Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[CivIVMonger]

Would you consider different victory types "easier" on an average scale. (Other than A.P. cheese.)

 

[3drawegroeg]

Sorry for all the dumb questions but I don't know where else to get them answered. Does the Univ. of Sankore research bonus apply for all buildings of the applicable religion in any city or just those within my Empire?

 

[Silu]

Sorry for all the dumb questions but I don't know where else to get them answered. Does the Univ. of Sankore research bonus apply for all buildings of the applicable religion in any city or just those within my Empire?

Just for the Civ that built it.

 

[Sisiutil]

Would you consider different victory types "easier" on an average scale. (Other than A.P. cheese.)

As with many things in civ, the answer depends a great deal on the situation you find yourself in on the map. Based solely on my own experience, however, I would say that the space race and domination victories are probably the "easiest" to achieve (since they're the ones I achieve most often).

After that comes diplomatic and cultural--they're a bit harder because they usually require a decision much earlier in the game to go after them (so that you maintain good relations with several civs for a diplomatic win, for example, or so you get the free GA from Music and build the Sistine Chapel for a cultural victory).

I find that conquest is one of the harder victories to achieve just because if you're not careful (and determined), you'll win by domination instead.

I'm not sure where to fit a time victory in there because I've never won that way. In some ways it might be easy since you just have to achieve and maintain the highest score in the game, while on the other hand the AI may very well stumble into a win before then.

 

[Mr_PeaCH]

What is the best way to reliably get a map generated that has several large continents? I'm only playing Vanilla Civ4 by the way.

I try Fractal and I tend to only get Pangea (single continent types). The one called "Continents" only ever seems to give two continents. I don't like the archipelago type; none of the masses are very large and it tends to be very easy to scoot around between them on triremes. And I don't like playing set maps; I like randomness. I have experimented with large/huge map sizes and high sea levels trying to increase the number of continents... am I just having bad luck?

 

[IAM]

What is the best way to reliably get a map generated that has several large continents? I'm only playing Vanilla Civ4 by the way.

I try Fractal and I tend to only get Pangea (single continent types). The one called "Continents" only ever seems to give two continents. I don't like the archipelago type; none of the masses are very large and it tends to be very easy to scoot around between them on triremes. And I don't like playing set maps; I like randomness. I have experimented with large/huge map sizes and high sea levels trying to increase the number of continents... am I just having bad luck?

Haven't played vanilla in so long I'm not sure but in BTS go to custom continents and you can pick the number of continents. On a huge map 4 works OK. Because of size limits though 4 continents still gives a fairly predictable spacing. If you don't want the continents connectable with galleys make sure you also use high sea level.

 

[Abegweit]

@Mr PeaCH Custom continents will do the job for you. I don't remember if it's available in Vanilla but I don't think so.

 

[avdale]

When after civil service farms spread irrigation is it possible to farm chain to a city to gain the +2 health bonus for fresh water access?

 

[karadoc]

If the AI says "We don't want to start trading away this technology yet" does that mean they are _not_ currently constructing a wonder associated with that tech? I'm under the impression that when they say "We have our reasons" that means they are building a wonder, but I don't know if they _always_ say that when building a wonder...

 

[CBPE]

When after civil service farms spread irrigation is it possible to farm chain to a city to gain the +2 health bonus for fresh water access?

No. A city gains the bonus only if it is founded on a river or a lakeside tile.

 

[MooseTracks2020]

When playing on a pre-made map, such as the Earth 18 Civs map, how do you change the starting locations of civs? (hoping theres a way other than worldbuilder?)

 

[CivIVMonger]

@MooseTracks. Welcome to CFC! ( I haven't yet.)

If you are trying to get all civs in thier historical locations there are several mods out there that aim just at that. Some, come with BtS so you can jump right in the fun. You could try Earth 1000AD, Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, and many more. If you are not aiming at this, than I'm sorry you have to use the worldbuilder unless the map is programmed otherwise.

 

[Mr_PeaCH]

Specific question about Cuture and captured cities. Particularly ones where Wonders or Academies are built. I understand that the more mundane buildings which have Culture associated with them (Libraries, etc.) are typically destroyed during the conquest and must be rebuilt and will then work (produce Culture). But what about the Wonders? They seem to work in the other ways (for example, +GP bonuses; captured Pyramids still give the change government ability) but not so for Culture.

I've been playing for a few weeks now (Vanilla btw; not that it matters in this regard I think) and I've only just noticed this on some cities that I just now captured including one foreign capital with 4 different WWs and an Academy. Does it come back after my civilization starts to exert as much or more influence as the previous civilization down on the City Nationality slider? Will wiping out the previous civilization entirely make a difference (tied to the "we want to return to the motherland" unhappys)?

I get it that whatever the city's Culture accumulation/influence gets cut back down to zero and the border of influence has to start over after the unrest period is over. I'm just talking about building Culture back up from scratch and wondering about the Wonders mostly.

Thanks

 

[CivIVMonger]

I don't know why, but I cannot seem to make good decisions during civ. It's like I completely understand something and the second I turn the game on I cannot run through all of those processes that I could outside of it. This is seriously annoying!

