Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[Zeofar]

Wow, you find marathon too fast?!

Well, I guess it's a mod you're playing, so that may be different to the regular game. Personally, I enjoy the drawn-out, "full civ experience" of marathon games - but I must say, any slower and the pace really would crawl.

But each to his own preferences! Good luck with your modding.

I am a Marathon fan as well, but I actually agree with the other guy. All too often the game feels rushed, even on marathon. A game with extended time and a larger map would be great. Even with normal marathon time, a larger map would be good. Which actually brings me to the question of whether or not you can make maps that are larger than huge, and if so, does anyone have links for any? Or, for reference, what are the dimensions of huge?

 

[mrjacksplat]

I know this is a easy question but I can't figure it out. I have Civil Service and Code of laws. But I can't build Maceman. What do I need in order to have it available to create? I can build a catapult, but not maceman. I looked around the entire map for a new resource but I don't see it anywhere.

 

[Roland Johansen]

I know this is a easy question but I can't figure it out. I have Civil Service and Code of laws. But I can't build Maceman. What do I need in order to have it available to create? I can build a catapult, but not maceman. I looked around the entire map for a new resource but I don't see it anywhere.

This information can easily be found in the civilopedia entry of the unit. Just from memory, I believe the requirements for the maceman are Civil Service + Machinery + (Iron or Copper), but I'm not sure. But check the civilopedia to be sure.

Welcome to civfanatics!

 

[mrjacksplat]

This information can easily be found in the civilopedia entry of the unit. Just from memory, I believe the requirements for the maceman are Civil Service + Machinery + (Iron or Copper), but I'm not sure. But check the civilopedia to be sure.

Welcome to civfanatics!

Your right! I need Machinary...thanks !! And I'm glad to be here!

 

[Supr49er]

Welcome to the Forums fmanos.

Welcome to the Forums Zeofar.

Welcome to the Forums mrjacksplat.

 

[FizRep]

Ok, so I have some nooby questions:

1) Grocers make +1 health per resource. If I have multiple resources of one type, do I get a bigger bonus? Or is it best to try to secure all four?

2) Do settlers take food or hammers to produce?

3) Is it generally best to take over civs not right next to you, or try to make them vassals?

4) Is it best to try to 'hog' the religions by racing to get them all, or worry about other stuff and let missionaries spread your faith?

 

[henrebotha]

Ok, so I have some nooby questions:

1) Grocers make +1 health per resource. If I have multiple resources of one type, do I get a bigger bonus? Or is it best to try to secure all four?

2) Do settlers take food or hammers to produce?

3) Is it generally best to take over civs not right next to you, or try to make them vassals?

4) Is it best to try to 'hog' the religions by racing to get them all, or worry about other stuff and let missionaries spread your faith?

1) You don't get a bigger bonus for having, say, three Wheat than you do for just one. For this reason, trading the extra ones away for resources you don't already have is generally a good idea.

2) They use both. Hammers are applied as normal. What happens with your food is it is first used to feed your citizens; then any surplus food is also applied to the training of your settler.

4) Depends on the game situation. Founding multiple religions in your Wall Street city can be a game-winner. (Happened to me once... good times, good times.)

 

[mrjacksplat]

I noticed when your close to getting a new tech, you have the option to scale back the amount of money you allot to research, WITHOUT that effecting the number of turns to gain that tech. Let me be more clearer. Say your alloting 100% towards research. When you get say 3 turns from getting that new tech, you can drop your research to say 80% WITHOUT that effecting how long (turns) until the tech is yours. So my question is is that something we should do? Will that effect the research in any way on going after the NEXT tech?

 

[henrebotha]

I noticed when your close to getting a new tech, you have the option to scale back the amount of money you allot to research, WITHOUT that effecting the number of turns to gain that tech. Let me be more clearer. Say your alloting 100% towards research. When you get say 3 turns from getting that new tech, you can drop your research to say 80% WITHOUT that effecting how long (turns) until the tech is yours. So my question is is that something we should do? Will that effect the research in any way on going after the NEXT tech?

It will affect future research because all the excess gets carried over to the next tech you research.

 

[PieceOfMind]

I noticed when your close to getting a new tech, you have the option to scale back the amount of money you allot to research, WITHOUT that effecting the number of turns to gain that tech. Let me be more clearer. Say your alloting 100% towards research. When you get say 3 turns from getting that new tech, you can drop your research to say 80% WITHOUT that effecting how long (turns) until the tech is yours. So my question is is that something we should do? Will that effect the research in any way on going after the NEXT tech?

First question: No.
Second question: Yes.

There is no need to micromanage your science slider as you near the end of researching a tech. Unlike in the older civ games, the overflow beakers are carried over onto the next tech. So you will be slowing your overall research if you reduce the slider in the last few turns.

There are other reasons you might wish to micromanage the science slider, but the benefits are so small and the reasons too deep to go into in this thread.

