Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[martyboy]

Question 1: adding items to the build queue
Ctrl-click adds to the beginning.
Shift-Click adds things to the end of the queue
Alt-Click repeat builds

Question 2: Can you abandon a city?
There is currently no way (other than world builder) to abandon a city. but see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134455 for other options.

Question 3: How do I draw / label the map or use the layers and filters? (as seen in previews)
From http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134183
From the world map zoom out slowly... you'll see at a point the icons (ping / show tile / bare map / etc) change to layers ( strategy / units / religions / cultures / trade / resource ), you'll also notice that several "filters" appear on the left hand size of the screen.

Question 4: Can you can not build forests?
Certainly not - but tiles next to forests can spawn a forest. Supposedly this is more common if the tile is empty. (sorry, no thread link - maybe when search returns)

Question 5: From within the game, what do the various (ctl-o) Game > Options do?
It's a long list, but they're found in \Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\XML\Text\CIV4GameText_Misc1.xml or try http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134437

Now for some of my own:

Question 6: How do you assign a rally point to a city? ( http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134183 )

Question 7: Do build lists (ctl-#) which *include* *buildings* work for anyone? ( See http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133674 )

Remember... we're all in this together... at least until you cross my borders. :0

I cant get the alt click option to work so as to repeatedly build the same unit. I half figured out rally points, which dont work as well as civ 3, but I have to keep laboriously choosing the same unit to build each time - annoying if you are trying to build up an invasion force or similar
anyone else have a problem with repeat builds? I alt +left click etc but this does nothing; any solutions/ideas?

 

[Lord Parkin]

You need to go inside the city itself (click "Examine City" or double click it on the map), then Alt + left click on the unit you want to build inside the city screen. The unit should appear in the production queue, with a little * after it. The city will then continuously repeat pumping out that unit until you tell it to do something else.

 

[martyboy]

You need to go inside the city itself (click "Examine City" or double click it on the map), then Alt + left click on the unit you want to build inside the city screen. The unit should appear in the production queue, with a little * after it. The city will then continuously repeat pumping out that unit until you tell it to do something else.

Ah ha! That worked! I have a lttle * before the unit, but the little bugger is being pumped out now. Thanks for the clarification

 

[Roland Johansen]

The "small chance of discovering..." with a mined hill - exactly how 'small' is that chance, and is there a limit to the number of times a resource can 'appear' in any given game? I've certainly experienced resources appearing before, but I've always been curious about exactly how rare (or otherwise) it's supposed to be.

The resources aluminium, coal, copper, gems, gold, iron, silver and uranium can be discovered. They can only be discovered if the mines are being used by the city and after the enabling technology has been researched. The chance is 1/10000 for each turn that a mine is being worked, for each mine and for each resource that can be discovered.
I don't think the chances are scaled for the game speed (quick, normal, epic, marathon) and they are definately not scaled for the map size. So on a huge map with marathon speed settings, the chances for discovering multiple resources are best.

If you are using 50 mines and every resource has been enabled, then you'd expect to find a new resource once every 25 turns. Because of the nature of random numbers, this could result in 0 resources over a 100 turn period or 10 resources over a 100 turn period, but you'd expect 4 resources over a 100 turn period.

 

[a4phantom]

If you are using 50 mines and every resource has been enabled, then you'd expect to find a new resource once every 25 turns. Because of the nature of random numbers, this could result in 0 resources over a 100 turn period or 10 resources over a 100 turn period, but you'd expect 4 resources over a 100 turn period.

I've never discovered one. I think I deserve to beat a tank with a spear for that.

 

[Joshua03]

What do the various "shoreline" options mean? As you are creating the game you want to play - I selected PANGEA. Then it asked me to determine a type of shoreline - choices were: RANDOM, NATURAL, PRESSED, SOLID

I can't find descriptions of those options anywhere!

 

[Raisin Bran]

your answer is right HERE

 

[vtbrandon]

does Civ IV have any kind of feature that lets you pick an ending era? i want to start like in the ancient times but stop in the renaissance but i cant seem to find the feature. also is there a scenario editor like there was with Civ III? i know about the world builder but i mean is there another scenario editor? thansk

 

[a4phantom]

does Civ IV have any kind of feature that lets you pick an ending era? i want to start like in the ancient times but stop in the renaissance but i cant seem to find the feature. also is there a scenario editor like there was with Civ III? i know about the world builder but i mean is there another scenario editor? thansk

Only a mod would do that, or you could set certain goals to have obtained by the renaissance and quit then whether you've met them or not.

 

[Roland Johansen]

does Civ IV have any kind of feature that lets you pick an ending era? i want to start like in the ancient times but stop in the renaissance but i cant seem to find the feature. also is there a scenario editor like there was with Civ III? i know about the world builder but i mean is there another scenario editor? thansk

Welcome to civfanatics!

Civ4 is extensively moddable, but does not have an editor like civ3. You can edit the xml-files and the python files to change the game rules and use the Software Developers Kit to chance the C++ code (xml-files is easy, python files more difficult, C++ code quite difficult). The ingame world builder allows you to create maps.

