Condensed tips for beginners?

[Buntaro]

Likewise, does it do any good to, say, improve an "ordinary" tile with a farm or mine or windmill when it's outside the fat cross? What about if the tile has a nifty resource, like corn or uranium?

Mining hills gives a chance to discover resources. It is a low probability, so I only do it if I have workers with nothing better to do. I have had it pay off twice - discovering a resource that I did not have in a space that was not in a fat cross.

 

[Sisiutil]

Mining hills gives a chance to discover resources. It is a low probability, so I only do it if I have workers with nothing better to do. I have had it pay off twice - discovering a resource that I did not have in a space that was not in a fat cross.

This only works with mines inside the fat cross; the mines have to be worked in order to reveal resources, which they logically cannot be if they're outside any city's fat cross.

 

[Rancid Sushi]

I keep reading that one should set their research to 60% in the early game and use the extra cash to expand and found new cities. It seems that this would put the player way behind the other civs in technology. Just how and when does rapid expansiuon begin making up for the many turns of lost research?

 

[Ruler]

I keep reading that one should set their research to 60% in the early game and use the extra cash to expand and found new cities. It seems that this would put the player way behind the other civs in technology. Just how and when does rapid expansiuon begin making up for the many turns of lost research?

Good spots are always worth to take in my opinion even for the cost of science but you should have able to send there worker asap to make it profitable every turn counts now. Couple example of good spots are gem, silver, gold mines and silk or city with about 6 workable cottage tiles ie grass with river.

 

[Sisiutil]

I keep reading that one should set their research to 60% in the early game and use the extra cash to expand and found new cities. It seems that this would put the player way behind the other civs in technology. Just how and when does rapid expansiuon begin making up for the many turns of lost research?

Usually the recommendation is to keep research as high as possible in the early game. You expand by building cities until you have to lower the science slider to 60% in order to stay in the red. That doesn't mean you should lower the science slider; if you have gold in the bank (often thanks to goody huts), you can research at a deficit for a while. But the "60% rule" means that at that point you should stop founding new cities and focus on infrastructure and tile improvements in the existing ones instead.

 

[KMadCandy]

somebody asked "Likewise, does it do any good to, say, improve an "ordinary" tile with a farm or mine or windmill when it's outside the fat cross? What about if the tile has a nifty resource, like corn or uranium?"

and then buntaro answered "Mining hills gives a chance to discover resources. It is a low probability, so I only do it if I have workers with nothing better to do. I have had it pay off twice - discovering a resource that I did not have in a space that was not in a fat cross."

as sisiutil pointed out, that benefit you only get on worked tiles, so for those discoveries, the mines have to be in your fat cross.

however, i do sometimes improve tiles outside my fat crosses if i have nothing better to do ... if they're along the path the bad guys might take to come at me. if they take the time to pillage something i'm not using, great! more time for me to go out and defend myself offensively eh? that's a big if tho, i don't usually have the time. i do use the tactic a lot in one city challenge games tho.

 

[Rancid Sushi]

I encountered something unusual in my last game. I was on my own continent alone, after having crushed Shaka and circumnavigated the globe (thus meeting all other civs). Poor Mansa was surrounded by nutbars on the other continent: Genghis, Toku, and Salad. He was getting gang raped by toku and Ghengis, so he offered to become my vassal, which I accepted. Having built up an enormous and experienced army from my previous campaign, I sent everyone who wasn't a city defender to the galleys and to the other continent to help everyone's favorite tech whore. I trounced Toku and was about to finish off Genghis when Mansu suddenly shows up saying "it appears you are too weak (despite being untouchable in the power chart) to protect us." So he terminates his vassalage. I couldn't stop scratching my head on this one. After I had fought hard to drive Mansa's bullies into the ground, he terminates our partnership and and then...BECOMES SALADIN'S VASSAL! I really don't get it, especially since my interference in the war completely turned things around and saved Mansa who was down to 2 cities by the time he came begging for my help. This caused me to scrap my plans for domination and I went on to win my highest scoring game with a diplo victory.

