Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[Mesousa]

Quick question.

I know that the AI is upgraded alot in BTS (unfortuently I can't play it because I have a mac ).

However, I've also heard alot of people around here say it's harder to get a win on emperor level in warlords then it is in BTS.

Is that true? If so, why is this if the AI is upgraded in BTS?

Well, it's both. The AI is "smarter" in BTS than in unmodded Warlords, but it also lost some its "cheating" bonuses, its bonuses to production, research, etc. have decreased. The reasoning being that it doesn't need them as much anymore because it plays better, and that improving the AI and keeping the bonuses would have been overkill. As to whether this has made the game easier or more difficult, my impression is that differs from one player to the next, you'll find many supporting voices for either claim, and it's hard to tell how it'll be for you before you get a chance to try BTS yourself.
The number of extra starting units the AI gets on high difficulty levels was one of the things that changed, it does not get more than one free worker anymore, this might be responsible for some high levels becoming easier than before because one additional initial worker of course makes a huge difference, and the smarter play might not be able to compensate for that.

I don't know if it works on Macs, but you might want to check out the BetterAI mod for Warlords, as the BTS AI improvements are based on it. So this might be a good way for you to get an idea about it.

 

[Lord Parkin]

There should be a pile of gold coins too on the bar of one of your cities. It indicates that the city is #1 regarding research, production or wealth.

Just to clarify, it indicates that the city is #1 in your empire for research, production or wealth. I find that the research and wealth indicators are usually not overly accurate in my games, since I switch between 0% and 100% research a lot. This means that (for instance) on 0% science a city with a lot of specialists may appear as a "top science" city, even though when I'm researching at 100% that city has a very poor science output compared to another city with more cottages.

 

[Giovanni Caboto]

Just to clarify, it indicates that the city is #1 in your empire for research, production or wealth. I find that the research and wealth indicators are usually not overly accurate in my games, since I switch between 0% and 100% research a lot. This means that (for instance) on 0% science a city with a lot of specialists may appear as a "top science" city, even though when I'm researching at 100% that city has a very poor science output compared to another city with more cottages.

That's absolutely right!!

 

[Bartleby147]

Is there a way to play the huge Earth map, but with different civs from the standard 18 that come with it?

So Babylon instead of Persia, Native American instead of American, etc.

And is there any way to keep the starting locations historically accurate even if the civs aren't the standard 18?

Thanks!

 

[Ginger_Ale]

Is there a way to play the huge Earth map, but with different civs from the standard 18 that come with it?

So Babylon instead of Persia, Native American instead of American, etc.

And is there any way to keep the starting locations historically accurate even if the civs aren't the standard 18?

Thanks!

Hi Bartleby147, welcome to CFC!

I suggest you take a look at the maps database and maps forum. It's much easier to download a new, better map for BtS than to edit the map with only 18 civilizations. This way, you get all 34 civilizations (well, you could remove some if you want by going into the WorldBuilder) in the game. In particular, this map seems to be the same map geographically as the 18 civilizations version, just updated for BtS.

 

[Bartleby147]

Thanks so much! That's exactly what I was looking for. I've been lurking for a while, but it seems like I need to spend more time here

And sorry for spamming the board - I didnt' even see this thread was here until I had already put down the other threads

 

[Zilar]

I've got 3 questions concering war in some way:

1. If I capture an enemy city that has wonders, which functions are not already obsolete, and I decide to raze that city. Can the wonder then be build again?

I guess the answer is no, but before someone asks why I want to raze cities with active wonders: In my current game as Tokugawa Versaille was built by Gandhi in a city next to my capital. I'm planning on destroying Gandhi and wonder If take that city and rebuild my palace somewhere else or raze it and build Versaille somewhere else, if that is possible (The city isn't that that attractive except Versaille)

2. If I have built a national wonder, e.g. the "Erimitage" and the enemy built it too in one of his cities. What happens if I conquer that city?

3. If I attack an enemy on another continent. Is there any sense in weakening him until he accepts to be my vassal? Isn't it more efficent to take the citys and then found a colony, so you got a vassal that actually likes you?


Thanks in advance!

 

[fed1943]

1. No.
2. Always destroyed.
3. Two possible reasons: it saves time (war weariness,less units needed and so) and
less risk the enemy vassalizes to another.

Best regards,

 

[Roland Johansen]

I've got 3 questions concering war in some way:

1. If I capture an enemy city that has wonders, which functions are not already obsolete, and I decide to raze that city. Can the wonder then be build again?

