Quick Questions and Answers

[Citytube]

I just came back to Civ 5 after a long time away. I only ever bought the original game. I never bought an expansion nor a single DLC (I know this is redundant, just emphasizing).

Its fairly obvious to me that Steam has updated the game to some extent, since I have new rules and mechanics, with the religion currency Faith being the most apparent. I also have the Gods and Kings splash screen and a new opening movie.

My question is 2 fold:

What exactly did I get for "free"? Just updates and some gameplay changes or ALL the game play changes to date?

Question 2, somewhat a different way of saying question 1: Is buying either/both expansions worth it? Will I get even more gameplay changes? If so are they worth it? Or do the expansions just give me civs and scenarios, the latter of which interest me not at all and the former, I have plenty of other ones to learn first?

I did a random civ to start and I'm not sure if the one I got was in vanilla, but I did encounter Polynesia already and I'm pretty sure they were one of the early DLCs.

Thanks in advance.

 

[clearbeard]

I just came back to Civ 5 after a long time away. I only ever bought the original game. I never bought an expansion nor a single DLC (I know this is redundant, just emphasizing).

Its fairly obvious to me that Steam has updated the game to some extent, since I have new rules and mechanics, with the religion currency Faith being the most apparent. I also have the Gods and Kings splash screen and a new opening movie.

My question is 2 fold:

What exactly did I get for "free"? Just updates and some gameplay changes or ALL the game play changes to date?

Question 2, somewhat a different way of saying question 1: Is buying either/both expansions worth it? Will I get even more gameplay changes? If so are they worth it? Or do the expansions just give me civs and scenarios, the latter of which interest me not at all and the former, I have plenty of other ones to learn first?

I did a random civ to start and I'm not sure if the one I got was in vanilla, but I did encounter Polynesia already and I'm pretty sure they were one of the early DLCs.

Thanks in advance.

I have not yet bought Brave New World, but Gods and Kings was definitely worth the $5 or $10 I paid for it, on sale from Steam. I will be buying BNW when it is similarly priced, which will likely be during the annual July summer sale, at this point.

That said, I'm not completely sure what free updates you might have gotten over the years other than the obvious free Mongol DLC (the very first one). Polynesia is indeed one of the earlier DLC civs, so I would have said you shouldn't have been able to encounter them. Expansions definitely have offered many gameplay changes, in addition to new civs and scenarios. Some of those changes, like city health and healing, definitely were incorporated into vanilla through patches. Others, like the entirety of the religion (G&K) and tourism/culture (BNW) systems would be absent.

The "Gold Edition" includes all content (including G&K) except BNW and the new "scrambled" map packs, so you'd need to buy the "Gold Upgrade" plus those exclusions to have everything. I have no idea why G&K alone is $10 more than G&K plus 11 DLC packs, but that's marketing for you. It seems likely that there will be a "platinum" or "complete" edition coming along pretty soon, which will bundle in BNW with all the older content so you might want to wait for that, since you've waited this long!

In summary, if you can get the whole package of content you are missing for $10-20 it's probably worth it, but IMO it's not worth the current $30 price tag for either expansion.

Edit: Don't discount the scenarios too hard, all the ones I have are fun and definitely worth a playthrough or two. Though you're right in that the don't make or break the packs in the "should I buy" calculus.

 

[reddishrecue]

Civilization 5 and its expansion is divided in so many parts. There is G and K, all the small DLCs (which gold has GnK and all the small DLCs in one) and the BNW. The new map packs are the most recent expansion to civilization 5.

 

[Erneiz Hyde]

Say, what would be the best course of action if you're isolated as Korea?

 

[thelesserevil]

Is buying either/both expansions worth it? Will I get even more gameplay changes? If so are they worth it? Or do the expansions just give me civs and scenarios, the latter of which interest me not at all and the former, I have plenty of other ones to learn first?

Others might disagree, but for me Brave New World is what really made Civ V great. It does add new civs (Poland, Brazil, Assyria, the Zulus, Portugal, Indonesia, Morocco, the Shoshone and the extra unique Venice) and scenarios, and a bunch of wonders, but there's some pretty major additions to gameplay.

