Help me, I can't finish a game anymore!!

[Peacefanatic]

I have always been the kind of player that usually plays the first map (without regenerating) and play it to the end. But nowadays I can't finish a game anymore. Now I play for a while and when the AI settles in one of my spots I just create a new game, if I start playing and there are not near perfect spots to settle my cities I start a new game, if I start a war against someone and get backstabbed by Catherine I start a new game, any stupid thing is a reason to start a new game. What have happened to me? Has anyone gone through this before?

 

[Windsor]

What have happened to me? Has anyone gone through this before?

You have grown tired of Civ4. What was once interesting challenges are now just annoyances that disturb your auto-mode play.

 

[Peacefanatic]

You have grown tired of Civ4. What was once interesting challenges are now just annoyances that disturb your auto-mode play.

Thanks for your reply Windsor.
I don't believe I'm tired of Civ 4, whenever I have time I play it. But that's a possibility, I have not thought that.

 

[Gumbolt]

Too slow expansion mixed with poor diplomacy it would seem. Post a save?

 

[Peacefanatic]

Too slow expansion mixed with poor diplomacy it would seem. Post a save?

Thanks for your reply. Those are my two last saves. In the Kgabu game I got angry because Montezuma backstabbed me and in the Aod one I got angry because some AI backstabbed me as well.

And please don't mind the names I choose, I like to use native names from the civilizations I'm playing

 

[Gumbolt]

1500ad game. If your going with cuirs don't waste time on trebs/pikes. Cataphracts are quite frustrating. Pillage his iron and horse. Trebs will not be great with his UU roaming. He does not have a huge amount of units. Sooner or later the AI will get rifles. Perhaps ceasefire for now as you lack any serious stack. Overall you seem to of taken the war to the AI but your not showing much gain city wise.

375bc save. Umung is terribly placed. Needed to be next to the pigs. A city with no food for 10+ turns is no good. Kwad is just as bad. Losing the corn/pigs site was unfortunate. I think you wanted to tech HBR much sooner and take down a nearby Ai with 4 cities here. Should of traded for gems and fur. Both freely available from the AI.

I would be whipping/chopping an army now in all cities. Phants are 10+ turns away. AI can't be far off longbows. Ai seem busy in wars. You can add phants once they arrive. Axes/swords and pults for now? Add HA and phants later.

 

[krikav]

I find that it helps alot to play shorter turnsets and force yourself to take breaks from the map you are playing.
Really trying to learn and discover things helps. - "Happiness is the feeling that power increases - that resistance is being overcome.”
Also going for a more strict "no reloading and no cheating" aproach seems to help. Sharing the game and the progress can also help, but it's quite alot of work...
Really anything that makes you really feel like you are involved in the game and that it's important to you.

 

[Peacefanatic]

Pillage his iron and horse.

I was never good in pillaging resources, but in this specific case one of his cities is sitting on Iron, so I can't pillage it.

Umung is terribly placed.

I believe I'm really bad at choosing city sites. When playing Pangea/Standard Size and Speed, what are the minimum green tiles do you elect to be an acceptable city? What are the minimum requirements that you elect to be a good city? Because I usually go for cottage and/or hammer cities.

Sharing the game and the progress can also help, but it's quite alot of work...

I think that's the best idea for me. I have been planning on doing that for a while now but I'm lazy at finding out exactly how to do it. I tried to do it once and did it all wrong. But I believe that will be the best for me and it'll help me improve my game.

 

[AcaMetis]

Rule number 1 for good cities: Have food in the first ring, or second ring food already accessible because of another city's expanded culture. If this isn't possible (coast city with Ocean fish, say) have something ready to get that city's culture going ASAP - Caste System for working an artist, a missionary, being Creative, a few forests to chop a quick Library, at the very least a forest to chop into a Monument. You can be a bit more lenient if you're Creative, but do that if you're sure you'll be playing the long game. No point in settling a city that will be great 30+ turns from now if you're going to HA rush someone in 15.

