Condensed tips for beginners?

Well he may build either Chariots or Archers it is not a given he will build Chariots, and since you are AXE rushing you certainly want Archers instead of Chariots, unless you also have Iron yourself and you are Sword rushing instead, then I agree you want Chariots instead.
 
keep in mind that chariots only get their bonus vs axes when they attack. Also chariots don't get any defensive boni and cannot get the city garrison promotion and have no first strikes. so archers are way better city defenders, also vs axes.
1 spear/axe stack would prevent any chariot-counterattack.
 
keep in mind that chariots only get their bonus vs axes when they attack. Also chariots don't get any defensive boni and cannot get the city garrison promotion and have no first strikes. so archers are way better city defenders, also vs axes.
1 spear/axe stack would prevent any chariot-counterattack.
Exactly. I actually had 2-3 Spears with my stack that time just to ensure that a massive suicide Chariot rush wouldn't leave my Axemen defenseless.
 
I'm a new guy trying to survive in this difficult world..

How come when I declared war, after a while I got about 6 angry faces saying 'We don't lke war' and 'we demand emancipation' when emancipation was several techs away!!!

What on earth can a poor boy do???
 
war causes war war weariness. War weariness cause :mad: in your cities. Bild jails, Mt. Rushmore or adopt police state to reduce it. For more explanations on WW http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/strategy/war_weariness.php
The emancipation :mad: is caused by other civilizations running it. try bribing the AI to adopt something else, use spys to change their civics and tech towards democracy to get emancipation yourself
 
The light bulb has come on and it is because of all of you great people who are willing to spend the time to give tips on this board. I am now able to play this great game and actually have a plan as to what I am doing. Whether it is a good one or not is up for debate, but the exciting thing is I now understand the game so much better. I agree when people say "read the manual" however, things became so much clearer by reading the posts here.

I can honestly say I am now officially addicted! I understand the "one more turn" terminology now and it is amazing how you can't pull yourself from the computer. The ever changing strategy is more apparent to me. The big mistake I made at first was just doing what the AI suggested as far as "picking things to build". I didn't research what was actually going to be affected by the moves I made. I do not claim to be any kind of "expert" on this game, not even close, but the light bulb is on and now the fun really starts!

I am in the middle of my 5th CIV IV BTS game ever. I have never played any other flavors or versions. I enjoy the challenge of changing strategies so I allow the computer to pick everything randomly for me and have made the jump from chieftain to warlord for the first time.

Sleepless in Indiana!

Thanks for all of your tips and the time you have invested in them!
 
Ok, so I played when I first got Civ 4 a few years ago (when first released). Had fun and got busy and stopped for a long time. I was cleaning out a drawer a couple weeks ago and found it, thought for kicks I would put it in and play around with it a bit more. :hammer2: How is this thing more addictive than the first go around anyway?? :confused: It's even gotten me reading thru forums for better strategies!! (I never read forums! and I certainly have never registered to post something in one).

Ok, with that all said. Now that I sit on my break and lunches planning my civ's growth and what techs to build, how to max that...this and whatever... I even started looking to see about the expansions. I notice there are two. Warlords and Beyond the Sword. I'm just wondering (as I still consider myself a newbie player) Should I continue to try and master Civ 4 (I think it's referred to as Vanilla) before proceeding ahead with the expansions?

I play pretty well up to the difficulty right before Noble. I've had to change my strategy from this point on because I always "Felt" I was losing if I wasn't first in every category like I was in all the other difficulty settings (power, culture, money, production, etc).

I'm also finding it very difficult to master the art of War (as my name kinda says, I'm a lover not a fighter). Though, I know that it is a MUST for some games and therefore have spent a lot of time this past week trying to improve this weakness (I NEVER took advantage of whipping either, considering it too cruel...so I still need to master that as well).

So any thoughts? Do the expansions really change the game or just add to what's already there?

Thanks for all the posts by the way, it has been invaluable and made me even more addictive than I was before (I'm not sure that's a good thing, but oh well...I'll quit....after just .... one...more...turn).

:lol: :rotfl:
 
Ok, so I played when I first got Civ 4 a few years ago (when first released). Had fun and got busy and stopped for a long time. I was cleaning out a drawer a couple weeks ago and found it, thought for kicks I would put it in and play around with it a bit more. :hammer2: How is this thing more addictive than the first go around anyway?? :confused: It's even gotten me reading thru forums for better strategies!! (I never read forums! and I certainly have never registered to post something in one).

Ok, with that all said. Now that I sit on my break and lunches planning my civ's growth and what techs to build, how to max that...this and whatever... I even started looking to see about the expansions. I notice there are two. Warlords and Beyond the Sword. I'm just wondering (as I still consider myself a newbie player) Should I continue to try and master Civ 4 (I think it's referred to as Vanilla) before proceeding ahead with the expansions?

