Keeping track of cities / only entertainers?

[Tiile]

I was wondering how you keep track of all your cities. I mean how can you instantly know where one of your cities is, especially with those weird city names (I'm currently playing as Aztecs). On the world map it's fairly easy as I just give the cities names that existing cities also have, so if I build a city on the place where London is, I'll just call it London. On random maps it gets a bit harder and I usually end up with looking all over the place for a city (especially new ones).

Also, after my cities are past size 36, I can't change the entertainers to other specialists anymore. Is this something that only I have, or is it normal? I'd say it's a bit strange if it's normal, I can't think of a reason why it should be like that.

All not too important but I still wonder...

 

[slothman]

Sometimes I put a 'sw' or 'n' after the name to indicate what part of the map the city is on. About the specialists - only Elvii can exist after number 36. It is built into the game. I usually just make engineers to limit the pop to 36.

 

[Smash]

iirc it is actually a limit on specialists(non elvis).16 science guys or taxmen.

Its easier for small civs,but any city I deem of particular importance,for whatever reason,will get a name that instantly reminds me of my plan.

A city might be named "Beachead Vikes"..or "Trade Center"...or "Mongol Choke"..etc

 

[Sodak]

Stellar spatial memory - I even keep tabs on trade demand by memory! Of course, when I know it for certain, the demand changes, and it's back to remembering anew...

It helps to remember the order in which you settled and in what order the city names list is. Even approximation is often enough to cue you into the general area.

As a last resort, use your "find city" function!

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

I simplify the city names to something very basic. I start out with A01, A02, A03, etc... When I get to an area where it seems logical to change the grouping (a new land mass, or a point where the continent narrows to one or two cities) I start a new grouping B01, B02, B03, etc.

I do that all over the map. I also name special ones special names as Smash suggested.

If you do that be sure to do it with the letter then 0#. If you only did B1, B2, etc. then when they are shown on the find (or goto) city list B11 will be listed before B2 and really screw up the list.

 

[Sodak]

D o' M, that sounds a bit Borgish... do you play ICS style?

 

[RastaMon]

Sometimes I'll name cities according to regional themes, so the cities on one landmass may all be cartoon characters, those on another are named after my family members, etc.

I usually leave conquered cities with their original names, so it's pretty easy to find those - London, Hastings, etc. are all where the Brits used to be, etc.

.
:jump:

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Originally posted by Sodak
D o' M, that sounds a bit Borgish... do you play ICS style?

No, but it makes it much simpler to locate and remember cities. It makes freight delivery so much easier too. I don't want to have to spend time trying to figure out if the city I want to deliver my frieght to is Xochiltial or Xochattal. You only have a letter and number to remember and your done. That way I can spend more time actually playing the game.

 

[Cunobelin Of Hippo]

I go by geographical feature or 'reminder name' (see Smash's comment) except with more violence inducing names Death to Zulullia, March on Carthage, GenghisGrave, Executioner Base, Killaviking, Maimamongol....but I rarely have this problem (losing cities) because I am proudly anti-ICS

 

[duke o' york]

Something I've only just thought of but have never used would be to name all of your cities according to their trade demands. Obviously there will be some cities with the same and therefore a number in the order they were founded can be appended. As long as you have a special code for each resource and check that the demands haven't changed every time the city builds something, it would simplify trade no end. For example, my capital DyWiCu has just produced a Cloth caravan and so I go down the list of cities to find one like AgGeCl and deliver it there. I then have to get silver and gems caravans to this city as well and start to rake in the cash! It beats having to think of new and more amusing names all the time. I have said it before and unless they change it in Civ 3, I will say it again: France's second largest city is called Lyon and not Lyons!!!!!!!!!

 

[jc011]

basically, i just remember which land mass they are on. I will look at the small map and see which continent i want and just go there.

OR

If you've really played a certain civ long enough, you can realize the order, and figure out where it is according to where you expanded.

 

[Gareeth]

Until I joined here I had been using ther same civilizations in my games for years so I now the order those cities are built. Then you just need to remember what pattern your spreading out too to quickly find a city.
Coming here has encouraged me to try different civ's though and different strategies but so far they are not working as well as my usual civ.

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

If you guys are using those methods, then, IMHO, you guys are wasting alot of time or have small games.

First, going by the order you buils the cities doesn't work becasue you should be expanding in all directions all the time.

Second, memorizing the city names in order does you no good when you have hundreds of cities. The computer goes through the primary list of your cites, then goes through the secondary list of city names. Do you know what it does once it goes through the secondary list of names? It goes through it again. and again and again. You can have quite a few Exeters in the game going that way.

I tried the commodity way, but I spent more time updating the names everytime they changed than it would have taken to use the trade advisor. Plus, based on the order you list the commodities, you could be looking through the entire list of cities to find one that matches but isn't listed first. Even then you would have to (or should) find out how far away the city is for the distance bonus when delivering your freight.

I have yet to play an ICS game and have needed to come up with the system I use just to keep track of the hundreds of cities I've had. On a large map you can reach the max number of cities and still have land left.

If you like your systems, more power to you, but none of them work for me.

 

[Daaraa]

I keep easy track by re-naming a lot of cities.

If I'm on a big continent I'll big a country, state or province I know a lot of cities in and I'll name the cites after real ones in geographic areas.

ex. on an island/continent I'll have London, Edinburgh, Bristol, York, Dover etc Another one I'll have Berlin, Hamburg, Bohn, etc.

I'll also use Smash's idea of Viking Beachhead to move all transports there and other ideas like that.

My wife uses items in rooms around the house ex Plate, Knife fork spoon and the main city on that continent is named Kitchen.

It seems simpler to me than a lot of X****** or t****** cites the Aztecs have.

 

[jc011]

you're right, i have a small empire compared to others in this forum... right now i have 30, that is the most i have ever had, and im still losing. some people here have over 100! but anyway, i can usually just remember which land mass they are on.

 

[Gareeth]

Even when I have entered the second cycle of names I find I can keep track of them okay. I don't go for the big sprawling empires much though since I don't enjoy all the micromanaging that you have to do each turn.

 

[duke o' york]

Just use capitalization for the last 3 or 4 hundred years then. You can have a few cities building SS parts and because of all the cash that capitalization gives you, you can rush-build cities with all the necessary improvements in very few turns.

 

[Gareeth]

Yes. I had never used capitlization at all. It wasn't until coming here and reading about the benefits that I have decided to try it. Unfortunately I decided to get one of the rugrats who lives here interested in the game right about that time and now I can never get to my computer for long enough to play a good game.
He can't stand entertainers though. Whenever he has needed them he goes oh no not Elvis. Then when the proper changes have taken place so he can switch them he slumps over the keyboard declaring oh phew no more elvises.
I will definately try the capitalization thing. Thanks