 

[Peacefanatic]

Spoiler :

What do you guys think of my city placement in this game? There is fish near that horse north of Shangai

 

[AcaMetis]

That marked spot right of Beijing is no good. One floodplain that you can't prepare a farm on is not enough food. The left spot is fine.

Not sure how that floodplain area should be settled, honestly. I think Shanghai should have been settled 1W to allow a city 2N of the right of Beijing spot, and possibly another city on the PH NW of the right Horses. The first city would grow reasonably quick with four floodplains in it's first ring, and the second city could use two farmed floodplains from the first city to grow if there's no other food sources nearby.

 

[Gumbolt]

Shanghai 1w would allow more flood plains. I don't see how that site 4e helps. What cottages if any could it help the capital with?
Your building too many workers? If you want workers chop/whip them. .
Too many farmed flood plains. So size 3 settler and a farm?
Corn should of been prioritised for new city. Such a big resource food wise. Then you can whip a worker.
Settler/settler in capital is my usual start.
Shanghai warrior should be fog busting.

I think with one less farm and more focus on resources/chopping forest game would be in better shape. Need more map info for 3rd city. Starting save? Cities on that river could be good for cottages.

Expect Nappy to start plotting if he has metal.

 

[Peacefanatic]

That marked spot right of Beijing is no good. One floodplain that you can't prepare a farm on is not enough food.

I intended to make that spot a production city. I thought I could work a farm floodplain right away and one more once I got a border pop. There are lots of mines there.
But I think you are probably right, there is not enough food there.

The left spot is fine.

Since there are 6 green tiles in that spot and 1 more from the capital, my plan was to make it a cottage city. Also because that was a coastal city I can have more commerce. Is that what you thought as well? Also I could use that cooper if I needed production.

Not sure how that floodplain area should be settled, honestly. I think Shanghai should have been settled 1W to allow a city 2N of the right of Beijing spot, and possibly another city on the PH NW of the right Horses

Sorry AcaMetis but I could not figure out where were you planning those cities, could you be more specific please?

Shanghai 1w would allow more flood plains.

But then I would lose the +2 health from the oasis, and with so much flood plains my city would get sick too quick, don't you think?

I don't see how that site 4e helps. What cottages if any could it help the capital with?

There are 6 green tiles + 1 from the capital. It seems like enough to me, am I wrong?

Starting save?

As soon as I get to my computer I'll post it.

Thanks for your replies and tips guys.

 

[Gumbolt]

Wheat, corn, cows, granary, fish? I had no idea Oasis provided +2 health. Health can be managed. Forest also helps with health too.

Sure some green tiles and flood plains. All of which Shanghai could mostly cover with a corn for growth. There is no food resource nearby for growth. It doesn't really help the capital either.

Are you playing Qin or Mao? One is expansive (+2 health). Other is not.

 

[AcaMetis]

I intended to make that spot a production city. I thought I could work a farm floodplain right away and one more once I got a border pop. There are lots of mines there.
But I think you are probably right, there is not enough food there.

Early production is mostly a matter of whipping and chopping. Not that you should never build/work a mine, but settling a city with the intent of working mines, at the expense of the food it needs to support/quickly grow onto those mines, isn't a good idea.

Since there are 6 green tiles in that spot and 1 more from the capital, my plan was to make it a cottage city. Also because that was a coastal city I can have more commerce. Is that what you thought as well? Also I could use that cooper if I needed production.

My thought was two reasonably strong tiles (Wheat and Copper Mine) and five forests in first ring. That's a city that'll chop out some stuff and hammer out a worker in the meantime. Not a priority settle, but a good one.

Sorry AcaMetis but I could not figure out where were you planning those cities, could you be more specific please?

But then I would lose the +2 health from the oasis, and with so much flood plains my city would get sick too quick, don't you think?

No? 1W of Shanghai is directly south of the Oasis, so you'd still have the source of fresh water. Unless I got my East and West mixed up, which...isn't impossible. Either was, is that why you couldn't figure out my explanation?

