Game Types

Only single player epic games are allowed. The 'Play Last World' option is not allowed. Scenarios are not allowed.

World Settings

Any default world settings are allowed. You may choose the map's Size, Barbarian, Landform, Water Level, Climate, Temperature, and Age settings. You may enter a seed number for the map only if you have not used that seed before in the game or the editor for a map with similar settings (Size, Landform, Water Level). You may not use other player's seeds.

Difficulty Levels

Any of the default difficulty levels are acceptable, and will be ranked according to other games of similar difficulty. C3C games at Demi-god difficulty will be ranked against Civ/PtW Deity games. C3C Deity and Sid will have their own new difficulty rankings.

Opponents

You may select who your opponents are. The selection must not include any leader multiple times, nor can you choose an AI leader identical to the one you're playing. This change is mainly to reduce the already tedious task of choosing a map to play on.

You must have at least the following number of opponents per mapsize (same for any game type):

• Tiny: 2
• Small: 3
• Standard: 4
• Large: 6
• Huge: 8

Victory Conditions

Necessary

• Allow Conquest Victory
• Allow Cultural Victory
• Allow Diplomatic Victory
• Allow Domination Victory
• Allow Space Race Victory
• Preserve Random Seed
• Allow Cultural Conversions (PtW/C3C only)

Player's Discretion

• Respawn AI Players
• Culturally Linked Starting Loc.
• Civ Specific Abilities
• Scientific Leaders
• Wonder Victory (optional setting, but not an HOF-recognized victory condition. Any games won via Wonder will be treated as losses and will only show up on Score slots if won before 2050AD, and Score/Histographic slots if won in 2050AD.)

Disallowed

• Accellerated Production
• Elimination
• Regicide
• Mass Regicide
• Victory Point Scoring
• Capture the Princess

AI Aggression Levels (C3C only)

Allowed:

• Least Aggressive
• Less Aggressive
• Normal
• More Aggressive
• Most Aggressive

Versions

Acceptable:

• Civ 1.29f
• PtW 1.27f
• C3C 1.22f

For patches please visit Civilization III: Patch & Updates.

Exploits and Cheats: Allowed

View Opponents (Civ/PtW/C3C)

Using the F10 screen 'View Opponents' list to find out what civs the AI are playing in your game.

Addendum: Since HOF players are allowed to preselect their AI, this option is somewhat obsolete but remains legal.

Prebuilding (Civ/PtW/C3C)

Using one improvement or unit as a pre-build for another that is not yet available to build.

Palace Jump (Civ/PtW/C3C)

Disbanding or otherwise losing your capital will result in the Palace being relocated to another city. This can be used as a 'cheap' way of:

• Relocating your Palace.
• Teleporting troops from your old Palace location to the new one.

FP Rank Bug (Civ/PtW)

Cities around the FP are not affected by corruption the same way as those around the Palace. Placing the Palace far from your 'core' can drastically reduce corruption.

RCP (Civ/PtW)

A city placement scheme some consider an exploit.

ICS (Civ/PtW/C3C)

A city placement scheme some consider an exploit.

ROP Backstab (Civ/PtW/C3C)

Attacking a civ while under an ROP can allow perfect positioning before the strike. This carries a heavy reputation penalty.

ROP Resource Denial

Signing an ROP and using your units to block or hamper AI movement in their own territory.

Scout Resource Denial

Using a Scout or other non-military unit to block or hamper AI movement in their own territory.

Short Rushing

By breaking into the build sequence using 'Big Picture' or 'Unit Build' options, you can rush remaining shields before the production for that turn is calculated. This allows you to finish a build early by completing it outright or rushing a cheaper build and letting normal production complete it.

During this process, citizens may be pulled off tiles but not rearranged. They can be made Scientists, Taxmen, or Entertainers (if needed) only to prevent riots or premature prebuild completion.

GPT for Upfront (Civ/PtW/C3C)

Signing GPT deals for upfront compensation and then cancelling via declaration of war or trade route disconnect. This carries a reputation hit in some cases, in others it is free.

Ship-Hopping

While at sea, you can unload a ship onto another ship in the same square to transfer units instantly. This enables long-distance movement in a single turn but requires careful coordination.

Island Block

Filling the coast of an island with units (even non-military) prevents the AI from landing, effectively protecting the island until it develops Marines.

The 999 Trick

Used to easily determine how much the AI has available for GPT deals, as discussed in The 999 Trick .

