Top 10 Tips to Get Started in Civ

[rabidveggie]

Yes also when the game doesn't go your way use the world builder. You can justify it by convincing yourself the AI cheats, which they sort of do. Also to me the Sistine Chapel is just to many hammers for to useless a bonus.

 

[Murky]

1. Read the game manual
2. Visit the Civ Fanatics War Academy
3. Read the strategy articles in the forums
4. Read the game threads in the strategy forums
5. Play the game a lot in single player mode.
6. Learn to play multiplayer
7. Try to balance Real-Life with playing Civ
8. Take breaks often.
9. Walking is good excercise.
10. Read these tips again.

 

[carmen510]

1. Read the manual
2. Read all CivIV-related sites
3. Look at the strategies articles/War Academy in CFC.
4. Buy the strategy guide
5. Keep playing CivIV
6. Don't play CivIV like the other Civ games.
7. Take breaks.
8. Buy a new computer so your game won't lag (Optional)
9. Pwn noobs in multiplayer
10. Chat with Civpros.

 

[Pres. Slayback]

8. Buy a new computer so your game won't lag (Optional)

Or just memory or a new GPX Card...

 

[Shoot the Moon]

1. Remember, everything has a price. That Pyramids you want to build costs the same as 13 axemen pr 30 warriors.
2. Don't go wonder or tech crazy. Ask yourself "is this really going to help me win?"
3. Specialize your cities. It is more efficient to have one city focus on research and another on building military than to have both cities mediocre at both.
4. Every city doesn't need every building.
5. Heath and happiness problems aren't the end of the world. If you can fix them, do; but don't freak out if you have them.
6. You can never have too many workers.
7. Chop those forests.
8. Religion is overrated.
9. As you become better, start to focus your play more. Chose a victory you want to achieve at the start of the game and focus only on what will help you achieve that.
10. It's a game. Have fun.

 

[Magnus_wpg]

- Expand fast early on. Grab as much room as you can early on so that you leave the AI hurting for resources.

- Don't be afraid to build buildings. Unlike previous Civ games, the upkeep in Civ IV is harder to surpass the money coming in.

- Use a lot of workers, not just for resources, but build up your surroundings early on. As your tech develops, you can always come back and change what you've built up.

- As soon as you start, set your science to 90%. Keep an eye on your income as you go along, but for awhile this will be fine and allow you to get tech fast.

- Don't Fall victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

 

[asabahi]

City placement early is important, and also what techs you research early can depend on your traits and terrain. I always like food resources in the early city fat square. Helps with quick growth and after building an early lib can run a scientist (a big boast in research in the early game). Also extra food leaves room open to worked mined hills for extra production (military units perhaps) . A healthy military is needed enough to defend and also attack. If your neighbor is weak in the early game, take a couple of his cities. This will cripple him and give you a boast.

 

[timberwolf4545]

It's a political anti-vietnam reference made by a mad sicilian during a battle of wits to the death. Plato, Aristotal - everyone on this board - morons.

Asia is a large country that is mostly land based. That is the key to the phrase. If you are fighting a land war vs. air power (or if it was in the game tactical missles) then you are at a disadvantage. The enemy will have superior movement, and can surround you easily. Additionally, you will make slow advances due to cultural supremacy when you take ver cities. Basically it is telling you to use air power when invading larger countries.

It comes from a real life saying about the fact that a land war in Asia would be very expensive and costly. It's only half true in Civ though. It's basically saying to use air support when invading to make the assimilation of cities go faster.

 

[Jerrymander]

Spam scouts and get huts.
In low difficulty levels, some huts give settlers. I got two in a row in my previous game. Completely moves the scale to yourself.

 

[rabidveggie]

Air power didn't work to well for Germany. The Russian winter will do you in before you can transverse the terrain not the Russian army.

 

[Moxxa]

1.) Research the techs that will allow you to work your capitals resources, especially food, first.

2.) Get a military resource tech like Animal Husbandry for horses or Bronze Working for copper, or even Archery to deal with the barbarians. Warriors alone aren't cost effective, and completely uneffective after barbarian axemen start showing up.

3.) Escort your settlers. Animals and barbarians can appear from the fog at anytime. Don't take chances with your settlers.

4.) Don't expand too quickly! Cities cost money at first and you can go bankrupt quickly. Try to keep your science at 60% or higher with positive or even cashflow.

5.) Try to make sure that all of the tiles that are being worked have some type of improvement (mine, cottage, farm etc.) If not, get a worker there to improve your tiles.

6.) Explore as much as you can. Knowledge is power.

7.) Speaking of power, don't neglect your military. If you have a weak military, the AI will know it and pounce on you. Some of the crazier AI personalities will pounce on you anyway (Montezuma, Isabella, Alexander).

8.) Hire specialists. They help you generate Great People and often give you greater return than working a tile would. It's always better to hire a specialist than to work a plains tile.

9.) Don't let your wars drag on. Wars will slow down your research, so make them quick and decisive. Seige cities with a high defense bonus before attacking, and get peace after you have accomplished your goals.