Improved economic gameplay through trade routes (with caravans and cargo ships), a much more engaging/expanded culture victory through great works/tourism/archaeology, improved social policy trees and ideologies, and an expanded diplomatic side to the game through the World Congress/United Nations.

The religious/spy aspects from Gods&Kings are things I like too, but BNW is easily the better expansion for me.

 

[misterchief]

Embassies expire? I'm confused - sometimes I'll exchange embassies with a Civ. Later in the game, after never having gone to war with that civ, I'll notice that we don't have embassies with each other anymore. Why does that happen?

 

[Browd]

Either you denounced them, or they denounced you.

 

[reddishrecue]

Sometimes ais who lost their capital need to renew the embassy as well.

 

[MattZed]

How does the Autocracy Tenet "Third Alternative" (doubling strategic resources) stack with Russia's UA (doubling of Horses, Iron, and Uranium)? Does it double the already doubled quantities, give an extra 'doubled' copy of the original resources, or not stack at all?

 

[misterchief]

Is there any way to gift a nuke to another Civ?

 

[adam19]

what is the benefit for liberate a civ city? i liberated a turkish city, so now they come back to game. i expected some friendly behaviour but the turn after I liberated they denounce me. must say im playing GK
thankyou

 

[clearbeard]

what is the benefit for liberate a civ city? i liberated a turkish city, so now they come back to game. i expected some friendly behaviour but the turn after I liberated they denounce me. must say im playing GK
thankyou

There is essentially no benefit for liberating and reviving a dead major civ. Liberating city states has diplomatic benefit, and I sometimes will liberate a close ally's captured cities if we're in a joint war and I don't really want the city anyway, but major civs deserve to stay dead.

 

[Bretwalda]

There is essentially no benefit for liberating and reviving a dead major civ. Liberating city states has diplomatic benefit, and I sometimes will liberate a close ally's captured cities if we're in a joint war and I don't really want the city anyway, but major civs deserve to stay dead.

Actually and admittedly rarely there is sense in that. If you were on good terms with dead and you don't want the city and that is blocking the enemy and shortens your front - it makes sometimes sense.

 

[sillsworth]

How many Ancient Ruins spawn on a "huge" map? Anyone know a number and (if possible) where they spawn?

 

[Atreju]

Is there any way to gift a nuke to another Civ?

If your civ had Coast tiles you can gift them a nuclear submarine with nuclear rockets or carrier with nuclear bombs.But I'm not sure if the loaded units will be lost or gifted

 

[Ford]

There is essentially no benefit for liberating and reviving a dead major civ. Liberating city states has diplomatic benefit, and I sometimes will liberate a close ally's captured cities if we're in a joint war and I don't really want the city anyway, but major civs deserve to stay dead.

Any Civ you revive from the dead will vote for you in the World Leader vote, irrespective of how much they may or may not hate you.

 

[reddishrecue]

What is the approval rating demographic? Why did I get a high approval rating when I gave away all my cities to ai for peace?

 

[clearbeard]

What is the approval rating demographic? Why did I get a high approval rating when I gave away all my cities to ai for peace?

Approval rating is simply the happiness level of your empire. Generally speaking you'll have higher empire happiness with fewer cities, so your approval rating would go up when you give away your cities. Likely you saw your happiness level go from, say, -8 to +15 when you did that. As with other the demographic numbers such as literacy and population (in people, rather than in city pop units), it's more there for flavor than any real game effect.

 

[Browd]

IIRC, the formula for the Approval rating is 60% +/- (3% * net happiness/unhappiness). So, if your net happiness rose as a result of giving away some cities (not unusual, by the way), then your Approval rating would have risen as well.

 

[adwcta]

Was there a change in BNW where now culture buildings are not auto-destroyed upon capture? I just want to make sure I'm not going crazy here. I remember being annoyed that in G&K, all culture buildings were auto-destroyed upon capture, and since my puppets never built any culture buildings, their borders would never grow unless you had honor, or a religion that added culture (since liberty's +1 rounds down to 0, which seems to still be true).

If my only open great writing slot is in a puppet, and I then take over a city with a great work (that the AI has no place to transfer), the great work will naturally slot into my puppet's slot, right? even if it's still in rebellion?