Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[chr1829]

Still not too good in warfare.
Next question. WHich is smarter choice? Attack neighbours or country a bit farther away from my homeland?

 

[Silv Something]

Can't believe I didn't discover this forum earlier, it's an absolute goldmine of info.

Anyway like most first timers to the Civ series I've got some nooby questions. First up, I'm always having a problem with starvation with nearly all my cities as I'm approaching modern era. It seems once 1900 turns up my cities automatically starve. Leading up to end game my cities grow pretty well and without many problems. Is this normal and am I paying too much attention towards it? To me it seems pretty detrimental, does it really have any affects at all?

. . . . . . . . blah blah blah . . . . .

Cheers.

First advice: post a game with screenies on the boards. Play maybe 30-100 turns at a time, post what happened, and people can help you with what to do and give you advice when you need it. Your cities starving might be caused by windmills which stop making food at electricity. If your cities are just to big, try a little and that should stop all your cities' food being eaten.

Starving means that the population is eating more food than it can produce, so you will have less people to work your cities' tiles. So yes, it does have an affect.

 

[Kethas]

Hi all - longtime lurker, first time poster, etc. etc. Basic question here, but "missile cruiser reload" gave no hits in Search, so...

I've read in several places that using submarines to reload Missile Cruisers' stock of guided/tactical missiles is a key part of naval strategy, but I can't figure out how to transfer the missiles. Specifically, I have a submarine loaded with three Guided Missiles on the same tile as an empty Missile Cruiser, but I don't see a load/unload button for the guided missile(s), and attempting to Rebase them onto the tile gives a grey tile (ineligible target) instead of a green one (eligible target). How can I transfer missiles from a submarine to a missile cruiser? More generally, how can I transfer carried units from one transport to another while at sea?

While I'm here, another question that's been nagging me too -

What exactly are the mechanics behind the Global Warming downside to ICBM/tactical nuke usage, and is there any way to mitigate them? My only use of them thus far has been to toss off 87 ICBMs in two turns as a final farewell before winning a Space Race victory in a handful of turns, but already a decent swath of land in a few of my cities had turned to desert - this is making me leery of using them at all in a normal, close game. Edit: also, is Global Warming retribution necessarily directed at the ICBM/tactical nuke-launching civ, or could the deserts pop up anywhere, including out of BFC's and/or in the BFC's of enemy civs?

Thanks for the help.

 

[IAM]

Really? Even if you don't have the tech to make the improvement, like you have the tech that reveals oil but not the one that lets you make wells?

Also good to know: You can prebuild a fort and then immedialtely recieve the benefit once you have the tech. You don't have to wait the additional time to build a well. You can then build the well for more production after you have the tech and you won't loose a turn of having oil. Upgrading a fleet 10 turns before your opponent can make a strategic difference in your end game.

Welcome Kethas!

 

[Roland Johansen]

Still not too good in warfare.
Next question. WHich is smarter choice? Attack neighbours or country a bit farther away from my homeland?

Usually, you don't want to have to move too far with your units and you don't want cities distant from your home land. But of course, if the distant enemy can be defeated easier or you can get an ally that's inbetween the two of you, then that can make the difference. But in general, I'd go for the closer target.

Hi all - longtime lurker, first time poster, etc. etc. Basic question here, but "missile cruiser reload" gave no hits in Search, so...

I've read in several places that using submarines to reload Missile Cruisers' stock of guided/tactical missiles is a key part of naval strategy, but I can't figure out how to transfer the missiles. Specifically, I have a submarine loaded with three Guided Missiles on the same tile as an empty Missile Cruiser, but I don't see a load/unload button for the guided missile(s), and attempting to Rebase them onto the tile gives a grey tile (ineligible target) instead of a green one (eligible target). How can I transfer missiles from a submarine to a missile cruiser? More generally, how can I transfer carried units from one transport to another while at sea?

I'd try:
1) select unit (missile in this case)
2) press load key
3) pick desired transport vessel (missile cruiser in this case)

Maybe you have to press the unload key first after you've selected the missile. It depends on whether it's activated.

