Condensed tips for beginners?

[mystyfly]

VM's writeup thread of his 500k game discusses map size (you'll find it in the strategy articles). Speed has exactly the effecto CCRunner describes. One might add that builders (SS and cultural victory) would find quick speeds easier.

 

[yanner39]

Is there ever a good time to stop growing a city? I mean, would it be a good idea to stop growth and used the extra food for a specialitst? If my population grows and there is no more workable tiles, will the additional population points create specialist automatically and then it is up to me to decide which specialist I want my city to have?

 

[mystyfly]

It's a good idea to stop growth when you are at happy cap ) = ).

You shouldn't run specialist "because you don't have any tiles anymore" but run them in specific cities (there are tons of articles about city specialisation, empire management and especially GP farms...).

 

[Rolzup]

Here's an odd question....

I'm slowly getting to the point of being comfortable with Civ IV's many foibles, and I've done fairly well with my last few games. One thing that I'm having a devil of a time with, though, is the specialist cities, particularly the GP Farm.

Anyone have any shots of the city screen for developing specialist cities, showing how they progress over the ages? Seeing tends to work much better than descriptions for me....

 

[yanner39]

Hello,

This is just to get an idea as to how some of you use war. In the past few games I have played, when I declared war, I went all the way until the civ was completely eliminated. This of course caused war weariness and I needed to be prepared for that.

THis time, I would like to declare war on a neighbouring civ just to get a piece of land. So if I declare war, get the piece of land I want, can I end it there? Do some of you do that? How long will I remain in war? Will war weariness be limited if my troops stay in my cultural borders?

I guess I would need a good reason to go to war, correct? Such as getting my hands on a key resource, etc...

 

[CCRunner]

Yes, you can end it there. Once the AI you declare war on is willing to talk, just click the diplomacy screen and you can offer or demand stuff for peace. I would remain in that war at least until I get the land I wanted. Longer if it seems like the AI is vulnerable.

Short wars don't accumulate much WW so no need to worry about that.

 

[voliii]

hi guys got a question:
in my last game it was around 1000ad. toku declared on me but i could easily defend against his stack although. my economy was okay. i could run at 50% without losing to much money (after my 6-7 cities got courthouses).

now i had 2 cities with good production and i could easily beat toku. should i go for him and raze his cities or keep them? i ask because i had 2 commerce cities but i could only run at 50% and am afraid that the war could kill my economy.

thanks in advance

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Keep ones with resources you don't have, have shrines, or are in good locations. Raze the rest.

Don't worry about your economy too much AI cities tend to be large and if you are running slavery can easily whip a courthouse soon after the revolt ends.

 

[Gooblah]

Here's an odd question....

I'm slowly getting to the point of being comfortable with Civ IV's many foibles, and I've done fairly well with my last few games. One thing that I'm having a devil of a time with, though, is the specialist cities, particularly the GP Farm.

Anyone have any shots of the city screen for developing specialist cities, showing how they progress over the ages? Seeing tends to work much better than descriptions for me....

I know what you mean. However, since I am currently unable to provide screenies...

There are a few prereqs for a GP Farm:
1) Relatively flat terrain (few, if any hills or mountains)
2) A river or multiple sources of irrigation
3) Mostly Grasslands or Floodplains
4) A food resource (not necessary)

For buildings, prepare to use the whip extensively. Since the land will probably have little production value (hammers), essential buildings like Libraries, Granaries, and specialist-enablers will need other sources of production. Organized Religion, Slavery, and Universal Suffrage will be best, since you can run all three at once and get 25% on building hammers, and the ability to buy buildings with population (which should be high) or Gold.

 

[JujuLautre]

A food resource, not necessary ?

I'm sorry, but I feel this advice is really bad. The best GP farms are places where you have multiple food resources, to allow a maximum number of specialists with a minimum number of non-specialists. Thus, resources are very important, irrigation is not.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I agree. At least 3 food resources, normally means coastal, but then you can build a harbour so all is good.

 

[mystyfly]

Gooblah just shows a nice cottage city. IT needs flatland.

A GPFarm needs food resources and a few hills to get NE and multipliers in place (an ordinary cottage city doesn't need a national wonder like NE...)

 

[yanner39]

This maybe a stupid question but how many convert into or in one of their cities instead of building a unit or a building?

In my current game, I didn't know what to build next so I just started converting my production in to gold. I have a city that just builds my military, another city just concentrates on science.

My plan is to raise enough in my treasury to then hurry the production to win the space race using the civic Universal Suffrage.

Is this strategy a good one?

 

[Silverdawn]

In the mid part of the game, I do it occassionally if really need research or coins for an short-term need.

Sometimes at the end of the game, I'll switch many cities into gold if say fighting a war while waiting for the rocket to launch to cut down on things to manage in a large empire.

 

[CCRunner]

This maybe a stupid question but how many convert into or in one of their cities instead of building a unit or a building?

In my current game, I didn't know what to build next so I just started converting my production in to gold. I have a city that just builds my military, another city just concentrates on science.

My plan is to raise enough in my treasury to then hurry the production to win the space race using the civic Universal Suffrage.

Is this strategy a good one?

It would be except that all the space ship parts are projects, not wonders, and thus cannot be rushed. I know, I tried the same strategy a long time ago. You'd be better off conquering the world, or if it's to late for that, changing all the gold to beakers in an effort to be able to start the parts sooner.

 

[yanner39]

It would be except that all the space ship parts are projects, not wonders, and thus cannot be rushed. I know, I tried the same strategy a long time ago. You'd be better off conquering the world, or if it's to late for that, changing all the gold to beakers in an effort to be able to start the parts sooner.

Ouch! Thanks for this. Yeah, I'm probably too late. Thanks CC.

EDIT: Just to add, if I don't have access to aluminium, can I forget about winning the space race? Apart from putting alot of $$ in Tech research, what else should I be doing early on? Should I have 2 production cities?

 

[mystyfly]

There are ways around lacking alu, one of which is trading, second is corporation (just spread it to your alu-space-parts-cities).

 

[Darkshadows]

I want to know, is there any use for mobile artillery?Considering how late is comes, I think I would be better off using stealth bombers/Tactical nukes/Cruiser missiles.

 

[UWHabs]

I want to know, is there any use for mobile artillery?Considering how late is comes, I think I would be better off using stealth bombers/Tactical nukes/Cruiser missiles.

I haven't gotten that far, but it would be useful to run it in a stack with your mech infs and tanks and use it like normal artillery. If you're worried about your planes or missiles being intercepted, at least you know your artillery can't be.

 

[Silverdawn]

There are ways around lacking alu, one of which is trading, second is corporation (just spread it to your alu-space-parts-cities).

Or conquer land that has aluminum through war or demand it from a vassal that has it.