Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[ShouldKnoBetter]

Hello, I used to play this alot...life's taken over so it's usually only visited by my nephew when he's over. He asked me a question I couldn't answer and it vexes me because I couldn't find the answer even though I think it's pretty simple (but what do I know!).....

In Civ 3 when scouts were on automatic explore, you could set your preferences to show their movement actually all automated movement. Can this be done in Civ 4? If so how?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[Danelius90]

@Yxklyx
I had the same happen in a recent game. I was at war with 2 civs when I approached both their cities (where the ice tile is in your shot) and wondered who would get bombarded. Then I realised they were only 2 tiles apart!!
The answer is that they are on different continents/islands. The 2 tile rule doesn't apply

 

[AmericanSpirit]

I have a question on air units. I am starting to see on a couple different mods I have played(Mars Now, Legend of Revolutions i believe) that i have not been able to add experience to the bomber and jet fighter units after the town building them has added an airport. If the issue was on one mod, i would think the mod did it, but i do recall this happening on another mod a short time ago. Is there a specific area in the game code where the value can be changed? I have looked through some of the ini files but i just cant seem to find the correct area for this specific issue. Any out there wiser than myself that can point me to the typical file name/area this is located, what the value should be(or what theirs shows) or if you might know what causes this and the fix. Any ideas would help greatly!

One mod, the name escapes me at the moment(I enjoy them all!!) that when this would occur, the red dot of death would pop on these units. On all played recently 1st generation air units could still get xp and be able to add that xp to the unit, after the built airport, the xp will not add to the unit (5/2xp, no options to add to the unit will pop)

 

[TheMulattoMaker]

@Yxklyx
I had the same happen in a recent game. I was at war with 2 civs when I approached both their cities (where the ice tile is in your shot) and wondered who would get bombarded. Then I realised they were only 2 tiles apart!!
The answer is that they are on different continents/islands. The 2 tile rule doesn't apply

Ah, that answers something I have been wondering for a long time: why London and Paris are 2 tiles apart in 18Civs but, as Rome, I couldn't make a filler city between Berlin and Athens just on the other side of the Adriatic from Rome. Thanks.

 

[Gwynnja]

if I end my turn with my scout sharing a tile with an AI unit and a barb in the next tile and the barb attacks our tile, how does the game decide whether the barb attacks me or the AI unit?

 

[Sisiutil]

if I end my turn with my scout sharing a tile with an AI unit and a barb in the next tile and the barb attacks our tile, how does the game decide whether the barb attacks me or the AI unit?

I don't know for sure, but based on my experience, at the beginning of each turn the AI gets its moves, then the barbs get their moves, then you go last--so your Scout is probably toast in that sitch.

 

[s.bernbaum]

Hello, I used to play this alot...life's taken over so it's usually only visited by my nephew when he's over. He asked me a question I couldn't answer and it vexes me because I couldn't find the answer even though I think it's pretty simple (but what do I know!).....

In Civ 3 when scouts were on automatic explore, you could set your preferences to show their movement actually all automated movement. Can this be done in Civ 4? If so how?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

To the best of my knowledge, no you can't do that. I always explore on manual in order to be able to see what is discovered, as it is discovered, as well as to watch out for animals and barbarians. Only later, when my scout is moving around in already explored foreign territory do I put it on automatic to keep tabs on what the competition is doing.

 

[Yxklyx]

I just completed the Library quest and I all got was 2 beakers in 1 Library. Is this a bug - shouldn't I get 2 beakers in ALL libraries?

 

[Sisiutil]

I just completed the Library quest and I all got was 2 beakers in 1 Library. Is this a bug - shouldn't I get 2 beakers in ALL libraries?

No, that's what this one offers. As I recall, the other reward option is an additional scientist in the Great Library city, which is a much better reward--provided you own the GL. If you don't, it's not a quest worth pursuing.

 

[Gwynnja]

Can it be done? how?

 

[Sisiutil]

Can it be done? how?

Sure. Declare war on him.

 

[Bloodstone]

OK, currently playing BtS on Monarch. This is the level I've played at most between Vanilla and Warlords, and I've just made the switch to BtS with PIG. I'm just wondering if the Monarch Level is still the "balanced" level as it was in the other versions.

I very well could be incorrect, but I was always under the impression that Monarch was the point where parity was best achieved without any great bonuses to the player or the AI. Also curious how the Better AI plays into it?

I'm a very slowwwwww player, only getting in an hour or so every day or so, and I love to micro. My first game in BtS is going very well, I've got a lead, but not by much and the AI seems to be working to not only keep up but find ways to win, a very enjoyable game to say the least. Also have a BAT game going early on with similar results but that is only in the 2000 BC area.

So should I move out of Monarch, or does the Better AI keep it more challenging and I might be better off hanging out there for a couple games? Thanks

 

[Sisiutil]

I think you'll find that BetterAI makes it feel like you've been elevated a difficulty level. Monarch may feel more like Emperor. So yeah, I'd recommend hanging out at that level until you feel confident.

 

[nfw]

Anyone know what languages the following civ's units speak?

Babylonian, Sumerian, Egyptian, Aztec

 

[sendos]

Anyone know what languages the following civ's units speak?

Babylonian, Sumerian, Egyptian, Aztec

Something tells me that the languages are made up like in Age of Empires 2. My German units sound like African tribesmen sometimes.

I also have a question, this time about roads:

My German game is going well and I'm invading other factions now, but sometimes the roads built by my enemies don't provide me with a movement bonus. They are fully healed. However, they seem to work properly as soon as I have taken control of the area. So do roads only work properly if they are in your territory or something?

 

[snepp]

You cannot use enemy roads unless your unit has the "use enemy roads" promotion, which doesn't become available until mid-game.

 

[Ataxerxes]

You cannot use enemy roads unless your unit has the "use enemy roads" promotion, which doesn't become available until mid-game.

Yea, the "Commando" promotion. It takes a while to get to that XP level. I'd recommend against it - it sounds nice, but if that one unit gets ahead of the pack the AI will destroy him first, it's easier to destroy one unit.

 

[duckstab]

It's not totally without its uses, however. It can be worthwhile to have a Commando unit or two for pillaging or worker-stealing. Once an AI's SoD is neutralized they tend to turtle up in their cities and it's safer to have a few of your own units running around on their own or in small stacks.

 

[bestbrian]

It's not totally without its uses, however. It can be worthwhile to have a Commando unit or two for pillaging or worker-stealing. Once an AI's SoD is neutralized they tend to turtle up in their cities and it's safer to have a few of your own units running around on their own or in small stacks.

It's also a very useful promotion when applied to Gunships during intercontinental invasions. After the beachhead city is seized, the Guns zip out and pillage the rail/road connections to the city, thus hampering counterattacks.

 

[Ghpstage]

It's also a very useful promotion when applied to Gunships during intercontinental invasions. After the beachhead city is seized, the Guns zip out and pillage the rail/road connections to the city, thus hampering counterattacks.

Its worth pointing out that Gunships cannot take the Commando promo themselves, they can only have it if upgradede from mounted units with it.

Commando is probably most useful for nuke wars as you only need a couple of units to follow a nuke and capture/raze a city.