Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

Civrules · Oct 29, 2005, 04:08 PM

Civilization IV: Quick Answers

Hi everyone!

In this thread, feel free to ask basic questions about Civilization IV. This should make it easier for you guys to get answers quicker, and it should also separate discussion threads from more basic questions.

With time, this will make it possible for us to put together an official Civilization IV FAQ article as well. If you aren't in a rush to post any questions, make sure to read through the available information, which is likely to answer a lot of questions itself.

Just post your questions here without worrying about if it's already covered somewhere else, and hopefully some of the experts will answer them.

I encourage everyone to participate here, answering questions they can. Thanks!

Birdjaguar · Oct 29, 2005, 04:30 PM

Why did it take so long to get this thread up?

Civrules · Oct 29, 2005, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdjaguar

Why did it take so long to get this thread up?

Sorry, my fault.

Better a little late than never.

A'AbarachAmadan · Oct 29, 2005, 04:42 PM

I see the pre-release info page. Is there going to be a post release info page that has the actual list of units, buildings, etc. with characteristics?

This would help temper the anticipation those of us living in Asia have since it hasn't been released here yet.

Civrules · Oct 29, 2005, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A'AbarachAmadan

I see the pre-release info page. Is there going to be a post release info page that has the actual list of units, buildings, etc. with characteristics?

This would help temper the anticipation those of us living in Asia have since it hasn't been released here yet.

Of course. I'm not abandoning it. However it will take some time for everything to get added in. It'll be renamed to the Info Center.

**Ginger_Ale** · Oct 29, 2005, 05:48 PM

If you accept non-gameplay questions from someone that doesn't have the game... can anyone post a list of all the beta testers in the credits? I am curious.

Civrules: what you are saying is you're making an HTML version of the Civilopedia.

CivCube · Oct 29, 2005, 06:59 PM

How may I choose the number of opponents before starting a game?

Civrules · Oct 29, 2005, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginger_Ale

If you accept non-gameplay questions from someone that doesn't have the game... can anyone post a list of all the beta testers in the credits? I am curious.

That's for you to figure out when you do get the game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CivCube

How may I choose the number of opponents before starting a game?

Instead of "Play Now!" go to "Custom Game" and then if you want to reduce the number of AIs, open the drop-down menu at the left and "close" or if you want to increase it do the opposite.

**Ginger_Ale** · Oct 29, 2005, 08:04 PM

You are so cruel.

Is it hidden or something?

Aussie_Lurker · Oct 29, 2005, 08:14 PM

Can I ask a system requirement question? If so I am curious: If I have a WinXP Pro system, with a Radeon 9550 video card (256 MB), 768 MB of RAM and a 2.4 Gigaherz Celeron CPU, will it run without any MAJOR difficulties on my computer? Just curious as I will be getting my hands on the game next week!

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

Birdjaguar · Oct 29, 2005, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussie_Lurker

Can I ask a system requirement question? If so I am curious: If I have a WinXP Pro system, with a Radeon 9550 video card (256 MB), 768 MB of RAM and a 2.4 Gigaherz Celeron CPU, will it run without any MAJOR difficulties on my computer? Just curious as I will be getting my hands on the game next week!yours, Aussie_Lurker.

I am running a 1.2 MHz athalon on XP pro with 512 MB of ram I have a Xtasy 9550 (ATI Raedon 9550 seconday??). The game has run just fine up through the middle ages. I have not gone past that period yet.

Civrules · Oct 29, 2005, 08:41 PM

Ok, GA. Here's all the testers in the credits:

Sirian
Friedrich
Isak
Rob
Notyoueither
CanuckSoldier
Vondrack
Nolan
Aeson
ColdFever
Chieftess
Gramphos
Thamis
danthrax
Solver
Rhye
Kal-El
Thunderfall
Dominae
Curtsibling
Sullla
Civrules
Onan
Dale
Ainwood
Locutus
Frank
Kring
DeepO
Pfeffersack
Islonian
Wolfsbane
Asterix
Warpstorm
Alva
Alski
Griselda
TheDohr
MarkG
Arrian
Bluminator
Wtiberon
Cyrene
Doc Tsiolkovski
Earl Harewood
WarningU2
bobT
Reptile
Dexters
Bsarsgard
Krill
Homegrown
Srayman
GBM
Asleepathewheel
Kemal
Maxfin
SirPartyMan
Loulong
Heroic
StrictlyRockers
Unimatrix_zero
Funkychicken
Trayk
Yoda Power
ME0003
MagicNo3
LotharBot
PeteT
Randy
Trinity
Clondike
DonaldKipper
Avogadro
Whiplash
Craigbob
Sparta
Swissy
Kaetsae
BYCCougar
DeathToAll

@Aussie, you should be fine.

godotnut · Oct 29, 2005, 09:06 PM

First a question:

Can you abandon cities, and how?

