civiliation abilities (or knowledge of...)

[Neptune]

Hello.
I’m new to these boards. I typically play civ ii on playstation (I know, I know – but I like this better than the computer version for various reasons and I think the two are mostly the same, anyway…). I have a question regarding the starting civ’s abilities: Is there anywhere that I can find the listing of each civ’s abilities (i.e., knowledge of…)? (Does anyone have a favorite civ that seems to have the best “knowledge of…”?)

Also, I have a long-standing question: What is the small icon in the upper-right hand corner next to the amount of cash that changes color every so often? (And what do those colors mean?)

Thanks for any helpful responses.

 

[funxus]

There aren't any special abilities in Civ2 in the same way as civ3. However, when an AI plays a civ they have different styles, e.g. perfectionist, millitaristic etc. You can choose one you don't like just to be sure you don't get to play against that civ. Some people don't like the mongols and therefore play as purple just to be sure they don't meet them. Another difference is the key civ, try to search for that. There is an order in which the civs get their starting locations when you make a new game, and if a starting location is bad - that civ tends to get more techs and settlers ( 1 or 2). Since purple gets its starting loc last, it gets the worst place on the map, and therefore more techs. Whether it's good with a lot of starting techs, or if the location matters it's up to the player.

The colored icon is probably a beaker, and it shows how far you've gotten to the next tech, i.e. red means you're about to discover a new tech and empty means you're not. Compare it to the science advisor.

 

[ElephantU]

To find out what another civs techs are, use a Diplomat or Spy to "Establish an Embassy". Just move the unit into one of their cities. Making face-to-face contact only tells you their government, peace commitments, and attitude.