Condensed tips for beginners?

[adrianj]

whats a good guide for figuing out the how many farms I should build on a particular city site? I feel like a lot of times I build too many and my city grow too fast. and how fast should I let my city grow?

and how to manage cities with a balance of hammer/coin/food? should I specialize or just do everything?

Ahhh. A very common question

Answered by more questions.

What is your goal for the game? If heading to space or some late game victory you'll want more commerce to research your way there faster. So then you would specialise more commerce cities. If you want some military victory or need to expand by the sword then you'll want production.

My style for later game victories is this:
When I plant a new city I'll decide right then if it will be specialised for commerce (1) or production (2) - except for one city with many food resources to become the GP Farm (3).

1. commerce city - Most flat tiles should be cottages. Only build enough farms so that you can work all the cottages and maybe have some excess to grow as the happiness limit increases.

2. production city - Mines and later workshops/watermills are the best. Early on in the game where workshops and watermills are pretty poor I tend to farm everything here. The city grows quickly, but once at the happy limit I'll hire some specialists to prevent growth, or at least balance things out with working mines if there are some. Later in the game when workshops (guilds and chemistry techs) and watermills (replaceable parts) are better my workers will come back to the city and pave over as many farms as allows the city to not starve.

3. GP farm - all farms. Most of the time it doesn't even work them because most of the population is assigned as specialists, but occassionally I'll want the city to add a population or two so the farms get used sometimes.

It's all about specialisation. Deciding a city's specialisation early also helps to focus what buildings you build there. The most efficient empire won't put every building in every city. Eg, a forge doesn't give much benefit to a commerce city. A University doesn't really help a production city. If you run out of things to build, don't just build something because there is nothing else, because there is always something else: wealth.

There must be a few articles in the civfanatics War Academy about this topic.

NB - These apply to BtS and Warlords. Things are slightly difference for Vanilla Civ. Wealth isn't as powerful, hence production cities aren't so useful. For Vanilla I'll probably go with a higher mix of commerce cities.

 

[Sisiutil]

whats a good guide for figuing out the how many farms I should build on a particular city site? I feel like a lot of times I build too many and my city grow too fast. and how fast should I let my city grow?

and how to manage cities with a balance of hammer/coin/food? should I specialize or just do everything?

Since adrianj did an admirable job of answering your 2nd question, I'll focus on the 1st part.

First off, in my opinion it's impossible to have a city grow "too fast" in Civ IV. You can freeze growth and avoid unhappiness by using the city manager button that does just that while leaving the citizens working whatever tiles you want. And, of course, you can run the Slavery civic and use extra citizens to accelerate builds.

Nevertheless, and this relates to adrianj's answer, you might want to be able to calculate how many farms you'll need for a city to work all of its tiles, especially a commerce or production city that will have many citizens on non-farm (cottages or mines, etc). There's a simple way to do this.

1. Count all the surplus food in the fat cross. Flood plains, for example, count as 1; the city tile itself counts as 2; unirrigated rice counts as 2, irrigated, 3; and so on. Add up the amount of excess food.
2. Now count all the tiles with a food deficit. Grassland hills, for example, count as -1, as to plains tiles, while plains hills as -2. DO NOT count peaks or desert tiles, as you will not be able to work them.
3. Now subtract the food deficit total from the food surplus total. If you have a negative number, you will need that many farms to feed the population at the city's maximum size. If you have a positive number, you won't need any farms except those required for the corn, wheat, and/or rice tiles.

Keep in mind that these numbers will be altered by Biology, which adds +1 food to all farm tiles. In addition, in a site with low food and little irrigation, you many need more farms than calculated early in the game in order for the city to grow at an acceptable rate.

 

[kenwyn]

Thanks for some useful answers.

 

[rooban]

Hey guys, can you please point me to the link where there is the table of great people tech preferences? Thanks!

 

[adrianj]

Hey guys, can you please point me to the link where there is the table of great people tech preferences? Thanks!

I forget that very useful link all the time. Luckily a Google search for "Civ4 great people tech preferences" puts this one at the top of the list

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Assuming a mix of war and peace for your civ, what percentage of your cities should be production cities?

 

[Sisiutil]

Assuming a mix of war and peace for your civ, what percentage of your cities should be production cities?

I don't know about percentages. In the early game, you'll do well to devote at least one city to military. This should be your Heroic Epic city and if you have a fair bit of water on the map with seafood resources, it should ideally be coastal to produce naval units as well as land units.

By the mid-game you should ideally have at least one or two more production cities, with at least one devoted primarily to military. It can cover for your HE city when the latter needs to build infrastructure. Again, if you have any need for a navy--even if it's just to protect your seafood--it should be coastal as well. If you intend to do a fair bit of warring, plan on building West Point here--try to ensure you have a source of stone first to speed it up.

By the late game, if you've done a fair bit of warring you probably have anywhere from 3 to 6 decent production cities. Some of the captured cities may have military instructors, which predisposes them to military production unless they have other capabilities (e.g. a holy city with a shrine) that deserve development. You should have build the Ironworks somewhere, though I usually turn this city into a late-game wonder factory and only build units there when there are no wonders or infrastructure to build.

 

[Infantry#14]

Are colonies excatly the same as voluteered vassal? Can they break off any time they want? Also, can one make multiple colonies on one landmass?

 

[EsaKo]

Are colonies excatly the same as voluteered vassal? Can they break off any time they want? Also, can one make multiple colonies on one landmass?

