Post by SirPartyMan on Jun 10, 2003 14:16:04 GMT -5
Dear Newbie:
Welcome. Nothing wrong with being new. We were all new to the game once.
I am writing these mixed pieces of advice to someone whom I assume has a reasonable knowledge of the single player version of the game, but who is just about to embark on their first multi-player CIV experience.
1) Welcome! Have fun. View this as a learning experience. You are going to lose some games in the beginning due to inexperience. This is inevitable. It's called a learning curve, or paying your dues.
2) Be sure your machine is configured properly. Study the readme and the Technical Discussion section of this forum. I must have lost 150 games due to dropped connections before I realized it was my fault and I hadn't opened all the ports I needed to. The game SHOULD be simpler to install and use out of the box, but for most of us, sadly, it isn't. It often requires tweaking of communication settings involving router, firewall, internet security, etc. Study the "Technical Discussion" section of this forum for all the details.
3) Playing online is different than playing single player. Just as one example: turns are timed more strictly than you might be used to. It takes some adjustments.
4) Don't brag too much even if you think you're pretty good. Play a few games before you claim in the lobby "I can beat anyone". Better to "lurk" in the background in your first few games. Don't make yourself a target.
5) In the Gamespy chat room, listen and learn. Sometimes you will pick up some gems of knowledge amidst a lot of clatter. You might want to note things about certain players or tips - keep some sort of diary or log. So if someone backstabs you on Tuesday, you'll remember that on Friday - likewise you'll remember if they were good allies and trading partners. After awhile you'll know a lot about certain players. More than you might imagine.
6) Expect military action. One of the reasons some people like this game is the chance to (vicariously) kill. Don't take it personally. Defend each and every city.
7) This is important! Get a Gamespy www.gamespyarcade.com account for Chat only. Always Host or Join games from the CIV3 program itself. But use Gamespy Arcade, which is free, for chat, for several reasons: private messaging, you can "mute" obnoxious people in lobby, you can see a list of who is logged on. This is how experienced ladder members get into games easily. You can Private Message any host and that in itself will verify who you are, as you will discover. Don't think twice about it. Download this free program and install it. There are some annoying ads in the beginning which will go away if you pay them some nominal annual fee, but it's not necessary - you can have a free Gamespy Arcade account - just with ads.
Make your gamespy user name slightly different from the your name as entered inside the game itself. Otherwise, you won't be able to receive private messages. I suggest you use for gamespy your ladder name with the suffix _C3P. It is the SAME lobby, just a better interface. One really cool thing you can do is have both gamespy open and the game running. Many hosts do this, toggling back and forth between the game and Gamespy Arcade. This is why you want to have 2 different versions of your user name - one for the game and one for GameSpy.
8) Be aware of game options and game victory conditions, especially ELIM. A good idea is to write them down (along with your opponents' names on a piece of paper). If you are playing with ELIM on, if you lose one city, you have lost the game. Defend all new cities.
9) Look at your game Preferences (Ctrl+P) and be sure AUTOSAVE is ON. This way if your host crashes, and doesn't return, you will still have the last 5 turns saved, and the game can be restarted. Sometime, after playing a multiplayer game, you can load up one of these saved games in single player mode and practice. I also have checked on "Show Fewer multiplayer popups". Also look at "Show Advanced Unit Action Buttons".
10) Learn some of the keyboard commands - for example F1 gets you the Domestic Advisor ,Shift+G changes government. A complete list of these is available in the Civopedia. "z" zooms in/out, Ctrl+G toggles the Map Grid (which I like).
11) Become familiar with moving multiple units in a stack. This is done using the lower right corner control panel when game is running. Look for the two buttons "Move Units in Stack" and "Move Units of Same Type in Stack". This is an essential technique. Practice it in single player mode first. The biggest advantage of this is when attacking because it speeds the attack considerably. It is also useful to avoid barbarians and opponents when moving a settler, worker and their protector(s). Note that only non-fortified units will be moved. Wake them before doing group/stack moves.
