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Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

Good to know.

So, assuming there is no imminent threat, if I have a few Longbow's garrisoned in cities, its best to wait until they can be upgraded all the way to SAM or Mechanized Infantry rather than bumping them up at each tier (ie Rifleman, then Infantry and so on).

Yes, that's one of the bad side effects of the +20.

However, the power rating of your army is known by the AI civilisations (like you can see theirs in graphs). AI civilisations will only attack you when you are not too much stronger then they are. So a large modern force can stop the AI from declaring war on you even if they don't like you.
 
There was an option in Civ3 to have your cities build the last unit built previously. Is there such an option in Civ4? Because it is terribly annoying to have all these prompts all the time when the auto-production has no apparent feature for specializing in producing military units. <_<
 
There was an option in Civ3 to have your cities build the last unit built previously. Is there such an option in Civ4? Because it is terribly annoying to have all these prompts all the time when the auto-production has no apparent feature for specializing in producing military units. <_<
Theres a better way in civ 4, build queues. Holding Shift when selecting a thing to build moves it to the back of the queue, holding Cntrl moves it to the front, and units selected while holding Alt will be built repeatedly on a loop.
Alt and Shift also works letting you build up build cycles such as Barracks->Forge->Rifle(R)->Rifle(R)->Cannon(R) where R shows a unit in repeat build mode ;)
 
There was an option in Civ3 to have your cities build the last unit built previously. Is there such an option in Civ4? Because it is terribly annoying to have all these prompts all the time when the auto-production has no apparent feature for specializing in producing military units. <_<
Alt-left-click on the unit you want.
 
What's the shortcut to knowing how much gold a Great Merchant will give you on a trade mission? I know a way that works only if the Great Merchant is on the same continent as the target city.

I guess you're using the same trick as I do ('hold shift' 'move'-'check mission value'-'cancel move' 'release shift'). As far as I know this is limited to the same continent as you can't move a great merchant directly to another continent.

Note that the value of the trade mission is calculated in a similar way as the value of trade routes and thus the intercontinental bonus can make quite a difference. But so can the Tempel of Artemis if it is in the target city. The increased distance of another continent can help too.

Check the trade routes article to know the bonuses to trade routes.
 
What's the shortcut to knowing how much gold a Great Merchant will give you on a trade mission? I know a way that works only if the Great Merchant is on the same continent as the target city.
Select the GM, Shift+Right Click on the target city (on any continent), and point to the trade mission button. Press ESC to cancel the target city selection.
 
Hey, I have a question regarding Civ 4 Beyond the Sword.


Is it possible to play as multiple civilizations in a game?

From the small amount of effort I put up, it seems like the answer in no. However, I am not 100% certain, so I thought I might as well ask.


*If the answer happened to be yes, how do you go about doing this?*
 
Hi all,

Fantastic threads and a great website. Just such a shame it took me this long to find this game - where was I during my uni years?! Now, it just takes its toil on work with too many late nights!

Random question. How can you tell if someone already has the circumnavigating bonus? I m not great at looking at the updates after each go so could have slipped past me and dont want to waste time trying to complete it if it has already gone but if it hasnt then really want it as am playing as Elizabeth and got loads of coastal towns so would be useful. Dont really want to have to toil through the history if that is the only way?

Dont know if I m too late - I m playing "Prince" and its about 200AD....

Thanks!!
 
Hi all,

Fantastic threads and a great website. Just such a shame it took me this long to find this game - where was I during my uni years?! Now, it just takes its toil on work with too many late nights!

Random question. How can you tell if someone already has the circumnavigating bonus? I m not great at looking at the updates after each go so could have slipped past me and dont want to waste time trying to complete it if it has already gone but if it hasnt then really want it as am playing as Elizabeth and got loads of coastal towns so would be useful. Dont really want to have to toil through the history if that is the only way?

Dont know if I m too late - I m playing "Prince" and its about 200AD....

Thanks!!

Welcome to civfanatics! :dance::band::beer:

Maybe it was better that you didn't find the game during the university years. ;)

I don't know of an easy way to see if the circumnavigation bonus if it is already taken. There is an entry in the Event Log (CTRL TAB) as you seem to know. The entry is in light blue text ('your ships have proven that the earth is round, +1 movement' or something like that) and thus the entry should stand out. There's also an eerie sound when the bonus has been acquired by someone. You'd notice that sound.

