Colonies III

Designed Spring 2000, by John Ellis (netdesign@zoom.co.uk)

Players Notes
=============

Colonies III is a development of Colonies II and, to a lesser extent, Colonies I. Unlike Colonies II, it requires The Fantastic Worlds Add-on for CivII, not just the Conflicts in Civilization add-on, due to the number of extra units, events and techs used.

Because I have always enjoyed playing Colonies II - but was irritated by the many small bugs and imbalances I created at the same time, I resolved to do a few improvements. Those "few improvements" have developed the scenario to such an extent I thought that it was worth a full scenario release.

I direct totally new players to the notes on Colonies II (also on my Web site at http://pages.zoom.co.uk/netdesign/colonyii.htm) to get the general flavour. I highlight here those areas that have clearly changed, plus a few play notes, as the game balance has changed somewhat.

One big change is the scoring. Objectives are out - classic Civ scoring is in. The best way to get lots of points is to expand, and that means America. The computer realises this too, especially if playing the Spanish or the English. Really, there is no single winner in this sort of game. The challenge is to improve your position relatively, given your initial starting strengths and weaknesses. It is not only a valid option to be "civilised", it might be your best strategy - at least most of the time. 

I have included below some approximate scores that have come out of my playtesting, that should be regarded as a benchmark "good score". I'm sure you will do better!

However, the real judge of whether you have done well or not - is you! 

Special Civ advantages and disadvantages.
-----------------------------------------

The events file has grown, and changed, significantly. All the old pirate events are still there, plus many unitkilled and givetech events. I have lost a few informational text boxes to make more room.

The Spanish have various Treasure Galleons, created automatically from time-to-time. If another player destroys one of these, they will rake in huge amounts of gold! The Spanish themselves can use the Galleon as a large-capacity, robust naval transport unit. This is how the computer plays it, which keeps it at sea nicely. The human player will quickly realise their disband value (200 shields) is very handy when Wonder-building. As most Wonders are best built in Europe for maximum effect (apart from New World Discoveries), that means risking the Altantic crossing. Lose a Treasure Galleon though, and say goodbye to a large amount of your gold! In reality, the Treasure Fleets of Spain were the target of choice for any nation at war with the Spanish - even sometimes when they weren't at war!

The Spanish have the significant benefit of a thriving slave trade in African and Central American Tribesmen. Apart from the directly generated monies, many Slave units will help them to found and develop new colonies quickly. The Dutch have a smaller, but still useful operation. These two nations were by no means the only ones engaged in this dubious trade, but they were the most significant ones (along with the Portuguese). The French and English could also capture slaves if they come across certain sorts of tribesmen - but their initial colonies are less well-placed for this. They will need to rely more on their own Colonists - which they should easily generate in large numbers with their quickly-expanding home populations.

The Spanish also have a much cheaper-than-normal diplomat unit in their Jesuit Missionaries. Bribing out cities has been disabled for the human to make it a bit more of a challenge. The computer still does it, though, and some Independent cities will fall to the blandishments of the Spanish Evangelists! If the computer gets really tired of trying to storm your fortresses, a few of your cities may go the same way. [Keeping your treasury full tends to avoid this somewhat.] All Europeans have the more straightforward (and expensive) Ambassador. Best used for establishing embassies with the Natives, they can also investigate cities and bribe units. Possibly worth paying the forest Indians a few doubloons to scout for you? 

The English and French also have Rangers and Coureurs de Bois, respectively, who make excellent (if vulnerable) scouting units in the great forests.

If the forest Indians trade for the Flintlock/Bayonet tech, they are automatically granted Indian Flintlock on the following turn and will be able to build the Carabinières unit. This is a mixed blessing, as it's higher stats (6/4/2) compared with traditionally armed warriors (4/2/2) are matched by a higher price. Your choice. If you play the Indian Nation concerned, you can still build Scalping Parties as cheap scouts and for light raiding, although the computer can't.

[As a side comment, the Iroquois and Huron when run by the computer, often go "quiet" after gaining Indian Flintlock, and allow themselves to be overrun by the over-aggressive Sioux. As some of their settlements still build Carabinières, but most re-build improvements they already have, I can see no good reason for this.] 

