New to Civ 2. A few questions

[countduckula]

I just got hooked on Civ 2, and am getting my ass handed to me. I ascribe this to not knowing the game mechanics, although I'm starting to grasp them thanks to the informative posts here.

A few questions I was hoping the veterans could clear up:

1. Placing your units on a mountain triples their defense. Does this mean that if you build your settlement on a mountain, any units inside it have their defense tripled? If so, is this effect cumulative with the 'City Walls' upgrade?

2. When I have a population of one in a settlement, I notice that I'm actually receiving resources from two areas. I obtain 1 food + shield + trade from the square my settlement has been built on, and from a square outside of my settlement (which I can choose). Can I influence the amount of shields/food/trade obtained from the square I build my settlement on, by building in different locations? For instance, if I build on top of mountains with gold, will I receive a 5 trade arrows from the settlement square?

3. Sometimes when I establish a trade route, I receive zero trade arrows for that route. How come? I've read how the initial gold/beaker reward for delivering cargo is determined, but what determines how many trade arrows one receives from a trade route after delivery?

4. How exactly do trade arrows determine your city's monetary income, and science output?

5. Is the upgrade 'Capitalisation' worthwhile?

 

[countduckula]

6. You receive bonuses if you irrigate/mine/build roads through area squares near your settlements. But is it worth doing so if you don't assign your people to harvest that particular square?

 

[LordValuna]

I just got hooked on Civ 2, and am getting my ass handed to me. I ascribe this to not knowing the game mechanics, although I'm starting to grasp them thanks to the informative posts here.

A few questions I was hoping the veterans could clear up:

1. Placing your units on a mountain triples their defense. Does this mean that if you build your settlement on a mountain, any units inside it have their defense tripled? If so, is this effect cumulative with the 'City Walls' upgrade?

Yes, units in a mountain city are triples and City walls add even more defence!

2. When I have a population of one in a settlement, I notice that I'm actually receiving resources from two areas. I obtain 1 food + shield + trade from the square my settlement has been built on, and from a square outside of my settlement (which I can choose). Can I influence the amount of shields/food/trade obtained from the square I build my settlement on, by building in different locations? For instance, if I build on top of mountains with gold, will I receive a 5 trade arrows from the settlement square?

Yes, you work one more square than your population. This is taken advantage of by the ICS strategy, where you build a lot of small cities to start. Yes, where you build your city influences your production. You get at least one food and you get irrigation on the city square. As an aside there is a trick where if you have one settler start mining a square and then have an other build a city on the same square, you will eventually mine the city square which is not possible once you have built a city. Thus you get a mine and irrigation on the city square. This works on a hill, mountain or desert square.

3. Sometimes when I establish a trade route, I receive zero trade arrows for that route. How come? I've read how the initial gold/beaker reward for delivering cargo is determined, but what determines how many trade arrows one receives from a trade route after delivery?

The trade arrow will eventually go up. Dont worry about it the delivery bonus is more important. I dont know how the trade arrows is determined perhaps someone else can say how.

4. How exactly do trade arrows determine your city's monetary income, and science output?

Trade arrows are added to you citys trade, this number less corruption is multiplied by your tax or science rate. This is increased(50%) by markets or libraries. It is further increased by banks, stock exchanges, universities and research labs.

5. Is the upgrade 'Capitalisation' worthwhile?

No its useless, you can always just build improvements and sell them, but building freight will usually be better.

6. You receive bonuses if you irrigate/mine/build roads through area squares near your settlements. But is it worth doing so if you don't assign your people to harvest that particular square?

If you dont assign workers to that square you dont gain a benefit. However once you grow you may be able to use.

 

[Prof. Garfield]

A note on question 2. Gold provides a base trade of 6, and your city will always add a road to the square you use, as well as irrigation. Adding a road to plains, desert and grassland will increase the trade of those squares by 1, and adding a road to any square already producing trade will increase that trade by 1 also. Furthermore, if you are in the government Despotism all squares that produce at least 3 resources of any kind will have that number reduced by 1. Hence your observation that gold produces 5 trade. If you built your city on the gold, it would give you six (6+1-1=6) and if you were to switch to monarchy it the city would yield you seven trade (6+1=7). Switch out of despotism as soon as possible.

 

[LordValuna]

A note on question 2. .....and your city will always add a road to the square you use, as well as irrigation. Adding a road to plains, desert and grassland will increase the trade of those squares by 1, and adding a road to any square already producing trade will increase that trade by 1 also.

yeah i remembered that after i was away from my computer.
Also, you get a railroad & farmland on that square if you have the tech (and a supermarket for farmland)!

 

[countduckula]

Ahh, some excellent responses. Looks like I have to build my settlements on gold mines!

7. I've noticed that when I build settlers, the population of my city goes down by one. And if I build settlers in a population one settlement, it disbands. Why?

8. Do I gain anything if another player makes a delivery and opens a trade route with one of my cities?

 

[LordValuna]

7. I've noticed that when I build settlers, the population of my city goes down by one. And if I build settlers in a population one settlement, it disbands. Why?

The settler comes from the population of the city, hence the decrease.
An exception on chieftin level it doesnt build a settler, and with only one city of size 1 it will build the settler but keeps the population of the city at 1; called the size 1 trick

8. Do I gain anything if another player makes a delivery and opens a trade route with one of my cities?

Yes, a trade route could be established with the benefits that you get from a trade route you establish.

 

[countduckula]

9. Is it a bug that my Colossus Wonder doesn't add any trade arrows to the ocean tiles around my city?

 

[LordValuna]

9. perhaps your still a despot, in which case you only get 2 trade arrows.
you need to get into Monarchy or Republic
In Despotism one less resource is produced in each square where 3 or more are normally produced

 

[WildPony]

6. You receive bonuses if you irrigate/mine/build roads through area squares near your settlements. But is it worth doing so if you don't assign your people to harvest that particular square?

LordValuna: "If you dont assign workers to that square you dont gain a benefit. However once you grow you may be able to use."

All true, additionally, you have to ask yourself, "Self, what is the very best way to optimize the use of this settler". Chances are, if you search your soul, your answer will not be to irrigate a plain that will not be placed into use for another 2000 years (though this is a favorite tactic of the highly inept ai). While some early roads are useful enough to register high on the list of priorities, early irrigation is almost always a far lower priority than nailing down another fast city... and another and another.

 

[Red Sickle]

Mind if I ask somethig?

Does the terrain defense bonus apply to attack as well? What I mean is, will a phalanx on a mountain have 3 attack, as opposed to one on plains having just one attack while in combat?

 

[ummmm........]

No, there is no attack bonus.