So here is an updated saved game I'm working on tonight. I've had two minor wars with Montezuma over land. I'm now trying to send a galley over to the land he hasn't worked up yet and am hoping on dropping a culture bomb next to his capitol. Any ideas on how I'm doing?
How Can One Man Suck This Bad At Civ IV?
- Thread starter MotK
- Start date
JujuLautre
Deity
I once again suggest you play the tutorial. Enough time so you understand the basics of the game.
JujuLautre
Deity
You must admit it was hard to believe after seeing your previous save
I checked your game. Lot's of problems:
- not enough workers. Wayyyyyy not enough workers. I suspect you've been working less than improved land for a big part of the game, thus being one of the reasons you're so backward. To get you an idea, I usually have between 3 and 5 workers (depending on situations) when I have 3 cities. Compare to your 2 workers/6 cities...
- lack of focus. You built buildings, disovered techs and improved lands without knowing what to do with them. A few examples: you have Corn near your first city, need to improve it. What do you need? Agriculture. What do you research? BW, why not, but after follow AH, the wheel, writing and finally agriculture. Should have been the first or second tech, not the fifth! Also, Novgorod is far away from its happy cap. What did you build inside? A collosseum, whose sole purpose is to improve happiness, which is not needed. And finally, you discovered alphabet really early, and it seems you never used it to trade techs. Not trying to use any trick from it, I just used your monopoly on steel and gained 9 techs, a world map and some cash from it. Diplomacy is a very important tool too!
- lack of focus on units: I'm talking about settlers, workers, exploring units and military. 6 cities in 1850AD is small. 2 workers for 6 cities is not enough. Your military is weak. And more than that, you don't know any part of the world except your small island...
I think that's the three main points. I'm not good enough to propose cures, so I'll let the other posters do it.
JujuLautre
Deity
Actually, even if I previously played an other instance of Civ (number II) and so knew how the game works, the two main things which helped me in my play were:
- reading these forums and articles (big thanks to Sisiutil for his ALC games and his strategy guides, especially his guide for beginners)
- always wondering: am I making a good choice? And then, is it the best choice? And that, for builds, techs, city management, diplomacy, and even unit movement. Figuring if something is good is not so complicated. Figuring if this is the best decision is much more. And when I say always, it should be always; doing automatic things is bad, and I still have to get out of that habit
- reading these forums and articles (big thanks to Sisiutil for his ALC games and his strategy guides, especially his guide for beginners)
- always wondering: am I making a good choice? And then, is it the best choice? And that, for builds, techs, city management, diplomacy, and even unit movement. Figuring if something is good is not so complicated. Figuring if this is the best decision is much more. And when I say always, it should be always; doing automatic things is bad, and I still have to get out of that habit
johncross21
Warlord
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
- Messages
- 178
much stronger CIV this time
some good tips here too (yes you need more workers - at least 5 by this point - if there isn't much to do add some roads )
yes, you could trade some tech - but don't trade tech with Monte
do some trading and see if you can get a world map (they are cheap)
don't trust Monte - he's a bad un.
some good tips here too (yes you need more workers - at least 5 by this point - if there isn't much to do add some roads )
yes, you could trade some tech - but don't trade tech with Monte
do some trading and see if you can get a world map (they are cheap)
don't trust Monte - he's a bad un.
fcc56
Chieftain
Try using the chop rush (cutting forests to speed building) only for settlers and important buildings, or if you really need that first ocean-going ship right away.
Well, this is a strategy game, and part of the strategy is deciding what to build, and when. It isn't necessarily helpful to build every building that is available in every city.
Taking over barbarian cities can be useful because you don't need to build a settler of your own to expand, and doing so can give you quick access to resources or good strategic positioning vis-a-vis your rivals. A city needs to be at least size 2 in order not to be razed automatically.
bardolph
King
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2007
- Messages
- 739
In the city screen, there is a six-panel rectangle below the tile display and to the right. This is called the "City Governor Panel" The upper-right icon of the City Governor Panel is the "allow city governor to manage tiles" icon. Click that, so that it is lit up. This will automatically assign your population to the most optimal tiles for growth, production, and commerce, in roughly that order of priority.
That should set you up for now. In the tile display, each white circle represents a "worked tile."
Once you get more practice with the game, you can start to manipulate the Governor to prioritize different things, avoid city growth, or emphasize certain specialists. Or you can turn off the Governor and do it all yourself.
Gooblah
Heh...
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2007
- Messages
- 4,282
Hello...
Here's a small guide (as far as I know) to warmongering in the BCs...
Warmongering
This is the Art of War. Read the War Academy, but here's the brief: make Bronze Working a priority. This is not to say that it should be first tech, but instead in the first 7. I usually go: First Level Improvement techs (Agriculture, Fishing, The Wheel, Mining) that pertain to resources in my capital's fat cross, Bronze Working and/or Mining, then Second Level Improvement Techs (Animal Husbandry, Pottery), then usually a Priesthood beeline and/or Writing.
