Condensed tips for beginners?

[dalamb]

Is it possible to make the English start in London, the French in Paris, etc. on a Europe map?

I don't know any easy way.

You could use the worldbuilder to delete them from wherever they are and put them where you want them, but that would be tedious. If the earth maps have randomization of resources, you'd also learn too much. So maybe a friend would help.

 

[Derbus]

I think youd have to make a custom scenario for it?

 

[_davin_B]

- Research mysticism first to be able to create Stonehenge and obelisks (this will give you culture to expand your borders)
- Move your scout or warrior around the land in order to discover good spots for a new city or to meet other civs (other civs means: go for defense and expand towards the enemy, fill the gaps at the poles and jungle later)
- If both a warrior and a worker cost 15 hammers, go for the worker in order to develop your city sooner. Choose the warrior if that takes 8 turns (so your city can grow to 2 in the meantime)
- After mysticism, research meditation or polytheism in order to get a religion. If meditation is researched while you are still researching it, change it to polytheism (use the tech-screen by pressing F6). If polytheism is researched also, go for iron working. A holy city gives you benefits.
- After iron working, go for alphabet. Once researched, you can trade your techs with other civs. Trade with distant enemies first, you don't want to give your neighbours the edge. Don't trade your alphabet-tech just yet, you don't want others to be able to trade as well, do you?
- Once you discover currency, sell your technology to the other civs. They're glad to hand over all their money to you for inferior techs. Spend this money on research. The first time is the most lucrative one.
- If you have weak defenses, always accept demands from your closest neighbours. Work on your defenses, especially with 'friends' nearby! Bribing won't stop an attack, when they smell blood, you're theirs.
- If there are horses around somewhere, claim that resource!! Iron and copper are around more often (especially near the poles). Research horse back riding only if you have horses. Don't accept it when you trade if you don't have horses, since it's not useful to you. Never trade it with Cyrus, since his unique unit is mounted!
- If you are at war, attack with mounted units and pillage iron, horses and copper resources first, so they can't build strong reinforcements. Try to sneak in a chariot or mounted archer to move and pillage at the same turn.
- Build barracks in every city for a free promotion.
- Choose promotions in accordance to your attacker's army. Choose +25% cover when your enemy attacks with archers for instance or hills/forest defense if you are near hills or forest

This will get you started (I play on noble, will try prince soon)

Edit: some additions, more examples.

Sounds like great insight - thank you. I'm looking forward to trying the suggestions, when I eventually get CIV IV, and a computer I can play it on.
By the way, just for the record - I inserted the 'king' into the quoted comment above.

 

[_davin_B]

most important rule for newcomers
Save, and save often

AMEN - you said it all right there! I know

 

[_davin_B]

1) Start your game.
2) Save your game.
3) Explore the game around you.
4) Get bronze working to know where copper is.
5) With all this info, load the save you made before, then play to end without reloading.

Early exploration helps you to know quickly what kind of game you want to play without investing too much of your time.

The same basic approach I used in CIV II and III - learn where the 'good stuff' is and what obstacles you can expect to encounter. And always push technology.

 

[no-genius]

The thing I always like to do is (if I'm the strongest civ) attack the 3rd-strongest. Seeing as the 2nd-strongest will probably put up more of a fight.

 

[_davin_B]

most important rule for newcomers
Save, and save often

You're never to old / big / smart / advanced / etc to be 'saved' (often)

 

[Tecibbar]

You're never to old / big / smart / advanced / etc to be 'saved' (often)

But one day you will be wise enough to understand that $hit happens in Games

My question: will I get a conquest vicotory if I vassalize everyone?

 

[Sisiutil]

My question: will I get a conquest vicotory if I vassalize everyone?

Yes, you will.

 

[Gudinsdiv]

I downloaded a Europe map for Civ4 and had similar problem. I think you would need the SDK to tweek it, if that's possible for an already modded map.

I did notice that given whatever civilizations are offered on the Europe map, their initial placement reflects the position of a given capital--in most cases. For instance, a civ will start where Berlin is, where Rome is, where Madrid is, etc. This fails where Constantinople is concerned, which I find disapppointing--about as disappointing as the map in question not allowing access to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean.

What I have done in the past is to substitute as best as I can, but then I was always trying to "build" via worldbuilder a Napoleonic scenerio. The game not including Austria undermines that a bit, but that aside, there is a good deal of tweeking through the WB you can do to adjust what you don't like a given map.
I.e., I created the Dardenelles, I made Gotland in the Baltic Sea a bit larger, and I made that one hill in the middle of the Alps(about where Lake Geneva should be) a mountain, because it is, and access to north Italy shouldn't be so easy.

Anyway, that's my take. I hope I helped.

 

[iamnleth]

Build up and take out the strong first or take the weak first, making yourself stronger (perhaps)?

 

[Ezzy]

I hear everyone here praising cottages, but personally I (on Noble mostly) have never had much need for them... I just load up on farms for plains/grass and mines for hills, with the very occasional cottage thrown in. I've never really had problems with money, which was I thought the point of cottages... am I missing something?

