New Player: Where to start?

[ToXiN]

Hey all. After much anticipation I have finally got around to getting the Complete edition and am installing it right now. I have read up a bit on the game and as a new player, I have some questions as to what would be the best way to learn and "get into the game." Of course, ill view the tutorial first. Ive also seen the wealth of resources in the War Academy, so ill read up on some of those too. But is it better to try playing a few games on my own first and try things out then read, or take a look first?

Also, for my first game(s) ever in Civ:
Should I start in vanilla (mmm...) or BtS?
What map size, settings, and # of civs should I use?
Would it be better to do a completely land map and not worry about navies for my first games and slowly intorduce myself to that concept?
What civ/leader should I use at first? I think I may be interested in warfare and domination victory, but whats good for newbies?
Should I start on Settler difficulty or one higher? (Ive played lots of strategy games, but not Civ)

Im looking forward to a long and fruitful "addiction" with Civ (and with Starcraft 2 Beta, my Xbox360 is gathering dust!).

 

[Ataxerxes]

I think going directly to BTS would be better. You won't have to unlearn things from vanilla.

Probably do a small map on settler for the first game and then start moving up. I recommend small map so you don't spend forever on your first game if it's too easy.

Panagea first (or Great Plains) sounds like a good start for just land operations.

I think that even for conquest and domination, economic civics will work out better. Financial is always a good choice. Organized won't be much help at easier levels, although it's very powerful at high levels. Charismatic is good for war games.

For a start, I wouldn't use the Romans. They're a little special for best use. Carthage is Financial/Charismatic, but their UB wouldn't be much use on a land map. Still, they might be the best for getting into the game without worrying too much about leveraging traits, UB's or UU's. Their UU is pretty good, but not awesome. An Industrious Leader might get you into the habit of trying to build too many wonders. So I'd recommend Carthage. Fairly easy to use without any special deviations.

 

[Deckhand]

I generally agree with Ataxerxes.

Play the tutorial and play some games on your own. You want to have fun and learn things for yourself. Then when you go to the War Academy, you will have some context to understand the advice. Once there, Sisutil's Beginner's Guide is a good place to start.

You should be able to win easily at Chieftain level. Then keep increasing the difficulty level whenever you think one is too easy.

Someone recommended the Creative trait when starting - that way you won't need to worry about city culture and border expansion (one less concern as you learn the mechanics).

 

[ToXiN]

For a start, I wouldn't use the Romans.

Good thing you mentioned that, as I probably would have ended up using Rome if left on my own.

So, Ive played the tutorial, seems cool, it doesnt seem that overwhelming or difficult to get into, but Im sure theres lots of depth and intricacy that is underneath and that will come up once i get further into a game. And theres probably of ton of things I wont even notice or know about right away, and the little things that matter so much.

Anyway, one more thing: the UI seems a bit clunky. Ive read that the BUG mod provides a better UI, is this a good idea for a first time player to try it?

 

[Deckhand]

Yes, using BUG would be a plus.

Keep in mind that Civ is not a Real Time Strategy game; it is turn based and you need to constantly tell your units and cities what to do. Some people like the micromanagement, some don't.

 

[s.bernbaum]

For your first game, I would recommend playing on Settler difficulty, not plan on winning or even finishing the game, and try out everything that you come across to see how it works. Once you have tried it all out. Quit the game and then start a "real" game. BTW, don't automate workers! Personally, I'm a fan of random leader choice. It makes it more interesting and forces you to try out different approaches. Similarly, I like fractal maps because you never know what you will get. You may get a single land mass, or lots of islands or a combination. I think that adds to the interest.

 

[Willem]

Should I start in vanilla (mmm...) or BtS?

BtS. As mentioned, if you start with vanilla you'll just have to unlearn alot when you get to it.

What map size, settings, and # of civs should I use?

Just select whatever the game gives you for now. There's a fair number of options you can select from, you don't want to get bogged down in that part at first.

Would it be better to do a completely land map and not worry about navies for my first games and slowly intorduce myself to that concept?

You don't need to worry too much about navies, at least not until the late game. Aside from Barb Galleys now and then, there's really not much happening on the ocean early on.

What civ/leader should I use at first?

I'd recommend that you play with the random civ option. That will give you a chance to get a feel for a variety of different civs/leaders, and to learn about their various strengths and weaknesses. And don't worry about whether or not they're any good for a domination victory. Every civ/leader can do that for you if you're managing your empire right.

Should I start on Settler difficulty or one higher? (Ive played lots of strategy games, but not Civ)

It wouldn't hurt to start at the lowest possible setting, then quickly moving up. Settler is more like a tutorial level so don't expect to be there very long.

 

[jwez11007]

I would recomend automating workers and maybe even automating some cities production for your first lower level games. Let the AI do the micromanagement for you while you get an idea of what's what. I'ld also recommend going all the way through the tech tree, maybe trying a war in each era to get a feel of how things work.

 

[Kullervo]

I agree with all of the above except what to start with. I would recommend starting in regular Civ. Maybe it's not as much fun as the expansions, but a) you won't know the difference, since you haven't played the expansions yet, b) you'll have more fun with the expansions then, and c) it's just simpler. BTS holds a lot of stuff like Vassals (more complex than it sounds), colonies (NFC what they are), and others. But it's not a really big deal, so start wherever you want. Just my 50 cents.