I guess the answer is no, but before someone asks why I want to raze cities with active wonders: In my current game as Tokugawa Versaille was built by Gandhi in a city next to my capital. I'm planning on destroying Gandhi and wonder If take that city and rebuild my palace somewhere else or raze it and build Versaille somewhere else, if that is possible (The city isn't that that attractive except Versaille)

You can't rebuild a world wonder. When a world wonder is destroyed, it will be lost forever.

Rebuilding the palace is an option that is not very expensive and under certain circumstances can significantly reduce your upkeep. The palace is a much cheaper building than Versailles. If you like to use the bureaucracy civic which gives a large boost to the capital, then it is wise to take that into account when you plan to move the palace. You want to pick a good city for the future palace site.

2. If I have built a national wonder, e.g. the "Erimitage" and the enemy built it too in one of his cities. What happens if I conquer that city?

National wonders cannot be captured. They are destroyed when the city is captured.

3. If I attack an enemy on another continent. Is there any sense in weakening him until he accepts to be my vassal? Isn't it more efficent to take the citys and then found a colony, so you got a vassal that actually likes you?

The reason for creating a vassal would likely be the time gained where you don't have to fight the enemy. This can be valuable when you're involved in multiple wars, when war weariness is killing you or if you go for a quick conquest victory. But you're right that a colony is more likely to like you.

 

[Zilar]

Thanks to both of you.

Another question that just came to my mind (It's the first time I seem to be able to achieve a military victory in Civ4, so there's much I don't know yet):

Can I use the airports transport-system to move units to my vassals cities or do they need to be my own?
That would save me from sending all reinforcements by ship or save the upkeep I had to pay If I instead conquered a few cities on that continent.

 

[JTMacc99]

Yes, you can airlift into vassal cities.

 

[BrantleyL1]

You should avoid having tiles that are outside the fat cross of all of your cities. These tiles are largely wasted.

Pardon me for nit-picking, but I think you mean ...avoid improving tiles outside your fat cross...

It's difficult or not desirable (in many cases), to have ALL tiles in your cultural borders in one of your fat crosses.

However, if you have a needed resource (say copper) outside your fat cross, you CAN build the mine to get it. You just don't get the bonus hammers that come from working it.

 

[Roland Johansen]

Pardon me for nit-picking, but I think you mean ...avoid improving tiles outside your fat cross...

It's difficult or not desirable (in many cases), to have ALL tiles in your cultural borders in one of your fat crosses.

However, if you have a needed resource (say copper) outside your fat cross, you CAN build the mine to get it. You just don't get the bonus hammers that come from working it.

I don't mind nit-picking if I made a spelling mistake or chose the wrong English word. However in this case, I really meant to say that one should avoid having tiles outside your fat cross and it's probably pretty clear that I really meant to say that. So, I don't mind if you say that you disagree and want to discuss the matter, but don't say that I meant to say something different. I really do know what I mean to say.

I'll explain my position in this matter a bit further.

A tile outside the fat crosses of your cities is a potential source of commerce, hammers and food which isn't used. Of course, there is no problem when the tile is a resourceless tile like a desert or peak tile. And the value of some tiles may be very low (tundra) so the loss isn't very bad in that case.

But if a substantial number of tiles in between your cities isn't used, then I'd say that your cities aren't placed very well. A city using something like 6 decent tiles can already make a profit. It will never be a great city and it won't be the backbone of your empire, but the commerce and hammers coming out of the city are larger than the investment making the existence of the city justified. Of course, there can be better investments of your hammers than this marginal city and in that case those investments should take precedence. For instance, at the start of the game your hammers should be invested in settlers for prime building locations. Somewhat later, the hammers could probably better be invested in buildings or units for a war of conquest. But later in the game, almost every tile has a positive value and wasting tiles will diminish the potential strength of your empire.

 

[Sisiutil]

RJ makes a good point here. In recent games I've tried to reign in a tendency I have towards "power cities" that grab as many attractive resources as possible. Unfortunately this often leaves gaps of otherwise-useful tiles (grassland, hills, even plains and sometimes (shudder) flood plains in between the cities and unused. It can also increase maintenance costs because of the distance between cities, and make you more vulnerable in the early game to barbarians pillaging the long roads you need outside of your borders.

It would be better to allocate the resources a little more evenly between cities, especially if the city won't specialize to become a GP farm, Wall Street city, etc. You tend to want those cities to be "power cities" and therefore resource hogs, but most of your other cities will be average but valuable nonetheless, so distributing resources between them can still work.

