Overwhelmed

[Pim1977]

Hey all!

Well, I've been playing Civ IV for a while now (a few weeks) with both expansions, I read through the entire manual, and lots of posts in the War Academy here. At warlord difficulty things are going very nice for me.

One thing that is really a problem for me though is the amount of possibilities you get once you continue later in a game. All the possible technologies to choose from (which to do first), all the civics, all the buildings (especially wonders), and all the improvements really make it hard for me to pick which is the best choice at that point. I kind of lose control because I can't sufficiently value all the consequences of the possible choices.

How do you guys handle this? Just keep playing and I'll learn? At this point I don't feel like playing a game anymore after a certain point because of this, and I start a new game.. Any suggestions and tips are welcome, thanks!

 

[pat4]

Hi,

Well I've been playing civ for a few years and I still have the same problem as you. If I was you just do one thing at a time in one game. For instance go with what the computer advises to build and research but use your workers. That way you can really get used to getting your workers to work properly.

When I wanted to learn how to speceliase my cities, I started a game knowing that I wouldn't win it. I just built about 3 cities and specelised them. They turned out to be brilliant cities. In my next game I knew how to specelise my cities well while doing other things.

Hope that helps if it dosn't confuse you.

 

[countrygrl]

hi,

i would suggest playing around, and experimenting. the more you play, the more you will develop your favorite style, and the more you will learn what techs to prioritize. if you have, don't be afraid to bump it down a notch so you can learn a little more.

try playing a game, and write down questions you have, and go to the manual and read about those questions.

the only way to get better, is to play more.

 

[Willem]

Just keep playing and I'll learn?

Exactly. It's a complex game that takes time to figure out. I've been playing it since it was first released and I'm still learning new things about it.

 

[Ambidexter]

It took me years to figure out how to play Civ. When I finally won at Sid level, I knew I had a handle on the game.

Playing Civ is like doing anything else that's moderately complicated. The more you practice, the better you'll be.

 

[Sisiutil]

As you reach the later stages of the game, it's time to devote yourself to pursuing your preferred victory condition. Think "backwards", if you will, from that. What will help you achieve that goal the most, and what is extraneous to it?

Suppose, for example, that you're pursuing a space race victory. That automatically means that certain technologies are dispensable: in BtS, this includes Divine Right, Flight (!), Fascism, Mass Media, Advanced Flight, and Stealth. It also means that certain late game wonders are unnecessary: Hollywood, Broadway, Rock & Roll, the Eiffel Tower, the Pentagon, Christo Redentor, and several others. (By the way, in BtS, the Space Elevator is a red herring; you can skip Computers and Robotics completely, going through Laser to get Fiber Optics, and still build your space ship in plenty of time.) Rocketry (to build the Apollo Program) and Industrialism (to reveal Aluminum) become high priority techs, along with those that enable space ship parts. You'll want just enough of a military to stave off the distraction of an invasion. You'll want to play your diplomatic cards carefully too, so you're left alone in peace to finish the ship.

If you're going after domination or conquest, the opposite is true. You can de-prioritize the space ship techs unless they enable advantageous military units (Industrialism for Tanks and Marines being a prime example). The Pentagon becomes a choice wonder, and you may want to build the happiness-increasing wonders like the Eiffel Tower to help you deal with war weariness (mind you, Police State + Mount Rushmore + a Jail = 0 war weariness). Diplomacy is less of an issue if you're the biggest, meanest kid on the block, though you never want to ignore it completely, of course.

Each victory condition also has implications for civics, city build priorities, and so on. Just keep asking yourself, as you face each choice, "Is this directly going to help me win?" Be wary of pursuing goals, especially wonders, just because they're shiny and "nice to have". Also be careful about doing things solely out of habit. Not every city requires a bank and a university, and you don't have to build every single national wonder.