Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[RulerOfDaPeople]

How come I can't get more than one engineer specialist even while running Caste System and Representation? I have a forge, do I need something more? I thought Caste System was supposed to allow you to run unlimited specialists... does that not apply to engineers?

How can I hire more engineer specialists in the same city?

 

[j_jon]

OK, I have a new question. And I hope this is the right place for it. I apologize if it's not. I was experimenting with creating some Unique Units. Not skinning, but editing the XML files and stealing the appearance from existing units. I took a civ with the Greco-Roman art tag and created a unit to replace the Horse Archer. The problem is that when I build the unit in the game it has the same appearance as if it was built by a civ with the European art tag. Is there any way around this? I want them to still look Roman.

 

[RulerOfDaPeople]

OK, I have a new question. And I hope this is the right place for it. I apologize if it's not. I was experimenting with creating some Unique Units. Not skinning, but editing the XML files and stealing the appearance from existing units. I took a civ with the Greco-Roman art tag and created a unit to replace the Horse Archer. The problem is that when I build the unit in the game it has the same appearance as if it was built by a civ with the European art tag. Is there any way around this? I want them to still look Roman.

Do you mean the icon that shows up in the city when choosing to build it? Or do you mean the actual animated unit? Please elaborate more specifically on what you are trying to do and I'm sure I could help.

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you want, but to make a unique unit borrowing from another unit in the game, first you have to create an entry for it in the UnitInfos xml, then you go to the ArtsDefines.xml and make the tags for it there, but when you do so, use the exact same pathway to the actual files as the GreccoRoman horse archer (that you can also find in the same xml file).

 

[Lord Parkin]

How come I can't get more than one engineer specialist even while running Caste System and Representation? I have a forge, do I need something more? I thought Caste System was supposed to allow you to run unlimited specialists... does that not apply to engineers?

How can I hire more engineer specialists in the same city?

Caste System's unlimited specialists only applies to Artists, Merchants, and Scientists (as it says if you mouse over it in the civics screen or check the civilopedia). It does not apply to Engineers or Priests. Representation has nothing to do with Engineers whatsoever.

The Forge only gives 1 Engineer slot. The only other Engineer slots which you get in the game come from the Iron Works, the Factory (or German equivalent), and Industrial Park - all quite late-game buildings. This is deliberate: you're not MEANT to have a huge pool of Great Engineer points right from the start of the game!

Engineers are deliberately hard to come by in the early game because they are (arguably) the best Great Person during this time. Great Engineers are immensely powerful in the early game - imagine if they were everywhere, and people were grabbing the Pyramids, Great Lighthouse, Great Library etc in EVERY game with them. Then there would be no "building competition" for these wonders, there would just be a rush to see who can get a Great Engineer the fastest. That wouldn't be much fun, would it?

OK, I have a new question. And I hope this is the right place for it. I apologize if it's not. I was experimenting with creating some Unique Units. Not skinning, but editing the XML files and stealing the appearance from existing units. I took a civ with the Greco-Roman art tag and created a unit to replace the Horse Archer. The problem is that when I build the unit in the game it has the same appearance as if it was built by a civ with the European art tag. Is there any way around this? I want them to still look Roman.

Try asking your question in the Creation and Customization forum.

 

[RulerOfDaPeople]

Thanks Lord Parkin! You became my go-to person again!

 

[j_jon]

Do you mean the icon that shows up in the city when choosing to build it? Or do you mean the actual animated unit? Please elaborate more specifically on what you are trying to do and I'm sure I could help.

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you want, but to make a unique unit borrowing from another unit in the game, first you have to create an entry for it in the UnitInfos xml, then you go to the ArtsDefines.xml and make the tags for it there, but when you do so, use the exact same pathway to the actual files as the GreccoRoman horse archer (that you can also find in the same xml file).

Actually, you answered my question. I was linking the art definition to HORSE_ARCHER rather than HORSE_ARCHER_ROMAN. Thanks.

 

[j_jon]

Try asking your question in the Creation and Customization forum.

Oops, sorry. I'll do that from now on if it's regarding creating or changing things. Thanks for pointing the way.

