Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[ParadigmShifter]

OK. I was playing on noble again. This time I manage to get first place in score, then my neighbour Zulu DOW on me he was 6 of 7 in score. I start to build army to defend my nearest to Zulu city. Zulu lost first battle but somehow Zulu manage to build bigger and better army than mine in just couple turns, so he easily defeated me Game over. I don't get it where is my mistakes?

Bolded your mistake Shaka spams units like there is no tomorrow and is a very aggressive warmonger AI.

 

[r_rolo1]

And going by the score is a very bad idea regarding military issues, since score does not include the standing army counts To add, the AI does not care with score, just with power ( aka soldiers count ) and some AI, Shaka included, will attack even people more powerful then them from time to time.

 

[Lithuanian!]

My empire was biggest and I was having about 3 soldiers in every city (to keep citizens happier) most of them was axeman and archers.
I hate Zulu and Aztec most of all
Why walls are so stupid they only protect for couple turns when enemy brings catapult.
What units are best for protection in early game? Should I spam only archers?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

No. Unless you are attacked by warriors only

You want units to counter their invading force that normally means axes (counters melee), spears (counters mounted) and chariots (counters axes).

 

[Sian]

initiative often wins so offensive troops (and siege by tonnage) go a long way in defending aggressively

 

[Otownkayaker]

Just started playing again after having the game for a couple of years. Even though I had played earlier versions of Civ this one just didn't click the first time(I was probably going through a WOW phase ).

I've combed this website and haven't been able to figure these nuances out.

1. Strategic Resources (supply lines)....

A. If I have an Iron Resource attached via a road/Mine to City A, can City B use that resource if theres no connection via road, river, or coastal?

B. If I have access to only 1 Alum. resource in my Empire and have it attached to City X and City X is making something that receives a production bonus (like cutting prod. time in half) from Alum, and If I'm building another item in City Y that also receives a production bonus from Alum can City Y also take advantage or is that 1 Alum. resource considered "tied up" with the production of the 1st item?


This comes up because last game I was building 2 parts of the Spaceship and only 1 city got the resource bonus even though all my cities were connected by rail.


2. Ratio of healthy to unhealthy or happy to unhappy....

I understand that you obviously want more happy/healthy citizens than unhappy/unhealthy, but is more better? Is there any strategic reason to have 20 happy to 10 unhappy vs 15 happy to 10 unhappy? Faster growth? More cash?


3. Sentry Duty...

A. If I have a picket of fortified units running along the borders of my Empire when will the game alert me to opposing units being in the area? When my units have sight of these other units, or when those units are adjacent to my units? Does this differ if the unit is in Sentry mode rather than Fortify?

B. What is the base visibility of units anyway? I found on here that for air units its 5 but haven't found the "normal" value.

C. I don't know anything about the Mod system and what its capable of, but before I assume anything, is there a mod that supports giving units routes to patrol?


Thanks in Adv.

 

[Ghpstage]

Just started playing again after having the game for a couple of years. Even though I had played earlier versions of Civ this one just didn't click the first time(I was probably going through a WOW phase ).

I've combed this website and haven't been able to figure these nuances out.

1. Strategic Resources (supply lines)....

A. If I have an Iron Resource attached via a road/Mine to City A, can City B use that resource if theres no connection via road, river, or coastal?

B. If I have access to only 1 Alum. resource in my Empire and have it attached to City X and City X is making something that receives a production bonus (like cutting prod. time in half) from Alum, and If I'm building another item in City Y that also receives a production bonus from Alum can City Y also take advantage or is that 1 Alum. resource considered "tied up" with the production of the 1st item?


This comes up because last game I was building 2 parts of the Spaceship and only 1 city got the resource bonus even though all my cities were connected by rail.

A) For a city to make use of a resource it must have a connection to it itself. So no if A has the only Copper and B isn't connected to A, then B cannot build Axemen.

B) 1 resource source supplies all your needs, but not all space parts get doubled by Aluminium. The Stasis Chamber and Engines don't get doubled by any resource and the Life Support and Cockpit are doubled by Copper. Its very likely that having one of these being built alongside something like a Casing has led to your confusion.

2. Ratio of healthy to unhealthy or happy to unhappy....

I understand that you obviously want more happy/healthy citizens than unhappy/unhealthy, but is more better? Is there any strategic reason to have 20 happy to 10 unhappy vs 15 happy to 10 unhappy? Faster growth? More cash?

The only reason to have excess is to give your city more wiggle room in case of unexpected increases, perhaps from defying a resolution or war wearriness or to soak up whip/draft . Apart from that getting excess from sources you pay for is actually very wasteful.

 

[Ataxerxes]

My empire was biggest and I was having about 3 soldiers in every city (to keep citizens happier) most of them was axeman and archers.
I hate Zulu and Aztec most of all
Why walls are so stupid they only protect for couple turns when enemy brings catapult.
What units are best for protection in early game? Should I spam only archers?

After they become obsolete, axemen and archers aren't much good. I'd recommend trading for more happiness resources, using markets sometimes. I usually trade aggressively and keep just one unit in my interior cities. You want to have a counter-stack available for when the enemy attacks. After Feudalism, Longbows are a good generic defender.

Aztec and Zulu are the most aggressive. They spam units and have very high courage for attacking. If they're nearby, plan on war with them. Napoleon and Ragnar like war, too.

The majority opinion is that walls aren't very useful. More units defending are.

Don't spam archers and think that's defense. You want to attack his stack when it enters your land, don't wait until he pillages your improvements. You want to hit his stack with siege and other units.

