Some questions for a civ first timer...

Hey all, while I am new to the civ games I am playing and learning as I go but I have some questions that I've noticed along the way. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, to learn should I just go on the Civilization wiki and just go step by step as I play?

1. Great People - What is the benefit of moving them around?
2. Why do new cities that you settle have such long production times?
3. Civics tree/tech tree - What is the strategy if you wind up just doing all of them anyway? Any specific order? Or does it depend on your leader and what your overall goal is?
4. What does "to boost" mean? Is this something you gain once you complete production of it?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Every unit and building has a fixed production cost. You're construction time is equal to that production cost divided by the amount of production your city produces. For instance, a monument costs 60 production and it takes 20 turns for a city with Three production per turn to build it. (60/3 = 20). Your Capital City also has a unique palace building which provides +3 production, which it why you can construct buildings more rapidly in your Capital during the early game.

Great People can only be triggered on certain tiles, so moving around your Great People might save you time If your great person spawned far away from where you'd like to use him/her.

For the tech tree, do whatever suits your needs the most. For the Civics Tree, it's more linear: Focus on Early Empire and if you went Religion, then Theology, then Feudalism and Mercenaries.

Eureka's and Inspirations are halve the research time of their Tech/Civic once you've completed a certain parameter (unique for every tech or civic). The Chinese get a 60% reduction. Once this parameter has been met, you "boost" the technology, instantly finishing half its cost.

 

If you combine it with using a forum like this and just ask questions, its what it is here for, do not be embarrassed, we all have to learn.

1. Great People - What is the benefit of moving them around?
Beyond moving them to a required target like a great wonder. They make amazing scouts that cannot be shot at by ranged troops for some reason and have good movement. There are times during games you have GP you cannot or do not want to use for their desired role.

2. Why do new cities that you settle have such long production times?
New cities do not, buildings are set prices. Units like builders escalate in cost slightly with each one you use. Districts escalate with the number of techs/or civics (highest) but so does chopping so it can not be so bad. You need to learn chopping as it is quite powerful, look at the chopping example in my signature.

3. Civics tree/tech tree - What is the strategy if you wind up just doing all of them anyway? Any specific order? Or does it depend on your leader and what your overall goal is?
Some are leaf nodes you would not bother with, other areas you would not perhaps until later (like sailing). The tech tree is not so bad but what you choose in what order on the civic tree can make a big difference. The civic tree has some big power jumps depending on what you want to do. For example Feudalism is a classic because workers are 66% more efficient than normal and it gives a knight eureka and knights are very strong... So getting the 1/2 price mounted build card before you build chariots is great, for getting read for knights and then getting the 50% mercenaries discount for upgrading to knights is just standard OP tactics.

4. What does "to boost" mean? Is this something you gain once you complete production of it?
Boost means a eureka or a benefit from a build card... I guess it can also mean a few other things depending on the author

I would rather have knowledge than pride... just ask, people are not allowed to be rude on this site. If they are complain.