All My [Civ Rev] Questions Collected Together

lilsting10

Chieftain
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
31
Edit: Thought it would be better to have all my questions collected together rather than clogging up the boards.

1. I was going for a cultural or technological victory. All of a sudden the game declares that in 'x' turns a domination vicotry will be declared (so Ghandi ended up with a domination victory) and the game ended.

So now I'm going through as the American's again, only I've forgotten what it was which gave me the ability to learn other culture's tech.
 
Library of Alexander Wonder gives you other civs technology...

http://www.civfanatics.com/civrev/wonders

and yea, the game times out at year 2100 and awards the leader a Domination Victory, so you have to keep an eye on the date at the bottom of your screen and make sure you start rushing to win if you're getting close. If you read around on this web site though you'll learn enough tactics that you'll never even come close to letting the game go on so long that you time out like that.
 
Thanks.

I've had a few games now where I was certain I would win by either Culture or Technology victory. I even had a Russian space-station complete and watched it blast off into another galaxy, star-trek-style (which I would would end the game there as reaching a fully functioning Alpha Century). Instead a few moves later I won by domination, d'oh!

I wish this Civ game did what I heard Civ V does when you reach the end, and continue on even after it reaches the 'end year' and someone wins by domination.
 
2. I only seem to have around 5 civilizations in my game, selecting the Play Now option from the main menu. Is there a way to have all Civs present in a game like in Civ V?
 
3. I'm getting quite frustrated now. I am 'this' close on my playthroughs of getting Cultural/Economical/Technological wins, and suddenly the Domination Autowin kicks-in. I have probably won as Domination when going for other types of win about 4 times now. It's getting a little tiresome.

I've done what I can think of to try to steamline the tech tree, I'm going to need some help, evidently.
 
2. When you are playing a game it will only use about 4 of the available civs. Your next game and it will use different ones randomly. It doesn't toss all of the different civs into a single game. When you begin to start a new game it will give you the option of selecting which civ you want to be. All of them have advantages and some disadvantages, the more times you play the more you'll figure out what works and what doesn't with each.

3. I've been there, know exactly what you’re talking about. Spend the entire game trying to get to a culture, tech or economic victory just to have the game time out and give me a domination victory. Just remember, this is a strategy game, that means you have to plan your strategy and carry with it through the entire game. I read a "professional" review on this game from when it was still newly released and the writer had indicated all these other types of victories were easy and a domination was the hardest to achieve. Now that I've played a while it's clear to me the guy wrote his review without ever actually playing the game, a domination victory is the easiest to achieve.

If your game is dragging out long enough to time out like that then it's because you’re not applying a good strategy, and instead likely just trying to go into too many different types of a win at the same time to be effective at just a single one. The other reason is if an early game strategy attempt ends up going horribly wrong and you have to mid game shift your focus into another direction. Had that happen to me in a game last night where I was experimenting with some new ideas on a civ I don't usually like using, my game drug out all the way into 2084 before I finally won it. I was looking good and thought I had it around 1800 but a couple mistakes and over sites on my part (and a little cheating by the AI that somehow managed to destroy my fully loaded Galley Fleet with a single Galleon) had me spending the rest of the game trying to salvage what I could.

A big key that I only recently learned about from reading here is the importance of managing your workers in your cities. Leaving this just set to "Balanced" and your games will drag out on you because your focus is in too many directions at the same time. Switch it to Production (Hammers) several turns when you need to crank out armies our buildings. Switch it to Science (Blue Beakers) if you want to speed up research or help with culture. Switch to Gold (Gold Bar) if you want to focus on money. I haven't figured out much of a need yet to focus all on food (Apples) but I'm sure I will in time. You do have to leave these set a few turns to get results, switching them around too much and you may as well just be in balanced again.

Change the Manage workers selection and pay attention to how it affects your planned strategy, some effects you can notice right away, switch from production to science while your building a new building and look at how the number of turns needed to complete it changes in you, how long it’s going to take for your population growth, and how many turns are required for your next selected research technology to complete, might be 3 turns, might be 33 turns depending on what your workers are managed to do.
 
While learning and experimenting a good time saver is to do a game save, try something 10-20 or so turns out, go back to your original save and try something different 10-20 or so turns out and make note of the difference your changes made. This way you don't have to spend an entire game just to learn one little thing you did wasn't such a good plan.
 
