Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[kcd_swede]

What is a good civ for a warmongering noob? I've won diplomatic, cultural, and science victories but I always have a really bad military. I'm gonna try for a domination win. (Also don't recommend Rome because I've played the recently)

Either Persians or Egyptians, use their chariot-based (2-move) unique unit for early destruction of your neighbors.


rudimentary "how-to":

Spoiler :

PLay on a map where there will be opponents accessible by land. Use your scout to clear the map near you, and then find the nearest AI (it helps to add some extra opponents, making the avg distance between you and them smaller). Pangea or Inland sea are nice. Research Animal Husbandry first, wheel second. Then you want bronze working after that for whipping and chopping. Find horses. If you need to settle a second city to get the horses, your build order will be something like: worker > warrior (to pop2) > settler. Settle next to the horse, you don't want to have to wait for border expansions by culture. Worker constructs a pasture, and connects with roads to capitol. From there on you build nothing except Immortals or War Chariots. "How many" will be depending on your difficulty level. At say... monarch level... when you have six or seven stacked, move them out and kill someone. Use the whip as much as you can - as fast as it dissipates. And your worker should be chop chop chopping. Note, do NOT stop building Immortals/War charriots. Killing your neighbors is like eating Lay's potato chips, its hard to stop after just one.

You should be able to conquer the world without having built anything but units (at least on Prince and below). Note, after BW, you might want pottery to keep your economy afloat wit hcottages... but you could also just put the slider at zero and store up cash the rest of the game. BTW: Its easier to keep the economy going if you follow this simple rule: Keep the best, RAZE the rest.

 

[Shorlin]

Is there a way to always have a mod loaded instead of having to go to advance-load mod every time I start civ 4?(mod I want is betterbugai)
I guess I need to change something in the ini file but had no luck with google.

 

[Psyringe]

Is there a way to always have a mod loaded instead of having to go to advance-load mod every time I start civ 4?(mod I want is betterbugai)

Make a shortcut of your Civ4BeyondSowrd.exe. In its properties, set its target to the following line (including spaces and quotation marks):

"C:\Games\Civ4BtS\Civ4BeyondSword.exe" mod="Better BUG AI"

and the "run in" destination to (including spaces and quotation marks):

"C:\Games\Civ4BtS\Mods\Better BUG AI"

Then start the game from this shortcut.

Note: this assumes that you installed Beyond the Sword to the folder C:\Games\Civ4BtS, which you probably haven't, so you'll have to replace this part in the above lines with the actual path to BtS on your system.

Somebody with an English Windows can probably explain this better, I'm not certain that I re-translated the labels correctly.

 

[Pluton]

Is there a way to always have a mod loaded instead of having to go to advance-load mod every time I start civ 4?(mod I want is betterbugai)
I guess I need to change something in the ini file but had no luck with google.

...or you can change this setting in civilisation4.ini
; Specify a Mod folder (Mods\Mesopotamia), '0' for none
Mod = 0


Change line Mod = 0 to Mod = Mods\"Better BUG AI

It is the same setting like the recommend shortcut only in the ini file itself.

 

[Yxklyx]

Is there any reason why you wouldn't be able to trade a tech away to a Civ that is eligible to research it? The tech does not show up on my side of the trade screen. I've found a possible bug with a mod and would like to know if there are legit reasons for this happening.

P.S. Never mind - looks like I bulbed Education and the game doesn't allow you to trade a tech you bulb on the turn you bulb it.

 

[s.bernbaum]

...or you can change this setting in civilisation4.ini
; Specify a Mod folder (Mods\Mesopotamia), '0' for none
Mod = 0


Change line Mod = 0 to Mod = Mods\"Better BUG AI

It is the same setting like the recommend shortcut only in the ini file itself.

Be sure that you do this in the civilisation4.ini file in the BTS folder, not the one in the CIV folder. The two files have the same name but are in the two separate folders.

 

[Lillian]

1. I always build all of the spaceship parts. What difference does building all of the thrusters (and other parts) make?

2. Do you get the "You traded with our enemy" penalty for gifting somebody a tech or some money?

3. How long does the "You gave us help" bonus last?

4. I try not to automate workers, but I sometimes do late in the game when I don't have time to monitor the expansion of all the cities. If I have a worker build a mine on my sole source of uranium (outside BFCs) AND have "Leave old improvements" checked, why do the automated workers insist on tearing the mine down and building a fort? Is there any way to prevent this?

