Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[Frost_]

Quick question, what are the requirements for gifting the AI a city? In a recent game, I noticed that Vicky was building quite an army against me. In an attempt to both appease her and cripple her, I settled a city in the middle of the arctic (or rather antarctic) but I couldn't gift her that city. I'm thinking maybe the city in question needs to border her cultural borders?

Another question, I've been noticing that I could use help with regards to building improvements (on non-resource tiles of course). Typically, for production cities, its quite straightforward, I build mines where I can and watermill where I can. Farms are created before watermills and one is usually left for chain irrigation. Workshops I build later on in the game if food is good. All other cities, if there is one food resource in its BFC (which is usually how I settle my cities), all tiles except hills are cottages. But I'm finding that this strategy doesn't feel effective. Mostly because early to mid-game, the majority of my improvements are quite week (farm pre-biology, workshop with only -1 food, +1 hammer, and pre-village cottages). So I know a good rule of thumb is to not work non-improved tiles, but honestly, a plain farm or grassland workshop is quite useless early on and not (much) better than an unimproved tile. Is there any strategies to improve this?

 

[kcd_swede]

Quick question, what are the requirements for gifting the AI a city? In a recent game, I noticed that Vicky was building quite an army against me. In an attempt to both appease her and cripple her, I settled a city in the middle of the arctic (or rather antarctic) but I couldn't gift her that city. I'm thinking maybe the city in question needs to border her cultural borders?

Another question, I've been noticing that I could use help with regards to building improvements (on non-resource tiles of course). Typically, for production cities, its quite straightforward, I build mines where I can and watermill where I can. Farms are created before watermills and one is usually left for chain irrigation. Workshops I build later on in the game if food is good. All other cities, if there is one food resource in its BFC (which is usually how I settle my cities), all tiles except hills are cottages. But I'm finding that this strategy doesn't feel effective. Mostly because early to mid-game, the majority of my improvements are quite week (farm pre-biology, workshop with only -1 food, +1 hammer, and pre-village cottages). So I know a good rule of thumb is to not work non-improved tiles, but honestly, a plain farm or grassland workshop is quite useless early on and not (much) better than an unimproved tile. Is there any strategies to improve this?

The city you want to gift does not have to be on their borders. It has to have something they want. If it is on their borders, they will want it for border expansion. If it has access to a resource they lack, they may want it. If it has a World Wonder and would not be crushed by your culture, they might want it. The surest way if you are founding a new city especially to gift it is to put it close to their borders.

As for improvements... try to match them with the specilization of the city. Commerce/science city builds cottages, production city builds mines and workshops, and specialist city builds farms. Of course, every city needs enough farms to make and hold enough population to work the useful tiles, and every city should have mines (or some other source of hammers) to build the stuff it needs - and food to support working the mines. When in doubt... more food is better.

 

[s.bernbaum]

Still kickin around a Warlords (the Expansion no the difficulty level) game. Already won, but having some fun after it's all over. With it being just the Warlords expansion its still running the "basic" espionage system.

My question is once you put up the funds and successfully "steal plans" using your spy all units of the target civ are revealed. Is that a one shot deal, or does it continue to update over a period of time. It's a fairly pricey item with low odds of success, so I wasn't sure if it would update for a while, or just the one shot.

Thanks

It's a "one shot deal". Just like in real life, knowing what someone plans to do as of today does not let you know what plans they may make at some future date.

 

[taulph88]

Is there some edit to change the holy city? The game chose this city that I don't want to be the holy city. Is there some back-stage edit I can do?

 

[Sisiutil]

Is there some edit to change the holy city? The game chose this city that I don't want to be the holy city. Is there some back-stage edit I can do?

You can change the holy city very easily in WorldBuilder, but it's so easy you might consider it cheating--many other players would.

Selection of the holy city is somewhat random, however the game has a definite preference for (a) founding a religion in a city without any religion present and (b) founding it in any city that isn't the capital. Knowing this might help you "steer" the holy city toward a specific location.

 

[onomatopeia]

I'm trying to figure out how to buy tech in advanced start, and may have already induced an aneurysm in the process.

I open tech screen, click on the specific tech, but can't find a buy button?

Any ideas? Please assume I am as thick as two short planks, cause I've spent about an hour trying to figure out which part of the interface I'm ignoring.

 

[Sisiutil]

I'm trying to figure out how to buy tech in advanced start, and may have already induced an aneurysm in the process.

I open tech screen, click on the specific tech, but can't find a buy button?

Any ideas? Please assume I am as thick as two short planks, cause I've spent about an hour trying to figure out which part of the interface I'm ignoring.

You have to found at least one city in the advanced start screen in order to be able to buy techs.

 

[amt976]

missionaries: why do I have a limit of 3? can it be increased? can I spread a religion to a foreign city where another religion is established? (e.g. christianity in a city under islam?)

 

[Psyringe]

missionaries: why do I have a limit of 3?

It's an artificial limit. I think the developers introduced it because the AI had trouble building the "right" number of missionaries. The AI can't plan ahead and think "There are 5 cities in reach that don't have my religion, and I'm currently building 3 missionaries, so I'll need 2 more." The AI just build missionaries whenever it can. Limiting the available number to 3 ensures that it doesn't waste too many resources on missionaries that it can't use.

can it be increased?