The professional reviewer is correct. A "Real" domination victory is harder in the sense of capturing all the opposing capitals for early victory. that's what that person meant by harder. A final score domination victory by 2100 is just playing out the string. To me cultural victories are the easiest (especially with cigs like France which have an early culture bonus). It's usually doable by the 1950s. This is in King difficulty, I assume it's easier in lower difficulties and tougher in higher s difficulties. Science seems to be the most onerous in terms of labor: building and launching the spaceship is a ton of work. Economic victories are not particularly hard. once you have achieved enough science to build the modern age units maximize your gold output by shutting off science and pour all your trade into money. Getting the requisite milestones will come by faster. Then it's a matter of building the final world bank wonder.
 
Ok, you guys are having pretty big problems with this game if it is timing out on you. Let me just throw a few pointers out there which will allow you to get any victory type on Deity. (other experienced players: these are tips for slow but certain victory, not ultimate early win techniques)

1. In the beginning... you want to settle on the first turn if possible. I assume you are NOT save/loading so that you can look at the map. If it looks like you can move one space then settle on a spot which still has 2 Grass (or Plains in case you are Russia), 2 Forest and 2 Ocean squares do so (b/c you will likely end up with a special time or two in your city radius) if not, just settle where you are.

2. Place both workers on forest and build two Warriors. Send them different ways to get villages and explore. This tactic is absolute. There is NOTHING you can do with your first five turns which is anywhere near as good as building two Warriors.

3. Now it is decision time. There are two basic openings in CivRev. I call them Standard and Horse. Have your warriors spotted another civ's Warriors or (better yet) a capital? Then Horse is your only choice. If your exploration appears to have eliminated the possibility that another Civ is nearby, then Standard is the way to go. If you cannot be sure (for instance if there are unexplored areas nearby your warriors have not gotten to) then it is up to you. I usually like to go Horse because the Horse strategy will hold up pretty well even if there is no enemy nearby, whereas with Standard you will be rather screwed if it turns out that another Capital is only a few spaces away from yours. Special note: Zulu, German and (historical irony here) Mongols should never use Horse. Arab and Aztecs should always go for Horse.

4. If you are going Standard, look to see whether a third warrior is needed. Essentially, if there are map areas your first two cannot get to right away, then you need another warrior. If there is a village which you can see, but your existing warriors will not be able to reach within a few turns, then you need another warrior. Zulus. German and Mongols should always build at least three Warriors. Otherwise, put both workers on Grassland and start to grow your Capital to size 3. Meanwhile, your warriors should be hard at work collecting 100g.

5. If you decide to go Horse, then understand that you must commit to it 100%. All of your resources will have to be put to work building your initial Horse army. The reason is that a Horseman army cannot conquer a Capital defended by an Archer army and the AI will put build those much faster than you ever might think. To be really successful with Horse, you must conquer at least one enemy Capital. So, as soon as you finish your second Warrior. put both workers on the ocean and begin researching Horse Back Riding. Meanwhile, your warrior should be trying to make money as fast as they can. Ideally, you will have 100g by the time you finish researching HBR in 3000 BC ( not likely, by the way, but ideally).

6. Back to standard... Do not spend any money until you reach 100g and get your free Settler. Once your Capital reaches size 3, put two workers on the Ocean and one on Grassland and start researching Alphabet. Be sure to wait for the start of the first turn after you reach 100g (so your Settler actually appears) and rush build a library (80g) in your Capital. Even if you spotted a nearby city site with awesome Food and Trade potential, get that library in your Capital. The 2nd city will need to grow up to size 3 and your capital must keep pumping at least 8 science per round. As soon as the 2nd city gets to size 3, it should join in as a secondary science city, at least for now. The reason for rushing a Library and focusing on science is that you are going to attempt to win ALL the important tech races and get the resulting bonuses.

7. Back to Horse... If you do not have 100g when you reach learn HBR, put both workers in your Capital on Forests and start building a Horseman. Once you reach 100g and your Settler appears, rush the Horseman. I know I said you have to commit 100% to the Horse rush, but you will make back the turns you spend waiting for 100g by sending your Horseman and Settler together toward the nearest enemy Civ (by now you really should know where one is, or else Horse was not the best choice, but do not despair). Settlers can settle even after using their full movement if they share a space with another unit. Settle the new city in the best space you can find between your Capital and the enemy. As soon as you settle, rush Horseman #2 (40g). Move the new Horseman toward the enemy capital. Set the city to build another Horseman and put both worker on Forest. Next turn, rush Horseman #3 (32g). Have Horses #1 and #3 join Horseman #2 and form an army. That army can now move 2 more spaces toward the enemy Capital. If all goes well, you should be able to start your attack by 2500 BC. You really, really want to start it by 2000 BC or you may be too late. You opposition should be a single Warrior or Archer. The AI will build defense units until it runs out of money, so unless you catch them with only one initial defender, this may take a few turns. You will typically get Bronze Working and a small amount of Gold. Your capital can now be set to all Food and begin acting like a Capital in the Standard opening once it has produced its Horse.

