Some questions from a new player

[junovalkyrie]

- Sometimes, I can move a unit with multiple movement points onto a forest tile after already having moved a tile in the same turn, sometimes not. Likewise, sometimes I can move someone onto a ship or roadless tile after using a road, and sometimes not. Is this random, or is there some pattern to it?

- Does sabotaging a city's aqueducts/sewer systems have any effect aside from limiting growth if the number of citizens exceeds the limit associated with aqueducts/sewer systems (e.g., sabotaging an aqueduct in a size 10 city)? And does sabotaging an aqueduct have any effect if the city already has a sewer system? (Come to think of it, what about selling and aqueduct in a city with a sewer system?)

- The AI seems to "cheat" in certain ways, like being able to move freely in aircraft and triremes. This makes things like the lighthouse wonder much less useful for them. Are their any other wonders that are made less useful by the way the AI plays? I ask because sometimes I'll snap up a wonder I don't need just to prevent other civilizations from getting it (e.g., Sun Tzu's War Academy in a peaceful civilization).

- Whenever I order a unit to cross a certain line (specifically, where x=0 on round-world maps), it will go the opposite direction, going all the way around the map just to move someplace a few tiles away. I assume that this also affects the AI; if so, is there any way to fix this, aside from using only flat-world maps? Wiping out a civilization because it had poor pathfinding just doesn't have the same appeal...

- I noticed that when I switch a citizen to scientist in my science-oriented cities, I get a lot more beakers than if I switch a citizen to scientist in less science-oriented cities. How does the game determine how many beakers you get when you switch to scientists, and does this also apply to tax collectors and entertainers? (I ask because I don't recall ever getting more than 3 luxuries for switching to entertainers.)

- I tested this a while back but don't remember the answer: do warriors ever get upgraded by Leonardo's Workshop? If so, to what are they upgraded?

 

[Ali Ardavan]

Welcome to CFC.

- Sometimes, I can move a unit with multiple movement points onto a forest tile after already having moved a tile in the same turn, sometimes not. Likewise, sometimes I can move someone onto a ship or roadless tile after using a road, and sometimes not. Is this random, or is there some pattern to it?

It is random. You can test this yourself by saving the game and replaying it.

- Does sabotaging a city's aqueducts/sewer systems have any effect aside from limiting growth if the number of citizens exceeds the limit associated with aqueducts/sewer systems (e.g., sabotaging an aqueduct in a size 10 city)? And does sabotaging an aqueduct have any effect if the city already has a sewer system? (Come to think of it, what about selling and aqueduct in a city with a sewer system?)

The existence of Aqueduct and Sewer is only checked at the point of city growth whether by celebration or the food box filling up. They play no other role. Once your city reaches max possible size you can sell both and save the upkeep. For cities above size 12 both are required. If you sell the aqueduct and keep the sewer your city will not grow.

- The AI seems to "cheat" in certain ways, like being able to move freely in aircraft and triremes. This makes things like the lighthouse wonder much less useful for them. Are their any other wonders that are made less useful by the way the AI plays? I ask because sometimes I'll snap up a wonder I don't need just to prevent other civilizations from getting it (e.g., Sun Tzu's War Academy in a peaceful civilization).

The AI definitely plays by slightly different rules. Other than the lighthouse I can only think of Eiffel.

- Whenever I order a unit to cross a certain line (specifically, where x=0 on round-world maps), it will go the opposite direction, going all the way around the map just to move someplace a few tiles away. I assume that this also affects the AI; if so, is there any way to fix this, aside from using only flat-world maps? Wiping out a civilization because it had poor pathfinding just doesn't have the same appeal...

It is a known problem. GoTo is also buggy in other ways. I have seen it get into infinite loops; fortunately it detects that and asks you if you want to continue. I do not believe there is a cure for this other than moving units one tile at a time.

