What one single thing most improved your game

My Wife Hates CIV · December 24, 1999, 03:52

For me it was when I discovered I could transform city centers into hills. This was some time ago. Now I can win 98%+ games on any level. Marines can stop about any AI attack, be it tanks or battleships (with costal fortress). The AI stops attacking costal cities after awhile. Even vet MI can hold there own against AI howies. The defense bonus is almost too much for hills I think.

Smash · December 24, 1999, 06:59

no question-this forum.And the curse of micromanagement.

Bohlen · December 24, 1999, 09:41

I'm with Smash. This forum has given me quite a few tips. I thought I knew the game when I started playing again after a year away, but you guys have shown me that I have a lot to learn. The Super Science City is something that I knew about, but didn't know how to use it to its fullest potential. I'd have to say that the SSC and establishing trade routes throughout each game has helped me out the most.

Peter Hennesy · December 24, 1999, 09:46

This forum and finally getting to understand WLTPD - knew the game reasonably well before I started coming here but never really saw the fullpotnetial contained in some of the rules.

Paul · December 24, 1999, 10:34

This gets boring, but this forum has helped improve my game a lot; espacially the Super Science City and OCC.

Scouse Gits · December 24, 1999, 10:51

In a word - Apolyton.

The complete lack of strategy guides in the UK has been compensated by a box file of print-outs from these threads.

To anyone new - trawl through the archives - I promise you some good reading.

Although I don't have the MP version of the game - you can learn from following the postings there. A current one deals with the Powergraph.

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Scouse Git (2)

SmartFart · December 24, 1999, 12:40

Advanced tribe about 3800 bc...definitelly.

kcbob · December 24, 1999, 14:15

As most of the postings so far have said, this site has been an incredible help. Not to mention just plain great entertainment in its own right.

As for the thing within the game that has improved my play, it was probably realizing that caravans and freight can be used to help build wonders. Stockpiling enough of them to build a wonder in one turn when it becomes available seems like cheating when you're playing the AI.

BTW, MWHC, (hope that's not too many acronyms), how do you transform a city center in to a hill? I'm assuming you do it after the city is built. Do you just put your settler/engineer on the city and transform away? And why not just build on a hill in the first place? Do you lose production bonuses by doing that that you would otherwise have when building on a grassland/river spot?

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Frodo lives!

Better dead than "Red"... or green... or blue... or yellow... or orange... or purple... or white.

[This message has been edited by kcbob (edited December 24, 1999).]

Aurelius · December 24, 1999, 16:46

Oh I like this question. But there is no one answer. It's more of an evolution for me. Civ is a good game as it allows different strategies/tactics to succeed. I found this site after I'd gotten alot of fundamentals down. Military stuff and diplomatic stuff and optimization stuff. But the game keeps suprising me.

Military success came to me when I realized the 'ZOC bug'. Of course, I don't know if this is a bug, but the AI doesn't seem to utilize the passing through enemy lines via a land convoy or spy or caravan or air unit or partisan. For instance, I love going to the heart of the enemy (bypassing all city/unit ZOC) and taking it's capital that contains the UN. Then forceing peace

Another cornerstone of military affairs concerns the defensive war. Putting strong defensive units in the strategically placed mountain fortresses and holding off the hordes while the country builds libraries and banks and wonders. This was a big realization for me early on in Civ.

In the late years of a game, I was startled when I realized I could surround the cities and prevent the appearance of pesky partisans! I loved this realization. And the other late year mop up tactic was taking capital cities until a poor non-government occurred. Then send in the bribers and inciters.

But military strategies aside, I think the single most important element in going from emperor to deity was alliances and learning to trade for science (always did it through conquest and theft before with an occasional trade.)

Then there was the combination of factors that allowed me to win diety on a large map. The utilization of certain wonders with certain strategies. I suppose I have always been doing this. Still, manipulating the tax/science/luxuries to grow a civ properly is the cornerstone of the game--bar none, may I be so bold.

But on a humble note, I must say, It never occurred to me to have a super science city until the concept of OCC was explained (Guess the idea originated at this site or by someone at this site.) I'll have to use the super science city in a multicity game. And Trade is another element in the game I didn't explore until some folks prevailed upon me.

I wonder what the mark of a good game is? Probably when the game surprises it's maker.

Aurelius.

Aurelius · December 24, 1999, 17:07

Quote:

Originally posted by SmartFart on 12-24-1999 11:40 AM
Advanced tribe about 3800 bc...definitelly.

Cynic!

Genghis Al · December 24, 1999, 18:14

I have to say, after finding this site. The whole caravan thing... I have no Idea how I played this geame before.

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Ah man! Ghandi! New game.

