Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[Zeusophobia]

All games use so called pseudo random number generators to generate random values. These aren't truly random values but they're very very close to being truly random. They're actually created by mathematical formulas which generate a new 'random' value out of the previous 'random' value used by the game. The previous random value is called the seed of the new random value. This previous random value, the seed is stored in the save game file so that reloading creates the exact same random value and doesn't create different results (as long as the random values are used in the same order for the same in game actions).

This doesn't mean that some results in the game are predetermined in the sense that you can predict the outcome of a random event based on previous events. No one will be able to accurately predict new events in the game based on previous events. However, if you've already seen the outcome of an event and reload the game to the moment before the event, then the outcome will be the same.

To allow people to cheat the random number generation and get different outcomes for events that they've already experienced, the game designers have allowed a special pre-game setting (in the custom game setup) called 'New random seed on reload'. If used exhaustively, this could even allow you to win any battle if you're willing to reload after every battle loss. Many other elements of the game are also controlled by random values, so these could also be controlled by reloading ad infinitum.

Many players consider reloading cheating and especially when the option 'New random seed on reload' is active. It isn't allowed in the 'Hall of Fame' competition or the 'Game of the Month' competition in this community, but there's no harm done when you use it for your private games. Be warned however, that most players in this community won't consider your victories in this game 'true victories' and that using reloading to change events can become addictive which will eventually lessen your enjoyment of the game as you spend more time reloading than playing the game. But as long as you use it for your private games, it's your business and no-one else's.

Ah right that makes some sense, you know your stuff Yeah I very rarely reload and today was just one of the few occasions I did, was just getting fed up with my 'luck' I guess. I most certainly wouldn't do it in a competition Completely gave up on that game, just couldn't be bothered with it, Isabella trapped me in with space to build about 2 cities, no resources, was losing 96% chances against barbarians, so I just retired

 

[Roland Johansen]

Ah right that makes some sense, you know your stuff Yeah I very rarely reload and today was just one of the few occasions I did, was just getting fed up with my 'luck' I guess. I most certainly wouldn't do it in a competition Completely gave up on that game, just couldn't be bothered with it, Isabella trapped me in with space to build about 2 cities, no resources, was losing 96% chances against barbarians, so I just retired

There are these games that are just no fun from the start. A few random rolls at the start of the game are far more important than many at the latter stages. So if you have quite some bad luck at the start, then there's little you can do about it.

Usually however, it is possible to make the margin for error so large that you'd need ridiculous amounts of bad luck to lose. In a game with random results, it isn't wise to let important events be decided by a single random roll, even if it is one with 95% odds. At the start of the game however, you can't add lots of redundant layers in case things go wrong.

 

[Silu]

Ah right that makes some sense, you know your stuff Yeah I very rarely reload and today was just one of the few occasions I did, was just getting fed up with my 'luck' I guess. I most certainly wouldn't do it in a competition Completely gave up on that game, just couldn't be bothered with it, Isabella trapped me in with space to build about 2 cities, no resources, was losing 96% chances against barbarians, so I just retired

You can easily fool the random number generator to get different combat results by reloading even when "New Random Seed on Reload" is not activated. All you need to do is make an action that requires randomization to "use up the bad roll" before trying again. The simplest such action is setting any unit on autoexplore anywhere (you can also do it on a unit with no move left and cancel it afterwards so it doesn't affect a thing). Of course that is even more against "fair play"

 

[IAM]

Here's the story - I'm HC, neighbouring me is Isabella. Early in the game, she decides to build a city in a really annoying place, so I decide to declare war and to raze the city at once. My Quechua against her Warrior - apparantly a 70% chance of success. I lose, naturally I'm a little annoyed, particularly when I have just lost 2 previous Quechua to barbarian bears.

As a side note I wouldn't attack a warrior with a single Quechua, even with favorable odds. By the time you get another unit over to attack the city again the warrior has healed and probably gotten a promotion off the previous victory.

 

[civman45]

Hello to all,

I don't know if this has been asked before but I am wondering if it is possible to add new civilizations during a game using World Builder? Thanks to all who answer.

 

[Aeiouv]

I really wish the game had a warning when a city grows... would make micromanaging each city much easier.

 

[dalamb]

The BUG mod has many such warnings -- it includes a mod called Civ4lerts.

 

[Sleeping King]

I have not played this game in quite a while so I am back to a noob and I have a noob question. I've been reading the War Academy guides to help but here is the question.

When I connect a city with a road do those cities share food resources? Meaning if Capital has Wheat and I connect the 2nd city with capital will 2nd city then be using wheat? I guess I'm asking should I be sticking a Granary in a city that does not have Corn, Rice or Wheat in it's cross?

