Civilization III strategic resources, luxuries and worker jobs
Connect the resource, reveal it with technology and check the units full requirement.
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.
Reveal before you connect
Some strategic resources appear only after the relevant technology is known. Once revealed, a resource normally needs a road and a connection to the trade network before distant cities can use it.
| Resource | Revealing technology | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| Horses | The Wheel | Mounted units |
| Iron | Iron Working | Swordsmen and related ancient units |
| Saltpeter | Gunpowder | Musket and gunpowder-era equipment |
| Coal | Steam Power | Railroad network with iron |
| Oil | Refining | Modern mechanized forces |
Assign workers to useful tiles
Improving a tile nobody can work gives no immediate city-yield benefit. Prioritize the tiles your cities will use next, while building roads toward resources and future settlement sites.
| Task | Purpose | Important condition |
|---|---|---|
| Road | Movement and trade connection | Must connect to the usable network |
| Mine | Adds shields on eligible terrain | City must work the tile for its yield |
| Irrigation | Adds food on eligible terrain | Water access and government rules matter |
| Railroad | Improves movement and tile output | Requires technology, iron and coal |
| Clear pollution | Restores a polluted tiles use | Assign enough worker effort |
Treat luxuries as empire infrastructure
A connected luxury can improve happiness across the network. Multiple copies of the same luxury are useful for trade, but do not give repeated copies of its normal domestic happiness effect.
Watch disrupted routes
Enemy units, pillaging and blockades can cut a resource connection. If a unit disappears from the production list, inspect the network as well as the technology tree.
Enemy units, pillaging and blockades can cut a resource connection. If a unit disappears from the production list, inspect the network as well as the technology tree.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Publisher game and edition listing | store.steampowered.com |
| Publisher manual | shared.fastly.steamstatic.com |