I just finished my first game (on Prince). I won a domination victory around 1980AD. It was easy, though I admit that I got lucky with good placement at the begining. I was a Monarch player on Civ 3. So even though the guide says that experienced Civ players should start on Prince, I recommend that you start on the next level up.

Next some advice to newbies. Want to win? Play with Genghis Kahn. At least that is my initial observation. He has great traits (expansive and aggressive like the Zulu) and a solid early special unit.

Another question: I have a sub-par video card. The game works, but it is slow to calculate opponents' moves (esp in the endgame), and it it's slow to drag the view across the map. Also, it takes a long time to zoom the view out. I have it on lowest settings. My question: what improvements will I notice if I buy a card with, say, 128 RAM, shading and T&L?

thedaian · Oct 29, 2005, 09:38 PM

I've got a question. Is there any way to add items to the BOTTOM of the build queue, or do they always end up at the top of the list? I've looked into the manual, and it says shift+click, but that still only adds to the top of the list. (the top being the next immediate thing to be built, the bottom being the last, of course).

This is really my only gripe gameplaywise...

fastspawn · Oct 29, 2005, 10:04 PM

How does one take a screenshot?

Birdjaguar · Oct 29, 2005, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastspawn

How does one take a screenshot?

get what you want on the screen, press the print screen key, open MS paint or other similar program, and then paste.

nomikos · Oct 29, 2005, 11:12 PM

Question 1: adding items to the build queue
Ctrl-click adds to the beginning.
Shift-Click adds things to the end of the queue
Alt-Click repeat builds

Question 2: Can you abandon a city?
There is currently no way (other than world builder) to abandon a city. but see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134455 for other options.

Question 3: How do I draw / label the map or use the layers and filters? (as seen in previews)
From http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134183
From the world map zoom out slowly... you'll see at a point the icons (ping / show tile / bare map / etc) change to layers ( strategy / units / religions / cultures / trade / resource ), you'll also notice that several "filters" appear on the left hand size of the screen.

Question 4: Can you can not build forests?
Certainly not - but tiles next to forests can spawn a forest. Supposedly this is more common if the tile is empty. (sorry, no thread link - maybe when search returns)

Question 5: From within the game, what do the various (ctl-o) Game > Options do?
It's a long list, but they're found in \Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\XML\Text\CIV4GameText_Misc1.xml or try http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134437

Now for some of my own: :-)

Question 6: How do you assign a rally point to a city? ( http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134183 )

Question 7: Do build lists (ctl-#) which *include* *buildings* work for anyone? ( See http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133674 )

Remember... we're all in this together... at least until you cross my borders. :0

tristangreer · Oct 29, 2005, 11:13 PM

Does this game have a memory leak problem?

nomikos · Oct 29, 2005, 11:34 PM

Sorry... missed the screenshot question:

Question 8: How do I take a screenshot?

Check \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\CivilizationIV.ini file. Look for:

; Allow Screenshots. May affect performance on some video cards
AllowScreenShots = 1

Press the "Prt Scr" button on your keyboard. Check your \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\ScreenShots folder. Upload and brag.

snoopy369 · Oct 30, 2005, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomikos

Sorry... missed the screenshot question:

Question 8: How do I take a screenshot?

Check \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\CivilizationIV.ini file. Look for:

; Allow Screenshots. May affect performance on some video cards
AllowScreenShots = 1

Press the "Prt Scr" button on your keyboard. Check your \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\ScreenShots folder. Upload and brag.

Prt Scr copies the screenshot to your clipboard, convenient for quick pastes in the GIMP or Photoshop etc. without having to go find the folder

Both methods work in Windowed mode, as well, although PRTSCR will copy the entire desktop (meaning you have to crop a bit).

