I'm afraid I may have forgotten how to play

[stwils]

It's been a while since I played Civ1. It is my favorite, but my mind is all cluttered with Civ3 and Civ4.

Can anyone help me out a bit?

1. Today I played as Zulus and built a city at the mouth of a lovely river leading to the sea. When time came, I built a trireme. But it would not budge. I thought it could travel up the river. I tried everything. Finally disbanded the trireme.What should I have done? Don't triremes go up a river?

2. I fortified a bunch of militia. But when I was ready to move them , I could not move them. I could not unfortify them. (And tell me, how is game play different for sentry and fortify.)

3. I had several militia, phalanx and legion, and was trying to attack the Americans. A box popped up and said, "Attack at 2/3rds strength?" Why. Why not full strength?

I love Civ1, and I want to recover my wits about how to play.

I'd appreciate any help.

stwils

 

[Whelkman]

Don't triremes go up a river?

No, oceans only. That you were able to build one means there exists at least one adjacent ocean tile, but, by your description, it sounds like your "ocean" may be ultimately landlocked.

I could not move them. I could not unfortify them. (And tell me, how is game play different for sentry and fortify.)

Click on the unit then click on the unit's icon in the dialog. Besides the defensive advantage, fortifying takes a turn while sentrying is instant. Cargo vessels will automatically load sentried units but will leave fortified units. Also, sentry allows for unintended movement manipulation when used in conjunction with cargo vessels.

3. I had several militia, phalanx and legion, and was trying to attack the Americans. A box popped up and said, "Attack at 2/3rds strength?" Why. Why not full strength?

You moved over a road, which reduces movement penalty by two thirds. If moving over standard terrain your turn would have ended, but since you moved over a road you get the option of attacking at fractional strength.

 

[stwils]

No. The ocean was upstream a bit from my city on the river. Does this mean that only cities that I build on the ocean front can manage a trireme? So it would not be a first city as we so often can't see the ocean front at the start? Rivers are such a nice place to build. Too bad, then, that a trireme can't travel up them. So a trireme should only be built when a 2nd or 3rd city on the ocean front is built?

As for the militia being at 2/3rds strength, I was not on any roads that I was aware of. Certainly not any roads I had built.

Maybe enemy roads?

Thanks for your help.

stwils

 

[Whelkman]

Only cities built adjacent to ocean tiles can build (and launch) vessels. It need not be a large body of water.

Traveling on an enemy road is nearly a certainty in your case.