 

[frankcor]

A vassal will terminate your relationship if he/she doubles in size after becoming your vassal. I don't recall if the size is the number of cities or the number of land tiles within their cultural border. If Mansa founded or captured 2 more cities, that would probably be sufficent for him to drop your protection.

 

[Sisiutil]

A vassal will terminate your relationship if he/she doubles in size after becoming your vassal. I don't recall if the size is the number of cities or the number of land tiles within their cultural border. If Mansa founded or captured 2 more cities, that would probably be sufficent for him to drop your protection.

I'm beginning to think that "It appears you are too weak to protect us" is just the only set phrase the programmers supplied for breaking a vassal agreement. It would be nice if they included more descriptive reasons like "Thanks, it's been nice, but we think we can make it on our own now" and such.

 

[Rancid Sushi]

Eh, whatever. Thanks for your help so far guys. That game I was talking about was my first successful attempt at a SE. Now I have some questions regarding some 'SE civics.' Side note: That game was with Alex, next time I'll try Peter. I'll take things more slowly even though he's Russian.

1) Caste System: I'm terrible at math, so maybe you guys can do it for me. What happens when everyone else adopts Emancipation? Would using Caste System for more artist specialists cancel out the unhappiness penalty?

2) Pacifism: I'm a born warmonger, but this civic seems to contradict that approach. However, would it be possible to use Caste System to make enough merchants (preferably in the capital/commerce city) to offset the extra maintenance penalty for having a lot of troops?

Thanks for your time.

 

[Sisiutil]

Eh, whatever. Thanks for your help so far guys. That game I was talking about was my first successful attempt at a SE. Now I have some questions regarding some 'SE civics.' Side note: That game was with Alex, next time I'll try Peter. I'll take things more slowly even though he's Russian.

1) Caste System: I'm terrible at math, so maybe you guys can do it for me. What happens when everyone else adopts Emancipation? Would using Caste System for more artist specialists cancel out the unhappiness penalty?

2) Pacifism: I'm a born warmonger, but this civic seems to contradict that approach. However, would it be possible to use Caste System to make enough merchants (preferably in the capital/commerce city) to offset the extra maintenance penalty for having a lot of troops?

Thanks for your time.

1) The culture a city produces does not, surprisingly, affect its happiness. The culture slider does, and is magnified by theatres and colosseums.

2) It's all a question of whether or not you can afford it. I've run Pacifism while I've been at war. It made me drop the science slider a notch, but I got two Great Scientists and a Great Engineer while running the civic, so I'd say it was worth it.

 

[Rancid Sushi]

Heh, I might be the only noob keeping this thread going. So, another question: I want to play my next game with Augustus but I'm not quite sure how to use his traits. Any advice for using Anchovius Caesar for a domination win with respect to all his attributes (traits, UB, and UU)?

 

[Sisiutil]

Heh, I might be the only noob keeping this thread going. So, another question: I want to play my next game with Augustus but I'm not quite sure how to use his traits. Any advice for using Anchovius Caesar for a domination win with respect to all his attributes (traits, UB, and UU)?

The fact sheet on Augustus:
Traits: Creative (+2 culture per city. Double production speed of Theater, Coliseum, Library (Warlords 2.08)) and Organized (Civic upkeep reduced 50 percent. Double production speed of lighthouse, courthouse, and factory.)
Starting Techs: Mining and Fishing
Unique Unit: Praetorian (Replaces Swordsman; Strength: 8, Movement: 1, Cost: 50 (Warlords 2.08))
Unique Building: Forum (Replaces Marketplace; Cost: 150; ; Unique Characteristics: +25% great people birth rate)

Augustus may just be the most overpowered leader in the game. I think, for example, that he's the only leader with six cheap buildings. The trick is, almost all of his unique characteristics are powerful in the early game and peter out over time. So you have to maximize his characteristics early, then coast to victory.

The most obvious advantage Rome has is the UU, probably the best in the game because it's so powerful compared to anything else at the time, and is available so early. In addition, you start with Mining, giving you a leg up on researching Iron Working, the tech that enables it.

