Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[MrCynical]

Everything is adjusted by the same factor (growth, production costs, research costs, improvement building time, etc.) with the major exception of movement. So on slower game speeds, units move relatively quickly compared to building time and research times. Thus war is easier on slower game speeds.

It's often a good idea to play the smaller maps on quicker game speeds and the larger maps and slower game speeds.

One small caveat: while unit production speed does change with game speed, it doesn't scale in proportion with everything else. For example at Marathon most things are scaled by a factor of 3, but unit production cost is only x2. As a result units can relatively be built faster on marathon and vice versa on quick.

Of course this only adds to Marathon (and to a lesser extent Epic) favouring warfare.

 

[Renata]

BTS 3.17 -- So when you found a city of your own on territory you've just liberated from an AI, you still get Motherland unhappiness? I had no idea until the game I just completed. I would have razed/replaced one tile over anyway (as opposed to just capturing) due to wanting a levee, but still. Does anyone know what the exact parameters are for that sort of thing?

 

[NecroAngel]

In this situation, where would you put your new city?

Image 2

Is it worth settling there despite the desert stuff? Similarly if I was in the 'frozen north' as it were, would it be worth settling near resources despite there being a lot of worthless ice and tundra nearby?

Also, what could this city specialise in?

 

[Roland Johansen]

BTS 3.17 -- So when you found a city of your own on territory you've just liberated from an AI, you still get Motherland unhappiness? I had no idea until the game I just completed. I would have razed/replaced one tile over anyway (as opposed to just capturing) due to wanting a levee, but still. Does anyone know what the exact parameters are for that sort of thing?

The game stores plot culture for every tile on the map. This is related to the culture produced in the cities but stored independently. When you capture an area, then the plot culture of your enemy is still present in that area while your plot culture in the area is likely to be a lot lower than theirs (0 far from your cities).

The percentage of foreign culture in the centre city tile of a city directly causes a percentage of the citizens in that city to get Motherland unhappiness. You will also suffer this type of unhappiness in your border cities which are pressured by enemy culture and which have a percentage of foreign culture in the centre city tile.

When you destroy a civilisation, all of their culture and all of the related motherland unhappiness will suddenly magically disappear. This part is a bit weird, but that's how it works.

 

[Roland Johansen]

In this situation, where would you put your new city?

Image 2

Is it worth settling there despite the desert stuff? Similarly if I was in the 'frozen north' as it were, would it be worth settling near resources despite there being a lot of worthless ice and tundra nearby?

Also, what could this city specialise in?

I can't decide where to place the city. There's not enough information. I wouldn't want to have a narrow band of unused land between 2 of my future cities and that is easily possible without more information.

It's often worth settling near desert or tundra if you gain resources. Those resources are often resources that you don't have or which you can use to trade for other resources that you don't have. Thus they will give you several happiness and health points in every other city that you own. That benefit is so great that it doesn't even matter if the city itself can produce something worthwhile.

A tundra city will often be placed near the coast to try and grab a food resource (fish, crab, clam) and use the coastal tiles which are at least somewhat useful. The goal is to get the city profitable in as short a time possible so that it gains the resources but doesn't cost your civilisation anything. So a courthouse is likely contructed there and a granary and lighthouse to get it to grow. Then you'll slowly add other buildings to get it a bit more profitable like a harbor. But it will not become a very useful city. It will just contribute a low value in commerce and the very useful resources.

The desert city will follow the same pattern but desert cities are usually not near the coast. So you'll try to get one food resource so they can use some tiles, but they're mainly there for the resources.

In the end, it's the cost of a settler for a gain in happiness and/or health in your entire empire plus the small commerce output of the city itself. It might not be the first city that you want to settle, but those resources will still make it a pretty valuable city for the other cities in your empire.

 

[Olfart]

Did you click the "upload" button in the attachment manager window?

For some reason, this didn't work the first time I tried. Tried again, and it works just fine. Thanx for responding.

 

[Slemtiger]

Can someone please explain the "around the globe movement speed bonus"? Is it the first civ who sends a unit all around the globe who achives this bonus or everyone? Is there anything i should know when trying to achive this bonus? Thnx.

 

[Roland Johansen]

Can someone please explain the "around the globe movement speed bonus"? Is it the first civ who sends a unit all around the globe who achives this bonus or everyone? Is there anything i should know when trying to achive this bonus? Thnx.

The first player to have knowledge of at least one tile of each longitude will gain +1 movement for all existing and future naval units. The known tiles don't have to create a path. The other players won't get the bonus.

The easiest way to get the bonus on larger maps is often by buying some maps (while not selling your own). When both you and another civilisation gain the knowledge on your turn, then you will get the bonus on your next turn. On some maps with lots of spread out islands, even a few workboats that started to move very early in the game can achieve the bonus.

