Civ Noob here, saying hello and asking dumb questions

KTrout

Chieftain
Joined
Jul 26, 2008
Messages
6
Hi Everyone,

First let me say how nice it is to find this community resource and how pleased I am, after reading a bunch of the posts, that the group is mature and dedicated to this series of games! I have never played any of the Civilization games until this week (I know boo me). I have however played many others including all the Warcrafts, Age of Empires, SW Battlefields, and many others I can't recall without looking in the closet at the stack of old games.

Second, let me say: OMG Civilization is the hardest of them all! LOL

Third: Here is how I have gotten into Civ4 so late: I bought CivRev earlier this week. Played it heavily and really, really enjoyed it. Then on Friday, after playing one game for 8 hours and coming damn close to a Space Race victory on the Third difficulty level, the game MELTED my PS3. Literally. It burned out the Blue Ray laser, according to Sony Tech support. At least they are fixing it for me. Anyway, because I now had an insatiable demand to play the game, I went out and got Civ4 Gold for my PC.

After playing Civ4 all day yesterday and all night (into the wee hours) the only game I have won is the stinking tutorial! After initially playing the tutorial, I went on to the lowest rank and I'll be damned if I can win anything. Trying a hurry blitz at the beginning to take out a neighbor fails. Trying a late game blitz alway fails, too. It appears no matter what, my units are always weaker. I saw an enemy come in with tanks and obliterate half my kingdom, so I back loaded to a save and built the hell out of some tanks. When I went to take his nearest city, his Infantry took my tanks out without even blinking... My Infantry wasn't so lucky when he did it to me.

Anyway, that's just me ranting... I'll learn and get over it, lol.

Here are my real questions: On the tech tree, if you go down the right and click on one further down the road, it appears that game highlights everything you'll need to get there, and if you press OK at that point, it automatically starts learning in order to get you there. It seems that it highlights and wants to learn some techs that it doesn't actually need though. Like some techs that dead end with no arrows that go further... would seem to me that a dead end tech without arrows going out isn't truly 'needed.' Anyway, I welcome some advice on this, and managing the tech tree.

TIA
Kilgore
 
Welcome to CFC!

There are some techs that are required that don't have arrows. In the top right corner of the icon, if there is a picture of a tech, you need that one. For example, to research pottery, you need either fishing or agriculture (you only need one of the ones that have an arrow, but it's cheaper to research if you have more.) and wheel (the picture for wheel is in the top right of the icon for pottery. If you right click on the icon, it will bring you to the civilopedia which will tell you the exact prerequisites to research it. If you have any more questions about the game, please ask.
 
Hey, thanks Tibur! I hadn't noticed the little icons before. I'm playing a game right now at the Settler level, its 1490 AD and I almost have Radio researched.

Just to be sure (I thought of this after I posted my reply) what you are saying is that if I use the tech tree to plan my research by clicking on something further down the road, I can trust it to get to that tech in the fastest way possible?

TIA
 
Welcome KTrout--

I don't always agree with the way the AI chooses to get to a tech. Sometimes there are multiple paths to a tech, e.g., Code of Laws, and one way provides much more useful techs on the way. If you don't want the AI to choose for you, then just shift-click on the techs you want to research in order and you will research them in that order. Cuts down on micromanagement but still gives you total control.
 
oooo thanks for that shift click tip! Is there some way to see all the paths? Like make them light up? or do I have to just rely on the arrows?
 
For reference, KTrout, you can find an online version of the tech tree here, so that you don't have to load the game just to look at tech paths.

Welcome to CFC! :beer:

(To answer your question: no, there's no way to see all the paths other than manually figuring them out. This doesn't happen too often though.)
 
Yes, thank you. That is a wonderful resource. I have it all printed out, nice and neat. I have the big poster that came with the game, but the tech tree on there is far more confusing that it need be.

So, on that note: If a tech has two arrows coming into it, will either way work? or are both arrows required to get to that tech? I always assumed that both arrows were required... Now it looks as though the answer to my question is "maybe."