 

[j_jon]

While I'm thinking about it, you know when a Great Profit is born and you have the option of having him build the holy building for any religion you may have founded there? It says, for example, +1 gold per city with Buddhism. Does that mean each Buddhist city you have at the time the profit is expended will grant you +1 gold or any cities you have plus any future cities you have that Buddhism spreads to? And is it only YOUR cities with Buddhism or EVERY city, regardless of which civ it belongs to?

Hope that made sense. O_o

 

[Lord Parkin]

While I'm thinking about it, you know when a Great Profit is born and you have the option of having him build the holy building for any religion you may have founded there? It says, for example, +1 gold per city with Buddhism. Does that mean each Buddhist city you have at the time the profit is expended will grant you +1 gold or any cities you have plus any future cities you have that Buddhism spreads to? And is it only YOUR cities with Buddhism or EVERY city, regardless of which civ it belongs to?

Hope that made sense. O_o

Each turn, every city in the world that has Buddhism in it generates 1 gold per turn for you. Thus, your gold per turn from the shrine will tend to rise over the course of the game - only decreasing when a city with Buddhism is razed.

Hope that helped.

 

[Gwynnja]

While I'm thinking about it, you know when a Great Profit is born and you have the option of having him build the holy building for any religion you may have founded there? It says, for example, +1 gold per city with Buddhism. Does that mean each Buddhist city you have at the time the profit is expended will grant you +1 gold or any cities you have plus any future cities you have that Buddhism spreads to? And is it only YOUR cities with Buddhism or EVERY city, regardless of which civ it belongs to?

Hope that made sense. O_o

A shrine gives 1 for every city that religion is spread to.

 

[j_jon]

Ah, thanks, both of you. I better start pumping out Buddhist Missionaries.

 

[Gwynnja]

Ah, thanks, both of you. I better start pumping out Buddhist Missionaries.

Shrines are excellent precursor to a religious wonder economy; since you're already spreading your religion around you can further capitalize by building the AP for a hammer bonus from religious buildings, the spiral minaret for a gold bonus, the university of sankore for a research bonus, and the sistine chapel for a culture bonus.

 

[j_jon]

When you have a Great General "Lead Troops as a Warlord" does the 20 xp get devided to between all units on the tile or does it all go to the unit you attach it to?

 

[Lord Parkin]

When you have a Great General "Lead Troops as a Warlord" does the 20 xp get devided to between all units on the tile or does it all go to the unit you attach it to?

It gets divided between all the units in a tile. You can move a unit out of a stack and onto an unoccupied a tile if you want to give all of the 20 XP to them.

 

[j_jon]

Hey guys. Can I get your opinion on something? My friends and I have been messing around with making our own civs to play with/against each other in multi-player. We're trying very hard not to cheat by giving ourselves too much of an advantage. Only two starting Techs that can only be of the few all the other civs start with, two leader traits just like the rest, etc.

To come up with my civ I looked to my own family history. Geneology is a hobby of mine so I already know quite a bit about where I come from. I can trace my family back to the Johnstone Clan of Annandale so an obvious choice, then, for my Unique Unit is the Border Reiver. Reivers operated in the border regions seperating Scotland and England, raiding and stealing cattle on both sides. They were expert horsemen and carried spears, both for lancing and throwing, and longbows. I was originally thinking of having them replace the Knight, but it didn't seem to fit. They weren't very chivalris afterall and they didn't exactly owe fealty to any lord. So I thought replacing the Horse Archer would be better, requiring all the same prerequisit techs and bonuses.

Where I need help is in the unit's stats. I figured I'd make it identical to the standard horse archer accept I would change the code to include hidden nationality or whatever that option is so it can attack without declaring war to simulate it's ability to cross borders and wreak a little havoc just like the privateer units later in the game. I also thought I would change the code that allows it to attack cities so their usefulness would be limited to destroying roads and farms for a little extra gold. I would need to build other units to take any cities.

Does this sound too powerful? Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Earthling]

Doesn't sound too powerful- the AI might not have a clue how to use it but for you and your friend it could be fun, I'm assuming only a human will be playing as this civ.