 

[Aristos]

I have always been the kind of player that usually plays the first map (without regenerating) and play it to the end. But nowadays I can't finish a game anymore. Now I play for a while and when the AI settles in one of my spots I just create a new game, if I start playing and there are not near perfect spots to settle my cities I start a new game, if I start a war against someone and get backstabbed by Catherine I start a new game, any stupid thing is a reason to start a new game. What have happened to me? Has anyone gone through this before?

Have you perhaps played Civ 5 and/or Civ 6? Your symptoms sound like you have the Instant Gratification virus that comes with 5 and 6....

 

[Gumbolt]

Thoughts on Zulu game.

Spoiler Thoughts :

You have enough time to whip/chop 15-20+ units and attack an AI.

My first frustration was exploring the fish site to find deer next to it. You could of settled deer/fish in first ring. That would of saved 15-20 turns doing nothing.
Your capital really lacks a helper city for cottages. Most of these cottages are under developed. A city 1w of pigs could of been useful. Maybe also north of capital too.

Your great scientist much sooner would of been good for an academy in capital. Running scientists in capital means your not working cottages.

I think you can play this game on and likely win but your mistakes early on have slowed down your game. You really wanted 1-2 more cities by this date or to beeline construction and head for war much sooner. Albeit you can capture 4-5 nice Sumerian cities. An earlier war would of maybe avoided him getting HA, They are not great for him with impi wondering about.

 

[BornInCantaloup]

I used to drop games. I still do but I used to too.

 

[Peacefanatic]

Wheat, corn, cows, granary, fish? I had no idea Oasis provided +2 health. Health can be managed. Forest also helps with health too.

If you settle next to a source of water (river, oasis and lakes) you get +2 health.

Are you playing Qin or Mao?

I was playing Pericles (unrestricted leader) for an easier Chu-Ko-Nu rush.

Early production is mostly a matter of whipping and chopping. Not that you should never build/work a mine, but settling a city with the intent of working mines, at the expense of the food it needs to support/quickly grow onto those mines, isn't a good idea.

I believe I understand that concept, but you can only whip once every 10 turns, and between those turns I like to work mines. Also for your future HE city you will not be whipping.

My thought was two reasonably strong tiles (Wheat and Copper Mine) and five forests in first ring. That's a city that'll chop out some stuff and hammer out a worker in the meantime. Not a priority settle, but a good one.

I like your idea. But how about after you have no forests? What do you plan on doing in the future? I don't like settling cities if I don't know what to do with them in the future.

No? 1W of Shanghai is directly south of the Oasis, so you'd still have the source of fresh water. Unless I got my East and West mixed up, which...isn't impossible. Either was, is that why you couldn't figure out my explanation?

I can see it now, good idea.

Have you perhaps played Civ 5 and/or Civ 6? Your symptoms sound like you have the Instant Gratification virus that comes with 5 and 6....

I have never played them, I have heard that those are bad games. And about the Instant Gratification virus, I have always enjoyed playing Civ 4 games until the end, this is happening to me now, it's a new thing.

Thoughts on Zulu game.

Thanks for your tips, I appreciate all of them. I realize I did a very bad game.

 

[AcaMetis]

I believe I understand that concept, but you can only whip once every 10 turns, and between those turns I like to work mines. Also for your future HE city you will not be whipping.

You can whip as long as you have the happiness to cover regrowing. Ideally you want cities that can share food, so that one city that's cooling down from a whip can grow cottages or work other low-food tiles, while the city that can grow takes the food and grows back the pop needed to whip something.

As for HE, that isn't something you should really be planning to settle a city for circa 2000 BC. A good city now is worth more than a good city a thousand years from now.

I like your idea. But how about after you have no forests? What do you plan on doing in the future? I don't like settling cities if I don't know what to do with them in the future.

Library and start generating Great Scientists, worker pump, can cottage the two farmed floodplains for the capitol and start growing them, get a border pop for more chopping power. It won't be the greatest city in two thousand years, but it'll do a good job getting you there.