Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
Dot-mapping deserves its own guide and I never bothered to write one. I think there's one around here somewhere...What happened to the instructions for dot-mapping? I need that for my current game! Thanks.
Dot-mapping deserves its own guide and I never bothered to write one. I think there's one around here somewhere...What happened to the instructions for dot-mapping? I need that for my current game! Thanks.
No, I blame it on myself, which is why I took it out. It was riddled with errors, IIRC.There is an outline of dot-mapping in your Version 2.0 -December 22, 2006 of this Guide. Sorry to say, but I found your explanation confusing. Blame that on me! I never claimed to be a math major.
No, I blame it on myself, which is why I took it out. It was riddled with errors, IIRC.
"Please note that this document is not meant to be a definitive collection of Civilization IV strategies. Furthermore, in a game as complex as Civ IV, many different strategies may be effective, including some that run counter to the advice listed here."
The problem is that the 60% rule starts players off with a bad habit that they're going to have to drop. I've long contested this rule and the refusal to change it, but I can't think of a single class of player (utter newbie, played for 1 week to 1 month, more experience, etc) that would benefit from obeying it. If anything, it is going to scare rookies away from expanding onto power tiles when that should be their priority. It isn't that there are "lots of ways to play", but rather that following this particular piece of advice is a consistently bad choice. Not sometimes. Often.
It's comparable to telling people not to worry about barb defense. There are some games where that turns out being beneficial, but usually it sets you back. Same outcome as cutting expo at 60%, especially derping that decision out w/o any regard to actual beaker rate.
The problem is that the 60% rule starts players off with a bad habit that they're going to have to drop. I've long contested this rule and the refusal to change it, but I can't think of a single class of player (utter newbie, played for 1 week to 1 month, more experience, etc) that would benefit from obeying it. If anything, it is going to scare rookies away from expanding onto power tiles when that should be their priority. It isn't that there are "lots of ways to play", but rather that following this particular piece of advice is a consistently bad choice. Not sometimes. Often.
It's comparable to telling people not to worry about barb defense. There are some games where that turns out being beneficial, but usually it sets you back. Same outcome as cutting expo at 60%, especially derping that decision out w/o any regard to actual beaker rate.
@Ramesses-Rules: did you mean how to put fat crosses on the dotmap (alt-X in BUG) or something more comprehensive about where to place cities?
I considered that level of dot-mapping a more advanced topic than what's called for in a beginners' guide, so I removed it for that reason. (The more essential topic of city placement, which is relevant to dot-mapping, is covered.)
However, I am currently revising my Intermediate Tips & Tricks guide, so maybe I'll include a section on dot-mapping/food calculations in there.
Wall Street
Wall Street multiplies commerce by 100%, so this national wonder should be built in your best commerce city. It combines best with a religious shrine, as it will multiply shrine income. In BtS, you should also found any and all corporations here, to multiply their income as well.
Oxford University
Oxford should be built in your top science city. It combines well with the Great Library world
wonder, and with the National Epic if you mostly want to produce Great Scientists.
Sisiutil's Strategy Guide for Beginners
What I've tried to do in this file (attached) is to collect together, in one document, a summation of most of the basic strategies and tactics that I gleaned from this community. I verified the utility of each as I moved up the difficulty levels. I hope it proves useful to some. I just wanted to give something back to this community which has helped me enjoy this wonderful game far more than I could have just on my own.
Please note that the guide is not meant to incorporate all possible game strategies, but rather, just enough for a beginner to experience success in Civ IV's lower levels (Settler through Noble).
Speaking of which, this is also not meant to be a strategy guide for the higher levels. This is why it's a beginner's guide. I myself have only had my first victory on Prince at the time of posting. And from what I've seen on the board, at Monarch and above, players often vehemently disagree over strategies that work for some but not others. They also warn against relying on strategies that worked in the lower levels but are often counter-productive at Diety, Immortal, and so on. So, once you leave Noble behind, all bets are off, in my opinion.
Revised October 17th, 2011