Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions
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Sir Shfvingle
Chieftain
Quick noob question. What is the difference between a mod and a scenario? They seem to be sometimes grouped together and sometimes separate.
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
They do overlap sometimes, but generally, a mod is so-named because it "modifies" the base game. You still play through a complete game, but the elements (units, technologies, even landscape) change. Mods run the gamut from limited changes (such as the "nation" mods that add a civilization to the game that is not there by default, such as Canada, Australia, Israel, Norway, etc.) to mods that introduce several civs and even rule changes (Rhye's and Fall comes to mind) to mods that make Civ nearly unrecognizable, so you almost have a new game (Fall from Heaven is a good example of this, I think, though I have to confess I have yet to try it).
A scenario may also modify the game in a similar manner (new units and techs and such), but it also limits the scope of the game--often to a specific historical period--and usually introduces, as a result, new victory conditions while eliminating others. (You're not going to win by space race if the whole game takes place in the classical era!) Scenarios give you a chance to play out a specific historical situation, such as Charlemagne conquering Europe in the middle ages.
A scenario may also modify the game in a similar manner (new units and techs and such), but it also limits the scope of the game--often to a specific historical period--and usually introduces, as a result, new victory conditions while eliminating others. (You're not going to win by space race if the whole game takes place in the classical era!) Scenarios give you a chance to play out a specific historical situation, such as Charlemagne conquering Europe in the middle ages.
So, I'm guessing that a "modscenario" would be a scenario designed for a mod then?
Like a historical scenario utilizing the RFC mod, where you play the selected Civ as usual but with added historical events and settings and such.
Like a historical scenario utilizing the RFC mod, where you play the selected Civ as usual but with added historical events and settings and such.
IAM
Emperor
Hello,
I've recently started playing Civilization IV and I seem to lack basic understanding about a few very basic details, and no tutorials seem to concentrate on such easy stuff, so your answers would be appreciated!
1. Say I build a Granary or a Lighthouse, both of which increase food levels (as shown on the little pop-up window). What's in it for me? The city will have more food, does that mean it will grow more? Or what does it mean? What's the relationship of food to everything else?
2. Commercial city needs buildings that have the little gold (?) symbol and I presume that they make your city wealthier? Does this mean that the overall gold levels (top left) will be larger too? Does the fact that I concentrate on commerce mean that I will be losing out elsewhere?
3. What do I build for cities like commercial cities, etc. when there is nothing to build for that specific city type (i.e. no stuff with little gold icons for a commercial city, etc.)
4. My first city's population is 6000 now and only 3 tiles are being worked. Is there a relationship between population and number of tiles being worked? Is it 2 to 1?
Sorry if this sounds dumb. Any help appreciated.
I've recently started playing Civilization IV and I seem to lack basic understanding about a few very basic details, and no tutorials seem to concentrate on such easy stuff, so your answers would be appreciated!
1. Say I build a Granary or a Lighthouse, both of which increase food levels (as shown on the little pop-up window). What's in it for me? The city will have more food, does that mean it will grow more? Or what does it mean? What's the relationship of food to everything else?
2. Commercial city needs buildings that have the little gold (?) symbol and I presume that they make your city wealthier? Does this mean that the overall gold levels (top left) will be larger too? Does the fact that I concentrate on commerce mean that I will be losing out elsewhere?
3. What do I build for cities like commercial cities, etc. when there is nothing to build for that specific city type (i.e. no stuff with little gold icons for a commercial city, etc.)
4. My first city's population is 6000 now and only 3 tiles are being worked. Is there a relationship between population and number of tiles being worked? Is it 2 to 1?
Sorry if this sounds dumb. Any help appreciated.
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
The way I think of it is that all scenarios are mods, but not all mods are scenarios.
Yes, they make the city population grow faster.
It multiplies the commerce from the tiles worked by the city. Yes, you should be losing out on some things, because cities should be specialized.
Units, if you need them. Building wealth is also useful.
Someone else can answer that.
Food increases population growth. You have a food meter in each city - when it fills, you gain a population point and your storage is emptied. The amount of food needed to fill your meter rises with each population point. Each population eats 2 food each turn.
Granary speeds up your growth significantly. When a city with a granary grows, its meter is not emptied, but starts out half filled. Lighthouse provides extra food for each water tile. If you wonder which one you should build first, I suggest granary in most situations. If you have trouble growing your coastal city, you should build lighthouse first.
In your top-left you have the tax sliders. The little gold coins
commerce are commerce. The commerce produced by each city are divided to science, culture and espionage based on your slider settings. The rest is turned into gold.And yes, to concentrate on commerce, you need plenty of cottages. This means less land for workshops which are good for military/wonder production and farms for increasing population quicker or running specialists in cities.
Most players agree that for cities that produce a lot of commerce science structures are more important than markets and grocers. This is because commerce is what powers your science in most games, and a city with a lot of it should be dedicated to science.
The city tile is worked for free and the other tiles require a population point to work. The larger "real population" is more of a flavor text. So don't be surprised if you see someone talking about their nice 21 people science city!
No problem.
Basically, Food = Citizens. Your cities grow by accumulationg
(Food) surplus. Once you hit a target level of stored the city grows one population point, also known as a Citizen.You should be able to figure out the specifics by opening up the City Screen for each of your cities and comparing whats happening there.
