Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[Pangaea]

That's reassuring to hear. Does it turn off something else that might be useful? Like the "this city produces much commerce, blah blach"? Sometimes I forget about those buildings so they can actually be useful.

Is it Sid's Tips I should turn off or the other one?

 

[kiwizoid]

1) What's SIP/SiP? It shows up a lot but it doesn't seem to be in the Commonly Used Acronyms article...

2) Would you consider a Time victory to count as a victory? I just won my first game on Chieftain by time but it seems cheap compared to the effort needed for anything else (even Diplo), so it didn't really feel worth celebrating.

3) Is the Battle of the Bobs scenario supposed to start with defeat? I just loaded it playing Isabella and I was dead on arrival, and the same thing happened with Saladin when I tried again.

 

[Verarde]

1) What's SIP/SiP? It shows up a lot but it doesn't seem to be in the Commonly Used Acronyms article...

2) Would you consider a Time victory to count as a victory? I just won my first game on Chieftain by time but it seems cheap compared to the effort needed for anything else (even Diplo), so it didn't really feel worth celebrating.

1) SiP means Settle in Place. Basically, whatever tile your settler starts out on at the very beginning, is where you build your capital.

2) yes, I consider it a victory, but generally you can win way before that. Just takes practice.

 

[Zaxdabomb]

Hello Civ friends!

Just a quick question, is there a way to switch the way the game describes a civ doing things without having to install some kind of mod?

What I mean by that is, instead of the game saying:

"Genghis Khan has declared war on Stalin"

I want it to say:

"Mongolia has declared war on Russia"

That would apply for converting and other events too, if you could help me that'd be just swell!

 

[CocoIsKing28]

Well you could just edit some of the text. I tried to find the exact file in which that would be, but I couldn't find it. Maybe you could find it yourself.

 

[Chakram Bearer]

This should be easy to answer (I hope).

Which is the exact effect of Customs Houses? The City Improvements guide at Civfanatics says it doubles commerce from intercontinental foreign trade routes, while in-game help says it's from international trade routes. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this is just a translation mistake (I play the Spanish version of the game).

Could someone enlighten me?

 

[s.bernbaum]

It is the international trade routes that get doubled. However, all overseas trade routes, whether intercontinental or island based, have higher commerce yield than overland routes with or without the Custom House. Only the international ones get doubled by it. A side comment resulting from this is if you build a city on an otherwise crummy one tile island, it will greatly increase your trade yield in all of your cities that trade with it. (No Custom House needed for this, nor will the Custom House add to this.) It must be an island outside the coastal waters. An island in the coastal waters counts the same as one on the mainland.

 

[Chakram Bearer]

Thank you!

On a related note: are trade routes with vassals considered domestic or foreign? This came into my mind because trade rutes with vassals are allowed with Mercantilism (IIRC).

 

[bcool]

Yes you get trade routes with your vassals under mercantilism.

 

[Chakram Bearer]

But are they considered foreign (for increased yield and customs house bonus purposes)?

 

[MrKlew]

In BTS are there requirements to be able to build a forest preserve on a forest spot other than biology? I've got biology and built a national park in a city. Now I'm trying to convert the nearby forests to forest preserves, but when I move my workers onto the forest tile the build forest preserve option doesn't show up.

 

[God-Emperor]

You should check the Civilopedia. I think you'll find that forest preserves require Scientific Method, not Biology. On the other hand, you can't get Biology without Scientific Method unless you are using a mod.

 

[MrKlew]

You should check the Civilopedia. I think you'll find that forest preserves require Scientific Method, not Biology. On the other hand, you can't get Biology without Scientific Method unless you are using a mod.

I believe you are right but the point still stands. I do have scientific method. In fact I can make forest preserves near cities I have on another continent, but not near the city where my national park is.

 

[bcool]

But are they considered foreign (for increased yield and customs house bonus purposes)?

ah sorry, I didn't understand the question. Not sure what the answer is.

 

[bcool]

I believe you are right but the point still stands. I do have scientific method. In fact I can make forest preserves near cities I have on another continent, but not near the city where my national park is.

The only reason that I can think of that this wouldn't work is if they are not in your culture. (A related but probably not relevant bit of information: only forest preserves in the national park's BFC produce free specialists)

 

[MrKlew]

Nope, they are smack dab in the middle of my continent, entirely enclosed within my culture and have been for a few centuries. Perhaps it's some sort of bug.

 

[CocoIsKing28]

What determines the outcome of a war (who gets to "sue" for victory)? Is it only determined by soldiers killed and cities taken? Does pillaging cities count as "points" towards a victory? Thanks in advance.

 

[Sisiutil]

What determines the outcome of a war (who gets to "sue" for victory)? Is it only determined by soldiers killed and cities taken? Does pillaging cities count as "points" towards a victory? Thanks in advance.

Unless you either completely wipe out the enemy civ or make them capitulate and become a vassal, there is no clear winner and loser of a war in Civilization IV, at least not as far as the game mechanics and scoring are concerned. "Soldiers killed" don't count toward your score at all; captured cities do, but only in terms of raising the portion of your score determined by your population and land ownership, which may in turn contribute toward a Domination victory. Eliminated or vassaled opponents count toward a Conquest victory. Conquered populations and vassals must vote for you in any and all AP or UN elections, which may in turn help you to win a Diplomatic victory.

 

[Tristan_C]

What determines the outcome of a war (who gets to "sue" for victory)? Is it only determined by soldiers killed and cities taken? Does pillaging cities count as "points" towards a victory? Thanks in advance.

I don't know about the pillaging or how, precisely, the captured cities factor in, so this question will pass along. What I do know is that the AI considers its victories, losses, and the underlying hammers to determine who has the initiative. Using this mechanic, a fast way to get a strong AI willing to talk is with nukes because they count extra and usually represent a very large hammer trade-off— nuke their stack. Before nukes, get the jump on the stack with siege.

 

[CocoIsKing28]

Unless you either completely wipe out the enemy civ or make them capitulate and become a vassal, there is no clear winner and loser of a war in Civilization IV, at least not as far as the game mechanics and scoring are concerned. "Soldiers killed" don't count toward your score at all; captured cities do, but only in terms of raising the portion of your score determined by your population and land ownership, which may in turn contribute toward a Domination victory. Eliminated or vassaled opponents count toward a Conquest victory. Conquered populations and vassals must vote for you in any and all AP or UN elections, which may in turn help you to win a Diplomatic victory.

Wouldn't you consider a payment of gold and a tech gift as a victory? At least that's what I take as one...