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  1. #1
    Senior member Senior Member Dutch_guy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Civilization IV

    So I finally got the game, the full version.

    My first impressions so far is that it is a time consuming game - in a good way.
    It is nothing like other games I've played thus far, and that is a good thing.

    However, I do have a question concerning tactics;

    What are your starting ''moves'', meaning , what do you built / train the first few moves.

    What are good,basic skills to survive the initial stage of the game.

    What Civics do you usually choose,and why ?

    How do you succesfully attack and destroy enemy villages ( in the early ages ),any tips concerning the sieging of those enemy city's ?

    Also. Thanks you Simon for your perfect answers to my questions

    I'm an athiest. I get offended everytime I see a cold, empty room. - MRD


  2. #2
    Senior Member Senior Member econ21's Avatar
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    Default Re: Civilization IV

    Quote Originally Posted by Dutch_guy
    What are your starting ''moves'', meaning , what do you built / train the first few moves.
    I am a believer in the "worker chop" strategy. Start by training a worker and researching bronze working. Around the time the worker is ready, you should have the technology to chop down forests. If you do this, you get around 45 production hammers. This can greatly speed up your training of subsequent units and so almost eliminate the city stagnation that occurs while training settlers and workers.

    So, using worker chop, I tend to train "worker, settler, warrior" and repeat, until I have around 6 cities. The settler builds a new city and the warrior escorts him; the worker does the "worker chop" routine around the new city.

    I tend to make one city (not my capital), my army training city, so that gets a barracks. I also try to get some early wonders - I like the parthenon and the oracle. Hence, my capital will tend to build wonders and some other city, ideally one near flood plains, produce the settlers.

    What are good,basic skills to survive the initial stage of the game.
    Not sure what you mean by skills? Player strategies? Or in-game technologies? Either way, you will soon face an on-rush of barbarians, often wielding axes. So you need a defence. I like to meet fire with fire and so build my own axemen - others like archers but they don't stop barbarians destroying your mines etc - so I need to find copper and mine it asap. Reducing the fog of war and getting territory bordering AI factions eliminates the spawning of barbarians, so it is a relatively short window of threat in most cases.

    Thereafter, the threat is the AI nations. Discovering a religion and sending missionaries to convert your neighbours is one way of making friends (discovering a religion and leaving your neighbours with a different religion is one way of making enemies). The AI tends to have around 4 units per city, so I guess you could do likewise to reduce the threat. I play a more high-wire act and have a weak military (I like butter, not guns), which makes the game scarey.

    If war does come, I find having a good road network the key to a successful defence. You need mobility, especially if - like me - you start off with a small military.

    In terms of technologies, after bronze working, I aim to be the first to discover a religion (sometimes I get Hinduism, but usually it is Judaism). Try to get the oracle for a free technology. Then I rush for alphabet. When I have it, I trade techs to backfill my technologies. But I do not trade alphabet, so I keep a monopoly on tech trades. Later on, whenever I discover a new tech, I see if I can trade it, to keep a tech lead. On Prince, I usually keep a tech lead until around the time of biology, when the AI starts to overtake me.

    What Civics do you usually choose,and why ?
    I never worry too much with civics. Generally, you should end up with the most advanced civics by the end of the game (although I forgo environmentalism and free religion), but there is no rush as they often reward only end-game situations (e.g. lots of towns). Organised religion is a priority early on, while I am spreading my own discovered religion. Later, I like pacificism, because with the parthenon and a philosophical Civ, you get lots of Great People. Representation is great in the early game, when you tend to have only around 5 significant cities anyway. The economic civics come too late to concern me much and the legal ones are a bit uninspiring, although bureaucracy is handy as my capital ends up building most of my wonders and being my science powerhouse.

    How do you succesfully attack and destroy enemy villages ( in the early ages ),any tips concerning the sieging of those enemy city's ?
    I generally don't bother attacking cities until I get catapults. If I am attacked, I just aim to throw back the attacker (kill off one or two offensives and they will sue for peace) - not to counter-invade. You could rely on swordsmen but it would be too painful (unless you are Roman). When you get catapults, it's just a question of being methodical. Bring four catapults, then pound the defences to zero. Then do kamikaze attacks with your catapults to cause collateral damage to the defenders and mop up the survivors with axemen/macemen/whatever. Choosing the right promotions - ie city raider - helps and bear in mind that gunpowder units don't get city raider, so treasure your old city raider warriors etc which can become killer units in the late game.

  3. #3
    Master of the Horse Senior Member Pindar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Civilization IV

    Simon,

    Thanks for your replies to my questions on EB and Civ. IV. I think I'll hold off on EB until they are closer to a finished product. Civ. IV sounds very interesting. I may have to go buy it.

    "We are lovers of beauty without extravagance and of learning without loss of vigor." -Thucydides

    "The secret of Happiness is Freedom, and the secret of Freedom, Courage." -Thucydides

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