I play pretty well up to the difficulty right before Noble. I've had to change my strategy from this point on because I always "Felt" I was losing if I wasn't first in every category like I was in all the other difficulty settings (power, culture, money, production, etc).

I'm also finding it very difficult to master the art of War (as my name kinda says, I'm a lover not a fighter). Though, I know that it is a MUST for some games and therefore have spent a lot of time this past week trying to improve this weakness (I NEVER took advantage of whipping either, considering it too cruel...so I still need to master that as well).

So any thoughts? Do the expansions really change the game or just add to what's already there?

Thanks for all the posts by the way, it has been invaluable and made me even more addictive than I was before (I'm not sure that's a good thing, but oh well...I'll quit....after just .... one...more...turn).

:lol: :rotfl:

First off, welcome to both CivFanatics and to your new addiction.

:cheers:

The expansions are very well done in that they don't make the game unrecognizable, but they do add some distinctive new wrinkles to game play. I'd say if you're happy playing vanilla for now, stick with it. If you find yourself getting tired of it and wanting some new, intriguing elements added to the base game, get Beyond the Sword. (You can skip Warlords; BtS contains all the Warlords game elements--all it lacks are the scenarios.) You may also want to get BtS if you want to follow/participate in some of the CFC board activities such as the posted games (like my own ALCs), succession games, Hall of Fame, etc., because most of the players involved have moved on to the latest expansion pack.
 
If you find yourself getting tired of it and wanting some new, intriguing elements added to the base game, get Beyond the Sword. (You can skip Warlords; BtS contains all the Warlords game elements--all it lacks are the scenarios.) You may also want to get BtS if you want to follow/participate in some of the CFC board activities such as the posted games (like my own ALCs), succession games, Hall of Fame, etc., because most of the players involved have moved on to the latest expansion pack.

One thing that skipping warlords means is that you can't play any warlords save games... Like some ot Sisiutil's ALC changes.
 
Once you get the bug, why not buy the expansions? Sis is right though, skip Warlords and go for Beyond the Sword. Warlords essentially just adds units and civilisations (and not that many) while BTS radically changes the gameplay and adds things like random events and a proper end to the Space Race which Civ4 needs to make it less mechanical and more thoughtful a game.
 
First "real" game (other then 1v1 on settler), any tips? I know I did some boneheaded city placement :wallbash:. By the way, I messed around with world builder a bit, and despite the fact I reverted my changes before quiting, I wasn't able to build Cristo redeemer or establish Aluminum co :(

EDIT: I know I should've put samsun 1 square south and Konya either 1 square north or one square southwest, I didn't quite grasp the concept of the fat cross at the start.























The saved game

View attachment For forum.CivBeyondSwordSave

EDIT: Apperantly I'm not going to get any help on this thread, fair enough, I'll start my own
 
The first thing I notice is that your cities are WAAAY too far apart.
 
I am new to CIV IV so take the following with a grain of salt. I play the Romans. I have learned the following the hard way.

1. Develop a settler first.

At the lower levels of difficulty, the AI is not agressive in the beginning. Civilizations are not agressive, barbarian animals are not allowed within city limits. Soooo - the first unit I build is a settler. It takes time, so far it has paid off. I think this must only be possible at the lower levels of difficulty. Having two cities early really helps with production of units and establishing a solid base for your civilization.

2. After developing the second city, produce at least two military units.

3. Produce barracks in your cities one at a time, then produce at least one more military unit.

4. Produce a worker to connect the cities and imrpove the land.

5. Bee line to your UU unit. The sooner you get it the better off you will be.

6. Grab on to the slavery civic ASAP. It allowes you to sell your unhappy citizens (those ingrates) for production capacity. You can generate a large army in a short time doing this. They can also be sold for city improvements. I love slavery in the early going.

7. Never allow the AI civilizations open borders while you are staking out your territory and developing your civilization. Use open borders with care. I have had that nasty old AI send a settler and escorts through my territory and establish a city at a really bad spot for me.

8. Build military.

9. Kill off any city established within what you consider your territory or a stragegic resouce near you ASAP. Small cities should be destroyed and a settler used to establish your own city. Reestablish the city immediately, otherwise the AI will be back. Also have a force large enough to hold what you have taken. The AI doesn't like to lose cities. He will be back.

10. Never never accept peace terms from the AI. The AI will not ask for peace unless he is getting killed or needs time to regroup. Every time I have accepted peace terms from the AI, I have regretted it. The AI will use the peace to reestablish a city where he lost one, or discover his magical unit and come after you with a vengence.