Anyway, I have a question that borders on being a bug...but not worth its own thread I think. Does anyone know why in the early game, when meeting a civ or two their land area shows up on the F8 screen as exactly 1.00% or 2.00%, even when it's not? It happens with both AI and multiplayer - it'll eventually go away at some undetermined point a little later into the game as far as I can tell.

 

[henrebotha]

Hmm... I've never played any of the expansions, so I'm not too familiar with how the Privateer's "attack without DOW" ability impacts on the game.

However, if I were to guess, I'd say it's probably not all that powerful because while razing fishing boats and killing the odd Galley is a nice ability, attacking an opponent's seaborne assets isn't nearly as harmful as attacking his land-based assets (cities and improvements).

Horse Archers are already pretty strong units. One tends to gain access to them during the very early stages of the game, when opponents are fielding Archers (and later Axemen, Spearmen and Swordsmen). During this phase of the game, when cities are few and far between, every improvement counts. Repeatedly losing those precious few improvements could quite likely completely cripple a civilization for the rest of the game.

Can a rival attack a Privateer without DOWing the Privateer's controller? If not, then this is completely unbalanced.

 

[j_jon]

Doesn't sound too powerful- the AI might not have a clue how to use it but for you and your friend it could be fun, I'm assuming only a human will be playing as this civ.

That's right, I would be the only one ever playing it. My friends would be using theirs and the rest of the AIs would be the historical ones already in the game.

As for your questions, I'm not sure. I hadn't actually noticed that.

 

[Roland Johansen]

Hey guys. Can I get your opinion on something? My friends and I have been messing around with making our own civs to play with/against each other in multi-player. We're trying very hard not to cheat by giving ourselves too much of an advantage. Only two starting Techs that can only be of the few all the other civs start with, two leader traits just like the rest, etc.

To come up with my civ I looked to my own family history. Geneology is a hobby of mine so I already know quite a bit about where I come from. I can trace my family back to the Johnstone Clan of Annandale so an obvious choice, then, for my Unique Unit is the Border Reiver. Reivers operated in the border regions seperating Scotland and England, raiding and stealing cattle on both sides. They were expert horsemen and carried spears, both for lancing and throwing, and longbows. I was originally thinking of having them replace the Knight, but it didn't seem to fit. They weren't very chivalris afterall and they didn't exactly owe fealty to any lord. So I thought replacing the Horse Archer would be better, requiring all the same prerequisit techs and bonuses.

Where I need help is in the unit's stats. I figured I'd make it identical to the standard horse archer accept I would change the code to include hidden nationality or whatever that option is so it can attack without declaring war to simulate it's ability to cross borders and wreak a little havoc just like the privateer units later in the game. I also thought I would change the code that allows it to attack cities so their usefulness would be limited to destroying roads and farms for a little extra gold. I would need to build other units to take any cities.

Does this sound too powerful? Does anyone have any suggestions?

I don't think it's a good idea from a game balance point of view. Being able to attack and kill units during peace is extremely powerful, especially if you can combine it with closed borders (as privateers can cross closed borders without declaring war). Essentially, any tile one space away from your borders can be freely pillaged and any units in those areas freely attacked and you can move back over the borders without a chance to be stopped. On top of that, no one else can build such a land privateer to return the favour to you or to follow these units of yours into your borders. You can freely slaughter settlers who are on their way to found new cities without having to declare war. Also the normal privateers were made 3/4-th of the strength of the other military sea unit of its time (the frigate) in order to balance its strength of hidden nationality. I didn't see any mention of that in your post with your proposed reiver unit.

So yes, I think the unit is grossly overpowered. However, maybe the guys you're playing with won't notice that.

 

[j_jon]

henrebotha -

The Privateers can also set up a blockade causing all the coastal cities in it's (rather large) range to lose it's trade routes and gives the player controlling the unit gold. You can usually blockade two or three cities this way with one ship. And other civs can definately attack and destroy your privateer without declaring war.

Just to clarify, the Reiver wouldn't be able to attack cities, just improvements. What do you think, still too much?