 

[Crime Doesn't Pay]

1. What are first strikes? How do they work?
2. What's the difference between difficulty speeds? How do I save time in this game?

 

[henrebotha]

There are "difficulties" and there are "speeds". Difficulties simply adjust the AI's relative skill (and what bonuses or drawbacks it gets). Game speeds adjust how many turns it takes to play a game. For instance, a normal-speed game takes around 500 turns to get from 4000 BC to 2050 AD; a marathon- or epic-speed game takes more, and a quick-speed game takes fewer. Factors such as research costs are adjusted in every game speed to balance the difference; however, units can move the same distance each turn regardless of game speed. Therefore, tactical movement is emphasised. If you enjoy a warmongering game, it might be worth your while to play on slower speeds.

 

[PieceOfMind]

1. What are first strikes? How do they work?

Firstly, note there are guaranteed first strikes and first strike chances.

For example, the Drill I promotion gives 1 first strike chance, and the Drill II promotion gives 1 guaranteed first strike.

If n is the number of first strike chances, a random number between 0 and n will be picked before combat starts to decide how many of the first strike chances will become first strikes. Add this then to the number of guaranteed first strikes to get the number of first strikes the unit will have in combat. For example, a longbow with 4-7 first strikes (a Drill IV longbow) will get anything between 4 and 7 first strikes, with 4, 5, 6 and 7 all being equally likely.

Then, when in combat, if N is the number of first strikes, then the unit will enjoy N rounds of combat where he cannot take any damage. If both units have some first strikes the first rounds of combat will actually be pointless.

The first strike rounds of combat are carried out just as any other combat round, but with the immunity to damage for the combatant/s who still has/have first strike rounds remaining.

For more detail, look up Arathorn's Combat Explained thread in the strategy article section.

 

[FizRep]

There are "difficulties" and there are "speeds". Difficulties simply adjust the AI's relative skill (and what bonuses or drawbacks it gets). Game speeds adjust how many turns it takes to play a game. For instance, a normal-speed game takes around 500 turns to get from 4000 BC to 2050 AD; a marathon- or epic-speed game takes more, and a quick-speed game takes fewer. Factors such as research costs are adjusted in every game speed to balance the difference; however, units can move the same distance each turn regardless of game speed. Therefore, tactical movement is emphasised. If you enjoy a warmongering game, it might be worth your while to play on slower speeds.

Are building hammer costs also proportionally increased with marathon and epic settings?

 

[Roland Johansen]

Are building hammer costs also proportionally increased with marathon and epic settings?

Almost everything is adjusted with the same factor. Unit movement speeds were already mentioned as the major exception. There is another exception:

The game progresses 3 times as slow at marathon speed while units cost twice as much (buildings still cost thrice as much).

 

[dalamb]

3) Is it generally best to take over civs not right next to you, or try to make them vassals?

Like almost everything else, "it depends". You might be able to use Forbidden Palace and/or Versailles to keep far-away territory for yourself without crashing your economy for maintenance fees. You might be able to use State Property to eliminate the distance factor entirely. After Code of Laws, because of courthouses, maintenance gets cheaper anyway. And if you have a really strong economy, you may not need to worry about maintenance fees so much.

I personally have used vassals in only one game, where on an Earth 18 Civs map, Mansa Musa volunteered to become a vassal of Spain without my ever having threatened him, so my experience is too limited to say when vassalage is good for you.

 

[Mchempstein]

I always seem to be one of the first few to reach grenadiers and rifles in my games, which is helpful. But after that, people (real or AI) tend to blow past me with infantry.

1) Are grens and rifles capable of going stack vs stack against infantry?
2) Are grens worth upgrading to machine guns?
3) Is it essential to acquire infantry before fighters (flight)?

 

[MrCynical]

1)No, unless you have considerable weight of numbers on your side. An infantry will easily beat a rifle or grenadier all other things being equal.

2)In all honesty I rarely bother with machine guns. A unit which can't attack I just don't find all that helpful, since the most effective defense is a good offense. I suppose they might be worth having in you have a large stack and are under attack from many enemy siege units, but I've never really missed these units.

3)No, but infantry are a very decent all round unit for the latter part of the game, and can be obtained not long after rifles with the right tech path. I'd generally get them before flight (plus assembly line gives factories which are also key).

 

[Lord Parkin]

3)No, but infantry are a very decent all round unit for the latter part of the game, and can be obtained not long after rifles with the right tech path. I'd generally get them before flight (plus assembly line gives factories which are also key).

And of course the Pentagon is very nice to have, and you should have a decent shot at it if you don't get Assembly Line too long after the AI players.

 

[mrjacksplat]

How come deep into my game a city can say "One more turn to cities growth" (or something like that lol) and the next turn comes and goes and the city DOESN"T grow?? Is it something like I previously "hurried production" or switched a citizen from working one tile for another?