11. If you do accept peace, build up your army.

12. Discover sailing and sailing tech. He or she who controls the ocean owns the mid and possibly end game.

13. Remember all the units built can be upgraded as more advanced technology is discovered. It is much easier to upgrade than build new.

14. Use explorers and missionaries to explore when you have time. Use early naval units to discover new territories. You sort of have to squeeze these in but explortion is very beneficial as civilizations develop.

15. Manage your resources. Remember when I said units can be upgraded? Upgrading is not a freeby. You need money. If you are ahead in tech, reduce your expenditure on discoveries and upgrade units. You will be glad you did.

16. Build workers when you can and build cottages. Cottages yield gold.

17. Minimize the territory facing AI civilizations. I will admit, I have not been successful when, like Poland before the Second World War, I have Civilizations on nearly all my borders. Find the ocean and build there. At least you have one flank unapproachable. Find narrow land masses and develop cities there. Develop there ASAP. This will be a big advantage in dealing with your AI neighbor. Insidently, I use military units to discover territory close to my civilization early. I find explorers are too easily killed by barbarians.

18. Develop at least 6 cities early. I say this with this caveat. Have the military to protect them. You see as the game progresses, animal barbarians give way to human ones. The human ones have skills and will attack cities, improvements and just seem to know where your weaknesses are.

19. Finally (yea) Attack all barbarians with your troops every chance you get. This gets rid of em of course but also provides newely created troops the opportnity to earn promotions. Also, always be ready for a barbian assault when you least need it. Build those units. If you are getting a lot of attacks from a particular area, you may have to sent a contingent or your best troops to find and destroy the barbian base of operation.


Keep in mind, I am new, I play the Romans, my overall ability is a work in progress. However, I have used the above to counter the AI's successes against me during my early games. SPQR

:king:
 
Most of your questions are about early builds, my opinions:
If you have the techs to improve your capital's ressources, go worker first, otherwise warrior first, for scouting. Settler first is extremely risky (barbs!) and you start paying upkeep too early (meaning you might not be able to reach stuff like writing). Also your 2 cities both have to be defended and improved (and you don't have any workers yet).

After the first worker, build warriors until you grow to size 2-4 and start your first settler. You should've scouted your surroundings and know where your enemies are. Use your first city to grab juicy spots and block your enemies. Try to settle always near at least one food ressource, early game food is :king:. It's also nice to settle near gems/gold/silver for commerce boost. Other happiness ressources are nice too.

Your new cities should always build a monument first (unless creative). Barracks aren't needed that early. Rather build more units. If you feel you've got enought units, only put some hammers into barracks to grow, while you mostly work on settlers/workers.

Missionaries you only need if you really need to convert a neighbor and to spread your religion to all your cities.
Explorers are generally not needed, unless, for example, you want to map out the "new world" on a Terra map.

OB (Open Borders) are a good thing early on. The AI shouldn't settle behind your cities, if you've really sealed them off and you still could close them again if really needed. Advantages are trade routs and the AI can spread their religion to your cities.

Sailing makes you control the ocean? Early + mid game (maybe until galleons) navy is not important.

19. Finally (yea) Attack all barbarians with your troops. This gets rid of em of course but also provides newely created troops the opportnity to earn promotions. Also, always be ready for a barbian assault when you least need it. Build those units. If you are getting a lot attacks from a particular area, you may have to sent a contingent or your best troops to find and destroy the barbian base of operation.
Barbs are a nice way to earn your first promotions, but as you go up on difficulty, the barb units are simply too numberous. Try to fortify units on hills to fogbust, meaning to see as many tiles as possible so no new barb units can spawn.

13. Remember all the units built can be upgraded as more advanced technology is discovered. It is much easier to upgrade than build new.
Not necessarily. If your economy is stronger than your production capacities, building them is preferable.
 
I think you often need to defer building a settler until you've discovered strategic resources such as horses, copper, or iron (each of which is needed to build certain military units)[1]. For example, I've been told that the research sequence for the Romans should always be bronze > iron working > wheel, since it's critical to hook up iron quickly to start building praetorians as soon as possible.

[1] Well, actually you could build the settler earlier than that, as long as you don't settle yet, but there might well be other things worth building first, such as several units for protection or exploration, and a barracks.
 