The fact that Augustus is Creative greatly increases the chances that you'll claim iron in the large amount of territory you'll claim so early. You can and should skip Stonehenge completely, but I'd still try to claim marble and build the Oracle for a Code of Laws slingshot. CoL makes courthouses available, which are cheap for an Organized leader like Augustus and will be crucial to minimizing the cost of an early empire. And a couple of Great Prophets could come in handy (the Confucian Shrine will help the early economy, for example).

I don't normally bee-line to IW with Rome (though that's certainly a worthwhile approach as well). I usually research Bronze Working first, settle near copper, and build Axes for early defense. Axes figure in later, because you need a couple to defend your stack of Praetorians from other Axemen, their sole nemesis. With Rome, Chariots are kind of a waste of time IMHO.

I then research appropriate worker techs depending upon nearby resources, then I usually research Iron Working. By this point I probably have 2-3 cities, making IW cheaper to research. After that, I'll probably sneak in Pottery (cottages will be crucial to Rome's economy later) and then go on the Mysticism-Meditation-Priesthood path for the Oracle. After that, it's off to Literature for the GL. Meanwhile, I'm building, chopping, and whipping Praets like mad. Be sure to build barracks in all cities before the UU is available.

If you don't war early with Rome, you should just play as another civ. Seriously. Use America or Germany if you prefer to war late in the game. Once you have a few Praets, you want to go conquering. If you just use them for defense, Julius and his adopted heir should come back from the dead and kick your wimpy butt. Remember to preserve your economy: when it comes to enemy cities, keep the best and raze the rest. So what if the AI resettles the area? Have your green Praets sack those cities for XPs and gold.

I usually found Confucianism and convert once I have some Praets, because at that point I fear nothing. Let Isabella pout, Shaka rage, and Monty shake his headdress impotently. I'll crush them all. Go for Construction after Literature to get Catapults (or even before) to help with your conquering. Don't worry, Praets are up to the measly cultural defenses of early cities. Heck, they can, in sufficient numbers, easily overcome the 60% bonus of a capital or holy city, especially if it's defended by mere Archers.

By mid-game you should have eliminated at least two rivals if not more and have a good-sized empire with decent cities, especially those captured capitals and holy cities. You're then set for any victory condition you want to pursue. If it's domination, you should have a whole whack of City Raider veterans you can upgrade later.

Oh--one other tip in that regard: do not upgrade Praets to Macemen! What's the point? They have the same strength rating. So what if Maces have an anti-melee bonus? That's not Praets' job; they can take out Longbowmen as effectively as Maces can. Upgrade your veteran Shock Axes instead.

Happy conquering!

 

[Mack_Jagger]

Okay here's two nobbish questions for you. First off, granaries? I know they are good for city recovery after whipping but I really don't understand the principle behind it. Stores 50 % of food after whipping? How is that helpfull? I'n whipping away citizens, crack crack, crack, not food?

And another question. What is the difference between a commerce city and a science city? The guides I've been reading states things like this: In a commercecity you would want to bild commerce multipliers such as banks and so on. And for the science city the same logic applies, build science multipliers. This I don't get. A criteria for both the commerce city and the science city is that they got a lot of commerce heavy tiles, unless we are speaking of a Specialist Economy. So the way I see it I would like to have both science- and commerce multipliers in both cities, everything else seems to be a waste. The only distinction as I can see is how to arrange the specialists and place the wonders. A commerce heavy city with the Wallstreet becomes the commerce city and run merchants, and the one with Oxford the Science city and it will run scientists. Is this it or am I missing out on something?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rancid Sushi]

Thanks a lot. I think I'll copy/paste all that onto a word document for reference. It sounds like a nice vacation from the tiresome micromanagement of an SE.

 

[Sisiutil]

Okay here's two nobbish questions for you. First off, granaries? I know they are good for city recovery after whipping but I really don't understand the principle behind it. Stores 50 % of food after whipping? How is that helpfull? I'n whipping away citizens, crack crack, crack, not food?

