Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[Pangaea]

who gets the chop for tiles that are outside of a cities BFC? It makes no sense to me.

in this screenshot Tile 1 is three tiles horizontal from Memphis, two tiles diagonal from Alexandria, and Memphis gets it. Seemingly the exact opposite, Tile 2 is three tiles horizontal from Alexandria and 2 tiles diagonal from Memphis, but Memphis still gets it. How do I figure out who gets the chop before wasting a worker turn moving there?

edit: ooh, memphis has 3rd ring culture. Is that why? What if it hadn't popped past second ring yet?

I'm not 100% sure about this, and maybe the 3rd ring culture you mention impacts things too. But I think it is based on tiles from cities, and if there is a tie, it will go to th city highest in the F1 city list, or the oldest cities (can sometimes be different with captured cities). Presumably Memphis is higher in this list than Alexandria. Diagonal tiles count 1.5, which means both the forests you have in the screenshot are 3 tiles from both cities. Memphis being older/higher in the city list, should therefore explain why it gets both chops instead of Alexandria.

 

[jmas]

I'm not 100% sure about this, and maybe the 3rd ring culture you mention impacts things too. But I think it is based on tiles from cities, and if there is a tie, it will go to th city highest in the F1 city list, or the oldest cities (can sometimes be different with captured cities). Presumably Memphis is higher in this list than Alexandria. Diagonal tiles count 1.5, which means both the forests you have in the screenshot are 3 tiles from both cities. Memphis being older/higher in the city list, should therefore explain why it gets both chops instead of Alexandria.

I think you are right about city priority. I also think, but don't know for sure, that the game tracks how much of your culture each city is putting on a tile, and the city that has output more culture onto the tile gets the chop (assuming outside BFCs, as OP said), except for a tie which is probably handled as you say.

Also @earthy , hold down Shift, click Go To from the unit options at the bottom, click the tile you want to check, then check the hover text over the chop icon. It'll say where the chop goes. Then make sure you hit Backspace or click Cancel before you release Shift, if you don't want the worker to actually move there. It's a bit fiddly but has worked well in my current game.

Hmm, I'm pretty tired right now but if someone has a script for Auto Hot Keys where it would hold down Shift for you and keep it held, that would be cool. Maybe it could be set to also hit G (I think) for Go To.

I have a pre chop Auto Hot Key script to cancel chopping immediately after the command is put in to chop, so I can chop one turn at a time if I want. It doesn't always manage to cancel the chop, because the game moves to the next unit at mind-bending speed, but it performs reasonably well. I can post that if people want.

 

[Pangaea]

I have a pre chop Auto Hot Key script to cancel chopping immediately after the command is put in to chop, so I can chop one turn at a time if I want. It doesn't always manage to cancel the chop, because the game moves to the next unit at mind-bending speed, but it performs reasonably well. I can post that if people want.

Sounds like you are not using the BUG mod and the BULL DLL file? With those (or the Buffy mod), there is a function that automatically stops workers that are pre-chopping when there is one turn left. Just be aware that if you happen to have several workers chopping the same forest (can be nice on the slower game speeds, especially Marathon), this will not work correctly for all workers, so the forest will actually be chopped.

I've not gotten the Shift-thing to work for me, which is a little annoying when trying to figure out the best city for GM trade missions, but no big deal. The buttons in the menu bar don't "stick" to the new tile you shift-move to, but apply to the tile the worker currently resides in. I've tried that trick so many times, but it always fails, so by now I've stopped trying. Would be nice if it worked, though. But excellent that it works for others

 

[jmas]

Sounds like you are not using the BUG mod and the BULL DLL file? With those (or the Buffy mod), there is a function that automatically stops workers that are pre-chopping when there is one turn left. Just be aware that if you happen to have several workers chopping the same forest (can be nice on the slower game speeds, especially Marathon), this will not work correctly for all workers, so the forest will actually be chopped.

I've not gotten the Shift-thing to work for me, which is a little annoying when trying to figure out the best city for GM trade missions, but no big deal. The buttons in the menu bar don't "stick" to the new tile you shift-move to, but apply to the tile the worker currently resides in. I've tried that trick so many times, but it always fails, so by now I've stopped trying. Would be nice if it worked, though. But excellent that it works for others

Oh, does BUG do that? I believe it was just BUG I installed, not BULL. Although I was surprised that it has so much civ specific unit art. So does BUG without BULL stop at one turn before chop? I definitely don't have BUFFY. Thank you for the info.