 

[Sisiutil]

I have not played this game in quite a while so I am back to a noob and I have a noob question. I've been reading the War Academy guides to help but here is the question.

When I connect a city with a road do those cities share food resources? Meaning if Capital has Wheat and I connect the 2nd city with capital will 2nd city then be using wheat? I guess I'm asking should I be sticking a Granary in a city that does not have Corn, Rice or Wheat in it's cross?

Yes, all your (connected) cities will get the +1 from a single wheat resource and another +1 for having wheat and a granary. The only extra thing the city with the wheat in its fat cross gets is the additional food output obtained by working the tile directly.

 

[Sleeping King]

Perfect thank you. I'll throw one more out there since it's on my mind now after reading a little more.

If I'm dealing with my governor as I undestand I can tell him to focus on production and he will work hammers, focus on food and he works bread, etc...

What do they work on if I tell them to focus on research?

 

[s.bernbaum]

Perfect thank you. I'll throw one more out there since it's on my mind now after reading a little more.

If I'm dealing with my governor as I undestand I can tell him to focus on production and he will work hammers, focus on food and he works bread, etc...

What do they work on if I tell them to focus on research?

Assuming that you are referring to the governor buttons, the emphasis will be on commerce , since that is converted to research and gold, depending on how you have set the research slider.

If you mean selecting research as what the city is building, your hammer output will be converted to research points at a 50% rate per turn that you leave the city building research.

 

[Aeiouv]

I can imagine you only need one city dedicated to great people but what ratio do people go for with production gold science cities? Also what about the capital? For the most part it almost always seems like a good city for everything.

 

[Sisiutil]

Aeiouv--sorry, I'm not sure what you're asking--could you rephrase it?

 

[vladis]

Hi, does Industrous trait gives help with building Spaceship components?

 

[vladis]

also, do all components must be in the same city for ship to work?

 

[Silu]

^ No, and no. IND doesn't help with "Projects" such as spaceship parts, the Internet and Manhattan Project.

 

[NitzerEbb]

hi,

im still trying to figure out how i can tell civ to show me all combat action. under options i activated "show enemy moves", turned "mimizing popups" on and off but it didnt help.

civ shows me a combat like unit vs unit or ship vs ship but then the AI turns seems to be over and its my turn again. now i get tons of bombardment messages from fighting planes or bombers and some bubbles. is there a way to tell civ to focus the map on every bombardment action automatically? i also had the feeling that i missed an enemy nuke on my city due to this.

 

[kcd_swede]

hi,

im still trying to figure out how i can tell civ to show me all combat action. under options i activated "show enemy moves", turned "mimizing popups" on and off but it didnt help.

civ shows me a combat like unit vs unit or ship vs ship but then the AI turns seems to be over and its my turn again. now i get tons of bombardment messages from fighting planes or bombers and some bubbles. is there a way to tell civ to focus the map on every bombardment action automatically? i also had the feeling that i missed an enemy nuke on my city due to this.

You need to activate "show enemy moves" and NOT activate "quick combat" and "quick moves". The "quick" tabs removes the videos (which get pretty boring once you've seen them all), so there will be nothing to watch as the screen flips back and forth to each site of a battle or troop movement. Please note, you can only "see" combat that your units are placed to witness.


BTW:
The "minimize pop-ups" only eliminates the pop-up questions "This city is making a lot of science, a library would be great, should we switch production to library at next opportunity, forget it I'm in charge, let me examine the city first".


I'd leave the pop-ups on if you are new to the game (but almost always advise selecting the "I'm in charge" option). Unless you play multiplayer + blazing speed, in which case pop-ups equal death.

 

[georgjorge]

Two questions about wealth/commerce...

1. Do trade routes create wealth (i.e. gold only) or commerce (i.e. gets split into gold and research according to your sliders)?

2. How are ressource multipliers from buildings, such as library or market, applied? Do they count the total amount of wealth/research produced in a city and then add to it, or do they only count the commerce produced directly by working tiles around a city (so not taking into account specialists, shrines or trade routes)? I always assumed the latter, but if it's the total amount, I definitely need to specialise my cities more with markets + Merchants etc...

 

[Silv Something]

Two questions about wealth/commerce...

1. Do trade routes create wealth (i.e. gold only) or commerce (i.e. gets split into gold and research according to your sliders)?

Commerce. They make commerce, which is , not gold, which is .

2. How are ressource multipliers from buildings, such as library or market, applied? Do they count the total amount of wealth/research produced in a city and then add to it, or do they only count the commerce produced directly by working tiles around a city (so not taking into account specialists, shrines or trade routes)? I always assumed the latter, but if it's the total amount, I definitely need to specialise my cities more with markets + Merchants etc...

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.

Now for my own question: What is the highest scoring HOF game EVER?