No, it's fixed. I think it scales with the map size, but once a game has started, it's fixed and cannot be changed.

can I spread a religion to a foreign city where another religion is established? (e.g. christianity in a city under islam?)

Yes, but the chance for success is reduced for every religion already present in the city.

 

[Ansive]

It would be too easy to spread religion if it weren't for the limit.
Imagine sending 20 missionaries to another continent.
With only 3, it takes work and patience to spread it.

 

[MonkeyBoy29]

How could I play a game with more than 18 civilizations?

 

[Psyringe]

How could I play a game with more than 18 civilizations?

With a mod, the regular game doesn't permit it. Look in the modding forum for a "50 civs dll" (or perhaps someone can provide a link). Take care that you pick one that matches your version and patch level of Civ.

 

[soapysouter]

Hi guys. Only played a few times, but just wondering if the length of the game effects which leader you can be? I've been playing on 'earth' and epic length, but never have the choice of all the leaders(Queen Elizabeth etc) ?

Cheers

 

[(Pro)Peanut_P]

On Earth maps you can only select the Old world Leaders.

 

[Ansive]

So I had 0 great general points. I used a tank to attack a city from a transport (~60% odds).
I won, the tank got 3 xp but I got 6 GG points.

What causes this doubling? (I have the great wall, but I'm nowhere near my culture).

 

[Sisiutil]

So I had 0 great general points. I used a tank to attack a city from a transport (~60% odds).
I won, the tank got 3 xp but I got 6 GG points.

What causes this doubling? (I have the great wall, but I'm nowhere near my culture).

Are you playing as an Imperialistic leader?

 

[TheMulattoMaker]

do you get multiple bonuses from resources?
If I have two cows pastures do I get +2 health, or will I just get +1H regardless of how many cow pastures I get?

Something to add to the answers already given... this isn't really what you asked, but I'll answer it anyway just in case.

One resource can give you +2 or +2 in certain cases, if you build the right building. When I first started playing Civ4 I was going crazy trying to figure out why 3 Furs gave each of my cities +1 but 1 Silver gave each of my cities +2. Well, I build Forges like crazy, which give an extra happiness from Gold, Silver or Gems. I played several games confused about that until I accidentaly stumbled across the answer in the Civilopedia. It also explained why 1 Fish would give some cities +2 and other cities only +1- my coastal cities had Harbors (that double the for seafood resources) and my inland cities didn't.

 

[Ansive]

Are you playing as an Imperialistic leader?

Augustus Caesar... Imperialistic / Industrious... had totally forgotten about the traits.
At least now I know why in some games I got triple xp fighting in my borders.

 

[Torrello]

Something to add to the answers already given... this isn't really what you asked, but I'll answer it anyway just in case.

One resource can give you +2 or +2 in certain cases, if you build the right building. When I first started playing Civ4 I was going crazy trying to figure out why 3 Furs gave each of my cities +1 but 1 Silver gave each of my cities +2. Well, I build Forges like crazy, which give an extra happiness from Gold, Silver or Gems. I played several games confused about that until I accidentaly stumbled across the answer in the Civilopedia. It also explained why 1 Fish would give some cities +2 and other cities only +1- my coastal cities had Harbors (that double the for seafood resources) and my inland cities didn't.

This is why the BUG (or BAT) mod is soooo good. Hovering over buildings will provide all this info, like harbors giving +1 for fish, clam and crab, and additionally telling you what you actually get ("Actual +2" cos you've only got fish and clams, for example). This is good for custom houses, because sometimes you 'actually' get no bonus, as all your trades routes in that city are domestic.

 

[Mental_Gear]

I've only started playing recently and I'm pretty green, but learning a few things here and there as I go along - but I still have some questions.

1. If I have a city with very large cultural borders, is there any point in building farms, workshops or cottages on tiles that are out of its working range (aside from, of course, building another city with those tiles within its range)? What is a good use for them?

2. This is going to sound like a very stupid question - if I build several cities does it slow down their growth? In my first game my cities' cultures didn't grow much but in my last game, for fun I tried to see if I could win having one massive city. Its culture was ridiculously high. I was playing on the quickest speed and it reached Legendary ages before the end.

3. If you have bunch of workers hovering around a city, do you automate them all? I did that in my last game but I'm starting to think their AI for building improvements is awful - my city needed extra and there was a rice field nearby, but the worker there thought it was a good idea to build a fort there.

4. One thing that irritates me a little is that you can only view the civ / leader bonuses when starting a game in Play Now, or Quick Play, can't remember what it's called, but custom game has far more options (I'd rather disable timed victory and specify exactly how many other civs I want in the game)...however in custom game I can't view the bonuses or how my leader looks when selecting leader and civ. Is there a mod so I can view the bonuses while selecting my civ / leader in custom game or is it just something you learn through experience?

5. What settings (difficulty / map type / size / number of other civs) should I first go with to learn the game? I don't want something too easy, but I've lost both of my games so far (one on warlord, the other using just one city)