While I'm here, another question that's been nagging me too -

What exactly are the mechanics behind the Global Warming downside to ICBM/tactical nuke usage, and is there any way to mitigate them? My only use of them thus far has been to toss off 87 ICBMs in two turns as a final farewell before winning a Space Race victory in a handful of turns, but already a decent swath of land in a few of my cities had turned to desert - this is making me leery of using them at all in a normal, close game. Edit: also, is Global Warming retribution necessarily directed at the ICBM/tactical nuke-launching civ, or could the deserts pop up anywhere, including out of BFC's and/or in the BFC's of enemy civs?

Thanks for the help.

Deserts pop up randomly on terrain that can be deserts. It just an annoying negative giving to nukes which hurts everyone on the planet (which means that the balance in power typically remains the same while everyone gets poorer). There's nothing the avert the global warming and it can't be stopped or lessened.

The best solution is to just mod it out of the game so that the game doesn't end in a desert world.

 

[Kethas]

I'd try:
1) select unit (missile in this case)
2) press load key
3) pick desired transport vessel (missile cruiser in this case)

Maybe you have to press the unload key first after you've selected the missile. It depends on whether it's activated.

My point is that the missile has no Load button. Screenshot:
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9392/civ4picnoloadbutton.jpg

Selecting the guided missile on the Missile Cruiser gives the same command options.
Selecting the Submarine or Missile Cruiser gives an "Unload" button, but clicking it yields no obvious effect (missiles don't move around in the order of units on the tile, missiles don't gain/lose possible commands, the Submarine and Missile Cruiser don't lose the "unload" button or gain a "load" button, etc.

Also, I just learned that while you can't rebase missiles FROM cities TO ships (which is silly and makes sense to disable), you CAN rebase missiles FROM ships TO cities (which is equally silly). I also didn't know you could rebase aircraft from cities to ships (which again seems silly and I'd disable).

 

[Roland Johansen]

My point is that the missile has no Load button. Screenshot:
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9392/civ4picnoloadbutton.jpg

Selecting the guided missile on the Missile Cruiser gives the same command options.
Selecting the Submarine or Missile Cruiser gives an "Unload" button, but clicking it yields no obvious effect (missiles don't move around in the order of units on the tile, missiles don't gain/lose possible commands, the Submarine and Missile Cruiser don't lose the "unload" button or gain a "load" button, etc.

Also, I just learned that while you can't rebase missiles FROM cities TO ships (which is silly and makes sense to disable), you CAN rebase missiles FROM ships TO cities (which is equally silly). I also didn't know you could rebase aircraft from cities to ships (which again seems silly and I'd disable).

Hmm, maybe it isn't possible. Check.... No, you're right, it isn't possible. The weird thing is that it is possible with normal land units and transports. I would have preferred a system where changing transport devices at sea just wasn't possible.

I agree that rebasing missiles from ships to cities is very weird. But rebasing airplanes between carriers and cities isn't that weird. Airplanes can land in cities and aircraft carriers, so they can get there on their own power. That's true for missiles too, but it's the landing of missiles which is typically a bit more explosive...

 

[BibiTref]

Two questions:

1. In combat, is the chance of success each round decided by 50/50 coin flip, or the ratio of strengths like in Civ 2? I have been going through FAQs, referenced threads, etc. and reading both.

2. I just finished my first game of this, with difficulty set to Noble (the "fair" level). At the very beginning, however, when my city was producing 9 light bulbs each turn, I noticed I was actually receiving 11 in the science advisor. Meditation (120 bulbs) only took 11 turns. Now I read the explanation here of how civic upkeep is calculated and noticed Noble is actually not fair at all in this regard (AI pays more). Does this "fair" level actually favor the player in science production as well? I cannot figure any other way I received this invisible boost throughout the entire game.

 

[IAM]

Two questions:

1. In combat, is the chance of success each round decided by 50/50 coin flip, or the ratio of strengths like in Civ 2? I have been going through FAQs, referenced threads, etc. and reading both.

