Quick Answers (formerly Newbie Questions)

[Leha]

Sorry for dumb question . I'm playing for quite a long time and only lately noticed that when I draft population in the city
sometimes conscript soldier pops from it . ( last time it was
infantry conscript ) . What's that ??

 

[Speaker]

That's what drafting units does. It produces a conscript of the best defensive unit (Rifleman, Infantry, or Mech Infantry) that you are capable of training at the loss of a population point.

 

[Leha]

Ooook . I thought drafting is just for getting rid of foreign citizens .
Thanks , Speaker

 

[Lenvik]

I don't think you can draft foreigners, only native population.

 

[Inter4]

@Lenvik: You can draft any citizen

 

[Bamspeedy]

Lenvik may be right (but I'm not 100% positive about this).

I seem to remember that I couldn't draft out of a city that had 100% foreigners in it. If there is a mix of population, then the game always takes your citizens first, just like when you build workers/settlers.

 

[anarres]

You can't draft foreign citizens, ever. Promise.

 

[Puzzlinon]

Quick question: is there a way to change to one of the alternative scenery sets on a game-in-progress?

I've only ever used them when I remember to start from the scenario. Is there a way to change on the fly?

(This is in PTW, if that makes any difference.)

 

[WillJ]

1. Just to make it perfectly clear for myself: Does the AI know the terrain before exploring it? Or am I right in thinking (or rather, remembering from a past discussion) that the AI doesn't, but once it discovers a tile, it knows its "future" (such as if a resource will appear on it). The reason I want to know is: Is trading your map safe, in the sense that the AI already knows it anyway? Or would it be unwise to give it if you don't want the AI to know your territory?

2. Does the AI value techs when trading as in the same way as when choosing which ones to research (discussed in alexman's article "What will the AI research next?") For example, if the AI would rather research bronze working instead of pottery, would the AI value BW more than pottery in a trade? Or is it cost that matters (which is what I think)?

 

[pdescobar]

@Puzzlinon: Not in the way you intend. The only reliable way to switch the graphics on a game in-progress would be to actually switch the files around. It's possible that you could change the scenario search path embedded in the SAV with a saved-game editor, but I don't know if any of them actually have an easy way to do so.

----

@WillJ: I can't definitively answer either one

Re #1, I believe they know the terrain (at least for settlement purposes), but others believe they don't. I have seen evidence which supports both conclusions...

Re#2: That's a good question. There are other factors in trade value, such as the adjusted research cost, but the values alexman discovered may play a role. In theory, you could probably design a test for it by setting all tech costs the same, giving the AI a huge treasury, and seeing how much they'd pay on the first turn of the game for something with a high "alexman-value" like bronze-working compared to something with a low one.

 

[Turner]

Originally posted by Puzzlinon
Quick question: is there a way to change to one of the alternative scenery sets on a game-in-progress?

I've only ever used them when I remember to start from the scenario. Is there a way to change on the fly?

(This is in PTW, if that makes any difference.)

I have changed the .PCX files mid game, and nothing came of it. That was just a pop mod, to better see if the pop is happy, content, or unhappy. I would assume it would work on a larger scale, but I've never tested this.

Originally posted by WillJ
1. Just to make it perfectly clear for myself: Does the AI know the terrain before exploring it? Or am I right in thinking (or rather, remembering from a past discussion) that the AI doesn't, but once it discovers a tile, it knows its "future" (such as if a resource will appear on it). The reason I want to know is: Is trading your map safe, in the sense that the AI already knows it anyway? Or would it be unwise to give it if you don't want the AI to know your territory?

2. Does the AI value techs when trading as in the same way as when choosing which ones to research (discussed in alexman's article "What will the AI research next?") For example, if the AI would rather research bronze working instead of pottery, would the AI value BW more than pottery in a trade? Or is it cost that matters (which is what I think)?

1 - Definately the AI knows the 'future' of a tile, once it's discovered. I have reason to suspect that the AI knows the map, because somethings are just too scary. Like me controlling a choke point the AI couldn't get past w/o me seeing it, and then the AI sending ships over on the other side of the choke point to settler unclaimed land. But that was one game, I haven't (nor will I) done any testing on it.

2 - I think, but don't know, that the AI goes by 'tech price' after it's discovered the tech. I've seen the price drop after several AIs have discovered a tech. But I've never tracked this or tested it, just noticed the trend.

 

[WillJ]

Originally posted by pdescobar
Re#2: That's a good question. There are other factors in trade value, such as the adjusted research cost, but the values alexman discovered may play a role. In theory, you could probably design a test for it by setting all tech costs the same, giving the AI a huge treasury, and seeing how much they'd pay on the first turn of the game for something with a high "alexman-value" like bronze-working compared to something with a low one.