 

[Sisiutil]

I hear everyone here praising cottages, but personally I (on Noble mostly) have never had much need for them... I just load up on farms for plains/grass and mines for hills, with the very occasional cottage thrown in. I've never really had problems with money, which was I thought the point of cottages... am I missing something?

Sounds like you're running a specialist economy, where most of your income comes from running merchant specialists. The SE is the most widely-used alternative to the cottage economy (CE).

 

[Mack_Jagger]

I haven't really crunched the numbers regarding maintenance cost. As I have understood ever city has two seperate maintenance cost. One for keeping the city up and running which increases with the size of the city, and then the distancepenalty from the capital. Usually I don'r reflect to much on this and just build the courthouses to deal with the problem. In my current game I've just conquered a big pice of land from Joao of Portugal, I play with Zara Yacob of Ethiopia who is organzied. After the war the economy isn't in top shape, I had to drop my specialist economy and whip whip whip away my hard working citizens. So now to the question; I don't want to throw away hammers so if i build the forbidden palace in the former portugues landmass is it wise to buildthe corthouses as well? The portugese citys are about size 3-9. I have allredy whipped the theatres and would like to start the granarys to grow the cities and get my economy back on track.

And yes, another question. How DO the numbers break downfor the courthouses. Is it 50 percent of for the distance penalty or just the ordinary maintanance cost. Is it any idea at all to build courthouses after the Forbidden Palace?

My current game is played om Monarch, fractal map, Marathon speed.

 

[iamnleth]

And yes, another question. How DO the numbers break downfor the courthouses. Is it 50 percent of for the distance penalty or just the ordinary maintanance cost. Is it any idea at all to build courthouses after the Forbidden Palace?

I believe it is total maintenance. As for your second question, you must build courthouses to even construct the Forbidden Palace, and if there are cities that are some distance away from your Forbidden Palace city AND your capital, you'll still want to build courthouses in them.

EDIT: If I capture a city with the Moai Statues, will they remain or be destroyed? I want to build them in a separate city.

 

[MrCynical]

EDIT: If I capture a city with the Moai Statues, will they remain or be destroyed? I want to build them in a separate city.

Moai Statues are a national wonder, so will always be destroyed when the city is captured.

 

[raigainousa]

Oh well, but one thing is that you must improve culture first, then production next, so that you can get resources to tiles away from the city.

You need the ff. techs to improve terrain:
Agriculture - Farm
Hunting - Camp
Mining - Mine
Masonry - Quarry
Animal Husbandry - Pasture
The Wheel - Road
Railroad - Railroad

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P.S. Is the rate of research and production slower in BtS that Warlords?

 

[Mike Hussey]

Hey guys, a stupid n00b question if you will:

How do you 'run' (use) specialists? In Civ3 it was quite easy you just remove a citizen from working the tile and then he automatically becomes an entertainer. Upon clicking the entertainer, he/she would change to all available specialists in turn. But in Civ4 I'm a bit confused about how it works the same method doesn't work anymore?

 

[LordWeazelNobil]

Hey guys, a stupid n00b question if you will:

How do you 'run' (use) specialists? In Civ3 it was quite easy you just remove a citizen from working the tile and then he automatically becomes an entertainer. Upon clicking the entertainer, he/she would change to all available specialists in turn. But in Civ4 I'm a bit confused about how it works the same method doesn't work anymore?

Mostly everything is more engaging, more complex if you will. I suggest reading the "Civ. Encl.", (Click upper R. corner or depress F12) at least on this topic as it is well covered there & on the side, would B exhaustive here. 2ndly, apply what U think Uv grasped. With yore new-found experience, feel free 2 return with a more specialized question; pun, isn't it ? --

 

[mystyfly]

How do you 'run' (use) specialists? In Civ3 it was quite easy you just remove a citizen from working the tile and then he automatically becomes an entertainer. Upon clicking the entertainer, he/she would change to all available specialists in turn. But in Civ4 I'm a bit confused about how it works the same method doesn't work anymore?

In both economies you have production cities which, well produce... wonders and military, mainly. Most other cities are science cities. When you run a CE (=Cottage Economy), you try to have as much citizen work cottage tiles which produce commerce which again is converted into beakers (science) per slider. In the SE (=Specialist Economy), you try to have as many specialists (surprise, surprise..), mostly scientist. so basically, say you need 6 food to feed your city, in the CE, you'll have 3 citizen working on 3 grassland cottages (best case) in the SE, you'll have 2 citizen working grassland farms (best case) and one being a science specialist.
However a very important part of the SE are the Great persons (mainly great scientists - GS). You can eighter settle them in a megacity as obsolete does or you can have them lightbulb a tech and trade it away for other techs, as very many players do.

There are some world wonders which have a great synergy with the SE:

The Pyramids: Allows you to run Representation early - higher happy caps and +3 beakers/specialist (also free and settled specialists!)

The Great Library: Gives you 2 free Specialists (synergy with The Pyramids!)

The Parthenon: SE = many GPs, Parthenon + SE = more GPs

The Statue of Liberty: +1 free Specialist/city

Ankor Wat: (only boosts Priests -> Priest Economy) Every Priest Specialist generates +1 Hammer (to a total of 2 Hammer 1 Gold (3 Beakers under Representation))

.. and all I forgot


anyway, hope this helps