 

[Silu]

Specific question about Cuture and captured cities. Particularly ones where Wonders or Academies are built. I understand that the more mundane buildings which have Culture associated with them (Libraries, etc.) are typically destroyed during the conquest and must be rebuilt and will then work (produce Culture). But what about the Wonders? They seem to work in the other ways (for example, +GP bonuses; captured Pyramids still give the change government ability) but not so for Culture.

I've been playing for a few weeks now (Vanilla btw; not that it matters in this regard I think) and I've only just noticed this on some cities that I just now captured including one foreign capital with 4 different WWs and an Academy. Does it come back after my civilization starts to exert as much or more influence as the previous civilization down on the City Nationality slider? Will wiping out the previous civilization entirely make a difference (tied to the "we want to return to the motherland" unhappys)?

I get it that whatever the city's Culture accumulation/influence gets cut back down to zero and the border of influence has to start over after the unrest period is over. I'm just talking about building Culture back up from scratch and wondering about the Wonders mostly.

Thanks

Only the Civ who built them can ever get culture from an Academy or World Wonders, no matter how much time passes or if the original Civ is eliminated. This is true even if the city is acquired through peaceful means such as gifting, culture flipping or as a part of a deal.

Normal culture buildings like Library and Theatre and National Wonders continue producing culture for the new owner but as they're always destroyed upon normal capture you can only notice this in peaceful city ownership changes and "recapturing", which is defined as capturing a city that has your culture as the dominant one (even though that doesn't necessarily mean actual recapturing). The destruction upon capture isn't related to the culture, just that every building producing culture is set to be destroyed upon capture; the Inca can get instant post-capture cpt from the defender's Granaries, and capturing Inca cities doesn't mean their Granaries are automatically destroyed.

 

[Sisiutil]

I don't know why, but I cannot seem to make good decisions during civ. It's like I completely understand something and the second I turn the game on I cannot run through all of those processes that I could outside of it. This is seriously annoying!

I find playing with the BUG mod to be helpful in this regard. The ability to have a dot map visible on the terrain, along with the reminders, help me keep on track (along with the game's built-in sticky note feature). I use these tools to both plan out what I want to do and to remind me to follow those plans.

For example, I'll use the dot map feature to mark the best location for a GP farm. I'll use the sticky notes to denote, on each tile around the GP farm, how it should be improved. And I'll use the reminders to remember things (like "stop chopping forest near GP Farm" because I want to only pre-chop and save the hammers to help rush the Great Library).

 

[Dusk]

Got a few questions, first on stealth and then some clarification on forest preserves.

- Can all stealth units see other stealth units (Sub, Attack-Sub, Stealth Cruiser)? What about Stealth Bombers, can they see other stealthed units?

- Does building a forest preserve increase chances of forests/jungles on all adjacent squares, even diagonally?

- Can a forest/jungle grow on a tile with a (rail)road on it?

- Can a forest/jungle grow on ice?

- Does building a city improvement which increases health, make more food available, allowing the city to grow again or does that only work it the unhealthiness is greater than the health?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gwynnja]

Got a few questions, first on stealth and then some clarification on forest preserves.

- Can all stealth units see other stealth units (Sub, Attack-Sub, Stealth Cruiser)? What about Stealth Bombers, can they see other stealthed units?

dunno

- Does building a forest preserve increase chances of forests/jungles on all adjacent squares, even diagonally?

yes

- Can a forest/jungle grow on a tile with a (rail)road on it?

yes

- Can a forest/jungle grow on ice?

no

- Does building a city improvement which increases health, make more food available, allowing the city to grow again or does that only work it the unhealthiness is greater than the health?

It doesn't give you more food.

 

[Roland Johansen]

Got a few questions, first on stealth and then some clarification on forest preserves.

- Can all stealth units see other stealth units (Sub, Attack-Sub, Stealth Cruiser)? What about Stealth Bombers, can they see other stealthed units?

The destroyer and two types of subs can pierce the invisibility of submarines and the stealth destroyer can pierce the invisibility of other stealth destroyers. Stealth bombers actually don't have an ingame stealth ability like submarines and stealth destroyers. They do have the ability to avoid interception by fighters and jet fighters which represents their stealthiness.

- Does building a forest preserve increase chances of forests/jungles on all adjacent squares, even diagonally?

Forest/jungle spreading doesn't ever occur diagonally and it doesn't occur on tiles which already have an improvement. Forest preserves increase the odds of forests and jungles spreading but the odds remain very very small (less than 1% per turn per horizontally or vertically adjacent forest preserved forest/jungle tile). Roads and railroads on the not-improved tile halve the chances of forest/jungle spreading.

- Can a forest/jungle grow on a tile with a (rail)road on it?

Yes, but the odds are halved.

- Can a forest/jungle grow on ice?

No.

- Does building a city improvement which increases health, make more food available, allowing the city to grow again or does that only work it the unhealthiness is greater than the health?

When the value of is higher than the value of , then you lose 1 extra food per point of difference. In this case, acquiring extra will help you to reduce that loss of food. But extra above the value of doesn't produce extra food. It's just a buffer to combat future new sources of .


Welcome to civfanatics, Dusk!

 

[the_orly_owl]

How can I declare war on a leader who won't talk to me?