I'm also getting used to the idea that a city without any resources--even without food resources--can still be useful, especially once Civil Service comes along so you can irrigate its tiles.

 

[Roland Johansen]

Personally, for me the ideal situation would be the following.

I have complete knowledge of a continent and all of its resources (also the once which aren't visible at the start of the game). Then I place my power specialist cities which are mentioned above by Sisiutil in the ideal positions. A GP-farm with the National Epic and the Globe Theatre in a position with several food resources and flood plains and very few non-farmable tiles. A Military production city with the Heroic Epic and West Point in an area with several hills and food resources. A Research city with Oxford University in flat lands with a tiny access to sea (for better trade routes) and a nice long river and so on.

Then the rest of the land including the coastal tiles (sea tiles are not so important) is divided among the rest of the cities which are the grunts of my army of cities. They do the main jobs and aren't extremely specialised. Ideally each of these cities has at least a single food resource to make speedy growth possible, but if this isn't possible then some land will have to be farmed to make speedy growth possible. A few of these grunt cities will still focus on production so that these can produce the units and the other cities don't have to do that (as much). Most of the grunt cities will have some production and lots of commerce and these will be the main force behind my research. Ideally, only very few tiles are left unused.

Of course, you don't have complete knowledge of the continent and the AI will also place cities in positions that won't fit ideally with your city grid. Still, I try to plan ahead to get a nice city layout with a few power specialist cities and a great number of grunt cities and very few unused tiles. I typically draw a city layout on the map of my future 8-15 cities when my first settler is being build (the number of cities that I can draw is of course dependent on the success of the early exploring units).

Oh, if it wasn't clear yet, I'm an obsessive perfectionist.

 

[MrCynical]

Pardon me for nit-picking, but I think you mean ...avoid improving tiles outside your fat cross...

It's difficult or not desirable (in many cases), to have ALL tiles in your cultural borders in one of your fat crosses.

However, if you have a needed resource (say copper) outside your fat cross, you CAN build the mine to get it. You just don't get the bonus hammers that come from working it.

I'd also consider it a bad idea to leave tiles outside your city radii. That is simply wasting land that could be productive, and land is usually the limiting factor to your civ. It is preferable to somewhat overlap cities rather than to allow tiles to go to waste.

The exceptions are desert, peaks, ice and unimprovable tundra, which either generate nothing, or less than the citizen working it will consume. Since these tiles are worthless, they can be left outside city radii.

 

[Mknn]

I have addicted some of my family members to cIV. In doing so, they are asking me for advice and sending me saves of their games to look at. To answer some of their questions, I would really like to hop into WorldBuilder, but its not an option when I open their saves. What do I or they need to do so I can examine their games in WB?

 

[Canefanatic]

when i get biology, would it be better to replace some of the farms with cottages or should i just use the extra food on specialists?

 

[Sisiutil]

when i get biology, would it be better to replace some of the farms with cottages or should i just use the extra food on specialists?

It totally depends on the economic strategy you've been playing, among other things.

Obviously if you've been playing a SE you should go with specialists. That being said, my own experience is based upon the fact that I usually play something of a hybrid where I have a few cottage cities (around the capital to leverage Bureaucracy, around any city with >1 $$$-rich resource (gold, silver, gems, dye), and around any foreign city I capture with mature cottages). As such, I don't usually find it necessary to transition my SE over to a CE in the late game.

If you're playing a CE, you might consider more cottages in place of farms. However, before doing that, you should consider how long it will take you to (a) research/acquire Democracy and (b) switch to Emancipation. Reason? That civic will speed up the maturity rate for those new cottages, which will not produce much commerce for some time. If Emancipation is a long way off, you might do better running Merchant specialists until you make that switch.

 

[Roland Johansen]

I have addicted some of my family members to cIV. In doing so, they are asking me for advice and sending me saves of their games to look at. To answer some of their questions, I would really like to hop into WorldBuilder, but its not an option when I open their saves. What do I or they need to do so I can examine their games in WB?

In the custom game setup, there is an option called 'Lock modified assets'. If this option was selected by the creator of the game, then the game will not use changed game rules in the customassets directory and the game cannot access the world builder. It is a switch that is a necessity when playing a GOTM or when you want your game to be admissible for the high scores on this site. It avoids cheating through the world builder or by changing the game rules.

If your family members used this switch, then you cannot enter the world builder.