 

[s.bernbaum]

Stop before last chop is a BULL function not a BUG function. You set it in the BUG options but if BULL is not installed it is greyed out.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

Oh, does BUG do that? I believe it was just BUG I installed, not BULL. Although I was surprised that it has so much civ specific unit art. So does BUG without BULL stop at one turn before chop? I definitely don't have BUFFY. Thank you for the info.

If you have BUG, BULL and unit specific art, you are likely using the BAT Mod. It does have the pre-chop function working by default, though you can turn it off if you want to, just like when you have BUG/BULL.

 

[jmas]

If you have BUG, BULL and unit specific art, you are likely using the BAT Mod. It does have the pre-chop function working by default, though you can turn it off if you want to, just like when you have BUG/BULL.

Thank you. I think it is BUG without BULL after all. The chop stop option is greyed out like s.bernbaum said, and in the hover text it says it requires BULL.

I think I have unit specific art, but not sure. I didn't have much success searching on Google for side by side comparisons. I know for sure that Korea had different swordsman art. Or is that simply one of 5 "cultural styles" that are in base BTS that I saw an allusion to?

Also, I just found this Reddit comment where the commenter says that they think Kmod includes BAT. I am not playing Kmod right now, but I was a couple of years ago. Could that change the artwork? Or does it apply only when Kmod is actually loaded and active?

Well that was a deeper rabbit hole than I expected. Lemon, I know you have tons of experience with these mods, may I ask what you usually play?

 

[lymond]

Thank you. I think it is BUG without BULL after all. The chop stop option is greyed out like s.bernbaum said, and in the hover text it says it requires BULL.

I think I have unit specific art, but not sure. I didn't have much success searching on Google for side by side comparisons. I know for sure that Korea had different swordsman art. Or is that simply one of 5 "cultural styles" that are in base BTS that I saw an allusion to?

Also, I just found this Reddit comment where the commenter says that they think Kmod includes BAT. I am not playing Kmod right now, but I was a couple of years ago. Could that change the artwork? Or does it apply only when Kmod is actually loaded and active?

Well that was a deeper rabbit hole than I expected. Lemon, I know you have tons of experience with these mods, may I ask what you usually play?

Lemon IS BAT

Kmod includes some BUG stuff, but not BAT.

 

[Pangaea]

I know for sure that Korea had different swordsman art. Or is that simply one of 5 "cultural styles" that are in base BTS that I saw an allusion to?

Units have different art depending on their culture or civilization. I'm not sure if it is different for all civilization, but there are definitely many different ones, so it's possible this is what you observed. In that case, it's base BTS behaviour.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

Units have different art depending on their culture or civilization. I'm not sure if it is different for all civilization, but there are definitely many different ones, so it's possible this is what you observed. In that case, it's base BTS behaviour.

There are something like four or five basic styles of art for base BTS. Varietas Delectat is a mod that has different artwork for each individual civ. It is incorporated in mods like BAT, Better BAT AI, and Realism Invictus, I believe. Cultural Citystyles is nice if you like varied buildings for your civs. That is also included in the above listed mods.

 

[elmurcis]

Two questions from current game
1) What units get Guerilla I promotion from Celtic Dun?
2) What makes AI switch from Friendly to Pleased without change in +XX (+10 and +11 towards Saladin and Monty) value? Is is "1st impression" thing (that I don't see as run some old-ish BUG)?

 

[AcaMetis]

1. Duns give Guerilla to Recon, Archery and Gunpowder-type units, although every gunpowder unit past Muskets require Rifling and that obsoletes Duns. Technically they'd also give the promotion to the Celtic UU, but they get Guerilla I for free by default.
2. Not sure, but it shouldn't be due to First Impressions as that is just a flat modifier that never changes once a game has started.

 

[lymond]

2) What makes AI switch from Friendly to Pleased without change in +XX (+10 and +11 towards Saladin and Monty) value? Is is "1st impression" thing (that I don't see as run some old-ish BUG)?

BULL adds in a lot of the hidden modifiers. Or just use BAT or BUFFY which has BUG+BULL already. It could be anything like "fear of large civilization" thingy or somesuch. Some hidden positives can fluctuate as well. But first thing I'd ask you is whether you have any vassals, cause that can sway things considerably depending on how those leaders feel about your vassal.

