ground.

But, in general, I find that my play style will work beautifully in this game. I'm just torn by which civilization I should take. I'm leaning toward the French. It will go good with my last name:

Beaudoin, Emperor of France!

[Mannamagnus]

I guess I'll just try to survive and see where that gets me.

[LaRusso]

hehehe, stole my words. i guess surviving it in the first game will be the order of the day....

[Henk_Glimlach]

I will create the roman empire andn when i'm creating that i will make wonders and improvements to. When the empire is big enough i will focus on the culture diplomacy and science part. And then live in peace with my neighbours i will make military units to defend myself. And of course lots of trade so cash will flow in .

[Be Quicker]

The first couple of games, I will play without CSA's, golden ages, and UU's, just to understand all the other new things about Civ III. The game I will play then I hope will be a serious as possible game, in which I'll try to expand as quickly as possible, build useful city improvements inbetween expanding (waiting for enough settler pop points), not bother with assimilating enemy cities, but just raze them unless they contain wonders. Basically just expansionist, albeit it slightly more careful than in Civ II, and all the rest (culture, techs, diplomacy, trade) in support of this. At least I need enough area so that I have saltpeter because I will need gunpowder, a lot. And only build a worker (in addition to the first free one) after 5 cities or so.

[yin26]

I will try to ICS like crazy. See how it goes. Of course, since I won't be playing the game until MP is out, I suppose I'll already know if ICS will work or not. *sigh* The price of principles.

[Father Beast]

I think I'll play on chieftan or warlord, and start one city strong, building it up with a worker, then when it gets to about size 5, start cranking out settlers and sending them to places that look like good, full city sites with good resource potential.

Once I meet up with another civ, I'll be peaceful and stop my expanding in their direction. just build my own civ up.

for my first game, anyway. by that time, there should be a hundred strategies popping up on these forums.

[Nikolai]

I will start to build a phalanx(or what it is called now) and a temple. In the waiting time, I will use my worker to build up the nearest land. When the temple is build, I will, if the city is big enough(I think it will be that ), I will build a settler, expanding as fast as possible.

In Civ1 and 2, I always have played half-perfectionist and half-ICS, and I think the right thing to do is to try that out first! I have never managed to build up and, most important, use my military right(...) and therefore I don't think the military way is my way!

[The diplomat]

I have been thinking of a builder/culture strategy. It would go something like the following: after building my first city, I will build a military unit for defense then build a temple right away. After the temple I will build a worker and set about building roads to ressources. Then I will build maybe 1 or 2 more military units for defense. Only, then will I build settlers and build more cities. I will build 1 more city and repeat above to build up that new city's defenses and culture. My number of cities won't grow very quickly but my empire should be well developped and well-defended. Hopefully a high culture will expand my borders to give my small empire more territory and more ressources. The key to this strategy is to take an INCREMENTAL approach. I think the Egyptians would be best suited for this strategy as they are religious/industrious. They would allow me to build temples right away and my workers would work faster which would enhance my builder style.

[Mannamagnus]

What strategy will you try out first?

I'll take my baby daughter to bed ,then I'll cook a nice meal and poor a lot of wine into my wife. Next I'll take her to bed for some serious horizontal dancing which should make her fall asleep.
This I'm affraid is the only strategy I can think off to play civ3 undisturbed.

[Mannamagnus]

Other suggestions are more than welcome.

[Faboba]

I'll try and set myself up as the cultural mecca of the world, get enough territory to be a good commodity trader and if I have any civs real near do me some enslaving.

But first thing/s I wanna do is/are the World map and/or the Europe map.

My favourite game of civ ever was one I played early on in Prince level with a europe map and most of the civs major european ( couldn't do the germans cause I was the French but I had the English, the Spanish, the Romans, the persians in africa and then the Mongols and Zulus to the far east.

They all had more or less realistice zones of influence with the English having the UK, Rome Italy and Greece, Spain it'self portugal and southern france and Myself ( france ) the majority of France then the rest of Europe as far as Poland.

The Mongols and the Zulus were super-powers who were far away the whole game and when spain was getting it's ass kicked by the Mongols we discovered that The Zulus had been at war with them for years and quick became a powerful ally.

The best bit was when the Spanish invaded the rest of Europe ( me ) in order to get to Mongolia, the AI in it's typical style sent cannon after cannon up over the alps and through the balkans.

I amused myself with petty border skirmishes with the English before finally joining in the war against the Mongols which led to it's completion.

