New to Colonization, but an experienced Civ IV player. and I need help...

charon2112

King
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May 8, 2009
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Hi guys, First off if anyone has a link to a good beginner guide could you please post it. The one's I've found on this site and others aren't terribly informative, although I have seen some excellent regular Civ IV guides. I've been playing Civ IV BTS for a long time and like to think I'm good at it. I know that Colonization is a really great game, if I could just figure out how to play. I've read the manual, the Civilopedia, and a few strategy guides and the guide for Civ IV new to Colonization, but I'm still at a loss on how to play the early game (or the late game for that matter). For instance:

When the game starts, I move my ship to a good place on the coast, and unload the two units. I build a settlement with the soldier, and begin exploring native villages and such with the other unit. What's the best thing for the ship to do? Go immediately back to Europe and get two more units? Or stay in the New World and explore the coast? And once I get two new units should they join the existing settlement or build a new settlement? Is this what I should have the ship do, just keep going back and forth picking up new units? Is this how I should build the population of a settlement? Or let it grow just with food? It seems like I could fill a settlement with units pretty quickly if I keep ferrying them over in twos. I am in desperate need of a really detailed beginner guide.

Thanks very much...
 
Good questions. So far, I've been following this guide as much as I can:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=310533

I've also, hopefully, starting a new series in the Strategy & Tips section since I'm pretty lousy at Colonization as well even on Pilgrim level. So far, my strategy with the ship after I drop off my starting people is to go back to Europe and see if I can get a Seasoned Scout. I also try to see if I can get some cheap specialists like Elder Statesman, Firebrand Preachers, Missionaries, Blacksmiths, Gunsmiths, Carpenters, Expert Farmers, Expert Fishermen, and Free Colonists. I try to make it a priority to always get a Seasoned Scout to bring back to my settlement and start greeting Natives to find out what they'll train my not-so-good people to do, what the want, and any booty.

What I've found that works the best, so far, is to find the first settlement with a lot of food tiles like 2 fish/crab/combo tiles and really get the Experts in there to really crank food out. After oh-so-much, you get a Free Colonist. Other than that, I guess build docks, wagons for trade and storage, schools, and churches as starting buildings. I haven't mastered yet how to balance spreading my colony and getting the stuff I need to make them grow to take on the Royal Expeditionary Force.
 
Thank you. :) one other question for everybody...does anyone have a link to good game play examples like those found here for regular Civ IV:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=258697

Thanks again.

Good questions. So far, I've been following this guide as much as I can:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=310533

I've also, hopefully, starting a new series in the Strategy & Tips section since I'm pretty lousy at Colonization as well even on Pilgrim level. So far, my strategy with the ship after I drop off my starting people is to go back to Europe and see if I can get a Seasoned Scout. I also try to see if I can get some cheap specialists like Elder Statesman, Firebrand Preachers, Missionaries, Blacksmiths, Gunsmiths, Carpenters, Expert Farmers, Expert Fishermen, and Free Colonists. I try to make it a priority to always get a Seasoned Scout to bring back to my settlement and start greeting Natives to find out what they'll train my not-so-good people to do, what the want, and any booty.

What I've found that works the best, so far, is to find the first settlement with a lot of food tiles like 2 fish/crab/combo tiles and really get the Experts in there to really crank food out. After oh-so-much, you get a Free Colonist. Other than that, I guess build docks, wagons for trade and storage, schools, and churches as starting buildings. I haven't mastered yet how to balance spreading my colony and getting the stuff I need to make them grow to take on the Royal Expeditionary Force.
 
I'm like you, I sometimes become frustrated with the game. I used to play the original in DOS, and I liked it a lot. I wish I could play it now, but well those PC's are long gone, and the new DOS (oh, why did we ever have to move byeonf 3.1!!!) probably wouldn't play it. I miss a lot of my older games.

Anyway, I've not had much success. When I have I find the King putting so many restrictions on me that I can't make anything work any more. If I build an army to resist the invasion, I don't prosper. If I prosper, I get my butt kicked. I know it's supposed to emulate life, but holy moly, I play for enjoyment, not torture! :crazyeye:
 
I'm like you, I sometimes become frustrated with the game. I used to play the original in DOS, and I liked it a lot. I wish I could play it now, but well those PC's are long gone, and the new DOS (oh, why did we ever have to move byeonf 3.1!!!) probably wouldn't play it. I miss a lot of my older games.

Have you tried DosBox? I can run the original Colonization and other games such as Master of Magic - complete with sound - on my Windows XP system using DosBox.
http://www.dosbox.com/information.php?page=0
 
Just reduce the difficulty level, that should sort out the King. And you can play with the Netherlands, they get a patient King as a bonus (less demanding).
 
When you first drop off your two units and found your first city, have your ship look very quickly to scout out the immediate area (1, maybe 2 moves). Get it back to Europe just in time to pick up your first immigrants, and if you're lucky and get the chance to pick up a scout - do so immediately. When you landed, you had a soldier and a pioneer. Use the soldier to found the city, and immediately have the pioneer run to the nearest native cities and meet with their leaders. Easy and quick cash that will give you enough money to fill your ship when it gets to Europe (hopefully with a scout!).

You do not need an army in this game. You need a militia. Don't buy veteran soldiers, but before too long you are going to need to buy guns. A lot of them. By the time you revolt from the king's rule, you're going to need enough guns to outfit every city in your fledgling empire (POP X 50 - 50, so 10 villagers = 450 guns in that city). You want to start getting these guns earlier so you can train your people in fighting. Start some wars with the neighboring Indian tribes, and get some experience for your militia and territory for your cities.

From there on out, your guess is as good as mine. Defeating the King seems to be a tricky feat, especially at the higher difficult levels (watching 200 regulars land on your shores is not a pretty sight). I'm actually liking the flow of this game though. There's some real steep challenges for how short it is, and trying to balance out the conflicting objectives makes for an interesting game.
 
@SavingHawaii That's a good tip about gaining experience for your militia. I used to think that if I built up my militia too soon the REF would increase in size. The last game, though, I waited until the very end to create a militia. The REF was still about 25 Veterans, 20 Dragoons and 15 Canons strong. About the same as the game where I started building up my militia much sooner.

I hate attacking the poor Indians, though. Going after the other European colonies, might be too risky, though.
 
I hate attacking the poor Indians, though. Going after the other European colonies, might be too risky, though.

Actually, in my low-difficulty-level experience (won't say any more :mischief:), the Europeans seem to have little to no military, even in the late game. They are easier to invade then the natives, with their >10 Braves. In fact, I'm currently invading John Adams with only 2 Veteran Soldiers, one is a Great General kinda-promoted soldier, the other is a heavily-promoted scout who found a lot of experience-increasing ruins, burial grounds, and villages. I've only found one Cannon in his 4-city colony, which I destroyed (6.00 to 1-something without full health...amazing). Seeing as he's the one who seems to have the most Liberty Bells, I'm surprised.
I would go for the other colonies, if at least to ensure a Time Victory if you don't win independence.
 
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