If the Europeans trade for the Indian Flintlock tech they won't be able to build the Carabinières unit (Indians in Scotland or Spain?) but events will grant them some Native scouts which, with their all-as-road/see 2 ability, are very useful indeed - especially for the Spanish or Dutch who have no Woodsmen types.

The Sioux cannot build War Bands, Carabinières or Scalping Parties and the Iroquois and Huron cannot build Braves or Mounted Braves. This favours each Civ in it's native environment, because in the forests the mounted and dismounted Braves are slowed to a crawl by the unfamiliar woods and on the plains the unmounted forest warriors will be outmanoevred by the fleeter Sioux.

The Dutch have a special unit in their Grenadiers. In most respects it is the same as its French or English counterpart. However, it can make amphibious assaults. Very useful, particularly in the Caribbean. The Dutch position generally is much improved since Colonies II. All of the Monarchies are stuggling for cash throughout the game - although the Spanish are probably the richest of them. The Dutch are wealthy and have good science, comparatively. It is still the hardest European to play well, given the cramped position of Holland and their starting colonies. 

National Strategies
===================

Spain
-----

Spain undoubtedly starts off with the strongest and furthest-flung empire. Its army is also the best trained (most veterans) and most numerous. Your Treasury is also quite healthy. However, the sprawling size of your possessions is a headache in itself and protecting your European borders is a constant drain of resources. The motherland is rather infertile and generates little expansion or Colonists unless irrigated and farmed intensively. Money can drain away fast if you don't trade to some extent. [The best trades are those Gold and Silver convoys from New Mexico.]

It is a good idea to try to conclude a peace treaty with the Dutch on move one, to protect Antwerp. You will then get a few moves to fortify the place by completing the fortress being built there before they, or the French, come at you. Bruges and Liege are well fortified, but that doesn't stop them being bribed out (see above). The Spanish Netherlands can become a running sore in any event. You may decide to cut and run if the pressure gets too heavy. Defending them if you can't safely navigate the English Channel is very tiresome.

Portugal is your main European target, but will be a tough nut to crack. Try and keep the French neutral until you have taken Lisbon, at least. Fighting on two fronts in Spain is to be avoided. Be aware that the Portuguese navy starts off with some powerful units!

By the way, Madrid had not long been the Spanish capital in 1660, so the infrastructure there is poorly developed, and the city is still quite small.

Expansion in the Caribbean and New Mexico is most fruitful, although African adventures can generate lots of Slaves and a few decent cities (mostly on the North African shore). Your infrastructure is poor, and will need development.

Later in the game, the other Europeans start to catch you up. You develop no Grenadier unit [Spanish Grenadiers were no better than their Musketeers, just with different uniforms. In fact all the Spanish "flintlock" troops have been given generously good stats (considering their actual battle performance), on a par with the other Europeans] and never develop a marine capacity, either. The lack of marines is not so bad considering you own almost all the one-square islands to begin with. Try and ensure an overwhelming advantage by around 1750 in order to offset these difficulties. All-in-all, not as easy to do well as it might at first seem. 

A decent finishing Civ Score is 1,200

France
======

France's advantages are a strong army, expanding population, plentiful natural resources and well fortified bases along the St Lawrence river.  You have opened up a large amount of Canada and can generate lots of trade (especially the valuable Furs and Tobacco), which you will need as your economy runs at a large deficit to begin with. You may even have to sell a few city improvements to stay in business until your trade gets properly underway. Your Canoes on the Great Lakes are very valuable in the early period, before you found a settlement to build Merchant shipping within the upper lakes system.

Stay friendly with the Huron if you can. If you develop a good alliance with them you might want to give them (or trade them) Flintlock/Bayonet to help them keep less well-disposed natives - and the perfidious English - at bay. Moving European armies through the virgin forest in the teeth of native opposition is a risky business!

Your main strategic disadvantage is your position in Europe - surrounded by rivals. However, your European cities are well fortified and you should be able to hold out if you don't over-extend yourself. You need to develop Siege Artillery if you expect to undertake serious European expansion yourself. The exception to this is England/Ireland, which is less well fortified, apart from the main naval ports. 

The independent papal enclaves in Provence should fall to a determined assault. If you don't use Cannon, be prepared to lose plenty of Musquetiers á Cheval.

To begin with, you are short of Colonists. Build more!

