Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[s.bernbaum]

On the options menu, under the "Other" tab, there is an option to save your current settings. You can choose to save them as "default", which is the default (figures) setting, or as a settings save of your naming. If you save as default, all your games will start with those settings, until you change them. If you use a name of your choice, you have to load the settings from the same Options>Other menu. In my experience, when I carelessly started a game with Play Now, instead of Custom Game, I still got my version of the default settings.

 

[MaxWar]

Thanks!

I have another question already About the aggressive AI setting. Will it make the AI civs more aggressive among each others or only toward you?

 

[Akbarthegreat]

Thanks!

I have another question already About the aggressive AI setting. Will it make the AI civs more aggressive among each others or only toward you?

Each other too[just a guess from my experience].

 

[Bloodstone]

Anybody know the approx cost in EP to steal a tech? Just trying to get an idea as I have a GSpy I want to send to Mali for the points. I assume the cost scales with the importance of the tech? Never tried using the GSpy like this before so I'm just trying to sort it out, thanks.

 

[Sisiutil]

Anybody know the approx cost in EP to steal a tech? Just trying to get an idea as I have a GSpy I want to send to Mali for the points. I assume the cost scales with the importance of the tech? Never tried using the GSpy like this before so I'm just trying to sort it out, thanks.

I don't know the exact formula, but the cost definitely scales with the cost of the tech. Thus, you can potentially steal several early game techs, but as the game goes on and techs become more expensive, you will find the GSpy points get you fewer and fewer techs.

Make sure you leave the spy in place in a foreign city for 5 turns to get the 50% discount (though there is a risk the spy will be caught & disappear).

 

[Vaidd]

Anybody know the approx cost in EP to steal a tech? Just trying to get an idea as I have a GSpy I want to send to Mali for the points. I assume the cost scales with the importance of the tech? Never tried using the GSpy like this before so I'm just trying to sort it out, thanks.

According to This article in the War Academy, the cost is 125% of the base cost of the tech. Note that a tech's base cost is higher than the cost you see on the tech tree, as you almost always have one or more discounts. (For instance, when you research a tech, you get a discount for every other civ you've met who has the tech already. That discount wouldn't apply to the EP cost.)

As Sisiutil points out, you can get up to 50% off the EP cost of the mission by having your spy wait around in your target city for five turns. There are other plusses and minuses that apply, but that's the biggest one. If the city has a security bureau, you probably want to sabotage it first.

 

[Akbarthegreat]

Does same help?

 

[Bloodstone]

According to This article in the War Academy, the cost is 125% of the base cost of the tech. Note that a tech's base cost is higher than the cost you see on the tech tree, as you almost always have one or more discounts. (For instance, when you research a tech, you get a discount for every other civ you've met who has the tech already. That discount wouldn't apply to the EP cost.)

As Sisiutil points out, you can get up to 50% off the EP cost of the mission by having your spy wait around in your target city for five turns. There are other plusses and minuses that apply, but that's the biggest one. If the city has a security bureau, you probably want to sabotage it first.

Thanks for the info Vaidd and Sisiutil, and the link. Greatly appreciated.

 

[MaxWar]

I just discovered something that annoys me. If you edit a pre-made scenario map (ie: Earth18civs), you notice that all the starting techs of the various civs are specified in the file.
This has the consequence that if you start the scenario at high difficulty level, all AI civs still get only 2 techs. By opposed to playing a game in a regular map where the AI will get additional techs according to difficulty factor. Is there a way of overcoming this? I tried deleting the starting tech section from the WBsave but the result is simply No starting techs... Not really better...

 

[dalamb]

You have to add the right techs to ALL the AIs for the level you want to play. The boilerplate in the Nobles' Club bullpen thread says what techs have to be added. TMIT has a thread on how to edit the WB file for map series, but it sounds like you're already comfortable with that.

 

[MaxWar]

You have to add the right techs to ALL the AIs for the level you want to play. The boilerplate in the Nobles' Club bullpen thread says what techs have to be added. TMIT has a thread on how to edit the WB file for map series, but it sounds like you're already comfortable with that.

This what i ended up doing I play at monarch so I also added archery to all AI civs.
I wish there was a way to automatize this but oh well...
And thanks for those links! I found some useful info in them.

 

[Abegweit]

This what i ended up doing I play at monarch so I also added archery to all AI civs.
I wish there was a way to automatize this but oh well...
And thanks for those links! I found some useful info in them.

That's a good point. It should actually be easy to automate. Any coders out there who are up to the task? I could do it but I'm too lazy.

 

[dalamb]

Aeons ago I started a WB-editing Java program but it has been on the back burner for a year or more. I suppose I could dust it off next time I'm up for a programming project.

 

[JimOttoFan]

Has anyone put together a list of things that generate great people points?

 

[dalamb]

I imagine it's basically "all the world wonders plus specialists" Are you looking for which buildings give what kind of GPP? Then I suppose there are details like some buildings allowing free specialists.

 

[JimOttoFan]

Thank you dalamb. I have enjoyed
Civ IV for about a year now, but I still have plenty of newbie type questions. Your answer helped me.

I just added Beyond the Sword this Xmas and like the added complexity. But, of course, this adds to my question reserve. Thanks for taking the time to answer newbie questions.

 

[GDSOB]

i'm (obvisiouly) a first timer...need help with my first game of civ 4.
have 3 cities,lots of farms, mines, workers,some military fortified in the cities but...
my cottages are not turning into hamlets and towns because it says"city must work to turn into hamlet"...what does this mean...how do i make"a/the city work???"

never played civ before....have only completed tutorial...please help
if this is not the proper place to ask....please give instructions / directions

 

[MaxWar]

Welcome to the awesome world of Civilization .
You posted to the right place, and the answer to your question is very simple.
When you click on your cities you can assign on which tiles your population is working. Just have them work a tile with cottage. Cottages start out sort of crappy but over time they are one of the most important improvement and can net you lots of

 

[God-Emperor]

i'm (obvisiouly) a first timer...need help with my first game of civ 4.
have 3 cities,lots of farms, mines, workers,some military fortified in the cities but...
my cottages are not turning into hamlets and towns because it says"city must work to turn into hamlet"...what does this mean...how do i make"a/the city work???"

The population of a city is the maximum number of things it can do, where a "thing" is either working a plot or having a specialist. The actual number can be lower due to unhappiness: unhappy population does not work. A population 9 city with only 8 points of happiness (net, the total happiness reduced by unhappiness from sources other than population) can be working a maximum of 8 plots, or a number of plots plus a number of specialists that adds up to 8.

Double click on the city's name to get to the city screen. The plots of land (or water) with circles on them in this screen are the plots being worked. You can change them by clicking on them. Click on one that is being worked and it will stop working it and create a Citizen specialist. Click on one that is not being worked and it will take a point of population from somewhere else to work that plot, starting with switching a Citizen specialist if there are any.

Eventually you will need to know what everything on this city screen means. Until then, some of what goes on with your cities will be in the "strange and mysterious" category.

 

[GDSOB]

thanks for responding.....more workers mean more tiles worked?....automate workers for that city only or automate in general???advice gladly accepted...and learned from...thanks