CivIV Quick Start – A dominant strategy emerges – Chop Every Tree (CET)

[Renata]

Several people have seen forests grow on tiles with roads.

I do agree that the rate of forest growth is so low that it's insignificant for game purposes.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[phoulishwan]

Several people have seen forests grow on tiles with roads.

I do agree that the rate of forest growth is so low that it's insignificant for game purposes.

I played an OOC bout 3/4 way through last night and had a Jungle grow on a roaded hill. I only roaded the hill to prevent jungle spilling over into unimproved tiles which were hoping to get some forest growth. No forests grew in this game just 2 jungles. Compared to my GOTM game where I had 8-9 forests grow across the empire. I think either type of growth is only possible inside curtural borders...

Forest growth is definately not something to be counted on but more to be seen as a nice bonus, like getting a worker from your first goodie hut (which happened to me for my first time ever last nights OOC!).

 

[MyOtherName]

I think either type of growth is only possible inside curtural borders...

Not true -- though you only get the warning when it happens inside cultural borders (I think).

I'm sure I've seen a forest grow just outside my borders. I -know- I've seen a jungle grow outside my borders (one turn that rice over where I want my second city is on a grassland, and when I come back later, it's in a jungle! I played around with this start several times, and I kept an eye on the rice, noticing it being sometimes being in jungle, and sometimes not)

 

[phoulishwan]

Not true -- though you only get the warning when it happens inside cultural borders (I think).

I'm sure I've seen a forest grow just outside my borders. I -know- I've seen a jungle grow outside my borders (one turn that rice over where I want my second city is on a grassland, and when I come back later, it's in a jungle! I played around with this start several times, and I kept an eye on the rice, noticing it being sometimes being in jungle, and sometimes not)

I guess I've just never noticed any forests or jungles growing outside cultural borders, although I have noticed it inside AI cultural borders just not in the 'fog of the wild'

 

[Chrono285]

Has anyone tried playing many games on "Tropical"? I tried one, and it seemed that forest and jungle growth were greatly improved. I felt like a forest or jungle grew every few turns somewhere inside my empire. Sometimes multiple forests/jungles grew in a single turn!

 

[Smirk]

I've also noticed the same effect (more growth) with the Tropical setting. This is perfectly logical for the setting.

As confirmation both can grow anywhere on the map, this is most apparent on a map like Great Plains where no evergreens exist but any new growth always seems to be evergreens.

 

[azzaman333]

In ladder games, if you dont chop early you're dead. The short term payoffs are always so great that they arre neccesary. The chop needs to be weakened. If it was up to me, id change the hammers to 30 in epics, 20 in normal and 12-14 in quick. The long term benefits aren't anywhere near as useful as the short term, unless you just coast though the game to the future techs and enviromentalism is a gkobal civic.

 

[DaviddesJ]

In ladder games, if you dont chop early you're dead. The short term payoffs are always so great that they arre neccesary. The chop needs to be weakened.

Wouldn't a better ladder format be a better idea? That might also attract some more players who want to do something other than rush rush rush.

 

[azzaman333]

Wouldn't a better ladder format be a better idea? That might also attract some more players who want to do something other than rush rush rush.

The ladder format is set up to be a quick game (120 turns). In a game that lasts for 120 turns, if you dont chop to hurry a settler or a worker in the early game, you're going to have your empire destroyed very quickly (since its played with always war turned on).

What changes would you make to the ladder format? Because the people that want to rush still will, and kill all the non-rushers.

 

[DaviddesJ]

The ladder format is set up to be a quick game (120 turns). In a game that lasts for 120 turns, if you dont chop to hurry a settler or a worker in the early game, you're going to have your empire destroyed very quickly (since its played with always war turned on).

What changes would you make to the ladder format? Because the people that want to rush still will, and kill all the non-rushers.

I think it's very hard to play a satisfying and interesting Civ game in only 120 turns, but, if I had to set the ground rules, I'd start by not allowing any player-player combat until turn 80 or so. That would give a more normal experience in the early turns, while still giving players a chance to prepare for combat and interact in the later game.