I took a look at the xml-files for you and found one that probably determines if a technology is researchable. The file is called CIV4TechInfos.xml and can be found in the directory ...\Civilization 4\Assets\XML\Technologies
If you edit the file, then you will see that each technology has an entry
<bDisable>0</bDisable>
My guess is that if you set this entry to <bDisable>1</bDisable>, that the tech will be disabled. I have not tested this.

You could disable every technology of the renaissance and up and thus create the mini-mod that you desire.

The best way to change the gamecode is by making a full mod out of it (see the Mods directory of civ4), so that the original game files are preserved. But you could also just backup the file and then change the original game.

If you want expert advice on modding (and read a few tutorials on modding the game), then the best place to look is the Creation and Customization subforum.

 

[SkyknightXi]

What determines how the AI chooses techs to research? I notice that each leader has an affinity for specific flavors (e.g. Louis XIV's Culture: 5, Military: 2, and Huayna Capac's Gold: 10)--are these multipliers for the techs' scores in those flavors? Also, does the AI take research time into consideration?

(If you must know, I'm trying to pull off something resembling a blind research game...)

 

[a4phantom]

They definitely prioritize Bronze Working and the religion founding techs.

 

[NotReady4Purple]

Do resouces (horses, marble, fish etc.) have to be in the cities' fat cross and being worked by a citizen (and worker) - or can they be anywhere in the cultural boundaries and worked by a worker?

Do all worked resources have to be connected (by road, river or water) to a city?

Thanks.

 

[a4phantom]

Do resouces (horses, marble, fish etc.) have to be in the cities' fat cross and being worked by a citizen (and worker) - or can they be anywhere in the cultural boundaries and worked by a worker?

Do all worked resources have to be connected (by road, river or water) to a city?

Thanks.

To be used by your civilization (wine to make people happy, horses to build chariot units) they need to be within your borders, connected to the cities that gain the benefit, and have the proper improvement (quarry for stone, mine for iron, winery for wine). To be used for a few bonus food/hammer/commerce they need to be within the city's fat cross and worked by a population point, and the benefit grows greatly if they have the proper improvement.

 

[Dagnabit]

I hope this is the right place to ask this question. How do you go from playingan active game to say- the Civ Fanatics forum (to look up a strategy tip for instance) without having to close and save the game you are in. I like to take notes sometimes and would like to quickly jot something down and then return to the active play.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

 

[frankcor]

Dagnabit:

You need to find your CivilizationIV.ini file. It's usually in your My Documents/My Games folder in a subfolder named Sid Meier's Civilization 4. Right click on the .ini file and select Edit.

Once you're looking at the contents of the file, usually in Notepad, there are two things you'll want to change. Search for the following lines:

; Specify whether to play in fullscreen mode 0/1/ask
FullScreen = 1

Change the 1 after FullScreen = to ask

Next, search for:

; Allow Mouse Scrolling in Windowed mode
MouseScrolling = 1

If the number after MouseScrolling = is a 0, change it to a 1.

Close Notepad, saving the file as you exit.

Now when you start the game, you'll be asked whether or not to run in FullScreen mode. Select No to play in windowed mode. On my system, after the game interface loads, I have to select the Window toggle (in the upper right corner of the screen) to get the window to fill the screen. It may be different on yours depending on the resolution in which you're running the game.

 

[Raisin Bran]

Dagnabit:

You need to find your CivilizationIV.ini file. It's usually in your My Documents/My Games folder in a subfolder named Sid Meier's Civilization 4. Right click on the .ini file and select Edit.

Once you're looking at the contents of the file, usually in Notepad, there are two things you'll want to change. Search for the following lines:

; Specify whether to play in fullscreen mode 0/1/ask
FullScreen = 1

Change the 1 after FullScreen = to ask

Next, search for:

; Allow Mouse Scrolling in Windowed mode
MouseScrolling = 1

If the number after MouseScrolling = is a 0, change it to a 1.

Close Notepad, saving the file as you exit.

Now when you start the game, you'll be asked whether or not to run in FullScreen mode. Select No to play in windowed mode. On my system, after the game interface loads, I have to select the Window toggle (in the upper right corner of the screen) to get the window to fill the screen. It may be different on yours depending on the resolution in which you're running the game.

A easier way of doing this is to press alt+escape or alt+tab, this will minimise the Civ window and you will be able to open a new one to Civ Fanatics .

 

[Muki]

What do the World wrap options mean? Cylindrical, flat and the 3rd option starting with a T

 

[azzaman333]

What do the World wrap options mean? Cylindrical, flat and the 3rd option starting with a T

Cylindrical is the standard x-axis wrap. Flat is no world wrap, and the thing starting with T is x and y axis wrap.

 

[pixiejmcc]

Hey

I was interested in finding out exactly how the unhappiness caused by slavery works. Also I'm not even sure how many hammers each pop point yields.

I'm sure there is a thread on this subject somewhere. Could you please point me in its direction.