Have a Settler as your third or fourth build. Scout to find a source of Copper. Rush the Settler there with the Warrior guarding the capital. Have a Worker build a Road there to hook up Copper ASAP. Once this is done, build a Barracks in both cities, then have 6-10 Axemen out using Slavery and chopping by 2500 BC. Use this army to conquer the nearest civ. Now you can start turtling. Aim for Code of Laws four Courthouses. This needs Priesthood, so a Code of Laws or Civil Service Gambit may work, based on the Oracle.
Here's a small guide (as far as I know) to warmongering in the BCs...
Warmongering
This is the Art of War. Read the War Academy, but here's the brief: make Bronze Working a priority. This is not to say that it should be first tech, but instead in the first 7. I usually go: First Level Improvement techs (Agriculture, Fishing, The Wheel, Mining) that pertain to resources in my capital's fat cross, Bronze Working and/or Mining, then Second Level Improvement Techs (Animal Husbandry, Pottery), then usually a Priesthood beeline and/or Writing.
Have a Settler as your third or fourth build. Scout to find a source of Copper. Rush the Settler there with the Warrior guarding the capital. Have a Worker build a Road there to hook up Copper ASAP. Once this is done, build a Barracks in both cities, then have 6-10 Axemen out using Slavery and chopping by 2500 BC. Use this army to conquer the nearest civ. Now you can start turtling. Aim for Code of Laws four Courthouses. This needs Priesthood, so a Code of Laws or Civil Service Gambit may work, based on the Oracle.
I had similar problems as you when I first started. It took me awhile to realize not to build every building in every city.
I'll try to give you some easy to read/implement tips:
#1 Only build what you need! Especially when it comes to buildings. If you find you have built every building that you need, and have all the units that you need, then build a worker or settler!
#2 Economy economy economy!
You MUST have a worker (or three) improve ALL tiles that are being worked by your city, as soon as possible! When you go into the city screen (double click on a city) the circles around the city tell you which tiles are being worked. If someone in your city is working an unimproved tile (i.e. no mine/farm/cottage) then it is a WASTE!
3. Whoa there! Take it easy on the military!
20 archers! Egad man! All those archers cost you money every turn. This in turn makes it so you have to lower your research rate. Those 20 archers are UTTERLY USELESS when you are being attacked by an enemy with maces and trebuchets.
4. Plan your tech path carefully! Worker improvement techs are critical! Worker should be one of the first 2 units you build, and when that worker is built, he must have something to do! If you have corn/rice, make sure you have agriculture researched by the time that worker is built. Same thing for mining, masonry, and roads. Also pottery is a very important early tech to build cottages which are crucial to your economy.
5. Trade your techs! Whats the point of beelining alphabet if you're not going to use it to be a tech whore? You can get 5+ techs that way for the price of one! BTW try to trade your other techs besides alphabet...if youre the first to research alphabet its good to hold on to your advantage for awhile, as you'll be the only one able to make tech trades.
summary:
I played a lot like you when I was new to civ. The way I got better was by reading articles in the war academy, and reading reports of games by good players. I really can't emphasize enough how helpful those articles in the war academy are. Really, this whole thread is pointless as the articles say everything there is to be said much more concisely and in more detail than could be related here.
Now that I've studied the wisdom of other great civ players, I'm anhilating on Prince, and am able to win occaisionally on monarch. Study up, and good luck!
I'll try to give you some easy to read/implement tips:
#1 Only build what you need! Especially when it comes to buildings. If you find you have built every building that you need, and have all the units that you need, then build a worker or settler!
#2 Economy economy economy!
You MUST have a worker (or three) improve ALL tiles that are being worked by your city, as soon as possible! When you go into the city screen (double click on a city) the circles around the city tell you which tiles are being worked. If someone in your city is working an unimproved tile (i.e. no mine/farm/cottage) then it is a WASTE!
3. Whoa there! Take it easy on the military!
20 archers! Egad man! All those archers cost you money every turn. This in turn makes it so you have to lower your research rate. Those 20 archers are UTTERLY USELESS when you are being attacked by an enemy with maces and trebuchets.
4. Plan your tech path carefully! Worker improvement techs are critical! Worker should be one of the first 2 units you build, and when that worker is built, he must have something to do! If you have corn/rice, make sure you have agriculture researched by the time that worker is built. Same thing for mining, masonry, and roads. Also pottery is a very important early tech to build cottages which are crucial to your economy.
5. Trade your techs! Whats the point of beelining alphabet if you're not going to use it to be a tech whore? You can get 5+ techs that way for the price of one! BTW try to trade your other techs besides alphabet...if youre the first to research alphabet its good to hold on to your advantage for awhile, as you'll be the only one able to make tech trades.
summary:
I played a lot like you when I was new to civ. The way I got better was by reading articles in the war academy, and reading reports of games by good players. I really can't emphasize enough how helpful those articles in the war academy are. Really, this whole thread is pointless as the articles say everything there is to be said much more concisely and in more detail than could be related here.
Now that I've studied the wisdom of other great civ players, I'm anhilating on Prince, and am able to win occaisionally on monarch. Study up, and good luck!
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