Hints:

When your research has 1 turn left go into the domestic adviser and start lowering research untill the 1 turn turns into 2 turns then set it back up to 1 turn. In the middle to late states of the game I can lower my research bar by 30 to 60 percent and still be able to complete the research in 1 turn while also getting a lot of cash during that turn, as much as 500 to 800 cash for 1 turn for me in the middle to late stages of the game.

Also with the Research bar when you first start a research some seem to have a minimum requirement of turns. even if you could get them done sooner i've noticed several take like 4 turns or 6 turns... so if you have the research set up very high, at the start of the program go into the adviser and start lowering the research bar untill your turn to complete changes then you have found the optimum setting for research for that advance. doing this gets the most out of research while giveing you the most cash back. although If your expences are running high this doesn't help that much if you want to keep your account balance in the black.

Hints:

When I got the game I started playing at Diety Level (thinking that since I am so good at Civ2, I should be fine in Civ3). Ah, to my suprise while I had maybe 3 cities the computer players (16 of 'em) had 10+. I do not know how they get their settlers so fast. Anyways I shamefully went down to Regent difficulty.

Now that I have played a couple of games (never actually finished one, just restarted a couple of times once I started beating the computer...) I can say a few things:

1. Expansion is the KEY to winning the game or dominating the game 2. It is very wise to BUY technologies from the computer, or offer your extra resources for the 20 turn period. This will get you cought up with the technology tree, i.e. lets say I go for monarchy right away, this means I will neglect 'the wheel' and 'horseback riding' and I would buy these then. 3. Always have a 'MODERN' army ready to defend/attack

Resources:

1. It is quite alright for you to have 1 of each type of resource, that is all you need. The more you have the better since you can use these for trading (luxury ones being most valuable, I found) 2. Do not stress if you have no strategic resources in the beginning, you can still build basic def/att units. You can always trade for strategic resources or even better you can make surgical strikes to capture these strategic resources.

Attacking:

1. I found that Horsemen are the best unit in the beginning. Mobility is very important and the fact that a Horsemen will retreat out of combat allows you to save it (i.e. retreat with it to town and rest it to full health). In short: Horsemen are the most efficient unit at start

example: I had a fight with the Germans who had Iron (i did not) and built 10+ swordsmen. I defeated them with my horsemen. Then ended up conquering most of their cities. They bought peace finally...by surrending 3 of their cities on the barganing table :)

2. Concentrate your attacks just like the computer

3. Computer has usually 2 defenders in town if Despotism, 3 if Monarchy, 2 for Republic/Democracy and 3 for Communism. Why? For despotism/monarchy/communism this is the number of units that help with happiness of the city, more than this is cost.

Defending:

1. Always have attacking units in your border cities. The computer attacks in a bunch of stacked units. Having attacking units in your town allows you to destroy a few before they strike at you and the sweetness of it is that since the units are stacked up your attacking unit does not leave town. So a good def/att stats are good (like the Roman Legion, or Babylonian Bowman, or later on the Musketmen) Remember: BEST DEFENCE IS A GOOD OFFENCE 2. All your border cities less than 7 must have Walls and at least 3 spearmen/pikemen

Strategy for attacking:

1. Surgical and well thought out strikes are most damaging to your opponent. Best is to conquer or raze towns which have thier Strategic Resources or to pillage ROADS leading to the Strategic Resources. This will hamper their ability to produce units that require that resource. 2. If you are bent on conquest: keep the pressure up and do not falter