Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[D64]

Pillage the road the stack is on first?

I did that, and it worked for one cav unit. But I have others...

 

[D64]

I THINK if you make the move it will go directly to the adjacent tile even though the displayed route is indirect. I could be wrong.

I tested that, but it really does move it around the long way.

 

[lymond]

I tested that, but it really does move it around the long way.

Yep, I've seen that happen a few times in my long career. I've never really found a way around it. Kinda a bug I guess.

I guess the pillage worked for one since it took half its movement in the process. Do you have a 3 move unit yet like a super-medic? If so, you could pillage the road that is causing the problem and then step back.

edit: hmmm...this is something I haven't tried before and just came to me. Try grouping your cavs together + one weaker 1 unit, and try a stack attack. (I guess you could group all your units but grouping your cavs with 1 weaker unit should ensure that they do the attack).

 

[vorlon_mi]

I've been playing Civ 4 for years, but I feel like this is a newbie question, so here goes...

I am attempting to attack an enemy with a cavalry unit. I am corner/adjacent to the enemy, but there's unowned territory nearby (I just razed a nearby city) with a road that goes around a mountain and leads to the enemy's square. When I select my cav unit and right-click and hold on the enemy square, instead of attacking directly from my square, it wants to move my cav unit around the mountain. The cav unit won't have enough movement to get back to the stack, and doubtless it'll get picked off once it's isolated. I know why it's doing that, but how do I force the game to NOT move, and just attack?

Would the NumPad keys work to move the unit, rather than mouse clicks?

 

[Major Tom]

I've been playing Civ 4 for years, but I feel like this is a newbie question, so here goes...

I am attempting to attack an enemy with a cavalry unit. I am corner/adjacent to the enemy, but there's unowned territory nearby (I just razed a nearby city) with a road that goes around a mountain and leads to the enemy's square. When I select my cav unit and right-click and hold on the enemy square, instead of attacking directly from my square, it wants to move my cav unit around the mountain. The cav unit won't have enough movement to get back to the stack, and doubtless it'll get picked off once it's isolated. I know why it's doing that, but how do I force the game to NOT move, and just attack?

I guess you haven’t declared war yet. Be aware of teleportation when you do.

 

[D64]

I guess you haven’t declared war yet. Be aware of teleportation when you do.

Oh, no, I'm in the middle of a big, juicy war.

 

[D64]

Yep, I've seen that happen a few times in my long career. I've never really found a way around it. Kinda a bug I guess.

I guess the pillage worked for one since it took half its movement in the process. Do you have a 3 move unit yet like a super-medic? If so, you could pillage the road that is causing the problem and then step back.

edit: hmmm...this is something I haven't tried before and just came to me. Try grouping your cavs together + one weaker 1 unit, and try a stack attack. (I guess you could group all your units but grouping your cavs with 1 weaker unit should ensure that they do the attack).

Aw, I thought you had it there, but it didn't work. The one-move unit attacked, but the others didn't.

I had to to just let it go and end the turn, I'd just never encountered that particular weirdness before.

 

[civac]

Did you try the numpad key?

 

[Fippy]

Could be part of the reason why we saw some AI stacks not moving forever in Sulla's Survivor games.
There are pathfinding problems with mountains, and with water blocking a shorther / direct path.

Something else worth mentioning: If 2 units are next to each other it can be almost impossible to select one of them (will always pick the other instead).
Zooming in really close (or far away) can help there.

 

[Samson]

Something else worth mentioning: If 2 units are next to each other it can be almost impossible to select one of them (will always pick the other instead).
Zooming in really close (or far away) can help there.

The way I find that works for this it to move the mouse about while concentrating on the unit banner. When the unit banner of the unit you want to select is highlighted clicking will select that unit.

 

[Pangaea]

Something else worth mentioning: If 2 units are next to each other it can be almost impossible to select one of them (will always pick the other instead).
Zooming in really close (or far away) can help there.

Yes, this is an annoying problem. Particularly with ships and catapults, because they are quite big on the map. Same with trying to select the city 'banner' when another unit is nearby, or even as MP. Zooming far out sometimes helps. Haven't tried the unit banner trick, but will next time

 

[Samson]

The other thing that can help is using control and left or right arrow to change the camera angle, that can allow you to select the unit.

 

[Pangaea]

Good point. Usually forget about that, unless trying to take a screenshot of a strange-looking empire.

 

[Ita Bear]

Hello folks,

Wondering if there are any mods that address game balance - give buildings a hefty buff, perhaps reduce the effectiveness of slavery and so on. Are there any mods that do this integrated with Blue Marble and BAT/BUG?

Kind regards,
Ita Bear

 

[lymond]

Hello folks,

Wondering if there are any mods that address game balance - give buildings a hefty buff, perhaps reduce the effectiveness of slavery and so on. Are there any mods that do this integrated with Blue Marble and BAT/BUG?

Kind regards,
Ita Bear

Someone may have some ideas from experience, but I do know that a lot of major modpacks incorporate BUG or BUG elements. Most of these mods add a tremendous amount of content to the game, but also generally alter traits and civics quite a bit. Also, most of them have there own graphical enhancements or incorporate BM in some way. I do recall some of the big mods making some changes to how slavery works quite significantly, but can't recall what does what. Realism Invictus comes to mind, but it changes the game quite a lot.

KMod is a mod that primary goal was changing game balance aspects. I've played it some in the past. Not keen on it myself, but it has been fairly popular. It incorporates some bug and is meant to reflect the base game with balance changes.

Of the major modpacks, Legends of Revolution is a pretty good mod that although it adds some stuff, it's not overstuffed with changes. It plays fairly much like the base game. However, I can't recall enough to speak to balance and slavery in that mod.

If you are not looking to change the game much, I might recommend Better BAT AI. It will at least affect game balance some, though it does not touch the civics.

 

[civac]

There is a MP balance mod that does some of what you want though the balance assumptions probably will feel weird to you.

Has nerfed slavery. Hammers per pop whipped are only 20 except for the first one (1pop whip is 30 hammers, 2pop 50, 3pop 70 and so forth) . Workshops start at +1 hammer (grasland workshop is 1/2/0 without additional requirements. Extra hammer at Chemistry was removed. Buildings largely cost the same but some of the weaker ones have been slightly buffed and there are way more trait discounts. Traits are rebalanced. However, rebalancing is for the conditions of (slow, ie. Pitboss/Pbem) MP games which leads to decisions you may find odd. For instance, the mod buffs PHI significantly.

 

[6K Man]

Buildings still mostly suck in Legends of Revolution and slavery is still OP . I don't play with revolutions on, but IMO the DCM mod, Spy mod, and other integrated mods make combat in LoR more interesting and balanced.

I play LoR pretty much exclusively now.

 

[civac]

What are the combat changes in LoR?

Buildings aren't that bad actually. The settings people use here are extremely hostile to infrastructure.

 

[6K Man]

Off the top of my head:
- ranged bombard (can bombard from a distance with some siege units, and inflict collateral)
- spy promotions
- additional units in various trees (e.g. Bombard between Treb and Cannon, Motor Infantry between Inf and Mech Inf)
- strength and bonuses tweaked in various units (Axeman now STR 4 but +100% vs melee, Pikemen now +100% vs melee and mounted, for example).
- Legendary units

 

[Fizz'l]

In the world map, London and Paris are spaced two squares apart, but this is normally not allowed. What is the mechanic which is allowing it in this case?