Oct 29, 2005, 04:08 PM	#1
Civrules Deity Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 5,553 Images: 119	Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions Civilization IV: Quick Answers Hi everyone! In this thread, feel free to ask basic questions about Civilization IV. This should make it easier for you guys to get answers quicker, and it should also separate discussion threads from more basic questions. With time, this will make it possible for us to put together an official Civilization IV FAQ article as well. If you aren't in a rush to post any questions, make sure to read through the available information, which is likely to answer a lot of questions itself. Just post your questions here without worrying about if it's already covered somewhere else, and hopefully some of the experts will answer them. I encourage everyone to participate here, answering questions they can. Thanks! __________________ Civilization IV Articles: Civ4 Info Center (Last Updated on April 16th) \| Final Preview: Filling in the Gaps (Posted on October 24th) \| Hands-On Preview (Posted on October 13th). Pirates! Articles: Exclusive Insider Information Article \| Pre-Release Information. CivFanatics Forum Info: General Forum FAQ \| Forum Rules \| Forum BB Tags. Last edited by Thunderfall; Dec 19, 2005 at 10:25 PM.

Oct 29, 2005, 04:30 PM	#2
Birdjaguar Quark Habitat Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 25,101	Why did it take so long to get this thread up? __________________ Only kindness matters.

Oct 29, 2005, 05:48 PM	#6
Ginger_Ale Lurker Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Red Sox Nation Posts: 8,448 Images: 225	If you accept non-gameplay questions from someone that doesn't have the game... can anyone post a list of all the beta testers in the credits? I am curious. Civrules: what you are saying is you're making an HTML version of the Civilopedia. __________________ Editing Main Site Pages - Commonly Used Acronyms - Colonization FAQ - Colonization Info Center - Colonization Quick Answers - CivRev Info Center - CivRev Quick Answers - Civ4 FAQ - Civ4 Quick Answers - Civ3 FAQ - Civ3 Quick Answers

Oct 29, 2005, 08:04 PM	#9
Ginger_Ale Lurker Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Red Sox Nation Posts: 8,448 Images: 225	You are so cruel. Is it hidden or something? __________________ Editing Main Site Pages - Commonly Used Acronyms - Colonization FAQ - Colonization Info Center - Colonization Quick Answers - CivRev Info Center - CivRev Quick Answers - Civ4 FAQ - Civ4 Quick Answers - Civ3 FAQ - Civ3 Quick Answers

Oct 29, 2005, 08:14 PM	#10
Aussie_Lurker Deity Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 6,547	Can I ask a system requirement question? If so I am curious: If I have a WinXP Pro system, with a Radeon 9550 video card (256 MB), 768 MB of RAM and a 2.4 Gigaherz Celeron CPU, will it run without any MAJOR difficulties on my computer? Just curious as I will be getting my hands on the game next week! Yours, Aussie_Lurker. __________________ Don't like how religions are currently founded in Civ4? Feel like religion is nothing but an early tech race, with no other strategy involved? Then try my True Prophets Mod v0.7 for BtS. If you want to discuss this mod, then please check out This Link Also, feel free to try my CivicInfosPlus mod component for BtS & keep an eye out for fully re-worked Civics based on this Mod Component!

Oct 29, 2005, 04:42 PM	#4
A'AbarachAmadan Deity Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 3,253	I see the pre-release info page. Is there going to be a post release info page that has the actual list of units, buildings, etc. with characteristics? This would help temper the anticipation those of us living in Asia have since it hasn't been released here yet.

Oct 29, 2005, 06:59 PM	#7
CivCube Haw! Harumph! Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Indeed! Posts: 4,650 Images: 1	How may I choose the number of opponents before starting a game?