You should also have a city devoted to producing military. Military is always useful, either for defending from sociopaths or being one yourself (hint, hint).

Congrats, Lithuanian! My wife is Lithuanian.

 

[Jerrymander]

Woops

 

[bestbrian]

Walls and Castles can buy you time, as the AI never brings enough siege, and will sit an even monumental stack outside of a walled city to plink at its defenses for a number of turns. This buys you time to reinforce said city, and to counterattack with Flanking Mounted units; your best counter to most stacks (if you're lacking siege, of course).

 

[Derakon]

My experience (having played several Noble games now) is that if you stay on the offensive, the AI will rarely have a chance to bring a large stack to bear on you. More importantly, even if they do, you'll have a big stack of your own to destroy it with.

In other words, you'll be better off if you're continually either preparing for a war, in a war, or recovering from a war, than you will be if you try to avoid dealing with war. This assumes of course that you don't let your wars get out of hand, since they do have significant costs in terms of war weariness and unit supply.

 

[Darth Fred]

I see mentions of "Siege points" from time to time and I'm not sure what those are. Is there a good, idealy definitive, article on the subject of laying siege to a city?

F

 

[ParadigmShifter]

My experience (having played several Noble games now) is that if you stay on the offensive, the AI will rarely have a chance to bring a large stack to bear on you. More importantly, even if they do, you'll have a big stack of your own to destroy it with.

In other words, you'll be better off if you're continually either preparing for a war, in a war, or recovering from a war, than you will be if you try to avoid dealing with war. This assumes of course that you don't let your wars get out of hand, since they do have significant costs in terms of war weariness and unit supply.

That changes when you start moving up difficulty levels.

 

[Lithuanian!]

After they become obsolete, axemen and archers aren't much good. I'd recommend trading for more happiness resources, using markets sometimes. I usually trade aggressively and keep just one unit in my interior cities. You want to have a counter-stack available for when the enemy attacks. After Feudalism, Longbows are a good generic defender.

Aztec and Zulu are the most aggressive. They spam units and have very high courage for attacking. If they're nearby, plan on war with them. Napoleon and Ragnar like war, too.

The majority opinion is that walls aren't very useful. More units defending are.

Don't spam archers and think that's defense. You want to attack his stack when it enters your land, don't wait until he pillages your improvements. You want to hit his stack with siege and other units.

You should also have a city devoted to producing military. Military is always useful, either for defending from sociopaths or being one yourself (hint, hint).

Congrats, Lithuanian! My wife is Lithuanian.

Yesterday I have WIN, first time on Noble
In world without Napoleon, Zulu and Aztec. Thank you all for help.
One new question. What about spies? I'm ignoring them.

Congrats, Lithuanian! My wife is Lithuanian.

Congrats to you as well. Where you from?

 

[Ataxerxes]

Yesterday I have WIN, first time on Noble
In world without Napoleon, Zulu and Aztec. Thank you all for help.
One new question. What about spies? I'm ignoring them.

Congrats to you as well. Where you from?

Congratulations on your win!

I confess to being an American. West coast of U.S. My wife is the only one of her family to be born here.

 

[Gwynnja]

what is the threshold? does it vary by civ? By difficulty? How does it work?

 

[kcd_swede]

what is the threshold? does it vary by civ? By difficulty? How does it work?

Each leader keeps track of how many technologies you have gotten by trades from themselves or from other leaders. They start counting how many techs you get in trade as soon as they meet you (they do not need to meet the leader giving you the tech to know about the trade). Note: it is the total number of techs you receive, NOT the beaker value of those techs. So... do you really want to trade for hunting?

Each leader has a specific threshold (somewhere on the Strategies forum you can find WFYBTA limits if you search). These thresholds are adjusted for difficulty level. Mansa Musa is all alone at the top with 20, and Tokugawa is at 5, for example.

Each leader also has the possibility to "forget" some of the techs you received, in a randomized way but different rate for each leader. So you can be above the WFYBTA limit with a leader and later they may trade again.

Note: Any leader that has Friendly relations with you will always trade techs with you (WFYBTA is nullified when friendly).

Hope that answers your question.

 

[Gwynnja]

Each leader keeps track of how many technologies you have gotten by trades from themselves or from other leaders. They start counting how many techs you get in trade as soon as they meet you (they do not need to meet the leader giving you the tech to know about the trade). Note: it is the total number of techs you receive, NOT the beaker value of those techs. So... do you really want to trade for hunting?

Each leader has a specific threshold (somewhere on the Strategies forum you can find WFYBTA limits if you search). These thresholds are adjusted for difficulty level. Mansa Musa is all alone at the top with 20, and Tokugawa is at 5, for example.

Each leader also has the possibility to "forget" some of the techs you received, in a randomized way but different rate for each leader. So you can be above the WFYBTA limit with a leader and later they may trade again.

Note: Any leader that has Friendly relations with you will always trade techs with you (WFYBTA is nullified when friendly).

Hope that answers your question.

mostly. Any idea where I could see the progression from Mansa down to Tokugawa?

 

[kcd_swede]

mostly. Any idea where I could see the progression from Mansa down to Tokugawa?

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=206578

That should give you what you are looking for.

 

[[username]]

In my last game, I got the +4 hammers for Coal Plants event, and later built the 3GD to give power to my National Park city since it wasn't on a river, and for denial purposes.
Just out of curiosity, did that make me lose the 4 hammers (since my cities were then using power from the 3GD, not the Coal Plant)?