A decent finishing Civ Score is 1,000

England
=======

The main English asset is the position of the home island - near to North America and in a good position to interfere with the others' trading routes, especially the Dutch. Commerce raiding makes money! (Courtesy of events.txt). Your Exchequer, too, is poor. Trade some Furs and Tobacco from the New World Colonies with, say, the big Dutch cities for big rewards. 

You should attempt to pacify Scotland early on, otherwise raiding clansmen will make life difficult. Build up a decent army to do it with first, though. Your initial army is very small and the Scots are a tougher proposition than they were in Colonies II. [It usually takes the computer until around 1705 to take Edinburgh - which is pretty accurate, historically. You should do a bit better than that.] Additionally, the home island is initially vulnerable to a well-managed attack. Your uncertain constitutional position in the mid and late 1600's invites foreign intervention. [As the scenario starts, Charles Stuart has just been restored to the English throne as Charles II, ending the republican experiment of Cromwell's Commonwealth and technically ending the English Civil War. However, many of the issues which started the war are still unresolved, and the Stuarts' tendency towards Catholicism was always a destabilising factor in English politics - and which ultimately led to James II's deposition in favour of the Dutch Prince William of Orange.]

Try to maintain good relations with the Iroquois. They are too close to your first colonies to get them angry at you! You should be safe from intermittent raids behind your stockades, but a concerted attack might surprise you. Anyway, it's hard to farm when indian raiders keep popping out of the woods at you! Fort Albany and Rupert's House are unlikely to become more than trading posts for quite a long time, but New England can develop well, particularly when you have Farmers to clear the forests.

There is good opportunity to make money - and more permanent gains - in the Caribbean from your base in Jamaica. The Spanish holdings and Pirate hideouts there are not as strong as they might seem, especially to your fearless Buccaneers!

Ultimately, Naval Power is the key. Just remember to keep the Home Fleet and Army strong. Even the computer will try an occasional attack across the Channel and England can fall very quickly to a determined assault. However, there are modern fortresses in your three main ports to make it easier for the computer to defend as the English.

A decent finishing Civ Score is 650.


The Dutch
=========

Still the hardest European civ to play, the Dutch now have at least a chance. I recommend you play at no higher level than King [Classic Emperor level] with these guys. The introduction of some helpful "Happy Wonders" and the City Watch improvement helps you expand and fight wars without all your cities rebelling. During my playtesting I found the southern Caribbean was the most fruitful area to expand - at the expense of the Spanish. You can expect to spend most of the game at war with them.

Your "marine" Grenadier is good for taking otherwise near-impregnable one square islands. Team them up with a first wave of Boarding Parties to weaken the defenders for best effect.

As a Republic, your Economy and Scientific establishment are in good shape, so although you start small, you should be able to keep pace with or even surpass the bigger nations in the tech race. This is good, as maintaining even a small army requires plenty of shields and you should look to develop Iron Foundries and other industrial techs fairly quickly.

You can also generate small numbers of slaves to work your plantations. The event for this will only work sometimes (by design) and you will need to explore the African or South American mainland to find useful victims. This is also true for the English and French. Any slaves will be transported immediately to your tobacco plantations in Northern America. (If you still retain them at the time). You will also get a small cash bonus.

Expansion in North America is difficult. You should try to stay on reasonable terms with the English and the Iroquois most of the time in the early stages.

A decent finishing Civ Score is 400

Iroquois
========

You are the Native Civ most involved with the Europeans at the start. Worse luck for you! As Flintlocks are generally of more use to the Europeans than to you, even if they deign to trade them to you, it's best to adopt an aggressive strategy immediately. Choose one European target at a time, then try to ally with the others. Attacking the French or Dutch while allied with the English might be a good one, but remember to go after the English, too, once your first target is eliminated. You will need to concentrate large numbers of warriors and endure a sickening casualty rate as they try to scale the timbers of the settlers' Stockades.

Eliminating even one European civ from North America before they start developing Musketeers and Artillery is hard. Harder still if the Huron are against you, as they usually will be.

An alternative is to go all-out to take over the Huron territories (at least they have no Stockades) to get big enough to take on the Europeans on better terms. Indian Flintlock does permit you a better chance against those pesky Stockades.