10.) Experiment! Have fun with it and don't worry too much if things don't go according to plan. The best games I have played are the ones I didn't think I could win, but came back in the end.

 

[madscientist]

A newbe poster here who has been playing CIV since it came out and warlords since it came out. Great advice in these top ten lists. Here is a list I found helpful for National wonders only (Not much to add to anyone else posts). These assume you are not building many if any Great wonders.
1) Heroic epic: Get an experienced unit from barbarians and build in the city with the greatest EARLY production, even if in the capital.
2) National epic: City with greatest food sources or farmable land. Once you get biology you should be able to get a lot more specialists going. Caveat, build it in the city you build the great library in.
3) Forbidden Palace: one of three places A) overseas if you plan to colonize off you continant, B) as far from the capital as possible if you do plan to expand militarily, or C) in a conquered AI’s capital.
4) Oxford U: Capital unless you have another very strong commercial city. The beuaracy civic is cumulative, so if you have 100 commerce, beauracy gives you 150, then Oxford gets you an extra 150.
5) Hermitage: Unless you are going for a cultural win (then it should be the weakest cultural output of the three) it should go in a border city, particularly if a vital late resource such as oil, uranium, aluminum or coal. Also if you have a lot of food you can run a few artists.
6) Global theater: Maximize the benefit if placed in the same city as the hermitage.
7) Ironworks: In a city that has decent food, and decent hills but a lot of unchopped forests. Once it is built (I have used great engineers in the past) and lumbermills/railrods are built it is a very powerful production city while the forests take care of the extra 2 unhealthy faces.
8) Wall Street: in a city with the best shrine but after a factory and power source are built. The time it takes to build is always tough to take unless it’s a mega production city.
9) West point: Use a great General on a single unit to get the level six unit. Build on a coastal city (+4 bonus applied to ships also) plus the city that has either the heroic epic or ironworks.
10) Mount Rushmore, Red Cross, Scotland yard are irrelevant where they go.

Hope this helps.

PS: I have never built a new palace.

 

[Pachacuti]

I saw this hint multiple times, but I never get the reason

"Never fight a land war in Asia" is advice from General Douglas MacArthur, who knew something about both war and Asia. His point was that the U.S. could not cope with the vast numbers of soldiers Asian countries were willing to use and lose.

 

[Jerrymander]

Also, Asia is XBOX HUEG, so conquered territories will be susceptable to attack from many sides.

 

[Moon Pine]

1.Do not care about the Unique Unit much when you choose your leader - UU can only help you for a time but Unique Building and Leader Trail for the whole game.
2.If you are a Phi Leader, spam Great Scientists may not worse than Great Engineers - 3-4 Acadamys in your main cities will boost yournearly 50% - Library + University and you don`t want to spam more GEs than useful wonders, right?
3.Chariot and Axeman will help you pass "the Barbarian Age" and they`re much cheaper and more useful than the Great Wall but if there`s not copper or horse but stone, go for it.
4.If you have two religions, your can spread the non-state religion by spaming missionaries with Organized Religion to the civs you want to take ground from when the war begins, you will findall your "friends" will help you in the "Holy War".
5.Catapults and Artillerys are not only valuable in siege but also defense.With the advantage that provided by your roads and rails, collateral damage the enemy before or when they get to the city gate.
6.Take advantage when you find there`s a hill or a small forest Promote 2-3 units with Guerilla II or Woodman II to protect your siege units against enemy hunting force.
7.Great General seems more like Great Medic to me - I always warlord my high to MedicIII, and that benefits my whole army.
8.Do not ignore your airforce, though the bomber and fighter are not so powerful as artillery but they can bombard several times before your arillerys get to fire position.
9.Do not place more then 4 units (except Siege Units) in one Tile, but also not less than 3 - large groups will suffer amazing damage from cats/artis while small one is easily ruined by counter-strike.
10.Use Nukes when there`s a must - do not use them in valuless nuclear revenge or something, use them when you saw enemy hordes in your force`s reach(either in a city or not, but not a city with shelter) - nuke them then finish them with your army - the most valuable target in a war is enemy units.

 

[LDeska]

EDIT (May 10): Thanks for all the contribution to the thread! This event has ended. Harpe will select the best tips from the thread and notify the winner (who will be randomly selected). The thread will remain open and you can still post in it, although you will not enter the drawing.

When will that drawing take place?

 

[dutchking]

Air power didn't work to well for Germany. The Russian winter will do you in before you can transverse the terrain not the Russian army.

The Russian Winter doesn't really apply in Civ.
One last tip:
You WILL get addicted.

 

[Harpe]

I'm hoping that the latest issue of the 2K Edition will go live today so we'll randomly determine a winner as soon as it goes up - I'll be back to tell you then.

Cheers!

 

[Fire.Soul]

2k Edition's out! =)

(Yey! My tip's in! xD)

 

[Mango]

I always have trouble establishing good trade routes. Any tips?