Quick Answers (formerly Newbie Questions)

[Gainy]

Firstly, welcome to CfC

What you are wanting is acually quite easy to do yourself.
Open the editor, click on "Scenario", then click "Custom Rules".
Then click "Rules", "Edit", "Difficulty Levels".
Choose the level you want to make these changes to(from the pull down menu), ie Regent. Then simply edit the corruption level (on the slider thingie).

As for the Optimum city thing, go to "World Sizes" (on the window you have open already), Click on "Standard" from the pull down menu, and edit the number in the box which says "Optimal number of cities (corruption)".

You will need to save this, then simply load it from the scenario bit in Civilisation.

Hope that helps

 

[Dianthus]

Originally posted by Gainy bo
As for the Optimum city thing, go to "World Sizes" (on the window you have open already), Click on "Standard" from the pull down menu, and edit the number in the box which says "Optimal number of cities (corruption)".

Isn't there a side effect of this in that the AI avoids expanding past the optimal number of cities, so increasing it causes the AI to be much more aggressive?

 

[Gainy]

Isn't there a side effect of this in that the AI avoids expanding past the optimal number of cities, so increasing it causes the AI to be much more aggressive?

I don't honestly know. All he asked was how to do it, I don't care about the side affects

 

[Dianthus]

Originally posted by Gainy bo
I don't honestly know. All he asked was how to do it, I don't care about the side affects

I'm sure I've read about this somewhere else, maybe the Corruption thread in the Strategy forum. It could make for quite a fun game .

 

[lucasg]

If you start building the Iron Works (needing both iron and coal within the radius) and one of the resources depletes, what happens?

 

[MadScot]

Nothing. Once you start a build you don't check the requirements again.

However, if you select another build, then try to swap back you can't.

Same applies to anything - if you have rubber you can start to build infantry. Even if you lose it before the unit builds, you can still finish it. But no more can start.

 

[Grille]

If your only city w/ the IW option is newly founded and lacks city improvements and tile infrastructure (town is too small/corrupt for a wonder build atm), you would not start IW right away. Then you may not have both the iron & coal connected to your trade network until you start IW (btw, you don't even need to connect the coal/iron nearby if the city has access to other sources of coal/iron to be able to start IW).
Unconnected resources don't deplete and you can first improve the city's production abilities.

 

[Tonto_Simfish]

Hi; I'm new to the forum, and have a few questions.. (Please bear in mind that I ony have Civ III; no expansions):

Firstly, after I have researched Military Tradition, and have a strong base, then should I just produce cavalry, and perhaps a few muskets/riflemen to defend my cavalry? They're like the only good offensive units in this age; and they die horribly to pikemen. Secondly, after I have motorized transportation, then should I build tanks and only tanks? (Provided that I'm not launching an amphibious assault). My cities can produce them in a few turns, and they're basically better than marines and paratroopers in all other aspects. Are marines practically useless from this point on except for mounting amphibious assaults?

Also, what use are destroyers once you get battleships, which come a little bit later? Maybe the shorter production time; but it doesn't decrease the production time by much. It often seems like destroyers are simply worthless...

Thanks!

 

[AlanH]

Originally posted by Tonto_Simfish
Firstly, after I have researched Military Tradition, and have a strong base, then should I just produce cavalry, and perhaps a few muskets/riflemen to defend my cavalry?

Before tanks, cavalry are way the best attacking unit. They can move long distances and often retreat to fight another day after inflicting damage.

If your opposition has big cities and/or infantry I would recommend getting in lots of artillary, as you really need to wear down the defenders and reduce city sizes to allow your cavalry to win territory.

Defenders are often more trouble than they are worth on offensive missions, as they can't keep up with the horses. Best use the best ones you can produce to set up a strong initial defensive position on the enemy's territory to draw the AI attack and absorb it. Cavalry can even do this job if you don't have rifles - they have defence of 3 compared with muskets at 4, and they can attack an oncoming foot soldier before it even gets to your defensive position if you do a bit of early pillaging. The AI usually throws everything at you in the first few turns and then they are burnt out and you only have to deal with their defenders. Then go in as fast as possible with stacks of cavalry, taking as many cities as possible in each turn, and using the enemies roads and rail to push forward as you take their cities. [Take some workers along to repair any pillage damage you've done]. I've used a ROP to "help" build railroads through a rival's territory, backed out, declared war and then used the rails to cut through them in three or four turns.

They're like the only good offensive units in this age; and they die horribly to pikemen.

Not as horriby or as often as other units. With a 6 attack strength and retreat they are better than anything else until tanks.