When the game was about to end I mobilised my war machine, invaded Great Britain and Spain ( Roman - They'd attacked Spain when it had lost most it's army to the Mongolians - I'd helped in order to conquer Catalan which was doing alright as wonders went at the time ). Sent my armour divisions from the Persian cities in the middle-east I'd conquered over the himilayas to the valley where the Zulus lived and crushed them. As the game ended I was midway through invading Persian owned-Egypt, Conquering Napolitain Italy and taking the last English colonies in Scandivavia.

Sorry...... I'm rambling. I just hope I'll be able to have games this fun in Civ 3. I think I may well.............

[Rasbelin]

Originally posted by Grim Legacy

How are *you* going to start off?

The first game/s will probably go like this:

"Hmm... what happens when I click this button?"
"I see, just disbanded my whole army."

I suppose I'm going to try the new cultural
victory in a later game, because I'll try to get
used to the new environment in the first games.
In those "test games" I'll probably use my standard
Civ II tactics. But I really haven't planned that
yet.

[Faboba]

Originally posted by Mannamagnus
Other suggestions are more than welcome.

Chloroform. Always works.

[Rasbelin]

Originally posted by Mannamagnus

I'll cook a nice meal and poor a lot of wine into my wife.

That's not a cheap way to gain peace for playing Civ III.

[cyril25376]

Suggest your wife, that she should visit her mother (together with the children)

[Crouchback]

I'll probably go for expansion at first. Since it's going to be slow I'll settle for fewer cities than in Civ 2/CTP. Then it will be science and commerce all the way heading for a cultural victory and learning the wrinkles. So I'll pick the Greeks for my first game.

But wait for the second game and the rise of the Fifth German Reich...

Originally posted by yin26
I will try to ICS like crazy. See how it goes. Of course, since I won't be playing the game until MP is out, I suppose I'll already know if ICS will work or not. *sigh* The price of principles.

Go on Yin, admit you've pre-ordered the Limited Edition already. And you're the pessimist.

David

[Lorizael]

I will try to use the strategy I use in Civ II. Expanding fairly quickly on the landI'm on, then settling down and buildings up science and wonders. I usually have one or two units for defense and everyonce in awhile I might send a ship out to explore. But I am usually quite Isolationsist. I make sure that the 20 or 25 cities I have are all very well developed. In the end of the game I usually build up lots of nukes, cruise missiles, and subs, along with a few tanks and armor, just in case the AI gets frisky. I almost always go for space.

But I'm not gonna read the rulebook before I start playing. As soon as I get the game I'm just gonna jump right in and see how I do. I doubt I'll win (I'll be playing on Chieftain). Later, I'll sit down and read the rulebook cover to cover (always do that with game) so I can really learn how the game works.

I'm just going to go where the game takes me. If i seem peaceful, I'll go for diplomacy. If I have lots of land, domination. I won't pick my win conditions before I start playing, and I'll play with all of the neat little rules on (cause otherwise what's the point?)

[Jason Beaudoin]

A person won't be able to build a settler unit until they're at least at 3 population points, so I would assume that it will be very difficult to expand early in the game.

But... that will be my main goal at first: create that second city.

This is how my build queue will look:

Warrior
Warrior (for scouting out new terrain)
Worker
Settler
Temple

After I've built my second city, I'll be using that one as a settler pumping station for a while in order to expand as quickly as I can. I'll use my capital to create a wonder, and any new cities will create new military units and city improvements. Once I'm about 4 cities strong, I'll probably take a more balanced approach to the game: building new settlers gradually, after I've built some cultural centers.

It's hard to imagine how this initial strategy will work out, but that's what I'm going to try at first. I'll probably be completely wrong about it. Oh well..

[Green Giant]

Overall I will start out with Russia, build up culture and tech, and once i get the Cossacks I will expand militarily, and then play it by ear from there.

Note: No plan ever survives the 1st minute of battle.

[Provost Harrison]

I think I will take the French to begin with. I would like to get a bit of an industrial bonus for my workers to get a basic infrastructure up and running faster and a bit more production in the base square, to turn out more settlers and build more cities and build culture enhancing things. Expand out fairly quickly and build a decent number of cities. Remember culture is pooled so the more you have, the more improvements to generate culture you have which means your culture rating can rocket more effectively...

I will try and play a defensive game though, and the extra money from being an economic faction will aid my technological acquisition and purchasing necessary resources from other civs...