Your main advantage is that you start as the strongest power on the Continent (including Europeans). The main disadvantage is your position, squeezed between Huron, French, English and Dutch. You may even have aggressive Sioux to deal with in the mid game.

A decent finishing Civ Score is just to survive! Historically, by 1800 the Iroquois were almost wiped out.

Huron
=====

The same comments apply generally as to the Iroquois. The difference is that you start slightly weaker numerically, but with less immediate pressure on you, and with more room to expand northwestwards. Your starting territory is larger than it was historically, like the Iroquois, to make a better game.

Your alliance with the French should be nurtured, if possible, thoughout most of the game. You will find it very hard to expel them completely, but they can be contained. Your first target is the Iroquois, followed perhaps by the Dutch or English. You are likely to receive early visitations from the Sioux, who should be placated.

A decent finishing Civ Score is .......

Sioux
=====

Your starting strength is low. It might even be hard to hold on to all your starting settlements in the face of waves of Independent tribes at the beginning. However, once you have built up and consolidated your position, some modest expansion is possible.

Then you develop Mounted Braves (usually around 1720 for the human player, a bit earlier for the computer) and everything changes! These are the finest light cavalry on the planet and will allow you to build an empire. Be careful to build a largish cadre of warriors before you start. Once fighting begins you will be hard pressed to keep pace with losses in battle, especially as your warriors take so long to create. [This reflects the low fertility rates and generally low population of the Plains Indians.]

As your horsemen cannot move freely in the forests - and you have no way to clear the trees - I suggest starting by concentrating against the Spanish and concluding peace treaties or - even better - alliances with your "fellow Americans" to secure your flank. As you cannot really start your conquests until 1740 or so, you don't have time to take the whole continent anyway, I believe. Why not try it sometime, though?

A decent finishing Civ Score is 300


New Units
=========

Squaws: The Indians' "settler". Expensive to build, but worth it in the long run, especially for the Sioux. There is a view that the Iroquois and Huron should destroy any road they can, in order to preserve their warriors' unique mobility advantage as much as possible, and certainly not build any more. Mining and planting are still valid activities though, and new settlements should be founded wherever viable.

Farmer: Absolutely necessary to increase the population of European colonies (and even Europe, to a degree) significantly. Population increase is 8/10ths of a good game score. Without Farmers, your only real option is conquest. Even conquest struggling through those huge forests and impenetrable jungles is hardly easy. You could found scores of small cites, I suppose, but will need to penetrate deep into the Great Plains or Louisiana to find much empty space.

Boarding Party: Can only be carried by Privateers (which are otherwise unarmed) these are modified air units with a range of 1. If they leave a friendly city other than in a Privateer they will be lost (or abscond, if you prefer).

Refugees: Captured Spanish, French, English or Dutch cities will sprout refugees. If the owning civ can get them away safely, they can be used to found new settlements, boost the population of existing ones, or be disbanded for lots of shields (representing the skills and possessions of the refugees brought to bear on some project). If attacked, they will (sometimes) yield plunder to their captors. If the natives pick up the concept of civilians from the Europeans, they might generate some refugees, but the rules have been designed to prevent this - unless the computer cheats!

Rangers: The English scout unit. Used to explore Canada and North America, they have no other real function.

Coureurs de Bois (lit.trans."Runners of the Wood"): The French equivalent. Make contact and a treaty with the Sioux early, while they are still feeling non-imperialistic.

Artillery Forts: These strong fortresses will resist all but the most overwhelming attack - or some well-sited Siege Guns. They cannot be built, but I notice the computer might build a few new ones anyway! [Or perhaps ships some around by sea.] Mostly found in Europe, there are a few New World ones, too. I did once destroy one with a veteran Horse Artillery battery, though!

Horse Artillery: The computer loves these. Expensive to build, they are manoevrable and pack a big punch. Not bad in defence either.

Gun Battery: Generally most useful for defending forts or settlements. However, they can have very good offensive effect against cavalry, too. Unsurprisingly, effective against a stockade that might resist waves of Grenadiers.

Buccaneers: These units are usually independent raiders - but the English, and sometimes the Dutch, may receive a few in their Caribbean bases from time-to-time. They are good amphibious raiders, but weak in defence.