Thanks,
Kilgore
 
So, on that note: If a tech has two arrows coming into it, will either way work? or are both arrows required to get to that tech? I always assumed that both arrows were required... Now it looks as though the answer to my question is "maybe."

Either way will work. :)
 
K Trout,

Welcome from me too.

When I started Civ IV, I used to wonder if one can ever get to Immortal and Deity levels. Now I have reached upto Monarch and could do emperor if I played more. I also understand what it would take to play at highest level but do not have that kind of time at all.

One thing which helped me move from settler and warlord to monarch was referring to the manual constantly. I went through the manual at least six times (particularly the city management chapter). Trust me, it really enhances your skills and playing experience.

Best of luck.
 
Yea, the manual is decent. It's pretty thin though with the Gold Edition. Right on the cover it says "Abridged Manual: Full Manual on Disc 3." Only, there is nothing but the installer tomb on that disc, lol. I check the other discs too.

Managing the cities is probably the worst part for me... I think thats because I started on CivRev, and I really liked how the cities worked.
 
At least they are fixing it for me. Anyway, because I now had an insatiable demand to play the game, I went out and got Civ4 Gold for my PC.

Does that mean you have BtS(Beyond the Sword), Warlords, and Vanilla(original) or just Warlords and Vanilla?

Managing the cities is probably the worst part for me... I think thats because I started on CivRev, and I really liked how the cities worked.

Yes, the city screen is over simplified in Civ Rev. (as is everything) You will have to get used to maintenance (not mush of a problem on settler, but it is on any other difficulty) and managing workers. Also, citizens take up food now and tiles produce combinations of commerce(gold or science in Civ Rev), food, and production instead of just one. The uses of those things are the same though. I don't think they have specialists in civ rev. And culture doesn't generate great people, wonders and specialists do.
 
Civilization Gold came with the Game of the Year edition and Warlords.

Last night I tried to go for a domination win and didn't make it. I eliminated 3 of the 5 computer players in the last 100 turns, then with only 10 turns left, I decided to build the UN and try to win that way, but the remaining 2 AIs would not vote for me =(

Honestly though, this game is melting my brain. Playing one game for 5-6 hours until 2 AM makes me dream of little men building stuff. And when I try to sleep in the next morning, I roll over and think "Just one more turn," and the little men start building again.
 
Ha Ha

If you do not have full manual, you can find it online. If you so desire, I can mail it to you. It came with vanilla though. I did not find an online BTS manual. I have one which came with the CD.

The game isn't just addictive. If you have taste for such things, it also stimulates your intellect.

Welcome to the club once again !
 
One way to help you improve is to read some of the various interesting playthroughs of the game in the Strategies & Tips area of this forum. Reading through manuals didn't really interest me because I already know a bit more than the basics, so reading several of those was not only interesting but taught me a lot about what I should try doing to win. (successful early rushes, helpful civics, avoiding excess wonders, etc)
 
I am new myself. I really want to understand the score system. Why am I always behind by a thousand? Is there any reference to show how many points so and so is worth. I know you can see a break down, but, I want to know how to get my score higher (last sentence should have been my first).
 
Get more land, more people, more tech, or build more wonders.
 
I understand that, but, looking at the break down of the score it said I had 22 points for population. when I had over half a million. I was just wanting to know how everything is scored.
 
Ratios, I believe. So you have a half million people, but how many does the whole world have? Notice it says 22/XXXX. That means you have 22 population points out of a total XXXX that all the Civilizations have, combined.
 
I am new myself. I really want to understand the score system. Why am I always behind by a thousand? Is there any reference to show how many points so and so is worth. I know you can see a break down, but, I want to know how to get my score higher (last sentence should have been my first).
Quoting myself......

Short version. score is a very poor measure of how you're faring in the game. I've already won games being the bottom half of the score chart........
 
Hey thanks that really helped. I didn't think of it that way. That was my biggest problem besides wars, but, I am evolving. Thanks for the help
 
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