2. I just finished my first game of this, with difficulty set to Noble (the "fair" level). At the very beginning, however, when my city was producing 9 light bulbs each turn, I noticed I was actually receiving 11 in the science advisor. Meditation (120 bulbs) only took 11 turns. Now I read the explanation here of how civic upkeep is calculated and noticed Noble is actually not fair at all in this regard (AI pays more). Does this "fair" level actually favor the player in science production as well? I cannot figure any other way I received this invisible boost throughout the entire game.

Welcome BibiTref!

1. Combat is not a coin flip. Some factors are basic strength, units in combat (a chariot gets double strength attacking an axeman), terrain + 50% defense in forest, fortification +5% per turn up tp 5 turns (not all units can fortify), promotions cover promotion gives +25% against archery units, certain units have built in bonuses (machine guns don't get collateral damage), etc.

2. Techs that have already been researched by other civs are cheaper. That's one possibility.

 

[Silu]

2. I just finished my first game of this, with difficulty set to Noble (the "fair" level). At the very beginning, however, when my city was producing 9 light bulbs each turn, I noticed I was actually receiving 11 in the science advisor. Meditation (120 bulbs) only took 11 turns. Now I read the explanation here of how civic upkeep is calculated and noticed Noble is actually not fair at all in this regard (AI pays more). Does this "fair" level actually favor the player in science production as well? I cannot figure any other way I received this invisible boost throughout the entire game.

The science gained is subject to several hidden modifiers that can be only seen the way you did. AFAIK for your situation there's a 20% boost for knowing a prerequisite tech (Mysticism, 0.2 * 9 = 1 in integer math) and a flat +1 free beaker for having any cities. Additionally knowing Civs that know the tech you are researching gives a 4% boost per Civ. These affect the AI in the same way as the human.

 

[Magnificent One]

Why is it that every time i decide to build a wonder,either 4 ,3 ,2 or 1 turns before i finish it,the ai decides to finish it there and then?

 

[Silu]

Why is it that every time i decide to build a wonder,either 4 ,3 ,2 or 1 turns before i finish it,the ai decides to finish it there and then?

They're coded to build the wonders to 1 turn from finishing, then stop and only finish it when their maphack sees the human player is about to complete it.

Spoiler :

Ok, they aren't

 

[Roland Johansen]

Two questions:

1. In combat, is the chance of success each round decided by 50/50 coin flip, or the ratio of strengths like in Civ 2? I have been going through FAQs, referenced threads, etc. and reading both.

You can read about the combat mechanics in the article Combat Explained.

 

[Kethas]

Thanks for the confirmation that subs can't transfer missiles to missile cruisers. I find it rather odd, as I've definitely read naval strategy guides that mention that specific tactic, but perhaps the ability was removed in a patch....?

Novel bug: I can't seem to chat in the multiplayer lobby! Click on the text field, type in text, hit Enter, and nothing happens - the text remains in the text field, the cursor remains at the end of the text, nothing appears in the lobby chat, and nobody replies to my message. I've tried both the Enter directly right of ' on the keyboard, as well as the numpad Enter.

.... Has anyone ever heard of this? It's incredibly bizarre, a lot of things have to go right for multiplayer to work (and I've played multiplayer games before) and for chat, of all things, to bug out seems strange.

 

[s.bernbaum]

Playing my first BTS game, I was being plagued by having my water poisoned. As the game has progressed, I have mainly caught spies trying to make trouble instead of them succeeding. I have increased the military in each city and accumulated vast amounts of espionage points against all the AI civs. I have also placed a spy in each of my cities in an effort to detect infiltrators. Unfortunately, my spies then come up each turn for assignment and I skip them. This repeats each turn. I have three questions, related to this.

First, are the spies I have stationed in each city contributing to the discovery of infiltrators or am I just wasting my time having to look at each of them every turn?

Second, which of the things that I have done is contributing to me catching the foreign spies?

Third, is there a way to know which empire's spies I have caught?

 

[Sisiutil]

Playing my first BTS game, I was being plagued by having my water poisoned. As the game has progressed, I have mainly caught spies trying to make trouble instead of them succeeding. I have increased the military in each city and accumulated vast amounts of espionage points against all the AI civs. I have also placed a spy in each of my cities in an effort to detect infiltrators. Unfortunately, my spies then come up each turn for assignment and I skip them. This repeats each turn. I have three questions, related to this.

