Sometimes when I win with a Space Race victory I seem to get a bonus of about 800 points. Am I going crazy? If not, how do I qualify for the points, because I don't always get them?
If you win, by whatever means, before 2050 AD, you get a certain amount of bonus points. It is calculated like so:
(2050 - Current year) * Difficulty level = Bonus score
The numbers for each difficulty level are...
Chieftan - 1
Warlord - 2
Regent - 3
Monarch - 4
Emporer - 5
Deity - 6
So if you were to win on the year 1950 AD, at Warlord level, then it would be calculated like this:
(2050 - 1950) * 2 = 200 points
The 200 points would be added to your score when you won. Although in your case, it would be 800.
Also, how on earth do I set up an army? I've got a leader and I can see the button, but nothing seems to work. How do I select the units to make up the army?
You put the leader in one of your cities, then click "build army".
To put units inside the army, simply select the desired unit, then put it on the same square as the "Army", and then click the load button (where the worker actions usually are), or press L.
Just incase you don't know, you can only have 3 units in each army -- unless you have built "the Pentagon". And for each army you have, you require to have 4 cities...
Note: Once you've put a unit inside an Army, you can't get 'em back out.
And thirdly, what factors effect my approval rating when I press F11? Does this rating matter (apart from in a diplomatic victory)?
That rating thingie has nothing to do with other civ's attitudes towards you -- which I also used to think too btw... It's the percentage of your population which are happy. Thus, it doesn't affect diplo victory...
Hope that all helps