- I noticed that when I switch a citizen to scientist in my science-oriented cities, I get a lot more beakers than if I switch a citizen to scientist in less science-oriented cities. How does the game determine how many beakers you get when you switch to scientists, and does this also apply to tax collectors and entertainers? (I ask because I don't recall ever getting more than 3 luxuries for switching to entertainers.)

Every scientist/tax man produces three beakers/gold in a bare city. In a city with infrastructure the amount is increased accordingly. 50% for library/marketplace, another 50% (additive) for university/bank, ... Wonders affect this too: SETI, Newton, and Copernicus. In a city with library, university, research lab, Copernicus, and Newton every scientist is worth 24 beakers.
I am not certain about the effect of marketplace/bank/stock exchange on entertainers. I have to check that sometime.

- I tested this a while back but don't remember the answer: do warriors ever get upgraded by Leonardo's Workshop? If so, to what are they upgraded?

Yes, they upgrade to musketeers with gunpowder and musketeers to riflemen with conscription. However, their production in a city is only changed to pikemen if you have feudalism. This constitutes an interesting situation when you have gunpowder/conscription but not feudalism. While no city can produce warriors any more, those who were producing them can keep on producing them and Leo upgrades them to musketeers/rifleman. I once had this situation in a game: in one city I was producing warriors every turn; I move them a few tiles away to another city; wait for the next two tech advances (2-3 turns), and disband the resulting rifleman for 20 shields. Not very profitable but fun to watch.

 

[junovalkyrie]

Thanks for the quick and detailed reply! Next time I play I intend to try Deity-level for the first time, and I figured I should try to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge about the game beforehand.

It is random. You can test this yourself by saving the game and replaying it.

I had thought that was the case, but I wasn't sure if I was missing something. For example, at first I also thought the number of turns your civ is in disorder following a revolution was randomized before realizing that it's based on the turn number (or possibly the year, haven't tested it on different difficulties).

It is a known problem. GoTo is also buggy in other ways. I have seen it get into infinite loops; fortunately it detects that and asks you if you want to continue. I do not believe there is a cure for this other than moving units one tile at a time.

Dang, guess I'll have to stick to flat worlds so I don't end up with a situation like my last game. Germany was across the 0-longitude line near my aggressive expansionist China and almost never managed to counterattack before negotiating for peace, aside from taking back a city or two.

Every scientist/tax man produces three beakers/gold in a bare city. In a city with infrastructure the amount is increased accordingly. 50% for library/marketplace, another 50% (additive) for university/bank, ... Wonders affect this too: SETI, Newton, and Copernicus. In a city with library, university, research lab, Copernicus, and Newton every scientist is worth 24 beakers.

D'oh! Can't believe I missed that. I thought that they only affected the base science/tax rates, didn't even think to check if they were correlated with the increase per scientist/tax collector. I usually build a city like you describe nonetheless to take the most advantage of the science multipliers you get from wonders.

I am not certain about the effect of marketplace/bank/stock exchange on entertainers. I have to check that sometime.

Just loaded a few games to check. As far as I can tell, each of those buildings adds a flat 1 to the number of luxuries added per entertainer. So a city with no buildings will get 2 extra luxuries per entertainer, a city with a marketplace will get 3, a city with a marketplace and a bank will get 4, and a city with all three buildings will get 5. There may be some other factor I've missed, but this seems to hold true regardless of at least city size, trade, government type, and how you set your civilization's overall tax rate.

Yes, they upgrade to musketeers with gunpowder and musketeers to riflemen with conscription. However, their production in a city is only changed to pikemen if you have feudalism. This constitutes an interesting situation when you have gunpowder/conscription but not feudalism. While no city can produce warriors any more, those who were producing them can keep on producing them and Leo upgrades them to musketeers/rifleman. I once had this situation in a game: in one city I was producing warriors every turn; I move them a few tiles away to another city; wait for the next two tech advances (2-3 turns), and disband the resulting rifleman for 20 shields. Not very profitable but fun to watch.