Galleon: A very useful part-transport, part-warship. Unfortunately they are rather slow - and expensive to build. The only other ships that can transport ground units are Merchantmen and Canoes, neither of which are very robust (or quick). You will soon learn to escort your ordinary transports with warships near enemy bases, but the Galleons allow you to dispense with this. Later in the game, they do become relatively vulnerable, though. They can only carry 1 unit.

Treasure Galleons: Spanish only. Events-raised. Worth 2,000 doubloons if taken. A sort of super-Galleon with twice the cargo capacity of a Merchantman.

Missionaries: Descibed above, a Spanish-only diplomat unit. Cheap, but slow-moving. They usually need an armed escort, but equipping your armies with an attached Missionary is not a bad idea (and not un-historical). The Cross in one hand, and a sword in the other!

Slaves: The Europeans may receive these settler-type units if they go on slaving expeditions to Africa and (to a lesser extent) Central America. Compensates the Dutch for their small base population, and the Spanish for their relatively infertile territory, as it is those two nations that are in the best position to enslave native tribesmen.

Soldâts Marins: An amphibious unit similar to the Dutch Grenadier, available to the French on developing Naval Reform.

Royal Marines: The English equivalent, slightly stronger and more expensive.

Carabinières: The "Indian Musketeer". Slightly less robust than a Grenadier, they are formidable enemies in their native forests. They render traditionally-armed warriors obsolete, but are much more expensive to equip - because their muskets and powder must often be purchased from compatriots of the people they are fighting!

(Full stats on all units are available from the Civilopedia)

General unit notes
==================

All ships have the "submarine" flag, so cannot bombard the shore. This is slightly unhistorical, but stops the computer wasting its Galleons against strongly defended harbours, and makes marine raiders more important. Naval bombardment before high-velocity explosive shells were developed was never that significant anyway.

All ships remain buildable throughout the game, as they are made obsolete by Indian Culture, rather than by naval developments. This stops the Sioux building Galleons, for example. The computer only builds the latest type anyway. Only Native Americans can build Canoes.

Cavalry units are usually doubled in defence against Infantry. This is because it would be easy for them to evade, but Civ II has no such concept. This effect seems to work intermittently, but it is best to attack cavalry (including Mounted Braves) with your own cavalry or even Gun Batteries [which have a movement of 1], if you have a choice.

Terrain
=======

Although the Colonies II map has been re-used, some of the terrain has changed. My beloved wooded hills are there, of course, and can be cleared or mined - but the main difference is in the forests. Colonists, Squaws and Slaves can build roads through them, but only Farmers can clear them for cultivation (the [o] command) due to the sheer density of vegetation. Virgin forest provides plenty of wood for building [2 shields], but no food except for the occasional herd of deer. When the trees are cut, the resulting terrain is Scrub. Scrub generates one food, but no other resource and cannot be irrigated, so it really should be transformed again, this time to Grassland. Then your colonies can flourish. Don't expect the natives to sit quietly by while you destroy their environment, though!

Desert can also be intensively irrigated by Farmers [o] to produce Scrub, then Grassland.

Jungle can be cleared only by farmers [o]. Again Scrub is the result, which produces one less food. Any settler-types can be used to improve the land further for proper cultivation. Generally, improving the land is a lengthy process.

Crops can be planted in Swamps, or Farmers can drain the land to form Grassland.

Ocean squares have normal civ values except in one respect. They have a defensive weighting of 150%. This should not be necessary, but the computer seems to bias sea-fights dramatically towards whomever is the attacker. If anything, the advantage in the days of sail and lines-of-battle was with the defender (and this is reflected in the attack/defence values of ships). Rather than skew the defence values of the ships, I have altered the terrain to allow for this bias. This means the old trick of hiding in port, rushing out to pick off a few victims from amongst the unwary computer-controlled leets, then ducking back into port out of harm's way to replenish and repair, is no longer so effective. Fleets can really blockade ports and trade routes and "hold the sea" in the proper way. Naval attacking is still effective, but you should ensure a qualitative or quantative advantage before you hoist the battle ensigns - which seems reasonable to me.

Techs
=====

Generally, the tech tree has so many new branches and renamed techs I will only highlight a few of the most radical.

