Really want to get into civ 4

[Shmike]

I really do, but all the technologies and everything about it is so intimidating, I played civ 5 and that game stinks, so I look to civ 4 but it's too damn intimidating. I know I'm not going understand the game right away, it's just way too much. I really want to get into it, I've started 2 games and founded a city, looked at the tech tree and was like woah...
How can people play this game?

 

[Lemon Merchant]

Start off slow, and at a low level, and be prepared to lose a few games at first. It takes a little while to get used to all of the nuances and things, but it's worth the time to learn.

Just make sure that the number one objective that you have is to have fun.

 

[elz17]

Put on all the hints, and dont worry about the techs- just follow recommendations on the lower levels. Sure you may not have a lot of input to your game but you quickly learn how everything falls together

 

[Loz]

I agree with the above poster - at first follow most of the recomendations and possibly automate your workers. Just get through the game and get used to what things do. Some quick advice I would give is to turn on the resource bubbles(Ctrl + R) and settle new cities near the resources. After a game or two following the ai recommendations you may wish to start making more decisions yourself.

 

[s.bernbaum]

You might also want to read a couple of basic guides for beginners. It you mouse over the Civ4 item on the menu bar at the top of this (or any) forum screen, you will see an item in the drop down menu "War Academy". That is an excellent collection of guides and how to articles written by various CIV players. Several are intended for beginners. They are pretty clear which ones they are in the description of the article. Check it out.

 

[Shmike]

Thank you all. I feel more motivated to play civ 4 now.

 

[praxio]

I suggest to install buffy mode (bug mode), it lets you notify many details, because it warnes you about stuff that chance. You will learn just by reading the line at the start of the turn. Question the advisors though they may go stupid

 

[Lemon Merchant]

I suggest to install buffy mode (bug mode), it lets you notify many details, because it warnes you about stuff that chance. You will learn just by reading the line at the start of the turn. Question the advisors though they may go stupid

I agree completely, but BUFFY is usually only used for HOF games.

Standard BUG should be fine for the OP. The link for BUG is in my sig.

 

[uat2d]

Play on Settler, even my cousin gets to use tanks vs longbows there, and he's the kind of guy that thinks protective is a good trait or that promoting all your infantries to SAMs is a clever thing to do.

 

[thecaesar]

NOT FAIR! Protective is at least OK...

Anyways, how I started was with the tutorial... did anyone else start that way? It helps new players a lot, but I guess if you've played Civ5 you aren't really that new... but it would help nonetheless.

If you don't want to play the tutorial, then I would start on settler, and don't look at any of the Micromanagement stuff. You can get by without looking at the tech tree or the advisor screens on the lower levels, and you can usually just leave most stuff on automate (Workers on automate saves a ton of time and anger at the AI's when they come out of nowhere and snatch your workers that you forgot were building something on their borders when you DoW'd them...)

I would also recommend putting all the tips on, as elz17 said, since those help. However, I think the tech recommendations are mostly random... but hey, I don't know that.

 

[Ataxerxes]

Thank you all. I feel more motivated to play civ 4 now.

Another way to simplify it at the start is to go into the custom game screen and turn off some of the game options at first. You can turn off Espionage,Vassals, Diplomatic Victory (AP drives some players crazy), huts, random events. If you do Settler, you don't need to play always peace, the AI won't attack you anyway.

If you want a fast, warm-up game you could even try the One-City Challenge. It's easier than you'd think and you don't have to worry about proper city placement or how many workers - one first and one much later. I would actually say that a Settler OCC is easier than Chieftain.

 

[theskibum]

Anyways, how I started was with the tutorial... did anyone else start that way? It helps new players a lot, but I guess if you've played Civ5 you aren't really that new... but it would help nonetheless.

I started with the tutorial even being a Civ3 veteran it was immensely helpful.

Playing Civ5 in no way, shape or form prepares you for any aspect of playing Civ4...other than the fact that it has the word "Civilization" in its title.

 

[thecaesar]

I started with the tutorial even being a Civ3 veteran it was immensely helpful.

Playing Civ5 in no way, shape or form prepares you for any aspect of playing Civ4...other than the fact that it has the word "Civilization" in its title.

When I said "New" I meant REALLY new, like new to the entire genre of games. That's what my parents/grandparents were, and still are, since they "don't have enough time to sit around playing 'those games' that take forever", yet they can sit on the computer for hours on end playing majong and chess... Oh well, I tried...

 

[uat2d]

When I said "New" I meant REALLY new, like new to the entire genre of games. That's what my parents/grandparents were, and still are, since they "don't have enough time to sit around playing 'those games' that take forever", yet they can sit on the computer for hours on end playing majong and chess... Oh well, I tried...

My parents are the same, my father is only tetris and sudoku and my mother never had any interest at all in any kind of gaming, so I get you there.

But about my grandparents? Damn, they only have the 4th grade, and poorly done. They can't even read an SMS, so yeah, forget gaming for them. Besides, I wouldn't image someone on his late 70s that still wakes up at 4am or 5am to work the fields to be someone who'd even be willing to play anything, even if it were in Portuguese and super easy to understand the mechanics.

 

[Iranon]

Everything is optional. You can dominate the game with half a dozen cities if you know how to prioritise Great People and (probably) wonders. You can dominate the game with rabid expansion building very little... if you know how to keep your economy perched at the edge of collapse. On the higher levels, you can do nothing but suck up to a sugar daddy and let them win the game for you.

Don't worry about 'getting it right'; the veterans certainly don't agree about everything. Think things through, try what seems to make sense, ask on the forums if something specific has you puzzled.

 

[thecaesar]

...the veterans certainly don't agree about everything.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

the veterans certainly don't agree about everything.

I don't agree with that.

Actually, I do. A difference of opinion is one of the best ways to learn something. I'll often read (non flaming) arguments because they're often a very good source of information on strategy and play style.

 

[uat2d]

If it weren't for different opinions or ideas, we would still be banging rocks together.

Arguments are good in that you always get different points of view on an issue.

I've learned a lot from Civilization just by reading about other people's strategies right here on CFC.