8. Back to Standard... Your research should go like this: Alphabet (library), Pottery (prerequisite), Masonry (optional, for free City Walls), Irrigation (+1 population for each city), Code of Laws (free Trading Post, enter Republic for Settlers which cost only -1 population), Currency (free Market, see below, also, you may need to learn Bronze Working if no village or friendly Civ has given it to you). These are the early game Must Haves. Some of these tech bonuses may be denied to you if certain Civs are in the game. For instance, Rome starts with Code of Laws, so you cannot get that bonus first if they exist. While all of this is going on, your Warriors should continue to explore and take villages to make you money. If they see a choke point which will protect some open land where you can settle your cities, they should be set to defend that point. If possible, rush some more Warriors or Archers (if you have BW) to help explore and settle choke points. Do not bother having defenders in your cities unless enemy units are nearby. Keep some money on hand in case you need to build emergency defenders.

9. Back to Horse... Once you have taken a Capital, your Horse army should at least veteran, if not advanced. By the way, if given the choice take Blitz before Ninja and either before anything else. This is because a Ninja Horseman army still cannot defeat an Archer army settled in a Capital, so Blitzing allows faster conquest. By now you should know the location(s) of one or more additional Capital(s). Head to the closest one. You are unlikely to be able to take a second Capital, but if the defender flag in the second Capital is small, try and you may be rewarded with a second Capital. At that point, you are so far ahead (with three Capitals and your 100g Settler city) that you almost cannot lose. Pick a victory and win it using the procedures outlined in Standard. If you cannot take the Capital, hang around and see if they are nice enough to send out a Settler. If so, declare war and steal it. This is another reason to prefer Blitzing Horseman armies: Your army can kill the inevitable defender and take the Settler in one turn, denying the AI the opportunity to settle in a really unfortunate place.

10. A good trick for Standard, the mega money city. To complete this trick, send your 100g Settler to a spot with superior Food and Trade potential, preferably one with at least 2 Desert squares. If you get a free Trading Post for being first to learn CoL, it should appear here making your Desert squares produce 3 Trade and making this by far your best Trade producing city. Just before you learn Currency, switch this city over to making Gold. The Market will almost certainly appear hear. Now, just the two Desert squares will produce (3+3)x2=12g per turn. Keep income maximized in this city and keep it growing. If you get (or steal) a Great Builder, install the Trade Fair Wonder here. Now income Doubles again. Obviously, send any Great Explorer/Industrialists to this city. Pretty much all of the rest of your first 8-10 cities should make Science so you stay ahead on tech. The exception is if you cannot build the Trade Fair or get a great Person, you may need another Gold City.

When you enter Republic (upon learning CoL), remember that you still have tech races to win, so do not hamstring your cities by overproducing Settlers. Try to build just 1 Settler each in your Capital and main Gold city and let the rest be rushed in your new cities. Notice that if you get your Market city up and running, you will have plenty of cash for rushing Settlers and military as needed. Build minimal defenses. If you started with Horses, use the Horse Army to crush any attackers. If you went Standard, build minimal defenses and be ready to rush more. Once you see the inevitable Legion Armies coming, you will need an Archer Army settled for at least 2 turns in any city so threatened. Not having to waste resources on defense is one reason for looking to control choke points on the map. The other is so that you Settlers can run around undefended without fear of capture. Using either of these methods, you should be able to make your Civ overwhelmingly big, rich, advance and powerful by year 0. At that point, start building up cities according to the type of win you want. Lean toward Science cities even if you want a Gold victory, more so if you have a successful mega money city. You need a couple of Temples to keep your cities from getting encroached on by enemy Culture, but are only really needed if you want to win by Culture. Once you have settled the available areas on you initial continent, get a Settler on a ship and start settling islands.

A special note on Domination Victory: If you can get Feudalism before 1000AD, you can use a Knight rush to complete Domination. Be sure to have a Barracks prepared in your best production city (your free bonus knight will be Veteran, you are still winning all your tech races, right?). Also, save up some money for rush builds for more Knights. Finally, set a couple of cities to producing a Wonder they will not finish while you are learning Feudalism and then switch over to Knights once you learn it. They will be much cheaper to build. Do not sleep on roads as these will allow you to put your armies together and get them to the enemy quickly. If enemy non-Capitals are in your way, remember to connect them to your road system to speed up reinforcements.
 
Terrapin, thanks for this strategy. It's easier to follow than some of the others I've seen. I'm looking forward to trying it soon.
 
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