Brusati, that's a pretty good overall guide to playing as Rome on the lower levels. As a fellow Romaphile and someone who plays a lot of offline games as Caesar on Emperor, allow me to refine it a little further.
  1. Initial research for Rome is Bronze Working -> The Wheel -> Iron Working. dalamb put the Wheel after IW, but I put it before--it gives your early Workers something to do besides building mines and chopping, and you might be claiming copper with your second city.
  2. Build a Warrior first. This is for two reasons: first, to let the city grow to size 2 so your Workers and/or Settlers can be produced faster. Second, you need to know where the iron is and where your nearest tasty target is located, so getting 2 Warriors out exploring in a circular fashion around Rome gives you invaluable information.
  3. Build a Worker 2nd. The worker can mine any unforested/unjungled hills for invaluable early hammers, and will shortly be able to chop forests and lay down roads. Once you know where the iron is, he'll start building a road towards it.
  4. Build your Settler next... maybe. It depends on how long it's going to take to finish IW, and/or if copper appeared anywhere nearby. If you have copper nearby and/or you were lucky enough to have a gold mine in Rome's BFC to boost research, you'll want the Settler to appear ASAP--here's where that early Worker helps, since a chop or two can speed the Settler along, as can the whip. If you have more time, build another Warrior or two to escort your Workers/Settler(s), fog-bust the city sites, raise the happiness cap in your cities by 1, etc.
  5. Once you know where the iron is, found the city so the iron is in the first ring. You don't want to wait to build a monument (you can't yet anyway, unless you popped Mysticism from a hut) and for the borders to pop. At the higher levels, the barbs will be arriving soon, and if you weren't lucky enough to have a source of copper nearby, you're defenseless.
  6. Once you have IW, you'll need other techs like Mysticism for monuments, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and of course Pottery. You need Pottery for cottages, because you're about to drive your economy into a deep dark hole, and for granaries to help you recover from whipping.
  7. Depending on how long IW took and how high the level of difficulty, you may not bother with barracks at first; you may need to rush out a few Praets just to handle the barb onslaught.
  8. Because IW takes a while, even if you have gold or gems in Rome's BFC, you may have time here to found a third city. I like to claim a happy/high commerce resource like gold, gems, or silver with this city, again to help the economy.
  9. Once you have dealt with the barbs and have enough Praets back home to handle any more of them, it's time to go after your first target. Build/chop/whip Praets like there's no tomorrow. Obviously you need a few Workers, but not too many; you'll be capturing plenty of them from your enemy.
  10. Attack! Keep building reinforcements. You don't really need any units other than Praets--well, maybe one Shock Axe to stave off a similar unit from your enemy, and if I have horses, I like to build a Chariot and get him to 6 XPs (Combat I/Medic I) so he can later become my Medic III MASH unit thanks to my first Great General.
  11. After you have the necessary Worker techs, you'll need Writing for libraries, and you'll want to prioritize Mathematics for better chops (plus it's on the way to Construction and Catapults for you next war), Alphabet to trade techs, as well as Sailing, Code of Laws, and Currency to help your economy recover. I usually make a diversion through Polytheism, Aesthetics, and Literature and build the Great Library in the first enemy capital I capture, which often becomes my GP farm.
This isn't the only way to play as Rome, but I've found it's the fastest way to get Praetorians into play and to get the most out of them.
 
1. Initial research for Rome is Bronze Working -> The Wheel -> Iron Working. dalamb put the Wheel after IW, but I put it before--it gives your early Workers something to do besides building mines and chopping, and you might be claiming copper with your second city.
I think the critical part of the advice, implicitly, is NOT to go after worker techs until after IW, something that took me a long time to realize. I got the advice from someone else and didn't question it until I saw Sisutil's remarks. I think my source's point was that iron placement is utterly critical to your strategy as Rome, and you want to access it with your first settler if at all possible, so you need to have the tech by the time you finish your first settler. But copper is still good for building supporting units like anti-horse spearmen to protect your praetorians.
2. Build a Warrior first. This is for two reasons: first, to let the city grow to size 2 so your Workers and/or Settlers can be produced faster. Second, you need to know where the iron is and where your nearest tasty target is located, so getting 2 Warriors out exploring in a circular fashion around Rome gives you invaluable information.
Warrior first is what I've usually done with most leaders. I recently learned, though, that when playing some other civs, ones that start with agriculture, if you have corn or rice in the BFC then worker first might be better.
 
I think the critical part of the advice, implicitly, is NOT to go after worker techs until after IW, something that took me a long time to realize. I got the advice from someone else and didn't question it until I saw Sisutil's remarks. I think my source's point was that iron placement is utterly critical to your strategy as Rome, and you want to access it with your first settler if at all possible, so you need to have the tech by the time you finish your first settler. But copper is still good for building supporting units like anti-horse spearmen to protect your praetorians.
Warrior first is what I've usually done with most leaders. I recently learned, though, that when playing some other civs, ones that start with agriculture, if you have corn or rice in the BFC then worker first might be better.

On the first point, yes, you're going to know where copper is on the way to Iron Working anyway, so if there's any around, you might as well take advantage of it.

I start Worker first, regardless of starting techs, if there's gold, gems, or silver in the capital's BFC--I want to be working that commerce-rich tile with my second citizen ASAP.
 
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