How do you cheat via World Builder?

[Dragonxander PR]

Yes, I know that's not the way for honest or expert people, but I would really like to know. I have it set for multiple options (a poll I ended not placing, due to poll addition time expiring), but don't make stupid votes (i.e. claiming to not cheat & vote for cheating by erasing the enemy's greatest threats).

For my part, I usually cheat by improving the natural terrain that I plan to settle or the one I may be settling. That means I put fresh water sources (mainly elaborate river networks), high value resources, jagged coastlines that allow for plenty of ports (& the ocassional fort canals in BtS), plain/stepe hills & flat grassland. I tend to do this because I quite dislike the resulting maps of most scripts, & because I find the rival AI with terrains I consider better than mine. Also, I may expand the lands near my empire when I'm pretty squeezed between rivals. All of that when playing in Noble difficulty.

So how to the civ IV fans cheat via WB around here?

 

[Bratmon]

Give myself modern technology in the ancient era.
Then, I don't have enough shields to build anything, so I give myself a bunch of units.
Then, I can't pay support so I give myself several great merchants.

 

[war ensemble]

I only use world builder when a big barbarian stack comes along by my capital and I have neither copper nor horses with which to defend myself. I don't understand why at certain times they automatically get copper without any cities to hook up the resource.

 

[Willem]

I don't. The only time I open WB is when I'm testing something that I've modded.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I don't cheat using the WB typically, unless I'm just extra frustrated and know I've lost. Then I get about 200 nukes and some super unit to go around razing cities.

I tend to save the game at crucial decision junctures. If my initial strategy fails, I will go back and try a different one...kind of like "ok, how could I have played this game INTELLIGENTLY, since I didn't the first time?" I concede that doing that admits a loss, but sometimes the L's are worth more for learning than W's, especially if you can turn a former L into a W on try 2. The worldbuilder does not facilitate that learning well.

I do, however, use it extensively when creating maps to be played on the forums.

 

[Ghpstage]

WB is great fun when you just want to mess around.

Spoiler :

The power of Christ repels you!

 

[Dragonxander PR]

I only use world builder when a big barbarian stack comes along by my capital and I have neither copper nor horses with which to defend myself. I don't understand why at certain times they automatically get copper without any cities to hook up the resource.

Barbarians are not programmed to play the same as cultured civilizations are. Maybe you should play the "Barbarians" mod in Civilization IV: Warlords. That can give you an idea of how are they proggrammed.

 

[war ensemble]

Barbarians are not programmed to play the same as cultured civilizations are. Maybe you should play the "Barbarians" mod in Civilization IV: Warlords. That can give you an idea of how are they proggrammed.

I think I understand how they're programmed, I just don't understand the reasoning behind programming them that way. Seems like they have an unfair advantage over my resourceless civ.

 

[Dragonxander PR]

I think I understand how they're programmed, I just don't understand the reasoning behind programming them that way. Seems like they have an unfair advantage over my resourceless civ.

My mind just popped up this crazy idea: Barbarians are the only AI allowed to use the WorldBuilder!

 

[Bei1052]

The only time I use WB is when I get that barbarian uprising event. It's incredibly mentally delayed, especially when six barbarian swordsmen magically spawn right outside of your capital.

 

[smackthewise]

The only time i've use WB to cheat is 1) barbarian uprising which i know will destroy my empire, in this case I give myself a couple archers to defend instead of reloading or starting again 2) Monty once appeared out of nowhere and declared, i deleted his stack, it was early game and I couldn't be bother using a autosave. 2) Sometimes I just want to play a really nice map, so I add a gold to my capitals BFC, some more rivers, grassland tiles, sometimes a bay to have ships stored (once I build every ship in the game and kept them in the bay) and other silly stuff like that.

If I see the map I haven't explored, or make overpowered changes, I've realised I immediately lose interest in the game and quit. So if I want to play a Civ game out, I can't cheat

 

[omnimutant]

The only time I use WB is right at the beginning before I make a single move to make sure I have a vital resource like iron or some other vital resource for whatever I plan to be playing close enough to be reasonably obtainable. Mainly because I play on Monarch and it sucks to play out a Huge game, and say Plan to nuke someone only to find out that Uranium isn't on the map, or the only location is owned by the guy I want to nuke. After hours of game play to find out that whatever it is I needed is not available sucks. I'm basically using the WB to find out if I'm gonna waste my time.

 

[Camikaze]

I don't think I ever have in a serious game. As in, if I have, it has been done right from the first turn, not decided upon when I'm losing, or something. Nukes would probably be my favourite method, followed by SODs and wonders.

 

[sydhe]

I've never used World Builder at all.

 

[smackthewise]

I've never used World Builder at all.

So i take it you have never used Gunship's in 3000bc? DUDE! You have to get onto that, they are great scouting units

 

[Scoottr]

I've never used World Builder...never even opened it at all. It's like giving yourself all the money in a game of Monopoly. What is the point?

Now, I do give up on games quite a bit. If it looks like I'm completely doomed I'll start a new game. But I'll even keep playing if I don't have strategic rescourse to use...just tech to Crossbows instead. I'm getting better though about giving up and finding that often times things can turn around in your favor.

 

[Willem]

The only time I use WB is when I get that barbarian uprising event. It's incredibly mentally delayed, especially when six barbarian swordsmen magically spawn right outside of your capital.

You could always turn them off completely in the EventTriggers file.

 

[r_rolo1]

I've never used World Builder...never even opened it at all. It's like giving yourself all the money in a game of Monopoly. What is the point?

You know, it is called "World Builder" and not "Cheat mode" for some reason.... and the reason is that WB is primarily a map/scenario building tool, that , by acident ( or not ), has the ability of being called in game to less than fair interventions in game. It is not a trainer thing

 

[Willem]

...by acident ( or not ), has the ability of being called in game to less than fair interventions in game.

Yes, I think it was a mistake to have it activate from within the game. Far too many people can't resist the temptation to give themselves an edge and don't bother learning how to play the game so that they don't need to use it. It's turned into more of a crutch than a tool.

 

[Bushface]

I play for my own amusement, as a change from reading, and regularly use WB at the outset so that I can regenerate the map if I find that originally I was stuck in the ice, on a narrow peninsula,with very little fresh water, or in a resource-poor area. In other words, I like to ensure that I get a decent start.
One of these days I'm going to go the whole hog and set up with at least three city sites, all provided with hills/iron/gold/copper/forest and grass/floodplains/wheat and corn, every tile beside a river. Rather than give myself a couple of eras' worth of techs, I fancy covering all my land with goody huts, just for variety, with barbarians firmly turned off. Wonder how it'll turn out ?

PS - it might be an idea to select nice non-aggressive opponents (or victims ?)