Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[JiM_cz]

Could someone tell me what these "pluses" or "crosses" next to the names of the buildings mean? Also, is it somehow possible to have the whole text visible? There is plenty of space, but some names are cut and end with ...

 

[lymond]

Is it possible for barbs to spawn from a single tile of explored but unfogbusted land? All other tiles adjacent to it are within my civ's line of sight. My suspicion is that, since civ4/bts treats a map in clusters of 2/4 tiles, a single fogged tile isn't enough for barbs to appear.

Yes, unless you have a unit posted 2 tiles from it

 

[lymond]

Could someone tell me what these "pluses" or "crosses" next to the names of the buildings mean? Also, is it somehow possible to have the whole text visible? There is plenty of space, but some names are cut and end with ...
View attachment 742878

Are you playing some kind of mod?

 

[JiM_cz]

Yes, I think it's called Better BAT AI.

 

[Long try]

Yes, unless you have a unit posted 2 tiles from it

Even if that unit can't see the tile?

Another Q: I used 1GP to trigger golden age. Now I'm building Taj Mahal. After the 2nd GA ends, how many GPs will I need to begin 3rd?

 

[AcaMetis]

Even if that unit can't see the tile?

Yes. In fact the unit doesn't even need to be yours, a barbarian unit will prevent a barbarian unit from spawning within two tiles (with the possible exception of barbarian animals when they naturally go extinct, though I can't confirm that).

Another Q: I used 1GP to trigger golden age. Now I'm building Taj Mahal. After the 2nd GA ends, how many GPs will I need to begin 3rd?

Two. Taj Mahal is a "free" golden age, does not count against your golden ages started with great people.

 

[Long try]

Yes. In fact the unit doesn't even need to be yours, a barbarian unit will prevent a barbarian unit from spawning within two tiles

I understand it as, if I position my units exactly 5 tiles from each other, my vicinity will never have barbs, even if to do so, my units don't stand on hills with good line of sight. Right?

Two. Taj Mahal is a "free" golden age

Related question: I'm in that 2nd GA now. The duration is the same as the 1st (15 turns on epic). I recall reading somewhere that every subsequent GA is longer than the last - like, 18-21-24 or something. So in BTS (BUFFY), every GA has the same length, or the one started by Taj doesn't count in the chain of 'longer GA'?

 

[AcaMetis]

I understand it as, if I position my units exactly 5 tiles from each other, my vicinity will never have barbs, even if to do so, my units don't stand on hills with good line of sight. Right?

Actually incorrect. It is true that if you have unit - tile - tile - tile - tile - unit no barbarian units can spawn on those tiles, regardless of visibility. However barbarian units can still spawn outside those tiles, and walk onto them during their turn. Also, IIRC, barbarian cities actually don't follow this "cannot spawn within two tiles of another unit" rule, despite spawning barbarian units alongside, so that is another concern (barbarian cities cannot spawn if a tile is within view of another unit, though).

Fog busting is still a hugely powerful technique that is critical to manage barbs on higher difficulties, mind, as it can severely limited the areas in which barbarians can spawn and/or realistically get to. But you do have to keep a close eye on it. One missed tile, and suddenly you've got a barb Archer two tiles from your capitol.

Related question: I'm in that 2nd GA now. The duration is the same as the 1st (15 turns on epic). I recall reading somewhere that every subsequent GA is longer than the last - like, 18-21-24 or something. So in BTS (BUFFY), every GA has the same length, or the one started by Taj doesn't count in the chain of 'longer GA'?

In vanilla BTS all golden ages have the same length, depending on whether or not you control the MoM, regardless of what started the golden age (though IIRC there is a quirk where if you extend a golden age you'll get +1 turn of golden age than if you started two golden ages separately?). If BUFFY changes that mechanic I'm not sure what it was changed to.

 

[lymond]

I understand it as, if I position my units exactly 5 tiles from each other, my vicinity will never have barbs, even if to do so, my units don't stand on hills with good line of sight. Right?

