Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[auagxa]

As a result I don't care as much about it any more, at least when dealing with cheap techs. Maybe the beaker count has some bearing?

Probably. Around the time I just acquired alpha, I rarely get that penalty even though I trade with everybody else.


Q: How do you make the game autosave more often?

 

[bcool]

I'm a little confused by that mechanism actually, because it doesn't always come into effect. In one game for example I was trading with people despite worst enemy statuses, and got -4 in 'reward' from Genghis Khan. But Hammurabi or whoever it was didn't give me any penalty. Pretty sure I was trading two-directional techs too, and not just selling stuff. As a result I don't care as much about it any more, at least when dealing with cheap techs. Maybe the beaker count has some bearing?

The AI has a counter of the total value you have traded to their worst enemies. So even if you don't see the negative mod the AI will remember that you traded them the Wheel for example. Once you exceed that amount you start getting negative diplo mods (up to a maximum of -4). You can usually trade ancient techs without any worry but once you start trading larger value techs then they can start to appear. I believe some AI have lower thresholds as well. More war-like AI seem to have a lower threshold than other AI.

 

[Pangaea]

Probably. Around the time I just acquired alpha, I rarely get that penalty even though I trade with everybody else.


Q: How do you make the game autosave more often?

You can change this in the CivilizationIV.ini file, located in your My docs/My games/BtS folder.

You can set these variables:
MaxAutoSaves = X (10 in my case)
AutoSaveInterval = 1 (autosaves for every turn now, located in /saves/single/auto

You can also set NoIntroMovie = 1 if you wish, to not have to see all those logos and stuff when loading the game.

Just make sure to make a backup of this file once you have changed it, in case the game decided to be a douche and delete it at some point upon loading, like happens frequently on my end

The AI has a counter of the total value you have traded to their worst enemies. So even if you don't see the negative mod the AI will remember that you traded them the Wheel for example. Once you exceed that amount you start getting negative diplo mods (up to a maximum of -4). You can usually trade ancient techs without any worry but once you start trading larger value techs then they can start to appear. I believe some AI have lower thresholds as well. More war-like AI seem to have a lower threshold than other AI.

Thanks, that's very useful. I must be amassing 'hidden' hits then that haven't yet gotten past the threshold. I also assume there is a random chance for the AI to forget this, as I sometimes see it decline from -3 to -2 for example.

 

[Ghpstage]

Thanks, that's very useful. I must be amassing 'hidden' hits then that haven't yet gotten past the threshold. I also assume there is a random chance for the AI to forget this, as I sometimes see it decline from -3 to -2 for example.

Its not random and it doesn't really 'forget' as such. Instead the trade value count is divided by a multiple of the number of turns you've known that AI bringing it down over time.

 

[Samson]

Its not random and it doesn't really 'forget' as such. Instead the trade value count is divided by a multiple of the number of turns you've known that AI bringing it down over time.

Interesting. Which AI (the hater or hatie), and is there a separate counter for each different "Worst Enemy" or does it keep adding up as the AI changes their mind about who they hate the most (and you keep trading with everyone)?

 

[Ghpstage]

Interesting. Which AI (the hater or hatie), and is there a separate counter for each different "Worst Enemy" or does it keep adding up as the AI changes their mind about who they hate the most (and you keep trading with everyone)?

To quote Tachy from elsewhere

Worst enemy penalties are not a simple incrementation; a behind the scene calculus is done each time you trade/gift with someone's worst enemy. Each object has its hidden value (like 10 gold is not valued 10 points, but 20 points...) and the sum of objects gotten by the worst enemy divided by the number of turns since you met the AI who hates that worst enemy.

That statement in red is really important because it explains why you sometimes get automatic -4 oversea at the first turn of meeting an AI whose worst enemy got a lots of thingies from you before.

The way I understand it, an AIs (the haters) "worst enemy trade" is a points pool that isn't tied to specific worst enemy AI.
This pool increases only when trades with a worst enemy take place, if the worst enemy changes then the accumulated points remain, but will only build during trades with the new worst enemy.

 

[nfw]

What's the rule on building naval units for inland sea?

For some reason my cities on my "Caspian Sea" cannot build ships.

Edit: nevermind, just remember needs to be at least 20 tiles.

 

[TheMulattoMaker]

Is there something about running Environmentalism that affects the economic civics of the AIs? I'm playing a smallish map that only has two other AIs still standing. I've been waiting for them to tech Economics so I can persuade them to come out of Mercantilism and switch to Free Market. When I switch from FM to Environmentalism, FM no longer shows up on the diplo screen for them.