Secondly, after I have motorized transportation, then should I build tanks and only tanks? (Provided that I'm not launching an amphibious assault).

Tanks plus artillary, for the same reasons as above. I've not found a good use for marines in a land war.

Also, what use are destroyers once you get battleships, which come a little bit later? Maybe the shorter production time; but it doesn't decrease the production time by much. It often seems like destroyers are simply worthless...

If you have shields to burn then build battleships exclusively, but they cost almost twice as much. I don't tend to build huge numbers, as the AI doesn't know how to wage naval warfare. I find their main advantage is their superior bombard range and power for helping the artillary to soften up land targets. I think it's called "battlefield preparation". I suggest a mix. Losing a destroyer to a frigate or ironclad is rather less galling than losing a battleship, and both happen too frequently to be funny.

 

[Grille]

Hi & welcome to CFC, Tonto_Simfish

I'd think that pikemen are relative weak against cavalries. And a cavalry has still a chance to retreat if things go wrong.
Generally, just don't expect to win with one cavalry vs one pikeman.
Maybe you should avoid attacks on pikes that gain a defending bonus (rather attack them in the open than fortified pikes on mountains in a fortress, just to bring up a bad example). If you want to attack a town/city, you may want to right-click the enemy's city center square for an investigation of the terrain type, also avoid attacks across rivers (control-shift-m clears map to have a look at all surroundings btw). Often you can circumvent such a river attack by a "side-step" because of the cavalry's fine movement rate. Well, sure, you should produce cavalry (there's no alternative), but some defenders as well. Depends on the offensive threat by your enemy. Maybe you shouldn't go to deep into enemy territory too early, as the defenders aren't capable to follow your fast cavalry.
If enemy defence appears to be somehow very strong, a stack of cannons could reduce the defender's health before cavalry attacks. Later you can upgrade to artillery and it's not that unusual to raid a city/metro with cavalry, if the defending infantry has been prepared by heavy bombardment.
Later, I would build tanks, of course.

Marines are mainly designed for amphibious assaults. (If you have oil, that is.)

Destroyers make a good (and cheaper) escort and explorer.
Also, 2 destroyers might observe the ocean better than one battleship. I always build a mixture of both when I need a navy.

 

[cripdyke]

thanks for letting me know about scenario controls. I don't normally think of clicking the "scenario" button cuz i think of that as only for pre-constructed worlds, not for modifying rules.

i'll go try it, and i'll probably figure things out myself easily enough now that i know to go there, but if you answer my next question, that'd be great:

so, do you have to recreate this scenario every time you start a game or when you save it, are you saving the rules without any specific map attached? If so I can always start w/ a new world w/o redoing these mods...if not, that's fine, but it becomes repetitive so it just seems like there should be a way to either make those the default rules always or at least make them map-independent.

Oh, and I know most folx around here are "he", but I'll stick w/ "she", thanks.

 

[general_kill]

hmm, later on in the game destroyers and battleships are build within 1-2 turns of each other so i would go for the battleship there. just because you can seek and destroy any ship you want as you discover them

 

[Aggie]

Originally posted by cripdyke
so, do you have to recreate this scenario every time you start a game or when you save it, are you saving the rules without any specific map attached? If so I can always start w/ a new world w/o redoing these mods...if not, that's fine, but it becomes repetitive so it just seems like there should be a way to either make those the default rules always or at least make them map-independent.

Oh, and I know most folx around here are "he", but I'll stick w/ "she", thanks.

When you save the game (bix), you also save the rules. So when you load the bix you are able to generate a new map with these rules.

 

[Eastern Knight]

why do sometimes the resources exhaust when you didn't even use them yet?

 

[Aggie]

They do not exhaust when you don't connect a road to them (in your territory or with a colony). As soon as you connect them, it counts as 'in use'

 

[carlosMM]

Eastern Knight: because otherwise this can happen (as did to me in an earlier patch):

everyone hooks up his iron
it exhausts
new iron appears on an island that is mountains only
no non-mountain tiles = no city can be built
--> iron cannot be used
--> will not exhaust
--> cannot move elsehwere
--> no more iron in game!

 

[carlosMM]

aggie: not true anymore, I have had rare(!) instances of unused iron disappearing

 

[AlanH]

Do exhausted resources ALWAYS reappear somewhere else? Can't they just disappear without a replacement?

 

[carlosMM]

AlanH: their number is set in concrete - so they always come back.

 

[Turner]

@AlanH - There's a Screenshot of the Day where a resource was depleted and found on the same tile. I don't remember which one it is, but if you scroll through the archives (link's on the main page) you can find it. Talk about lucky!

@Carlos - Hey, long time no see! Good to see ya back. .