Technically they'd also give the promotion to the Celtic UU, but they get Guerilla I for free by default.

Technically, I don't think that is true since dun does not give the promo to melee units. Ofc, irrelevant regardless.

 

[Fippy]

Grens can get G1 from Duns which is certainly worth considering in some games.
I consider G3 as the most powerful single promo.

 

[krikav]

Not extremly relevant, but when I play gauls I tend to try get at least one dun for the city where I build or whip out early muskets as cannon support troops.
They got decent base strength and with guerilla on hills they keep the cannons safe from most foes so thats the promotion I go for often, and with the dun you get that promotion for free.

 

[AcaMetis]

Grens can get G1 from Duns which is certainly worth considering in some games.
I consider G3 as the most powerful single promo.

I'll have to remember that for the Celtic NC text.

 

[Orion Pax]

who gets the chop for tiles that are outside of a cities BFC? It makes no sense to me.

in this screenshot Tile 1 is three tiles horizontal from Memphis, two tiles diagonal from Alexandria, and Memphis gets it. Seemingly the exact opposite, Tile 2 is three tiles horizontal from Alexandria and 2 tiles diagonal from Memphis, but Memphis still gets it. How do I figure out who gets the chop before wasting a worker turn moving there?


edit: ooh, memphis has 3rd ring culture. Is that why? What if it hadn't popped past second ring yet?

Spoiler tiles :

View attachment 580561

I'm not 100% sure about this, and maybe the 3rd ring culture you mention impacts things too. But I think it is based on tiles from cities, and if there is a tie, it will go to th city highest in the F1 city list, or the oldest cities (can sometimes be different with captured cities). Presumably Memphis is higher in this list than Alexandria. Diagonal tiles count 1.5, which means both the forests you have in the screenshot are 3 tiles from both cities. Memphis being older/higher in the city list, should therefore explain why it gets both chops instead of Alexandria.

I hadn't considered its ranking in F1 city list. I had just observed it went to whichever city popped its culture ring onto that tile first. Which probably overlaps with F1 city rankings since culture is such a big part of that? Either way, for planning chops it has born out for me.

But that is only for a tie. If not a tie, the chop simply goes to which city the tile is closest to. Also helpful for planning - often visually it can be easy to get tricked into counting a forest for a particular city (older usually) if you're used to seeing it in your borders, but before a newer closer city. Sometimes I want the chop for the older larger city (i.e., for a wonder, or if it has few forests), so I chop it before settling a new city or before that new city's borders pop. Or vice versa: save a 3rd ring forest in an old city to be a 2nd ring forest chop in the newer city once placed.

 

[Seraiel]

I have a Question towards the experienced Espionage Victory Players here. I' m currently playing a Quattromaster Huge Quick Game and everything went as planned, but now I cannot gift the 3rd city that I want to spy to legendary. Why is that so, Legendary City#1 and Legendary City#2 were absolutely no problem. Is it maybe because I culture-bombed that city three times and the city has too much ? The Difficulty is Settler, so AI imho should be happy about every city it can get. I cannot believe the AI is aware of Espionage Victory and tries to prevent it. If @lymond reads this, is it allowed to call a game Espionage-Game with two cities espionaged towards Legendary and am I allowed to keep my Espionage Victory even if I bring the 3rd city to legendary with regular ? Or which working approach do you have, build another Gift-city directly at Hattys Border?

Here are some screens that should help you judge the situation. I excuse myself for being so dumb to not know this and having to ask here.





If someone can help, Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,

Seraiel.

 

[Pangaea]

If @lymond reads this, is it allowed to call a game Espionage-Game with two cities espionaged towards Legendary and am I allowed to keep my Espionage Victory even if I bring the 3rd city to legendary with regular ?

I've never played a game like this, but what you ask for will work. All that is required is one espionage spread culture mission, and Buffy will see it as an 'espionage' game. You can in effect play a totally normal culture game, but spread culture once in a random city, and it should count. At least that is my understanding from reading some of the posts on the topic here and there.

 

[Pangaea]

Maybe she needs to have some culture in there of her own? From the culture overview, it looks like the two other cities were captured from her (mixed checkboard pattern). I'm simply not sure exactly how that stuff works. Or maybe she will accept the third one once the other two are gifted away -- though that looks a little unlikely here, since the third is closer to her core, if I read that image correctly.