Might not be very profitable, but being able to produce a musketeer/rifleman mid-game for ten shields sounds pretty nice nonetheless. I had something similar in mind when asking the question, but the idea was more along the lines of producing a lot of warriors just before learning the advancement that disables the option of producing them and using LW to upgrade, getting more powerful units for a fraction of the cost. Thanks for the tip, makes it even more useful than what I had in mind.

One other question, though I might have more later: Is it possible to remap the keys? I'm playing on a laptop, and while it does have a number pad of sorts, it has a couple of issues that make it somewhat annoying to use while playing, and trying to move units with a track pad comes with its own set of problems.

 

[Major Advantage]

- Sometimes, I can move a unit with multiple movement points onto a forest tile after already having moved a tile in the same turn, sometimes not. Likewise, sometimes I can move someone onto a ship or roadless tile after using a road, and sometimes not. Is this random, or is there some pattern to it?

IIRC, it is a probability thing: If you have 1 movement point left and want to do a move that would require 2 movement points, the chance to do the move is 50%. If there are 2 movement points left you can do a 3 movement points move with a chance of 2/3.
However if the unit still has all movement points left, it will always move, even if that move would cost more points than they have.
Additionally, spies and diplomats can always perform their action in adjacent tiles if they have any (>0) movement points left, for example bribe a unit on a mountain or incite revolt in a city, even if they might not be able to move onto that tile if it was empty.

 

[Ali Ardavan]

Thanks for the quick and detailed reply! Next time I play I intend to try Deity-level for the first time, and I figured I should try to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge about the game beforehand.

You are welcome. The best way to learn, however, is to join the GOTMs and see how others play on the same setting as yours. GOTM 122 is ongoing and 123 will be posted by this weekend.

... at first I also thought the number of turns your civ is in disorder following a revolution was randomized before realizing that it's based on the turn number (or possibly the year, haven't tested it on different difficulties).

It is indeed the turn number, every fourth turn is an oedo year (named in the honor of the player who discovered this first) when you can change government.

Dang, guess I'll have to stick to flat worlds so I don't end up with a situation like my last game.

No, just stop using GoTO across the x=0 line.

Just loaded a few games to check. As far as I can tell, each of those buildings adds a flat 1 to the number of luxuries added per entertainer. So a city with no buildings will get 2 extra luxuries per entertainer, a city with a marketplace will get 3, a city with a marketplace and a bank will get 4, and a city with all three buildings will get 5. There may be some other factor I've missed, but this seems to hold true regardless of at least city size, trade, government type, and how you set your civilization's overall tax rate.

Thanks for checking. So it is 2 lux per entertainer and the marketplace/bank/stock exchange behave as expected each increasing it by 50% (1 extra lux).

 

[junovalkyrie]

No, just stop using GoTO across the x=0 line.

Well, the problem isn't so much moving my own units, but how it affects the AI. Aside from caravans and settlers, I generally only use GoTO to move a unit slightly more quickly within a given turn (due to the limitations of the laptop I'm using, this is quicker if it needs to move diagonally) or to move units across my roads/railroads. OTOH, if I were to move a damaged ironclad across the 0-longitude line, that shouldn't prevent the AI from being able to take it out if they have the move to reach it (which is, as I understand it, what will happen). I realize that the AI has many oddities that can be exploited, but this one bothers me more than others for some reason - I guess because most of the others can be chalked up to the AI acting like a human who plays suboptimally, while this feels like more of a cheat.

The best way to learn, however, is to join the GOTMs and see how others play on the same setting as yours. GOTM 122 is ongoing and 123 will be posted by this weekend.

Sounds interesting. I'll check out 123 when it gets posted.

And thanks to Major Advantage for the additional information.

 

[Ali Ardavan]

Well, the problem isn't so much moving my own units, but how it affects the AI.

Have you ever seen it happen to AI units? I am not saying it does not but just because it happens to your units does not mean that it will happen to theirs as well. AI may not use the faulty GOTO algorithm for moving its units.