Thanks!

 

[kcd_swede]

1. I always build all of the spaceship parts. What difference does building all of the thrusters (and other parts) make?

2. Do you get the "You traded with our enemy" penalty for gifting somebody a tech or some money?

3. How long does the "You gave us help" bonus last?

4. I try not to automate workers, but I sometimes do late in the game when I don't have time to monitor the expansion of all the cities. If I have a worker build a mine on my sole source of uranium (outside BFCs) AND have "Leave old improvements" checked, why do the automated workers insist on tearing the mine down and building a fort? Is there any way to prevent this?

Thanks!

1. Thrusters, casings, and engines are the only parts with optional extras possible to build. Thrusters/engines affect the flight time to win game after you launch... more is faster. Casings affect the probability of success (victory versus space ship lost). Roughly 20% chance of victory per casing (all 5 = 100%).

2. Unsolicited? Yes. (Accepting gifts is OK though, as are giving in to demands/requests, which are basically trades for 10 turns peace).

3. A long time, usually. But there is a random chance to forget things like that every turn after some 20 turns or so. Leader dependant decay rates, so your milage will vary.

4. Workers should not alter existing improvements. Are you sure the workers tore down the mine? Sounds more like enemy espionage destroyed the mine, and your automated workers saw unimproved uranium and built a fort. A fort is often a better choice --outside your BFC-- because the AI will not destroy forts with espionage or pillaging (and it still gives you the resource).

 

[Lillian]

Thanks for answering, kcd_swede!

Wow, does a fort really give you the resource? I thought it didn't; that shows how careful a player I am. (Does that mean I can build a fort on oil before Combustion and it will give me oil as soon as I research it? That would be a considerable bonus during wartime!)

 

[Abegweit]

Thanks for answering, kcd_swede!

Wow, does a fort really give you the resource? I thought it didn't; that shows how careful a player I am. (Does that mean I can build a fort on oil before Combustion and it will give me oil as soon as I research it? That would be a considerable bonus during wartime!)

Yes. This is true. Another trick is to pre-build a fort on a mine (or whatever) which is vulnerable to pillaging. You can get the resource right back immediately by finishing the fort.

 

[tootired22]

What is gold used for?
I know that you should always try to stay at+x/turn....
but the only use for gold as i can see so far is to upgrade/trade
anything else?

 

[AdMech]

A quick question on the "fat cross" and tiles worked:

So suppose my city's borders have expanded beyond the "fat cross" of workable tiles. This means I can build an improvement on a tile which is within my area of influence, but which is not in the cross of 20 workable tiles... right? So what happens if I build an improvement here - is there no point to it? Come to that, I can't remember if I've actually tried; does it even let you do this?

Apologies if this is not clear; if need be, I can try to clarify. Thanks.

 

[s.bernbaum]

Thanks for answering, kcd_swede!

Wow, does a fort really give you the resource? I thought it didn't; that shows how careful a player I am. (Does that mean I can build a fort on oil before Combustion and it will give me oil as soon as I research it? That would be a considerable bonus during wartime!)

Yes, a fort gives you the resource. However, keep in mind that it only gives you the resource not the extra hammers, food, or commerce that the appropriate mine, farm, etc. would generate. So, except when pillaging is a big issue, don't build a fort on a resource inside your BFC, unless you can't work the tile anyway. The exception would be to build a fort on a resource in your BFC before you can build the appropriate improvement. When you then research the missing tech, you instantly get the resource. The you can build the appropriate improvement on top of the fort which will be replaced by the improvement when it is finished.

 

[s.bernbaum]

A quick question on the "fat cross" and tiles worked:

So suppose my city's borders have expanded beyond the "fat cross" of workable tiles. This means I can build an improvement on a tile which is within my area of influence, but which is not in the cross of 20 workable tiles... right? So what happens if I build an improvement here - is there no point to it? Come to that, I can't remember if I've actually tried; does it even let you do this?

Apologies if this is not clear; if need be, I can try to clarify. Thanks.