UN hasn't been built yet, and neither of the AIs would be switching away from their favorite civic. It's not that Free Market is redded out, it's just not there. If I switch back to FM, then the option's there. Is there a hidden effect of Environmentalism that limits all the other civs?

 

[Lennier]

You can only ask the AI to switch into a civic you're running. If you're in environmentalism, you can only ask them to switch into that, if they have the appropriate tech.

 

[Olson]

Is 'No Tech Trading'/'Brokering' applicable to the AI also or just the (human) players?

[Thanks, Tachywaxon]

 

[Manco Capac]

Is 'No Tech Trading'/'Brokering' applicable to the AI also or just the (human) players?

No distinction made.

 

[TheMulattoMaker]

Is 'No Tech Trading'/'Brokering' applicable to the AI also or just the (human) players?

Ah. Thanks.

 

[STEINMAN1000]

Hey everyone, happy new year, although 9 days late.
Another potential dumb question, is there anyway to modify the starting gold amount in WB?
I am playing around with the giant earth, using WB to create a future era start, but everyone starts at zero gold. Just curious if a way to modify starting gold. BTW, this is an interesting way to handicap some civs, like havin monte start in industrial era when everyone starts in modern era. Kinda fun...but I digress. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Nexlev]

I submit a question for the board veterans.

Has there ever been a series of threads, sort of like the ALC or other similar threads, devoted to each specific leader and an all around discussion about tactics board members have used with said leader along with debate about the leader's strengths, etc. The ALC series has some of that, but is usually specific to the map at play, where I'm looking for threads more focused on the leader than the scenario.

In my time on this board I've found many an unexpected and hidden old thread that I would have never found on my own, when some member randomly links to it in a related discussion. That's what I'm hoping for here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TheMulattoMaker]

Hey everyone, happy new year, although 9 days late.
Another potential dumb question, is there anyway to modify the starting gold amount in WB?
I am playing around with the giant earth, using WB to create a future era start, but everyone starts at zero gold. Just curious if a way to modify starting gold. BTW, this is an interesting way to handicap some civs, like havin monte start in industrial era when everyone starts in modern era. Kinda fun...but I digress. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

As long as they have at least one city, you can do it through the "edit city" button. IIRC, there's a screen that lets you adjust population, culture, and gold. Pop/culture are specific to that city, but if you set the gold amount it's set empire-wide.

I submit a question for the board veterans.

Has there ever been a series of threads, sort of like the ALC or other similar threads, devoted to each specific leader and an all around discussion about tactics board members have used with said leader along with debate about the leader's strengths, etc. The ALC series has some of that, but is usually specific to the map at play, where I'm looking for threads more focused on the leader than the scenario.

In my time on this board I've found many an unexpected and hidden old thread that I would have never found on my own, when some member randomly links to it in a related discussion. That's what I'm hoping for here.

Thanks in advance.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but here ya go...

 

[pomthom]

I tried to find this info quickly but I can't seem to dig up a straight forward answer.

Can somebody quickly confirm that a UN diplo win requires 62% or more votes? (standard size if that scales for some reason...)

Also if I'm not mistaken, 1 city pop = 1 vote.

I'm positive there are some articles somewhere that explain it all but I can't find them!

Thanks a lot!

 

[Pangaea]

That is in the xml files somewhere, but I don't recall the number. 62% might be correct, though 66% sounds more sensible. You can probably find out by doing some quick math on one of the screenshots from the various forum games in the strategy forum.

 

[pomthom]

You can probably find out by doing some quick math on one of the screenshots from the various forum games in the strategy forum.

Yeah that's what I did eventually, the result is 62

 

[Lennier]

That is in the xml files somewhere, but I don't recall the number. 62% might be correct, though 66% sounds more sensible. You can probably find out by doing some quick math on one of the screenshots from the various forum games in the strategy forum.

Since 66% is more sensible, I'd say that Firaxis went with 62%.

 

[STEINMAN1000]

As long as they have at least one city, you can do it through the "edit city" button. IIRC, there's a screen that lets you adjust population, culture, and gold. Pop/culture are specific to that city, but if you set the gold amount it's set empire-wide.



Thanks for the info, I feel, DUH, I was looking at that in WB, but did not see it! Thanks again.