We call it spawnbusting. . Basically it is a 5x5 tile area with a unit in the center. Coast and barb gallies do not count.

Related question: I'm in that 2nd GA now. The duration is the same as the 1st (15 turns on epic). I recall reading somewhere that every subsequent GA is longer than the last - like, 18-21-24 or something. So in BTS (BUFFY), every GA has the same length, or the one started by Taj doesn't count in the chain of 'longer GA'? ages are the same length

Golden ages are the same length

 

[Fippy]

Coast and barb gallies do not count.

Maybe you meant it differently, but galleys can be busted like land barbs
Pretty important in iso near seafood cities.

 

[lymond]

Derp! I am rusty

 

[pokeii]

I remember reading somewhere that you need to uncover the relevant parts of the map to get trade route. I observe (a) I frequently get routes with AI cities I haven't seen and (b) today I had two cities connected after sailing but I haven't uncovered the waters.

Does this mean it only applies to foreign trade and only one side needs to do the discovery or is the whole thing wrong?

 

[AcaMetis]

For your cities to get trade routes with foreign cities you have to know how to get to those foreign cities, and you need to have open borders with the civ those foreign cities belong to. I didn't remember off-hand if you need to have uncovered those foreign cities on the map as well, or if connecting to any city on the foreign civ's trade network is enough to trade with all other cities on that foreign trade network. But you definitely have to connect to at least one.

For resource trades all you need is for either civ to have such a trade route connection. The other civ doesn't need to know where the first civ is how to reach it, if either civ can reach the other both civs can trade resources.

 

[pokeii]

Quite often I see the trade network icon in the list of players but don't have foreign trade routes when I look at my cities. I'm in this situation now so I'll try to figure out what's going on if I don't get an answer earlier.

 

[a pen-dragon]

I think this is a connection to the trade network, i.e. you can trade resources and foreign trade routes can appear if you also have open borders.

 

[AcaMetis]

Quite often I see the trade network icon in the list of players but don't have foreign trade routes when I look at my cities. I'm in this situation now so I'll try to figure out what's going on if I don't get an answer earlier.

That trade network icon means that one or both civs are connected via trade route and resource trades are available. Actual foreign trade routes (assuming open borders and no Mercantilism) is available to one civ at least, but not necessarily the other.

 

[Long try]

I didn't remember off-hand if you need to have uncovered those foreign cities on the map as well, or if connecting to any city on the foreign civ's trade network is enough to trade with all other cities on that foreign trade network.

It's the latter case. I checked it with my game. It makes sense BTW, and I don't complain

Question: what are the pros/cons of giving some cities the status of new colony - i.e. vassal? Does anyone do that in-game? If possible, I'd love to read an analysis on the vassaling strategy.

 

[pokeii]

I think Long try is right. Here I have no trade route with Pacal. I loaded the previous turn when the chariot moved and revealed the last sea tile and got trade routes with all his 3 cities.

I'll see if I can figure out if Pacal had a trade route before this after the game.

Edit: Indeed Pacal got trade route before this
Playing with the world builder I also found I got the arrows icon with Persia exactly after he got sailing and hence trade routes with me

 

[AcaMetis]

Question: what are the pros/cons of giving some cities the status of new colony - i.e. vassal? Does anyone do that in-game? If possible, I'd love to read an analysis on the vassaling strategy.

The main pro is not paying colonial maintenance, though State Property does the same thing and doesn't require you to hand cities over to AI control (which, depending on difficulty setting, can by anything from hilariously awful to a genius ploy to "easily" win the game).

 

[Long try]

depending on difficulty setting, can by anything from hilariously awful to a genius ploy to "easily" win the game

I play immortal, and by the time the problem of "too many colonies to pay" surface, the game is almost always decided, so I never went on too far. But this time I want to finish a game...
In any case, I can't see the ploy to easily win by dividing my own empire into colonies. Can you enlighten me? BTW, is there a guide written by someone on civfanatics about vassals? When you should do it, in which difficulties is it beneficial, by how much, etc.