Only build improvements outside the BFC on resources or build farms to spread irrigation from a water source into your BFC. You get the resource from such improvements but you don't get food, hammers, or commerce so there is no point in improving a non-resource tile outside the BFC (except farms to chain irrigation).

OTOH, if your workers would otherwise be idle and you are planning to put another city in the area, you could improve tiles that will end up in the BFC of the future city.

 

[Frost_]

A quick question on the "fat cross" and tiles worked:

So suppose my city's borders have expanded beyond the "fat cross" of workable tiles. This means I can build an improvement on a tile which is within my area of influence, but which is not in the cross of 20 workable tiles... right? So what happens if I build an improvement here - is there no point to it? Come to that, I can't remember if I've actually tried; does it even let you do this?

Apologies if this is not clear; if need be, I can try to clarify. Thanks.

You can build improvements if you want, but you'll need to settle a city if you want to work those improvements.

Without settling a cities, building improvements outside your BFC has these benefits:

- you can obtain a given resource by building the appropriate improvement or fort and connecting it to your trade routes
- building forts for defensible/choke/rally points
- building forts for a canal
- building farms for irrigation chains
- building misc. improvements to tempt AI pillaging tendencies and stall when being invaded


Another questions, I'm trying to download the BUG mod for BTS 3.03, but all I can find is the 3.19 one (BUG 4.4). Is there any websites where I can download the appropriate BUG mod??

 

[s.bernbaum]

Another questions, I'm trying to download the BUG mod for BTS 3.03, but all I can find is the 3.19 one (BUG 4.4). Is there any websites where I can download the appropriate BUG mod??

I would suggest that you download the 3.19 patch instead. It fixes a lot of earlier problems. Then you can install the current BUG mod.

Otherwise, try asking in the BUG mod forum: http://forums.civfanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=268

 

[AdMech]

Thanks for the quick replies, Frost and bernbaum!

(except farms to chain irrigation).

How do you chain irrigation, exactly? I have seen reference to this, but I used to always automate my workers, so I don't know if there's an "irrigation" improvement, or if I build a lot of farms in a row, or what.

 

[Frost_]

Ok I'll try that forum instead.

Thanks for the quick replies, Frost and bernbaum!


How do you chain irrigation, exactly? I have seen reference to this, but I used to always automate my workers, so I don't know if there's an "irrigation" improvement, or if I build a lot of farms in a row, or what.

Chain irrigation just means that you can irrigate (i.e. "bring fresh water to") tiles that are connected (by either sides or diagonally) to at least one source of fresh water (any tile that naturally has fresh water). So if you have a tile that's by a river and you build a farm on it (farm 1), you can then build farms (farm 2) on any tile adjacent or diagonal to that initial farm regardless of whether it has access to fresh water. Then since farm 2 now has fresh water, you can build a farm on any tile adjacent or diagonal to farm 2 and so on, like a chain.

Note that cities and forts can also act as farms for irrigation purposes.
Also note that for irrigation to occurs, they must be connect on flat tiles (i.e. a city or fort on a hill will not be part of the irrigation chain).

I hope this explanation is clear...

 

[Ansive]

And you need to have researched Civil Service. Use chain irrigation to bring farms to cities that might otherwise not be able to build them due to lack of fresh water.

Until biology you cannot build farms that are not connected to water. And even then they will have 1 less food if not connected. Also, breaking a chain will cause all disconnected farms to lose 1 food, basically they stop giving any benefit before biology.

Corn and wheat resources also benefit from irrigation, so make sure to connect them as soon as you research civil service for 1 extra food. (if said resources aren't next to fresh water already)

 

[Sisiutil]

What is gold used for?
I know that you should always try to stay at+x/turn....
but the only use for gold as i can see so far is to upgrade/trade
anything else?

Other uses for gold:

• Deficit research: If you have no immediate nor near-future need for the gold in your treasury, move the research slider into the red and increase your research speed.
• Random events: if you play BtS with random events on, you'll find you occasionally need some gold to either "buy off" bad events or to "buy in" to good ones that often have a higher-priced, more beneficial option.
• Universal Suffrage: Once you're able to switch to this civic (either by owning the Pyramids or by obtaining the Democracy tech), you can rush-buy builds in your cities.