Okay, tomorrow I might do a little test if no one answers. Thanks for your help. (even though you didn't really help j/k)

@Puzzlinon: No 100% guarantee that this will work:

Note: When I say copy, it's important that you do so, and not cut

Find the civ3X.bix file in your PTW folder. Make a copy of it elsewhere (your desktop would be fine). Then copy the scenario file of the terrain style you want (in the scenarios folder), and paste it into the main PTW folder, and delete the original .bix file. Hopefully, when you play again (with any non-scenario game), it will have the terrain graphics that you want.

If this doesn't work, or it screws it up, just move your civ3X backup-copy into the PTW folder and delete the scenario file (it'll still be in the scenarios folder), and you should be back where you started, no harm done. I won't guarantee that this won't mess anything up, but I seriously doubt it. It might be wise to wait for someone who knows what he's talking about to answer, or to ask in the Civ3 Creation and Customization forum.

 

[WillJ]

Originally posted by Turner_727
1 - Definately the AI knows the 'future' of a tile, once it's discovered. I have reason to suspect that the AI knows the map, because somethings are just too scary. Like me controlling a choke point the AI couldn't get past w/o me seeing it, and then the AI sending ships over on the other side of the choke point to settler unclaimed land. But that was one game, I haven't (nor will I) done any testing on it.

Hmm... Wait a second, didn't Firaxis once admit that the AI "cheats" in that it knows the map (and that that is just about the only cheat)? Or did they just admit that the AI knows the future of already discovered land?

Originally posted by Turner_727
2 - I think, but don't know, that the AI goes by 'tech price' after it's discovered the tech. I've seen the price drop after several AIs have discovered a tech. But I've never tracked this or tested it, just noticed the trend.

Yeah, cost almost certainly makes a difference, because it also is less "worthy" if the potential buyer has put research into it. The two possiblities would be that only cost matters, or both cost and "AI's opinion of its value" matter.

 

[Puzzlinon]

I don't think the AI knows the map without exploring/acquiring, but I think it knows about the improvements and positioning
of troops.

When you are a land bridge between countries at war,
if you create central blockage, neither force attempts to cross
(whether you are roaded or railed.) As soon as a troop moves
and creates an opening, the stacks move forward and try to creep through. Even with no scouting troops anywhere near.
That's not possible with the knowledge available to us.

 

[Renata]

I think someone did a test that showed that the AI did know the map before actually seeing it. Something along the lines of a scenario where the AI starts at the center of an island with four peninsulas, with a resource on one of them, and always sending its first settler for the resource (without having explored there). But I might be remembering it wrong.

Renata

 

[Padma]

I'm pretty certain the discussion came out as "they know the map". They act, in most cases, like they don't, but when it comes to settling near resources, etc., they take advantage of that knowledge.

(I just wish search was back on so I could check my memory. )

 

[superslug]

I'm so happy this forum no longer has newbie stigma attached to it. I'm using bombers for the first time in forever (I usually win by then or wait for ICBM's), and I can't remember something.

NEW QUESTIONS: If a bomber (and fighters for that matter) are wounded, will they heal simply by fortifying them in a city? The city in question has an airport, will this make them heal quicker, or is it a prerequisite? Also, will they automatically reactivate when fully healed like other units do? Thanks! NEW QUESTIONS:

 

[WillJ]

Originally posted by Padma
I'm pretty certain the discussion came out as "they know the map". They act, in most cases, like they don't, but when it comes to settling near resources, etc., they take advantage of that knowledge.

(I just wish search was back on so I could check my memory. )

So if this is true, there's no harm done in letting other civs have your maps?

 

[DaviddesJ]

Originally posted by WillJ
So if this is true, there's no harm done in letting other civs have your maps?

It's been speculated that if you know of a large unsettled territory, the AI players will head more aggressively to settle it if you trade them your map, even though they "know" anyway. I think it's a relatively minor effect, though.

The main reason not to trade your map is that if you trade it to one AI, that player might well trade it to everyone else, eliminating its trade value for you. So it's often desirable to look for the right timing and then trade/sell your map to everyone.

 

[MadScot]

RE: Ai valuing of techs in trade.

Since tech cost is not dependent on whether there is an available wonder with the tech, but the alexman-value does include such things, then I think the AI must use at least some of the alexman-value when valuing techs.

I'm pretty sure the amount the AI will pay for my tech has dropped markedly once the wonder is built. The AIs value Music Theory quite highly until JSBach's is built, and then it's all but worthless, for example.