First, are the spies I have stationed in each city contributing to the discovery of infiltrators or am I just wasting my time having to look at each of them every turn?

Second, which of the things that I have done is contributing to me catching the foreign spies?

Third, is there a way to know which empire's spies I have caught?

1. My understanding, according to several posts on this board, is that the presence of a spy on a tile decreases the chances of successful espionage missions on that tile. The spy can be "asleep" and still have this effect so you're not having to give them orders every turn. Also, increasing the number of spies on that tile has a negligible effect, so don't bother; one will do.
2. Again, I have been led to believe that it is a combination of factors.
3. I believe that this is a matter of chance mostly, though your EPs versus other civs may have an effect.

 

[benrsmart]

Ok, so a couple of my friends and myself spent a whole weekend playing an extended game of Civ 4 BTS, but we are still a ways off of finishing. One of my friends works out of town during the week, so we cannot continue again until the next weekend... which for anyone who has been hooked by a civ game knows how problematic that can be- so my question is:

Is it possible to take a game that was started as a LAN game, and play that game over the internet?

One of my friends claims that it is not possible, but I figured I would turn the question over to some people with a bit more experience.

Thanks in advance!

 

[yanner39]

Hey all,

Just restarted CIV4 after a month off and the first few games I got awful terrain. I mean, were talking alot of brown, very little resources or bonus resources. Now I can always modify my terrain using Worldbuilder but I'm just wondering if it's a settings thing.

I usually play continents or Hemispheres, 3 or 4 continents, Large Map, normal sea level, nothing weird. I usually play a custom game.

Any thoughts?

 

[Roland Johansen]

Playing my first BTS game, I was being plagued by having my water poisoned. As the game has progressed, I have mainly caught spies trying to make trouble instead of them succeeding. I have increased the military in each city and accumulated vast amounts of espionage points against all the AI civs. I have also placed a spy in each of my cities in an effort to detect infiltrators. Unfortunately, my spies then come up each turn for assignment and I skip them. This repeats each turn. I have three questions, related to this.

First, are the spies I have stationed in each city contributing to the discovery of infiltrators or am I just wasting my time having to look at each of them every turn?

Second, which of the things that I have done is contributing to me catching the foreign spies?

Third, is there a way to know which empire's spies I have caught?

All kinds of spy mechanics are detailed in this thread: spy detection. Multiple posts in that thread are useful.

If you're scared by some of the formulas, then read on a bit, I commented on some of the formulas found by others in the code making them a bit more readable. If one of the posts remains unreadable, just ask.

A single spy or security bureau offers the best possible defence on a single tile. Having both on a tile doesn't help. An active counter espionage mission and closed borders also helps. The total amount of espionage points produced during the whole game by you and your spying opponent also influences the odds of finding the spy. Whether the points were used or not doesn't matter at all. Military doesn't matter at all. Multiple spies doesn't help at all. Whether the spies are inactive (sentry mode) or active each turn doesn't matter at all.

Usually, the empires which can get spies to you the easiest are the likeliest perpetrators. Oversees opponents need ships to get to you, so as long as you don't see their ships moving up to the shores of the continent that you're on, they're unlikely to be the ones who did it (unless they can do this without you seeing it because it's in the fog of war or they're using submarines). And after they use a spy it is transferred back to their capital and then it takes a long while to return to your cities. When an opponent actually performs a successful mission against you, you'll see their espionage points invested against you go down.

Someone who wants to commit acts of espionage against you will probably invest a large fraction of their espionage points against you.

 

[IAM]

Hey all,

Just restarted CIV4 after a month off and the first few games I got awful terrain. I mean, were talking alot of brown, very little resources or bonus resources. Now I can always modify my terrain using Worldbuilder but I'm just wondering if it's a settings thing.

I usually play continents or Hemispheres, 3 or 4 continents, Large Map, normal sea level, nothing weird. I usually play a custom game.

Any thoughts?

When I play on huge maps and overcrowd the map some civs can end up with so-so terrain. The mechanics of the game work better with the set number of civs but I still like to ad a few extra.