Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[ybbor]

how do you increase or decrease the number of civs on a map?

[Prince David]

Originally Posted by ybbor

how do you increase or decrease the number of civs on a map?

Just like Civ3 each map size has a default number of civs. Also like Civ3 you can use the drop down menu on the map start up page to specify the AI civs or set a slot to "none."

IIRC from the start up page you would go single player => custom maps

[T_Raccoon]

In my current game i was playing as Arabia and i took a look at the info screen (f9) which gives useful info like land area, population, commerce, goods produced, but i have no idea what the last three meant. It was something like approval rate, lifetime expectancy, and imports/exports. Im guessing approval rate and life exptectancy are happiness and health respectively. I think imports/exports are trade routes when you have open borders but why is it in the form of a fraction?

[Spin Doctor]

Almost finished with my first game. My capital city was Mecca which reached level 9, then quickly dropped to level 1 as a result of lack of food production. I have built as many farms as possible, but for some reason my food production seems stuck at 2, leaving me totally stagnating. What am I missing here?

Any help would be much appreciated!

[allnightplayer]

Originally Posted by Psyringe

Yes, excess beakers are carried over. Finally no need to micromanage research timings any more.

Great! Thanks, Psyringe!

And here i have been dutifully reducing my science rate everytime i was 1 turn away from researching a tech (in the belief that i was avoiding 'wastage') !!!

[allnightplayer]

Originally Posted by a4phantom

Civ3 gave Indians the war elephant, but Civ4 makes that a standard unit. The only really spectacular Indian warriors I can think of were the Gurkas - which fought for the British Royal Army not for India.

Civ3 did have a point in making the war elephant the Indian UU. The reference was to the Battle of the Hydaspes River in 326BC, when Alexander the Great's army had fought against the Indian king Purushottama (usu shortened to Porus) in their first major battle after entering the Indian subcontinent. For presumably the first time, Alexander's forces found that the opposing army was using war elephants - 200 of them! Although Alexander eventually won the battle, his soldiers were so shaken by the experience that they refused to advance any further into India - not knowing what other surprises may be in store! So the Greek leader was forced to abandon his ambitions of world conquest and turn back - but not before he had incorporated elephants into his own army (and learned how to use them from the defeated Porus).

As for Civ4 not giving a military unit as the Indian UU, the reason probably has to do with the leader personalities available for India (Gandhi & Asoka). It would be absurd for peace-loving Gandhi to have a military UU. And while Asoka was a great warrior early in his career, legend has it that he was so shocked by the massacre his own troops had committed against the soldiers of the kingdom of Kalinga (266 BC) that he embraced buddhism and renounced warfare for the rest of his reign.

As for the Gurkhas, they are truly doughty warriors, who were greatly admired by the British colonial rulers of pre-independence India. They originate from present day Nepal, but the Indian army still maintains a Gurkha division.

[Dutchciv2005]

Newbie question about open borders. I dont want everybody walking over my lands so why should I agree to open borders (when we're not connected). It looks like they get annoyed I if dont agree?

[DaviddesJ]

Originally Posted by Dutchciv2005

Newbie question about open borders. I dont want everybody walking over my lands so why should I agree to open borders (when we're not connected). It looks like they get annoyed I if dont agree?

That is one reason. Another reason is so that your cities can establish trade routes with their cities---if they are far away, then your trade routes will be worth more.

[Dutchciv2005]

Yeah but only when they're connected by roads right? So do you always agree with open borders?

[oagersnap]

Originally Posted by Dutchciv2005

Yeah but only when they're connected by roads right? So do you always agree with open borders?

I almost always agree to open borders.

In the beginning of the game, the civs have to be connected by roads to have trade routes, mut when you get sailing, they can be connected by coast tiles, and when you get optics/astronomy (forgot which one), they can connect by ocean squares, too.
I think you can also later use airports to connect with anyone in the world, regardless of roads, coast and ocean.

Another good thing about OB is that you get a better relationship with the other civ.

[Sir Janus]

Originally Posted by Spin Doctor

Almost finished with my first game. My capital city was Mecca which reached level 9, then quickly dropped to level 1 as a result of lack of food production. I have built as many farms as possible, but for some reason my food production seems stuck at 2, leaving me totally stagnating. What am I missing here?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Were your population in Mecca actually working the land? - You didn't perhaps turn them all into specialists?

Open up the city screen (double click the city on the main map) and make sure that city automation is turned on (the little man in front of the computer screen next to the minimap in the bottom right hand corner).

To make use of land in a city your citizens have to work the land - land being used is indicated in the city screen by a big white circle. Unless you have assigned some to be specialists you should have one more circle than the number of citizens you have (the tile that your city is on is always worked and does not need a citizen to work it). If you have less than this then try turning off some specialists (the little men down the right hand side of the city screen).

Also note that a tile can only be used by one city at a time so if you have overlapping cities then there may not be enough free tiles to put all your citizens to work on the land.

Hope this helps.

[Nobo]

Can you change the name of the other leaders and nation before starting a new game?

[Prince David]

Originally Posted by Spin Doctor

Almost finished with my first game. My capital city was Mecca which reached level 9, then quickly dropped to level 1 as a result of lack of food production. I have built as many farms as possible, but for some reason my food production seems stuck at 2, leaving me totally stagnating. What am I missing here?

Any help would be much appreciated!

You may also be having a problem with happiness and city health.

Each unhappy citizen does not work, but still needs to be supported with food. Look on your city screen for a row of red citizen "specialists" along the bottom. Each of these is eating but not making anything. Do you have rampant war weariness or other (cultural) anarchy in Mecca? You may need to focus on producing culture and happiness buildings and securing luxury resources.

City health reduces the amount of food you can produce for a city by one for each "unhealth point." If you lack a variety of food types, have built certain "polluting buildings" or chopped all your forests you may be having this problem as well.

[ybbor]

Originally Posted by Dutchciv2005

Newbie question about open borders. I dont want everybody walking over my lands so why should I agree to open borders (when we're not connected). It looks like they get annoyed I if dont agree?

open borders also spreads your religon faster (but thiers is spread to you faster too)

[starkeffect]

I have a question about the "imports/exports" stat in the Demographics list. How is it determined, and how can I improve it?

[T_Raccoon]

In my current game i was playing as Arabia and i took a look at the info screen (f9) which gives useful info like land area, population, commerce, goods produced, but i have no idea what the last three meant. It was something like approval rate, lifetime expectancy, and imports/exports. Im guessing approval rate and life exptectancy are happiness and health respectively. I think imports/exports are trade routes when you have open borders but why is it in the form of a fraction? you guys forgot about me so im reposting since i have the same question as starkeffect

[slotdrdave]

Could anyone tell me where I can find the "New World" map as mentioned on page 13 of the manual? I was more of a Colonization fan and loved the race to settle the new world.

[pigzy]

First game on CIV4 I cant find how to launch the damn ship. Its AD1920 I have built all the components - noone else has. The Victory - spaceship screen just makes clicking noises on the components when I click the mouse on them but does nothing else . Grrrrrr is there a launch button somewhere? Somebody please help me I cant take anymore

[Shravak]

I just can't understand what a colosseum does to my city. It's said that it gives one happy face per 20% of culture rate. I don't get it. Can anyone explain me, please?

[nhartofilis77]

I re-installed Windows XP yesterday and now when I click the icon to load the game, the screen just disappears a couple of seconds into loading.

Any advice?