returning to Civ V.. some questions here :)

[Salawow]

Hello ! I haven't played Civilization V for a long while, can't remember how long exactly, but i think that the last time i played, the patch version was 275. (maybe even earlier than that). So i come here to ask some questions that i always wondered.. and maybe get some kind of refresh about strategy.

The game settings i use 100% of time are: Marathon speed, No Ancient ruins, Huge map. Other settings about ressources, rain, number of other civ/city states, etc. are left to what i think is default.
The map i almost always play in is Continent Plus.
Difficulty: King/Emperor. (I would call king my confort level, while emperor gives me more challenge along with the opportunity of actualy lose the game)

Small question about the difficulty level. I heard the AI is harder now, what does it mean exactly ? (more "intelligent" or more bonus ?). If king was my confort level before, do you think i will be crushed on that difficulty now ?

Now about strategy. Long term strategy was my weakness. I was never able to figure out what to do in order to get the best of it later.. i always played "as it goes" (ie: i never planned any victory conditions before around 1200AD, and i never knew nor used any cookie cutter build/tech order.)

Anyway, here are my questions..

- Since i play with "no ancient ruins", should i build a scout, or simply send a warrior on early scouting ? Is there a real benifit of scouting faster, beside getting the ruins before the AI ?

- When should i build a worker ?

- About policy, is traditions still for tall empires and liberty for wide ones ?

- Should i still decline any friendship and open borders request ?

- Does the DoW mechanics changed, or it is still the same ? (DoW if i'm weaker, DoW if i have alot of wonders, along with alot of random DoW). More explanations would also be appreciated, i never realy understood what makes another civ DoW me.

- About when to settle other cities, should i follow the AI standards ? (usualy, when i settle my 2nd city, the AI already have around 6 cities.. does it mean i'm dooing it wrong ?)

- If i'm not intending to conquer but still want to be able to defend myself, how many military units should i have at around 500BC ?

- I heard that destroying a civ (or taking the capital ?) makes your reputation decrease permanently on all other civs. Is that true ? Even to the ennemy of that civ ? Even to the civ i haven't met yet ? Even if it is the civ i destroyed that DoWed me ?

Now some questions about game settings.

- Would you say that Marathon speed is harder, or easier than normal speed ? Same question about map size.

- What does the option "Disable start bias" exactly do ?
- What does the option "World age" exactly do ?
- What does the ressource options exactly do if set to "legendary start" and "strategic balance" ? (and what ressources do we talk about here ? Luxuries, strategic ressource ? things like cow, wheat, fishes ? or all of them ?)
[Edit]
- One more question. Does the AI still like to settle a city right next to you in order to take a luxury, even when it is more than 30 tile from it's nearest city?
[/Edit]

I think i'm done about questions for now I would realy appreciate of someone could take the time to answer them

Salawow

(Sorry about spelling mistake, i'm realy tired and i'm not speaking english very often)

 

[Aoxomoxoa]

1. meeting AI's earlier for trading
2. Get the free one from the social policy in Liberty or scout/monument/worker
3. pretty much, although it's hard to ignore the first 3 in Liberty.
4. Sell your open borders for 50 gold/30turns, ignoring friendship requests is 'safe'.
5. DoW pretty much still the same.
6. I like to settle 2-3 faster rather than slower. AI is pretty much in ICS mode now.
7. Completely eliminating the Civ gets you the hard diplomacy hit.
8. 2-3 archers can handle just about any onslaught.
9. Marathon is easier.
10. Certain Civs come with a bias toward certain resources/map features, Iroquois and forests for example, this will take away that 'bias' on the start.
11. Younger world, less mountains.
12. Legendary usually give you an abundance of food and luxuries.
13. Not usually, they ICS more now.

 

[FeiLing]

12. Strategic Balance usually guarantees you horses, iron etc close to you as far as I know.
13. They don't even need to get a luxury by doing so. They'll just fill the whole map no matter how the land is

 

[joncnunn]

Liberty is much more powerful than it was earlier. (As long as your not playing a OCC)

I don't have patch numbers memorized. I can say that at some point last year the patch that weakened city defenses had the side effect of making the AI much more of a war mongler against their closet neighbors. You will be DOW upon early; that closest AI will be doing the "pretend friendship" thing when he's not outright admitting he doesn't like so don't sign RA with that one.