Native Lore is still vital to the eventual production of Farmers and the double-irrigation of terrain. Trade for it as soon as you can, because you can't research it. The natives will usually accept something like Iron Working or Colonisation for it, which is OK. The New World Discoveries wonder costs a lot to build, but with the decelerated science effect of playing at the higher difficulty levels it is very useful indeed - usually to develop Flintlock/Bayonet before all your old-fashioned Pikemen and Arquebusiers get wiped out. [The Spanish could build it in one turn by disbanding two Treasure Galleons in the city building it. And it is a Wonder that can be built anywhere, and still have its full effect.]

You need to get Iron Foundry in order to develop Artillery later, and it is also a fundamental industrial tech, so should be a high priority. The Civilopedia gives the full route.

This scenario begins in 1660, a generation after the great wars of Religion. The English and Dutch are Protestant, the French and Spanish are Catholic. Trading these "technologies" improves the effect of Catholic Chapels or Protestant Cathedrals. It also allows the development of later technologies and Wonders. However, some of the effects of "mixing" religions can be adverse, so be warned. Also, some of these later technologies may render some of your Wonders obsolete.

I have made an effort to ensure that any tech trading won't harm you, with the exceptions noted above. Many trades are irrelevant (especially if you are playing a native civ) and will just slow your other research down, but you shouldn't find units are made obsolete in error or that you develop "out of character" units for your civ. You might find the natives start building churches or something, but that's OK - many of them did convert to Christianity.

Parting thoughts
================

Although the game is a long one (140 turns), it is also large and complex. It is unlikely you will have leisure to explore the whole map "just for fun". It is also unlikely you will develop all technologies either, at the top levels. So decisions have to be made.

Will you use an "Attila" strategy, attacking from the word go, with anything to hand? Or will you wait and develop better military technologies before you move against your rivals?

Will you develop your industries to out-produce the opposition (remembering God is usually on the side of the bigger battalions)?

Will you persue a more diplomatic strategy, fighting only to defend your settlements and developing your agriculture so that you can explore and colonise the empty spaces of Africa and America, without constantly having to battle the native inhabitants?

Or will you mix these strategies to suit the occasion, risking that you will never achieve mastery in any sphere? This is a distinct danger at the higher levels.

As you can see, these options are similar to the ones facing you in "Classic Civ". Maybe this explains why the AI makes a better opponent than in any other of my scenarios (or in anyone else's that I have played, for that matter).

Maybe you will chose to play a native civ. The challenges here are very different. Technological advance will never play a huge part, but it is quite possible that you could roll back the European invaders by sheer weight of numbers or natural mastery of the local terrain. But how will you deal with the other Native Americans? Will they be your allies in the great struggle of Red against White? Or will you try to assimilate their cultures into yours before you move against the Europeans?

My own strategy tends to be a mixed one. Economic and Agricultural development first (while being nice, or even grovelling, to everybody), then a more aggressive stance once I have developed Flintlock/Bayonet (or Mounted Braves or Indian Flintlock, if a native).

At the higher levels, you end up fighting almost everyone, almost all of the time if you let your reputation slip below "OK". [Questionable, in Classic Civ.) Try to provoke others into wars, rather than start them yourself, and NEVER let an ally push you into declaring a war you don't want to start anyway. For some strange reason best known to Sid, standing by your allies when they are attacked hurts your reputation as much as breaking a peace treaty on your own behalf.

As your civ still has to live on after 1800, I suggest you add/subtract to your final score as follows:

Reputation:
----------

Immaculate......+50
Excellent.......+30
Honorable.......+10
OK..............+0
Dubious.........-20
Dishonorable....-40
Despicable......-60
Atrocious.......-100

The larger civilizations tend to start with slightly worse reps, but all are Honourable or better. The Spanish start off with the poorest reputation, but their New World Gold (Eiffel Tower) can improve people's attitude towards them markedly!

Credits
=======
Many unit icons have been adapted from original work by Alex Mor. Some are straight lifts!

Many other unit icons have been taken from the Hi-Res mod pack devised by Tim Smith. This mod-pack has also provided much of the terrain and city graphics.

Their work is reproduced in "Colonies 3" with the specific agreement of the respective authors. A few other icons have been taken from public domain sources such as the Ancient Units collection compiled by Harlan Thompson.

All playtesting has been done in-house.

********************************************************************


Finally - have fun. I had so much fun doing the playtesting that this scenario was nearly never released!

John Ellis (netdesign@zoom.co.uk)
Sussex, England. 