What really annoyed me about Civ3 in the long run was its geopolitical immobility. Strong factions always got stronger and never ran into difficulties-- there were no significant counterbalances to power, no decadence, no backlash or decline.

This was to the point where you could look at all of the factions on the first turn and tell which one would be rolling in cash at the top of the tech-trade pyramid in 1900 AD. It was to the point that on Deity difficulty, it was either way too easy (you started on a river in mixed terrain) or impossible (you started in the plains).

Did any of the later expansions fix the fluidity issue? Cuz that's what killed it for me in the long run. The game wouldn't flow back or forth, nothing interesting ever happened-- it was just a battle towards (or against) inevitability.

MTW, though it's too easy, is at least better in this respect.

DA