And another question. What is the difference between a commerce city and a science city? The guides I've been reading states things like this: In a commercecity you would want to bild commerce multipliers such as banks and so on. And for the science city the same logic applies, build science multipliers. This I don't get. A criteria for both the commerce city and the science city is that they got a lot of commerce heavy tiles, unless we are speaking of a Specialist Economy. So the way I see it I would like to have both science- and commerce multipliers in both cities, everything else seems to be a waste. The only distinction as I can see is how to arrange the specialists and place the wonders. A commerce heavy city with the Wallstreet becomes the commerce city and run merchants, and the one with Oxford the Science city and it will run scientists. Is this it or am I missing out on something?

Thanks in advance.

1 - Granaries. You've got it wrong: you are whipping food. More to the point, you are converting food into hammers. So a building that saves you food (which in turn allows you to grow your population back sooner, so you can whip again sooner) gives you more hammers.

2 - Here you've got it right. Here's another way to think of it: a science city is a sub-category of the commerce city. You can and should build both science and commerce multipliers in a commerce city. The difference tends to come when you start building wonders. Oxford goes in the science city (the one with the best science output, where you may also build the Great Library, an Academy, and settle science specialists), while Wall Street goes in the "wealth city", a very specific type of commerce city that usually has at least one shrine.

 

[Mack_Jagger]

Okay thanks a bunch!

 

[Azander]

Here's a couple of tips, though I'm no master at civilisation:

- Dont ever train a worker if you dont have the proper techs to make him useful. He eats up all the food, and you cant use him when you get him, without techs like agriculture, and the wheel etc.

- If possible, build a work boat before a worker, if you have sea ressources nearby. It will speed up the creation of your worker, since you usually get a nice food boost

- Stonehenge is a must for ancient civilisations with no culture. You can skip it if youre creative.

- Make sure to spread the religions you found. Build wonders that gives you points toward great prophets and construct their special building!

- Swordsmen are good at raiding cities, but bad at protecting them against axemen. Swordsmen doesnt get increased city defence with promotions, so make sure that your city has at least one good defender.

- Dont EVER attack a city across a river. The 25% defence bonus is usually all it takes to destroy your army.

- When your worker is working a tile containing a ressource, make sure to build the structure before the road! This means building farms, mines and so on, at first, since it is from these structures you get the bonus, and not the road.

- Connect all cities in your empires with roads, even if they are already connected in the trade network.

- Protect high level units, even if they are obsolete.

- Sailing is essential for civilisations close to the sea. Lighthouses can make a big difference if they are built early on.

- make sure your neighbours have the same state religion as you. If you have different religions, abuse your open borders to spread your religion to your neighbours capitol and large cities, since these are usually connected to all cities in that empire.

- Dont go to war unprepared.

- Dont stress out if your civilisation is located near large areas with ice. Usually you can find special ressources here, not avaible anywere else on the map, like furs and game. Could be valuable trade items!

- It is usually better to delay your science a bit, to make sure your empire earns money instead of losing it.

- Courthouses are only really useful in cities far from your capitol. Your capitol can skip it altogether.

- Granaries should be present in all your most important cities!

- Dont ever defend your cities with only one kind of units. All units have strengths and weaknesses.

- If you cant do anything useful with your great people, make them sleep, and wake them up when you have enough for a golden age.

- Great prophets are very useful early in games, but almost useless in later games.

- Great Engineers are always useful. Dont waste them on researching tech (unless it's a really good deal), dont even use them for golden age, use them to rush wonders!

Hope its useful

Play away

 

[aronnax]

If you are war-going person, keep your neighbours closed and your far flung civilizations closer. Murder down the close neighbours then be friends with those far far away. Most likely close neighbours share the same religion so until you are certain far flung regions share the same religion as you, do not have a state religion. You will anger them. Another thing, Always be one advance in terms of millitry

 

[Rancid Sushi]

Well, I played my Augustus game and won domination, but my score was lousy (Emperor Constantine). This is because I made a critical mistake mid-game. I went to the other continent (despite it being 'fractal' ) after crushing my 2 neighbors early to eliminate Victoria who was the tech leader, but not the power leader. I was about to finish her when Napoleon suddenly declared war, undoing all my work on that continent. This set my domination win back many turns, but I later returned to wipe Napoleon out and win the game. The lesson: always kill the power leader, even if he/she isn't the tech leader. Take a note, fellow noobs.