12) Figure out your IP address. You can do this by going to www.whatismyip.com - write it down somewhere. Chances are it doesn't change too often.
13) Study the Strategy Tips section of this Forum. There are some wonderful tips there which I am not going to try to repeat here. Read all of the articles which have stickys attached to them for starters.
14) In your first few games, just try to survive. Build a few cities (like 3-5) safely and expand cautiously (esp. with ELIM). You will win a few games just because others are eliminated ahead of you.
15) One of the big adjustments in the game is person to person diplomacy. You can talk in the game using the tilde (~) key to open up a "chat box". You will notice some balloon-like objects next to every individual's score. These can be clicked on/off with your mouse enabling you to communicate or "mute" anyone you wish. This is done both with formal team play and with alliances. In FFA (Free for All) games, some people expect you to act "honorably" but the game rules allow "backstabbing" - so be forewarned. Read the "RANT ON ALLIANCES" elsewhere in this forum.
15a) Because of the backstabbing problem, a new type of game called a "cton" has been created. In these games, the basic rule is play for yourself and only for yourself. No trading, diplomacy, alliances. No muted private conversations - everything said in open. You don't reveal opponent's locations or military strength - it's kept private. This is just one of many game styles available, but it's popular.
16) Sometimes time is critical. You just can't micromanage everything. So become familiar with the CITY GOVERNOR. I recommend at least you set it up to "manage citizen moods" - this way you won't have smoking cities going into disorder. It can also be told to "emphasize production" or food, etc.
17) Some people like to use the production queue feature. When in the city menu you can Shift + mouse click on an item to add it to the production queue.
18) Observe other's preferences on Civs. There is NO one best civ. Depends on the player's style and the game rules. As a tip to beginner's the "best" civs in the opinion of most are for a 90 turn ancient start game are: Aztec, Sumeria, Celts, Iroquois, Zulu, Inca, and Maya. Other good picks incluce Carthage, Persia, Greece, and Babylon.
19) After a game is over, look at the "replay". Observe the patterns of city creation and compare to how you played.
20) Before beginning a game, write down the basic rules (i.e. world size, barb settings, etc). and player names. You might try a few notes to yourself to jog your memory. In the beginning I had an index card with 5 reminders, like start building a wonder by turn 35. etc.
21) When playing don't become totally lost in the minute details. Look for the big strategic picture. Are your opponents near or far? What natural obstacles (jungles, deserts, mountains) might effect the game play?
22) Be friendly with people. Be a good sport. Be patient during game setup delays and reloads (which no one likes). Say "good game" at the end of a game, even if the person pillaged you like crazy and you hated it. More people will invite you into games and you'll appreciate the courtesy and kindness in return some time.
23) Build lots of workers and constantly build roads, mines, and similar infrastructure improvements. As a general rule, have at least 1 to 1.5 worker per city, if not more.
24) Have fun - it's just a game - try to remember that - don't create World War III in the lobby after a game even if someone's tactics were sneaky. Of course if you suspect cheating (which is extremely rare, almost non-existent), please report it to any Ladder Admin.
25) The game has bugs and sometimes crashes. You'll learn all about OOS (Out of Sync) and CTD (Crash to Desktop) situations. We have a policy which says it's cheating to exploit a game bug. When you read the rules, you'll see a hot link to an article about cheating - please read it. In a nutshell, play honorably - no cheats, trainers, exploits, etc.
26) While you don't have to buy a Gold, or other premium membership with Case's Ladder - it does have several advantages. Take a look at the information and offers on the Case's website and decide for yourself. Please note that is is perfectly possible to play Civ, belong to the ladder, read/post on our forums, and use Gamespy Arcade for FREE. The only money exchanged is between you and your Internet Services Provider. However, Case's provides us with a wonderful service for free and its only financial support are members who sign up for these extra services - it's only about $19.95 a year so take a look.
27) Read the rules at
www.myleague.com/php/page.php?p=rules&t=myleague&lng=eng&l=civ3players&g=strategy&svr=cgi6
There is a LOT of important information in there. Please understand and follow our reporting guidelines, especially.
