Civilization III combat values, siege support and victory routes
Read attack and defense separately and choose a victory goal early.
Edition covered
Civilization III fundamentals, using Complete as the pictured edition. Complete includes Play the World and Conquests; expansion civilizations, traits, units and scenarios differ from the 2001 base game. Scenario rules can override the standard epic-game rules.
Use the correct combat value
Units have separate attack, defense and movement values. A good defender is not automatically a strong attacker, and a fortified city assault is not the same contest as fighting an exposed unit in open terrain.
| Unit or action | Role | Planning point |
|---|---|---|
| Spearman or Pikeman | Defensive garrison | Defense value matters more than attack |
| Swordsman or Knight | Offensive force | Needs the relevant resource connection |
| Catapult or artillery | Bombardment support | Protect it with fighting units |
| Fortification | Defensive preparation | Use terrain and city defenses as well |
| Fast mounted unit | Mobile attack and pursuit | Retreat behavior is not guaranteed survival |
Support an assault with bombardment
Catapults and later artillery can weaken defenders before ordinary units attack. Bombardment is not a replacement for the force that actually captures the city, so bring both roles.
| Victory | Goal type | What to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| Conquest | Eliminate rival civilizations | Remaining opponents |
| Domination | Control sufficient land and population | Victory-status thresholds |
| Cultural | Reach the required city or empire culture | Culture totals and rival comparison |
| Diplomatic | Win the United Nations election | Diplomatic support |
| Space race | Complete and launch the spaceship | Required technologies and parts |
| Histographic | Lead the score at the turn limit | Score and remaining turns |
Track the chosen victory condition
Epic-game victories include military, cultural, diplomatic and space-race routes. The game setup can disable conditions, while Conquests scenarios may use special scoring and objectives.
Do not assume one capture wins
Domination depends on control thresholds, conquest requires eliminating rivals, and cultural victory is measured differently again. Consult the victory-status screen rather than inferring victory from the size of your army.
Domination depends on control thresholds, conquest requires eliminating rivals, and cultural victory is measured differently again. Consult the victory-status screen rather than inferring victory from the size of your army.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Publisher game and edition listing | store.steampowered.com |
| Publisher manual | shared.fastly.steamstatic.com |