Oct 29, 2005, 08:41 PM	#12
Civrules Deity Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 5,553 Images: 119	Ok, GA. Here's all the testers in the credits: Sirian Friedrich Isak Rob Notyoueither CanuckSoldier Vondrack Nolan Aeson ColdFever Chieftess Gramphos Thamis danthrax Solver Rhye Kal-El Thunderfall Dominae Curtsibling Sullla Civrules Onan Dale Ainwood Locutus Frank Kring DeepO Pfeffersack Islonian Wolfsbane Asterix Warpstorm Alva Alski Griselda TheDohr MarkG Arrian Bluminator Wtiberon Cyrene Doc Tsiolkovski Earl Harewood WarningU2 bobT Reptile Dexters Bsarsgard Krill Homegrown Srayman GBM Asleepathewheel Kemal Maxfin SirPartyMan Loulong Heroic StrictlyRockers Unimatrix_zero Funkychicken Trayk Yoda Power ME0003 MagicNo3 LotharBot PeteT Randy Trinity Clondike DonaldKipper Avogadro Whiplash Craigbob Sparta Swissy Kaetsae BYCCougar DeathToAll @Aussie, you should be fine. __________________ Civilization IV Articles: Civ4 Info Center (Last Updated on April 16th) \| Final Preview: Filling in the Gaps (Posted on October 24th) \| Hands-On Preview (Posted on October 13th). Pirates! Articles: Exclusive Insider Information Article \| Pre-Release Information. CivFanatics Forum Info: General Forum FAQ \| Forum Rules \| Forum BB Tags.

Oct 29, 2005, 09:06 PM	#13
godotnut Inverted Unicycle Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 455	First a question: Can you abandon cities, and how? I just finished my first game (on Prince). I won a domination victory around 1980AD. It was easy, though I admit that I got lucky with good placement at the begining. I was a Monarch player on Civ 3. So even though the guide says that experienced Civ players should start on Prince, I recommend that you start on the next level up. Next some advice to newbies. Want to win? Play with Genghis Kahn. At least that is my initial observation. He has great traits (expansive and aggressive like the Zulu) and a solid early special unit. Another question: I have a sub-par video card. The game works, but it is slow to calculate opponents' moves (esp in the endgame), and it it's slow to drag the view across the map. Also, it takes a long time to zoom the view out. I have it on lowest settings. My question: what improvements will I notice if I buy a card with, say, 128 RAM, shading and T&L?

Oct 29, 2005, 09:38 PM	#14
thedaian Chieftain Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Ohio, USA Posts: 95 Images: 1	I've got a question. Is there any way to add items to the BOTTOM of the build queue, or do they always end up at the top of the list? I've looked into the manual, and it says shift+click, but that still only adds to the top of the list. (the top being the next immediate thing to be built, the bottom being the last, of course). This is really my only gripe gameplaywise...

Oct 29, 2005, 10:04 PM	#15
fastspawn Chieftain Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 60	How does one take a screenshot?

Oct 29, 2005, 11:12 PM	#17
nomikos Chieftain Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 43	Question 1: adding items to the build queue Ctrl-click adds to the beginning. Shift-Click adds things to the end of the queue Alt-Click repeat builds Question 2: Can you abandon a city? There is currently no way (other than world builder) to abandon a city. but see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134455 for other options. Question 3: How do I draw / label the map or use the layers and filters? (as seen in previews) From http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134183 From the world map zoom out slowly... you'll see at a point the icons (ping / show tile / bare map / etc) change to layers ( strategy / units / religions / cultures / trade / resource ), you'll also notice that several "filters" appear on the left hand size of the screen. Question 4: Can you can not build forests? Certainly not - but tiles next to forests can spawn a forest. Supposedly this is more common if the tile is empty. (sorry, no thread link - maybe when search returns) Question 5: From within the game, what do the various (ctl-o) Game > Options do? It's a long list, but they're found in \Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\XML\Text\CIV4GameText_Misc1.xml or try http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134437 Now for some of my own: :-) Question 6: How do you assign a rally point to a city? ( http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134183 ) Question 7: Do build lists (ctl-#) which include buildings work for anyone? ( See http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133674 ) Remember... we're all in this together... at least until you cross my borders. :0 __________________ .sig? I don't need no sticking .sig Now if I only had a .plan - now that would be something!

Oct 29, 2005, 11:13 PM	#18
tristangreer Warlord Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 126	Does this game have a memory leak problem?

Oct 29, 2005, 11:34 PM	#19
nomikos Chieftain Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 43	Sorry... missed the screenshot question: Question 8: How do I take a screenshot? Check \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\CivilizationIV.ini file. Look for: ; Allow Screenshots. May affect performance on some video cards AllowScreenShots = 1 Press the "Prt Scr" button on your keyboard. Check your \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\ScreenShots folder. Upload and brag. __________________ .sig? I don't need no sticking .sig Now if I only had a .plan - now that would be something!

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