Good luck and happy civving,
SirPartyMan
Welcome. Nothing wrong with being new. We were all new to the game once.
I am writing these mixed pieces of advice to someone whom I assume has a reasonable knowledge of the single player version of the game, but who is just about to embark on their first multi-player CIV experience.
1) Welcome! Have fun. View this as a learning experience. You are going to lose some games in the beginning due to inexperience. This is inevitable. It's called a learning curve, or paying your dues.
2) Be sure your machine is configured properly. Study the readme and the Technical Discussion section of this forum. I must have lost 150 games due to dropped connections before I realized it was my fault and I hadn't opened all the ports I needed to. The game SHOULD be simpler to install and use out of the box, but for most of us, sadly, it isn't. It often requires tweaking of communication settings involving router, firewall, internet security, etc. Study the "Technical Discussion" section of this forum for all the details.
3) Playing online is different than playing single player. Just as one example: turns are timed more strictly than you might be used to. It takes some adjustments.
4) Don't brag too much even if you think you're pretty good. Play a few games before you claim in the lobby "I can beat anyone". Better to "lurk" in the background in your first few games. Don't make yourself a target.
5) In the Gamespy chat room, listen and learn. Sometimes you will pick up some gems of knowledge amidst a lot of clatter. You might want to note things about certain players or tips - keep some sort of diary or log. So if someone backstabs you on Tuesday, you'll remember that on Friday - likewise you'll remember if they were good allies and trading partners. After awhile you'll know a lot about certain players. More than you might imagine.
6) Expect military action. One of the reasons some people like this game is the chance to (vicariously) kill. Don't take it personally. Defend each and every city.
7) This is important! Get a Gamespy www.gamespyarcade.com account for Chat only. Always Host or Join games from the CIV3 program itself. But use Gamespy Arcade, which is free, for chat, for several reasons: private messaging, you can "mute" obnoxious people in lobby, you can see a list of who is logged on. This is how experienced ladder members get into games easily. You can Private Message any host and that in itself will verify who you are, as you will discover. Don't think twice about it. Download this free program and install it. There are some annoying ads in the beginning which will go away if you pay them some nominal annual fee, but it's not necessary - you can have a free Gamespy Arcade account - just with ads.
Make your gamespy user name slightly different from the your name as entered inside the game itself. Otherwise, you won't be able to receive private messages. I suggest you use for gamespy your ladder name with the suffix _C3P. It is the SAME lobby, just a better interface. One really cool thing you can do is have both gamespy open and the game running. Many hosts do this, toggling back and forth between the game and Gamespy Arcade. This is why you want to have 2 different versions of your user name - one for the game and one for GameSpy.
8) Be aware of game options and game victory conditions, especially ELIM. A good idea is to write them down (along with your opponents' names on a piece of paper). If you are playing with ELIM on, if you lose one city, you have lost the game. Defend all new cities.
9) Look at your game Preferences (Ctrl+P) and be sure AUTOSAVE is ON. This way if your host crashes, and doesn't return, you will still have the last 5 turns saved, and the game can be restarted. Sometime, after playing a multiplayer game, you can load up one of these saved games in single player mode and practice. I also have checked on "Show Fewer multiplayer popups". Also look at "Show Advanced Unit Action Buttons".
10) Learn some of the keyboard commands - for example F1 gets you the Domestic Advisor ,Shift+G changes government. A complete list of these is available in the Civopedia. "z" zooms in/out, Ctrl+G toggles the Map Grid (which I like).
11) Become familiar with moving multiple units in a stack. This is done using the lower right corner control panel when game is running. Look for the two buttons "Move Units in Stack" and "Move Units of Same Type in Stack". This is an essential technique. Practice it in single player mode first. The biggest advantage of this is when attacking because it speeds the attack considerably. It is also useful to avoid barbarians and opponents when moving a settler, worker and their protector(s). Note that only non-fortified units will be moved. Wake them before doing group/stack moves.
12) Figure out your IP address. You can do this by going to www.whatismyip.com - write it down somewhere. Chances are it doesn't change too often.