You need to distinguish between
(Commerce) and 
(Gold & Taxes). is what happens in your cities in regard to trade and such. You tax this activity by changing the percentage in the top left corner. (Actually, what isn't going into 
or 
or 
is going into taxes or .)Again, you should be able to follow this yourself in the City Screen.
The
surplus shown top left in the interface is the sum of the taxes coming in from all of your cities per turn, minus your expenses per turn. You could always "build" Wealth, as this option converts your production (measured in
) into without going through any multipliers or tax percentiles.Every population point can work one tile. So you can assign one Citizen per tile, if you're not utilizing that Citizen as a specialist. Again, work this out yourself in the City Screen.
Not at all. All you need to realize is that the City Screen is where you manage your empire, since your empire is the sum of your cities. Before you learn to use the City Screen not much will make a whole lot of sense to you.
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
Why is that? Unless you need to run specialists or somehow need the culture, the effect is nearly the same. And when you turn down the slider, it also boosts the gold you get. And the extra health and happiness of the grocer and market is quite nice to have (assuming you have been obtaining the resources. You have been getting those resources, haven't you?).
All of this is true but the primary use for commerce is science. As the tech slider should be kept as high as possible, libraries do more good than markets. Of course, this doesn't mean that markets and grocers shouldn't be built - just that for commerce cities, library is better at first, unless really short on funds.
Roland Johansen
Deity
Although I largely agree with what is written above about libraries, grocers and markets, I think markets and grocers are underestimated a little on civfanatics.
The argument that with a high science rate, the value added by a library (observatory and university) is higher than the value added by a grocer or market is true. But when you periodically set your tax rate at 100% to get money to upgrade units, then your average tax rate is a lot higher and your average science rate a lot lower than the maximum science rate at break even point. I wouldn't be surprised when players who think upgrading units is too expensive and typically rebuild new units also rarely build grocers, markets and banks.
Big cities are a lot more efficient than small cities. A size 12 city will typically be far more than double as effective than a size 6 city because both cities have almost the same upkeep (city + civic + unit upkeep), but the bigger one will have double the commerce output. So an empire with big cities is spending a relative smaller part of its commerce on upkeep. Grocers and markets allow your cities to become bigger because they give free happiness and health (dependent on the resources that you have) and thus your empire will become a lot more efficient. I often value the happiness and health boosts of these buildings higher than their gold bonus.
This doesn't mean that I propose to build markets and grocers before libraries. Next to the science boost of libraries which is typically the primary commerce expense, they are cheaper than grocers and markets. So libraries often are the more efficient building. But I often prefer markets and grocers over observatories and universities.
The argument that with a high science rate, the value added by a library (observatory and university) is higher than the value added by a grocer or market is true. But when you periodically set your tax rate at 100% to get money to upgrade units, then your average tax rate is a lot higher and your average science rate a lot lower than the maximum science rate at break even point. I wouldn't be surprised when players who think upgrading units is too expensive and typically rebuild new units also rarely build grocers, markets and banks.
Big cities are a lot more efficient than small cities. A size 12 city will typically be far more than double as effective than a size 6 city because both cities have almost the same upkeep (city + civic + unit upkeep), but the bigger one will have double the commerce output. So an empire with big cities is spending a relative smaller part of its commerce on upkeep. Grocers and markets allow your cities to become bigger because they give free happiness and health (dependent on the resources that you have) and thus your empire will become a lot more efficient. I often value the happiness and health boosts of these buildings higher than their gold bonus.
This doesn't mean that I propose to build markets and grocers before libraries. Next to the science boost of libraries which is typically the primary commerce expense, they are cheaper than grocers and markets. So libraries often are the more efficient building. But I often prefer markets and grocers over observatories and universities.
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
I can agree with this.
Middle Snu
Chieftain
- Joined
- May 20, 2007
- Messages
- 2
This is almost certainly posted somewhere else on this thread, but I'll be damned if I'm reading through 700 pages of messages to find it:
I'm playing BTS with a friend, and we'd like to play some scenarios together. The problem is, the only actual scenario that pops up is Earth 1000 AD; all the others are just maps. How do we play Non-Earth-1000 scenarios?
Thanks!!
I'm playing BTS with a friend, and we'd like to play some scenarios together. The problem is, the only actual scenario that pops up is Earth 1000 AD; all the others are just maps. How do we play Non-Earth-1000 scenarios?
Thanks!!
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
What exactly does a Fractal map produce? It seems that somehow I'm on a continent with only one Civ again, and all the others are probably on another continent. Is it supposed to be more "unpredictable" than that?
CivIVMonger
Emperor
Good question... I've often wondered if it produces a shape of land rather than a style or formation of it. One time I played a Fractal map and it turned out to have regular land but a land shape in a giant zig-zag pattern and seemed extremely unrealistic. I cannot answer your question, but I'd like to chip in that it seems like it only generates a "random" shape of a map rather than the tectonics or aridity, food level etc...
You could try Probably Improved Gameplay mod.
There's still a couple of balance changes to come but it's very playable in its current form, and it shouldn't give any problems if you play it in multiplayer.It doesn't have new leaders but you can have a look at the changes in the main thread.
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