The easiest way to get the bonus is often by trading maps. If you have visibility on at least one tile of each longitude, then you'll get the bonus. It can often be advisable to buy their maps without giving yours if you want to ensure that you'll get the bonus instead of your opponents. However, you'll get the bonus (next turn) if during trading on your turn both you and your opponent have fulfilled the requirements.
 
Haven't played CIV in ages and started playing again a few weeks ago. I really fell in love with game, something I didn't when I first bought it. So, now, I've only got Warlords and no BtS. I'm currently playing Prince and I'm doing pretty well, but I wonder: I can't get my hands on BtS for the next weeks and I don't really know how much the gaming experience changes after getting BtS. So does it make sense to "train" to get a grip on monarch with Warlords, without having to go back to Prince or even Noble when I get BtS? Of course I'll need a few easier games for a basic overview of new mechanics, but I'm talking about in-depth gaming which probably isn't done with a few games. So, um, should I wait until I get BtS and read Walkthroughs meanwhile, or should I play Warlords without worrying about how different the game is after BtS? (Of course, both is fun, but it would feel like a waste to train to higher levels if I have to fall back eventually...)
 
Haven't played CIV in ages and started playing again a few weeks ago. I really fell in love with game, something I didn't when I first bought it. So, now, I've only got Warlords and no BtS. I'm currently playing Prince and I'm doing pretty well, but I wonder: I can't get my hands on BtS for the next weeks and I don't really know how much the gaming experience changes after getting BtS. So does it make sense to "train" to get a grip on monarch with Warlords, without having to go back to Prince or even Noble when I get BtS? Of course I'll need a few easier games for a basic overview of new mechanics, but I'm talking about in-depth gaming which probably isn't done with a few games. So, um, should I wait until I get BtS and read Walkthroughs meanwhile, or should I play Warlords without worrying about how different the game is after BtS? (Of course, both is fun, but it would feel like a waste to train to higher levels if I have to fall back eventually...)

I wouldn't worry too much about the game changes in BTS. Of course, games change with expansion packs, but if you do well in the vanilla game, then you'll do well in the expansion pack.

Several big changes were made in BTS, I'd say quite a lot bigger than the jump from vanilla to Warlords. But these changes were made to the later stages of the game and thus they matter less for win or loss of the game.

Once you acquire Beyond the Sword, I'd read up on
-spying changes (you can ignore these without losing the game, but spying has become more important and more useful). The no espionage option in the game start-up isn't very well balanced.
-the apostolic palace (this wonder is pretty important and you could lose a game if you're unlucky and really ignore the effects of the wonder)
-corporations (this new game element can be quite strong but is only available late in the game, it's not a win or lose type of game element in most games. Look up the requirements of a corporation so that you can prepare to meet these requirements when you arrive in the modern age). It's fun to use these things.

There are other changes to the game but these will influence your game most (in my opinion).
 
What era-specific bonuses does the AI get in Vanilla? Do they vary with difficulty level?
 
What era-specific bonuses does the AI get in Vanilla? Do they vary with difficulty level?

There is a small percentage bonus to everything as the average civilisation moves through the various eras of the game. The bonus is equal to pereramodifier * era.

The modifier is zero at the lower difficulty levels. It only starts to influence the AI at Prince and higher difficulty levels. The value is -1,-2,-3,-4 and -5 at the respectively Prince, Monarch, Emperor, Immortal and Deity levels. The bonus thus is hard to notice at intermediate levels but is noticeable at the highest levels.
 
Is there a way to spectate Civ 4 games? My favorite thing to do in this game is watch the AI interact, and I would love to just be an omniscient being watching over them all, and interfering with the World Builder from time to time... :)
 
Why can't I sometimes make Horse Archers/Elephants and other units that require specific resources even though I control them? I've built camps, pastures etc on them and have them 'white circled' and the required techs (animal husbandry etc).

Thanks
 
You don't need to work a resource tile in any of your cities ("white circle") to get the resource's construction benefits. However, you need a route between your city and the resource. Routes consist of roads, as well as rivers, coastlines, etc.
 
Why can't I sometimes make Horse Archers/Elephants and other units that require specific resources even though I control them? I've built camps, pastures etc on them and have them 'white circled' and the required techs (animal husbandry etc).

Thanks

You need specific techs to construct them as well as the resource. Maybe you are missing the tech to construct them?
 
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