There are some differences. First of all is the huge diplomacy boost you have for granting them independence. Also, liberated colonies have all your technologies at the time of liberation, unlike volunteered vassals. I have never had a voluntary vassal but none of the (few) colonies I have had has broken from my rule. Maybe it's possible, but unlikely because of the diplomacy boost.

As for owning multiple colonies on the same landmass, it may be possible by some extraordinary circumstances (settle a couple of cities on a new continent, grant them independence, settle a couple of cities on the same continent...) but I have never tested. If you bother, try this out with the Worldbuilder. Of course, you could also capture someone else's colonies that are ingratefully stealing room from your colonists...

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I don't know about percentages. In the early game, you'll do well to devote at least one city to military. This should be your Heroic Epic city and if you have a fair bit of water on the map with seafood resources, it should ideally be coastal to produce naval units as well as land units.

By the mid-game you should ideally have at least one or two more production cities, with at least one devoted primarily to military. It can cover for your HE city when the latter needs to build infrastructure. Again, if you have any need for a navy--even if it's just to protect your seafood--it should be coastal as well. If you intend to do a fair bit of warring, plan on building West Point here--try to ensure you have a source of stone first to speed it up.

By the late game, if you've done a fair bit of warring you probably have anywhere from 3 to 6 decent production cities. Some of the captured cities may have military instructors, which predisposes them to military production unless they have other capabilities (e.g. a holy city with a shrine) that deserve development. You should have build the Ironworks somewhere, though I usually turn this city into a late-game wonder factory and only build units there when there are no wonders or infrastructure to build.

Good guidelines here. Thanks.

 

[rollo1066]

Your ideas are good. Access to metal is also very important. Building a few Wonders is also a good idea but be selective and don't try for too many.

 

[Stonedog11]

Hello all - Great resource here. Thanks for sharing all your wisdom!

I'm trying to understand (before I place a river city) what will count as a river tile. I want to make sure this city will have Levee access down the road. If i'm on a tile touching the outside bend of a river does that count? In other words I'd be touching the "corner" of a bend in the river with the "Corner" of my city tile.

Thanks!!

 

[Silu]

Hello all - Great resource here. Thanks for sharing all your wisdom!

I'm trying to understand (before I place a river city) what will count as a river tile. I want to make sure this city will have Levee access down the road. If i'm on a tile touching the outside bend of a river does that count? In other words I'd be touching the "corner" of a bend in the river with the "Corner" of my city tile.

Thanks!!

Yes, having a corner of the city tile touch a corner of a river bend is enough. Namely, if you could cross the river in a single move (with a god-unit that could walk on peaks and lakes as well ) then the tile is a river tile.

If there are no fresh water lakes nearby you can simply hover your mouse over the tile in question - it's a river tile if the tile information says "fresh water".

 

[h@@kon]

Been having almost 3 "just the same" games.
(playing huge, marathon, random Fractal, archipilagu, pangea or terra)(Civ 4 vanilla): level noble

I end up at an big island with only 1 other AI. The other world is unreachable until astronomy, but they reach eachother (making trades etc)
I get a good start, about 6 cities before 1000bc, but after discovering bronze, i build an army and attack the other one to wipe him out of the island.

Two times that has led to serious "overbuilding", and i get in heavy economic trouble. Later in the game the other AI discovers me and slash me down, they are far better at Technology.

The last time now i have done the same ting, but razed every city to not get stalled. But looking at the rating i'm now 6th or 7th at technology, meaning i probably are stuck behind once more. But i am way better now when razing the cities than before when taking them over.

The Island is big enough to let us have 6-8 cities each.



So finally my question:


Is it better to let him live with me on the island, and get some trade (both between cities and technology)? (and then attack when getting to astronomy).

Or is it better to be alone at the island? (which means i suck at the game right now, because i always end up behind the other AI when taking the whole island).

 

[nbcman]

@ h@@kon

It depends on what AI you are sharing the island with. You could share the island with a more peaceful AI like Ghandi or Mansa but not with an AI like Monty (nutjob) or Toku (isolationist nutjob). So there is not a best answer.

 

[h@@kon]

Ok.

but to rephrase the question a bit:

If there was a peaceful Civ-world with 50 cities and 10 AI players. If you sum up all the wealth that is being generated; would that be equal with a world which are owned by only one AI (and all other being constant)?

Put in another way: Trade between your cities generates equal amount of gold as trade with foreign city?

And if you are alone in the world, would you discover the technology just as fast as if there where 10 in the world sharing exactly the same resources/cities as when alone in the world. Those 10 can exchange tech, but you as alone has to discover all by yourself. Would it in theory be just as fast?

(i now the questions are hard-read, its my english vocabular which makes it difficult to explain what i trying to ask )

 

[EsaKo]

If there was a peaceful Civ-world with 50 cities and 10 AI players. If you sum up all the wealth that is being generated; would that be equal with a world which are owned by only one AI (and all other being constant)?

Trade routes between two cities are more productive if the cities are owned by different nations. Foreign > domestic in this case.

 

[h@@kon]

Thanks, that means i will be better of if I let him live...if not Monty or Toku.

 

[EsaKo]

Thanks, that means i will be better of if I let him live...if not Monty or Toku.

Not necessarily. You may gain a lot more by conquering or vassalizing them - hammer production is (almost) certain to rise, and provided you develop the land well, you'll gain more wealth too. Also, when you discover astronomy, your trade routes (at least the ones of your coastal cities) can become intercontinental, meaning a lot more lucrative trade routes.

 

[Hyperion96]

And furthermore if you are alone with a civ who doesn't know anyone else, I remember from one of Sisiutil's ALC that he/she won't tech trade with you