13) Study the Strategy Tips section of this Forum. There are some wonderful tips there which I am not going to try to repeat here. Read all of the articles which have stickys attached to them for starters.
14) In your first few games, just try to survive. Build a few cities (like 3-5) safely and expand cautiously (esp. with ELIM). You will win a few games just because others are eliminated ahead of you.
15) One of the big adjustments in the game is person to person diplomacy. You can talk in the game using the tilde (~) key to open up a "chat box". You will notice some balloon-like objects next to every individual's score. These can be clicked on/off with your mouse enabling you to communicate or "mute" anyone you wish. This is done both with formal team play and with alliances. In FFA (Free for All) games, some people expect you to act "honorably" but the game rules allow "backstabbing" - so be forewarned. Read the "RANT ON ALLIANCES" elsewhere in this forum.
15a) Because of the backstabbing problem, a new type of game called a "cton" has been created. In these games, the basic rule is play for yourself and only for yourself. No trading, diplomacy, alliances. No muted private conversations - everything said in open. You don't reveal opponent's locations or military strength - it's kept private. This is just one of many game styles available, but it's popular.
16) Sometimes time is critical. You just can't micromanage everything. So become familiar with the CITY GOVERNOR. I recommend at least you set it up to "manage citizen moods" - this way you won't have smoking cities going into disorder. It can also be told to "emphasize production" or food, etc.
17) Some people like to use the production queue feature. When in the city menu you can Shift + mouse click on an item to add it to the production queue.
18) Observe other's preferences on Civs. There is NO one best civ. Depends on the player's style and the game rules. As a tip to beginner's the "best" civs in the opinion of most are for a 90 turn ancient start game are: Aztec, Sumeria, Celts, Iroquois, Zulu, Inca, and Maya. Other good picks incluce Carthage, Persia, Greece, and Babylon.
19) After a game is over, look at the "replay". Observe the patterns of city creation and compare to how you played.
20) Before beginning a game, write down the basic rules (i.e. world size, barb settings, etc). and player names. You might try a few notes to yourself to jog your memory. In the beginning I had an index card with 5 reminders, like start building a wonder by turn 35. etc.
21) When playing don't become totally lost in the minute details. Look for the big strategic picture. Are your opponents near or far? What natural obstacles (jungles, deserts, mountains) might effect the game play?
22) Be friendly with people. Be a good sport. Be patient during game setup delays and reloads (which no one likes). Say "good game" at the end of a game, even if the person pillaged you like crazy and you hated it. More people will invite you into games and you'll appreciate the courtesy and kindness in return some time.
23) Build lots of workers and constantly build roads, mines, and similar infrastructure improvements. As a general rule, have at least 1 to 1.5 worker per city, if not more.
24) Have fun - it's just a game - try to remember that - don't create World War III in the lobby after a game even if someone's tactics were sneaky. Of course if you suspect cheating (which is extremely rare, almost non-existent), please report it to any Ladder Admin.
25) The game has bugs and sometimes crashes. You'll learn all about OOS (Out of Sync) and CTD (Crash to Desktop) situations. We have a policy which says it's cheating to exploit a game bug. When you read the rules, you'll see a hot link to an article about cheating - please read it. In a nutshell, play honorably - no cheats, trainers, exploits, etc.
26) While you don't have to buy a Gold, or other premium membership with Case's Ladder - it does have several advantages. Take a look at the information and offers on the Case's website and decide for yourself. Please note that is is perfectly possible to play Civ, belong to the ladder, read/post on our forums, and use Gamespy Arcade for FREE. The only money exchanged is between you and your Internet Services Provider. However, Case's provides us with a wonderful service for free and its only financial support are members who sign up for these extra services - it's only about $19.95 a year so take a look.
27) Read the rules at
www.myleague.com/php/page.php?p=rules&t=myleague&lng=eng&l=civ3players&g=strategy&svr=cgi6
There is a LOT of important information in there. Please understand and follow our reporting guidelines, especially.
Good luck and happy civving,
SirPartyMan
