Quick Questions and Answers

Makes sense. Sucks that I expended them for nothing on my cap, then.

 

I'm sorry, what do you mean by CS?

 

This has no doubt been discussed before, but I've not been able to track down a straight answer.

With Civ6 on the horizon, I've picked up Civ5 (BNW) again to play out a few games and get back into the saddle.

Did something change in terms of AI tech advancement though? Alright I'm slumming it on Prince, but when going for a Science victory the AI always seems to just be 4 or 5 techs behind.

Now, I'm hitting the Renaissance by around turn 150 which seems fairly respectable and they're right behind me.

I remember getting a tech advantage that was worth having, although the leading civs seem to be right on your heels now. That doesn't seem right as with the GL, Academies and pretty much hardcoring science, there should surely be some distance between them. But the leaders are usually only 4 or 5 techs behind without any of the effort (seemingly to me anyway).

Did something change? Or is my memory just failing me?

 

The AIs used to play at Prince, now they play at something with a name like AI default level, which is actually easier for them, so that might be something of what you are seeing.

That does seems awfully close for the end game (at Prince). Are you bulbing your mid and late game GS?

That surprises me less. At any level, the AI is starting with an advantage that grows less over time. So that you are betting them to Renaissance is good (even if it is Prince).

Planting early academies is good, but the Great Library is a No Op because the opportunity cost is too high. You do just as well, maybe better, with the other stuff you could be building instead.

They capped the GS bulb overflow, so you have a little more careful now. Also, the AI is less bloodthirsty. It has been argued that GnK Immortal is tougher than BNW Deity. So maybe Prince is more like Emperor was? (But that would be putting the trend in the opposite direction.)

 

Recently I've gone for Babylon for obvious reasons, race to writing, Academy the free GS, clean up a few cheap support techs then research philosophy while starting the GL, that tends to coincide with the completion of the Liberty Tree which brings another GS to build an academy. Once done, race through Drama and fine tune GL completion to land on the same turn as Drama completes and boost Theology as a free tech, voila, Renaissance.

Then turn around and pick up the straggler techs for 1 or 2 turns each while building the National College before focusing on hard pop growth. Maybe plant one more academy if GS points are building quickly, otherwise, save to bulb in mid game for Science techs or to late game for SS part techs.

It used to give a huge advantage as a strategy which made me wonder if something had changed in the background.

If their difficulty has been rebalanced however it would explain their relative ease in keeping up.

I tend to go with maps for a science victory that give passive food bonuses, (wheat, rivers etc) and obviously, next to a mountain. So it makes up in part for devoting that time, although I may try re-balancing for a less wonder dependent strategy.

There may be something in that, build a few units to start a few early wars and slow down their research. If they're playing the passive game in the early days, they'd only need some gentle modifiers to not be outpaced.

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

Do you get gold for pillaging a Fort?

 

No, and they do not pillage, they disappear (so they cannot be repaired and must be built from scratch). No healing either.

 

I thought Archaeological Sites were created at the beginning of the game? Just played a community map as Egypt and noticed mine where in different spots than other people's.

 

When given the choice to settle near a river or near the ocean (with all other things being equal), which is generally the best option?

 

Very generally:

for capital ocean if:
- tradition as SP
- at least one other good coastal location for expo.

for expo ocean, if:
-coastal capital, esp. with tradition
-CV on continents

 

Some of them may be, but I'm pretty sure archaeological sites will also appear where barbarian encampments previously were.

 

No, they are generated mid game. I do not know the exact trigger, but it could be as late as the first civ to research Archeology.

 

Ah, I see. Thanks guys! I'd heard about barbarian encampments turning into AS a long time ago but I'd completely forgotten about that and never really payed attention to that in my games.

 

Or I bough the game above another platform...
And the second, so you wont help me neither to make the needed xml or lua file for this for my own use?

 

So, I don't remember this happening before but, Alex asked me not to settle close to him, I said "no problem, buddy" (obviously) and then, about 10 turns later, the prick came to me saying I'd broken my promise and there'd be consequences? Thing is, I didn't settle any cities, near or otherwise, after he came to me the first time around! Is the AI just making excuses deliberately to have stronger modifiers against me or something? WTH?

 

What happens if you gift a nuke to a city-state? Or another civ, for that matter?

 

The demands not to settle and not to buy tiles are distinct but phrased similarly (too similarly IMHO). Did you, about 10 turns later, happen to buy a tile near one of his cities?

This has come up in threads before, and some players have postulated work-arounds, but you cannot gift air units to CS (or other civs). If you gift a loaded carrier (move it into their territory, and keep LOS with another unit), the air units disappear.