Exploits and Cheats: Borderline

Pop-Rushing

Despotism and Communism allow finishing city production early at the expense of citizens' lives. This may be done with either natively grown citizens or immigrated workers/settlers. However, you may not add workers/settlers to a city that is rioting or starving.

Negative GPT

Negative GPT is when your expenses exceed your income and your treasury cannot cover the next turn's deficit. Building and unit disband penalties vary by level.

When in negative GPT, you may not give any AI your gold (either lump sum or GPT deals). This is called double-negative GPT and is banned. Consequently, if you have an active deal sending GPT to an AI, you may not enter negative GPT.

If you are losing money but still have treasury savings, you may give the AI money. You may always receive money from the AI.

Deliberate Individual City Rioting

You may deliberately riot a city only to preserve a wonder (great or small) prebuild from finishing too early. However, you may not add workers and/or settlers to rioting or starving cities.

Civil Engineers Bug

Please see this thread Opens in CivFanatics forum thread for a description of this exploit. This technique is not considered an exploit when used in moderation to gain a few shields, but extensive use should be avoided.

Modifications

This section refers to using the editor to set up a Hall of Fame game. Graphics modifications (e.g. Snoopy's terrain) are allowed, as are setting civilization colors and names. Any other modifications are disallowed.

For III and PTW users, there are no known issues with this process. For C3C users, however, there is a bug that can reset culture limits to 100k for any map size. Use the following steps to correct it:

1. Start C3C
2. Click on Civ-Content
3. Select mod and click OK
4. Select required world setup on the CHOOSE YOUR WORLD screen and click OK
5. Setup Civ/Rivals/Difficulty etc. on the PLAYER SETUP screen
6. Click the Game Limits button in the middle of the screen
7. Select Culture Limit All Cities radio button
8. Set limit to the correct value for your map size and press OK

The correct culture limits are:

• Tiny: 60,000
• Small: 80,000
• Standard: 100,000
• Large: 130,000
• Huge: 160,000

Press X to close the 'Game Limits' form — this is counterintuitive, but the limit is saved. Continue as usual.

To confirm your settings, check the Victory Status screen during your 4000 BC turn to ensure the culture limits match the map size.

Exploits and Cheats: Disallowed

Changing Laborers pre-Production Phase (Civ/PtW/C3C)

Breaking into the build sequence and changing laborers from high-commerce tiles to high-production tiles via city arrows or F1. Changing laborers after a city has completed its production phase is allowed.

Mobilization Exploit (PtW)

Breaking into the build sequence and changing laborers to generate effectively infinite shields.

Infinite Map Trading

Selling your map multiple times to the same AI without any new map updates of value to that AI.

Reloading

Reloading a save to change events is not allowed. You may reload only for crashes or when starting a new play session. Games with average reload intervals under 30 minutes per session will not be accepted. Reloading to avoid triggering Domination is no longer permitted—use the Victory Status screen or a MapStat utility instead.

Save File Editing

Use of any program or utility to modify a save file.

Use of non-Acceptable Utility Programs

Using utilities that are not on the acceptable programs list.

Gold Mine

Setting cities to produce Wealth, then at the start of the next turn switching those cities to a unit/improvement via city arrows to gain both Wealth and production for the same turn.

Unaffordable GPT (both ways)

Giving the AI more GPT than you can afford, or accepting more GPT than the AI can afford. This injects “free” money into the economy. Although fixed in C3C, it is banned for all versions for consistency.

Repeated Exploits from Borderline (Orange) Section

• Modifying Default Game Rules: Any editor changes beyond civ colors and names.
• Worker Dogpile: You may not join workers/settlers to a city that is starving or rioting.
• Double-negative GPT: When in negative GPT, you may not have or make any deal with an AI involving your gold (lump sums or GPT).

Acceptable Utility Programs

MapStat Opens the MapStat thread

Displays the domination limit and your proximity to it. Use of MapStat options to gain hidden AI knowledge is not permitted.

Apollo Opens the Apollo thread

Provides predictions on when a Cultural Victory will be triggered.

CivAssist Opens the CivAssist thread

Offers a quick overview of available diplomatic options.

HOF Map Finder Opens the Map Finder thread

Automates map generation, captures screenshots of starting locations, and checks domination limits automatically.

CRpSuite Opens the CRpSuite thread

A domination limit calculator compatible with C3C.

CivAssist II Opens the CivAssist II thread

An advanced utility displaying comprehensive game information at a glance.

Frequently Asked Questions