 

[Slemtiger]

The first player to have knowledge of at least one tile of each longitude will gain +1 movement for all existing and future naval units. The known tiles don't have to create a path. The other players won't get the bonus.

The easiest way to get the bonus on larger maps is often by buying some maps (while not selling your own). When both you and another civilisation gain the knowledge on your turn, then you will get the bonus on your next turn. On some maps with lots of spread out islands, even a few workboats that started to move very early in the game can achieve the bonus.

Cool, thnx. Is there a way for me to know if another civ already has achived the bonus?

 

[Sisiutil]

Cool, thnx. Is there a way for me to know if another civ already has achived the bonus?

It will be announced. An eerie sound will play--the same one you hear when someone reaches Liberalism--and a message at the top will announce "So-and-so has proven the world is round!" or words to that effect. You can also scroll back in the event log to find this announcement.

 

[Diegosto]

i like "civ4" very much but i don't know a lot about games:

i bought "the complete edition" ...which patches do i have to download?....for example do i have to download 3.17 and 3.19 both for "beyond the sword" ...or will 3.19 be enough?

and i don't like "espionage stuff" ....so if i want to play "warlords"...which patches do i have to download?

 

[Zygmunt]

What exe do you need to edit a scenario? Civ III has CivEdit I believe. So what is the one needed for Civ IV?

 

[jmas]

I'm away from my home computer so I don't have the screenie I took, however I am wondering if Rome's culture can push onto my landmass. The city of Rome is 7 tiles east of a city I conquered from Greece (roughly; I think it's 7E and 1N). My culture in that city extends out 2 tiles (1 border pop), Rome's extends 4 tiles west, over 2 tiles of land and 2 of water. There is no culture clash yet. If it was all land, on Rome's next border pop, there would be conflict on the tiles in my BFC. But given 2 tiles of water in between, is Rome's culture prevented from pushing onto my landmass? If not, they'll probably be my next target since I'm not giving up my corn tile... Thanks all.

 

[f35acepilot]

i like "civ4" very much but i don't know a lot about games:

i bought "the complete edition" ...which patches do i have to download?....for example do i have to download 3.17 and 3.19 both for "beyond the sword" ...or will 3.19 be enough?

and i don't like "espionage stuff" ....so if i want to play "warlords"...which patches do i have to download?

All you'll need to download and install for bts, even on the complete edition, is 3.19. All other patches are included within.

If you don't want espionage, you can start a custom game (in the singleplayer menu) and tick the option that says "No espionage". This will turn all espionage into culture (All also raises the amount of culture needed for border pops due to the extra culture).

 

[Diegosto]

All you'll need to download and install for bts, even on the complete edition, is 3.19. All other patches are included within.

If you don't want espionage, you can start a custom game (in the singleplayer menu) and tick the option that says "No espionage". This will turn all espionage into culture (All also raises the amount of culture needed for border pops due to the extra culture).

thank you...so the latest patch will be enough...thank you for your advice for custom start, i think that will be better playing the new version (civ4: beyond the sword) than playing the older version (civ4: warlords)....

 

[Anders1110]

I recently installed CIV IV again as it fits best with my work schedule right now and was playing happily along and on load I noticed one of the in game tips.
It said something along the lines
"There is a bonus to your cottage if placed next to a farmed Corn field (or similar resource type".

I have not been able to find this confirmed anywhere so far, anyone who can validate if this is true, or just a weirdly framed hint that can be happily ignored? If it is true what is the bonus?

 

[jmas]

OK, here is the screenie I mentioned (see my post above). Can Rome's culture start affecting my landmass on its next border pop, or do the 2 intervening water tiles prevent that?

Spoiler :

 

[Samson]

OK, here is the screenie I mentioned (see my post above). Can Rome's culture start affecting my landmass on its next border pop, or do the 2 intervening water tiles prevent that?

No. As long as these are 2 seperate land masses romes culture will not expand to your land.

 

[Sisiutil]

I recently installed CIV IV again as it fits best with my work schedule right now and was playing happily along and on load I noticed one of the in game tips.
It said something along the lines
"There is a bonus to your cottage if placed next to a farmed Corn field (or similar resource type".

I have not been able to find this confirmed anywhere so far, anyone who can validate if this is true, or just a weirdly framed hint that can be happily ignored? If it is true what is the bonus?

That sounds like a bogus tip--I've certainly never seen it before. Your cottage will get a +1 bonus if it's on a tile right next to a river, but not if it's next to a lake or a farm of any type.

 

[jmas]

No. As long as these are 2 seperate land masses romes culture will not expand to your land.

Yes, 2 separate landmasses; thank you!