a few dumb newbie qns to help a CIV4 player new to COL

[fingers]

Hi guys, I've just got COL but have been playing CIV4 for a while. I've read the guides and some of the strategy threads, but have a few questions based on my own limited experience of the game so far. Can you help?

1) does your colonist get consumed when you build a settlement, like in CIV4? I've had a couple of games, where it seems my soldier was consumed (in 1 game) but my free colonist (in another game) wasn't.

2) I have a veteran soldier fishing at the moment. I try to drag him to the garrison section but he doesn't stay there. If I was attacked, would he automatically be part of the defense?

3) I have about 20,000 gold, after finally shippig it all back to Europe myself. I'm about 1560AD, what's the best thing to buy? Lots of soldiers etc? Or Experts? I guess there's no right answer, but I'd like your views.

4) can you mark on the screen what each indian colony wants in trade? Or do you just have to remember all of the settlements? I'm wandering around all over the map with a wagon full of stuff trying to remember which settlement wanted trade goods.

5) can you turn seasoned scouts into dragoons? At the moment he's farming as the map is all expored, but I try to equip him with guns but can't seem to do it.

thanks very much.

 

[dalgo]

Hi guys, I've just got COL but have been playing CIV4 for a while. I've read the guides and some of the strategy threads, but have a few questions based on my own limited experience of the game so far. Can you help?

1) does your colonist get consumed when you build a settlement, like in CIV4? I've had a couple of games, where it seems my soldier was consumed (in 1 game) but my free colonist (in another game) wasn't.

2) I have a veteran soldier fishing at the moment. I try to drag him to the garrison section but he doesn't stay there. If I was attacked, would he automatically be part of the defense?

3) I have about 20,000 gold, after finally shippig it all back to Europe myself. I'm about 1560AD, what's the best thing to buy? Lots of soldiers etc? Or Experts? I guess there's no right answer, but I'd like your views.

4) can you mark on the screen what each indian colony wants in trade? Or do you just have to remember all of the settlements? I'm wandering around all over the map with a wagon full of stuff trying to remember which settlement wanted trade goods.

5) can you turn seasoned scouts into dragoons? At the moment he's farming as the map is all expored, but I try to equip him with guns but can't seem to do it.

thanks very much.

1) No he isn't used up in settling the colony. The AI automatically assigns him a job so your soldier may now be a lumberjack.

2) It may be that he is the only colonist in your colony, in which case you cannot put him in the garrison (you can't abandon a colony). He is also unavailable for defence if he is the only colonist.

3) WOW! 20 grand. Shopping time. I'd start with a cannon or two for defence, a pioneer if you don't already have one, lumberjack and carpenter for sure and a preacher for your church. If you have any special food resources not being used (fish/corn etc) then add an expert farmer or fisherman to the list, plus an expert in whatever raw materials you have the most of. How big did you say your ship was?

4) There is a small icon beside the village name that shows what goods it wants to buy, but in fact you can write on the screen if you want to (Alt/S).

5) Yes you can, if you have enough guns and horses available. His experience will make him a top fighter.

Good luck.

 

[fingers]

WOW! 20 grand.

I had 2 seasoned scouts in the immigration queue, so I could romp around the map getting all the treasure. And it is on the easiest level.

So the soldier is a farmer (or lunmberjack or whatever). Do I need another colonist to join the settlement before I can then assign him to defensive duties? How do I unassign him from chopping wood (or whatever)? When I double click, the professions are all "outside the settlement" - is that actually what I need?

So how do I equip the scout? Clicking and dragging guns on to him doesn't seem to work - do I double click and choose "dragoon outside the settlement"?


Thanks.

 

[dalgo]

You can move your colonists within the colony by click-and-drag.

Provided you have at least two colonists in your colony and 50 guns then you automatically have a defender. When the colony is attacked the AI selects one of your colonists and equips him with the guns. If you want to assign a permanent defender then one of the 'outside the settlement' options should be 'soldier'.

Same with the scout, if he is working in the colony just double click him and choose 'dragoon' from the list. If your scout is already outside the colony (in the garrison) then one of his action options is 'change profession' from which you can choose 'dragoon'.

2 seasoned scouts is a brilliant start.

 

[fingers]

great, thanks.

 

[iggymnrr]

20,000 gold!!! Nice. It would have me thinking this: Are the French nearby? Is there a veteran soldier on the docks? Maybe you can sort of pick up a hardy pioneer and wagon on the way home.

 

[atc_chief]

4) can you mark on the screen what each indian colony wants in trade? Or do you just have to remember all of the settlements? I'm wandering around all over the map with a wagon full of stuff trying to remember which settlement wanted trade goods.

I think I've got a good answer for this one. There is a button next to the global view in the lower left to 'display resources'. If you select this, and then zoom out, you'll see a selection list on the lower right, and one of the items is 'Native Trade Requests' or something like that. It'll then show the trade good next to the village name.

 

[fingers]

Thanks, I've now found the little icon next to the village name that shows what they want. A world of trade awaits.