AI plays on chieftain happiness levels. And tends to pack the cities in too tight. In my current game I decided to accept peace from Catherine early after only taking her two closest cities following her DOW since otherwise I'd have been razing and replacing the next several of her cities in better spots when I've already committed to going for a culture victory.

Larger maps by default have more AIs which provide more trading partners to RA with. (Both you and the AIs). So it would make playing above your normal level more difficult, but below your normal level easier. If default number of city states kept, Diplomatic victory much easier on the bigger maps as well.
The map size itself also affects city happiness, regardless of if you change default number of opponents / city states or not.

 

[tombsy]

11. Younger world, less mountains.

I thought younger has more mountains?

3 Billion = More mountains
5 Billion = Less mountains

 

[FeiLing]

I never really bothered with this game option much (keeping everything at default usually), but I always assumed that a younger world would mean less mountains as this is how the earth formed. One big flat earth mass, breaking apart, drifting away and when the parts/continental shelves meet again after millions of years they crash together where one slides below another and pushes it up thereby forming mountains.
See for e.g.: Africa hitting Europe --> the Alps. And India hitting Asia --> Himalaya. (Those are still slowly rising).
I'd consider it a major bug if the actual game option would work exactly the opposite way

 

[shaglio]

I thought younger has more mountains?

3 Billion = More mountains
5 Billion = Less mountains

Yes, a younger world has more mountains because an older world has had more exposure to erosion that would, in time, wear down the mountains into large hills.

For example, the Rocky Mountains are much younger and much taller than the older Appalachian Mountains which have been weathered by time.

 

[Aoxomoxoa]

I thought younger has more mountains?

3 Billion = More mountains
5 Billion = Less mountains

It does, just as you point out.

3 billion years ago=older
5 billion years ago=younger

I am pretty sure the 3 billion years gives you a more mountainous map. Maybe I am mistaken.

 

[Salawow]

Thanks alot for your answers everyone Everythings clearer now.

It does, just as you point out.

3 billion years ago=older
5 billion years ago=younger

I am pretty sure the 3 billion years gives you a more mountainous map. Maybe I am mistaken.

That make sense that the 3 billion years options makes more mountain. Something seems to be wrong in what you said though. I think the option means "how old the planet is", or more precisely "how long ago did the planet creation has occured".

So, a 3 billion years planet is younger than a 5 billion years planet. (the same as a 3 years old children is younger than a 5 years old one.)

At the time of creation (or pretty soon after), the volcanos and all things like that made the earth pretty much rocky, with alot of big mountains and not much plains. After that, over the years, wind, rain, ice, etc, "smoothed" all of that like what you could do with a grinder (erosion). So the older the world is, the more "smoothed" it is.. means less/smaller mountains. (Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong about that )

TLDR:
3 billion years old: More mountains
5 billion years old: Less mountains.

Anyway, in civilization V, does anyone know if it affects only the ammount of mountains ? Or hills and plains as well.

 

[Scarpa]

Check out this thread for detailed map setting information:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=448960

 

[Salawow]

Check out this thread for detailed map setting information:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=448960

Thanks alot, much informations in that topic indeed

 

[bonafide11]

I'm in a similar situation... Just fired up Civ V this week for the first time since the game initially came out. Last time I played chariot rushes and exploiting maritime city states were the easy way to dominate the game. Seems like they've changed a lot and I'm still trying to figure it all out now.

 

[grandad1982]

I play no ancient ruins as well. I often (not always) go with a scout first. The reason for this is multiple. First seeing your surroundings and the AIs surroundings allows your to make plans about settling and which AIs might be a threat (seeing who has which strat resources). Second meeting AI for trading. Thirdly techs get a discounted cost to research as more players learn them so the more AI you meet the more discount you will get on techs they already know (this works better at higher levels).

Scouts are slightly better for this as they don't get slowed down by rough terrain, its especially useful for checking around AIs lands before they settle loads of cities.

 

[i_imperator]

Thanks for starting this thread,its very helpful! I'm also making a return to civ v, as im really enjoying MadDjenn's and Wainy's LP's and they have inspired me to start a game as Rome/Emperor/Cointents or Pangea.