-Genghis Al

lmstoudt · December 24, 1999, 23:49

I'd say taking citizens off the production map when city sizes get to 8 & 12 & converting them to taxmen & scientists.

Crustacian · December 26, 1999, 01:45

For me in the beggining it was learning to not be too resourse rich with my city map workers trying to build early stuff faster in small cities, cuz bigger cities get things done faster.

so food-resource-trade balance

Once after my 2nd game on 1st edition some Aztec modern units payed me a visit in China and my brave phalanxes were bombed from strange flying machines!! One highly honered unit even won!
I dug deeper into the strategy area in my brain and wished I had this forum to have speeded up my learning process. Many strategies on here that have names we learned a form of by trial and error back then.

and trade routing early in the game.

and loosing the tendancy to overprotect early cities and not expand early.

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The journey itself is the thing~Odysseus

War4ever · December 26, 1999, 05:25

CARAVANS..... i only ever used them for wonders which as a conquerer worked just fine... but alas even a warmonger needs to be literate and develope manners

As much as i thought i knew civ, when i started reading the forums months before i registered, my conquests became that much easier.

Not too mention all of the great warriors i have fallen and fallen to on this site... keep on civin

Aurelius · December 26, 1999, 17:43

Oh, the combination of many Howitzers and a railroad with 'paired' engineers building the stacked 'BigGuns' a fortress. Dat's da Ticket!

Puaxant Tuvip · December 26, 1999, 19:34

Well this site definately. I read the diety guide. It taught me to go for monarchy first and a few other things. Unfortunately I had been playing about a year before I came here and still have too many bad habits and still can't beat diety. But I'm still getting better. And of course learning about the importance of trade (which I still don't fully utilize- I'm too lazy to control huge numbers of caravans and freight).

Steve Clark · December 27, 1999, 12:17

Same as War4ever. As a long time conqueror, playing a relative peaceful game is very different Civ2 gaming experience and one that the benefits of caravans cannot be overestimated.

valmont · December 27, 1999, 14:39

I didn't realize the importance of trade until I built my first super-science city. Then it was like the game suddenly transformed, and I started becoming aware of the patterns that determine how the game unfolds. Now I see each game as a chance to learn more.

wonderdog4 · December 27, 1999, 14:40

I've learned many useful tricks from these forums, but if the question regards the one single thing I've learned that transformed my game, then I have to admit that I learned about it from a casual statement made by Dee.

It's actually in the manual, but I'd read it and it hadn't registered. It is the simple fact that when you disband a unit in a city, half of the value of that unit is placed in your production box.

That seemingly tiny and insignificant detail has completely transformed my game. I now use it to my advantage in every single game I play.

Strategic disbanding, when units become obsolete, now enables me to build and protect those highly valuable costal cities that farm the oceans and generate buckets of trade arrows but very few shields.

Before I learned this, I disbanded units wherever they were (inside or outside any city). Now, when I disband, I disband with a purpose.

Thanks Dee.

My Wife Hates CIV · December 27, 1999, 15:31

I build where trade/production/food is the best (at least try to). But you end up meeting other civs and some cities are open to attack. The AI will just send a steady stream of units to attack. By transforming the city center to hills it's easy to hold the AI off. I only do the cities that need it. This one thing made a big difference. The AI will never take a city with force. It pretty much makes the AI navy worthless against coastal cities. A vet rifleman on hills with coastal fortress will sink a battle ship no problem. You might have one killed but you probably have 4 or so units protecting the city anyway.

War4ever · December 28, 1999, 00:06

MWHC not putting your thing down as i respect your threads and am still eagerly awaiting our death match....

I personally never use the bomber stack or caravan food trick or any of the other tricks which most of us consider cheats in multi player.

I play the old fashioned street fight when i conquer.... you know how it goes.... no peace no quater given. Just fight it out and destroy. In AC games i use trade to win obvously.... but i never mine a city square.
If i want an inpregnable city by direct attack anyways.... i build on hill or mine. The game is just too easy otherwise.

Ming · December 28, 1999, 02:41

Excuse me? One of the settler commands is to turn a square into a forest. There is no Cheat here! I will do it in MP whenever a city needs the defensive help. How can you think that this is unfair??????????

Flavor Dave · December 28, 1999, 15:08

I echo many things here. This forum would be #1, but I don't think that's really what this thread is getting at. The power of WLTC/PD and caravans both were great discoveries. But, the power of the settler/engineer was the biggest thing I learned; surprised no one else mentioned it (I think). These 3 things are all related; caravans are a great help to We Love. First, they help science, so you can take some science income and put it into luxuries. 2nd, they make Love easier to achieve.

And, Love puts all of those settler/engineer improved squares into play. Refrigeration is related, too; it allows you to build more engineers, or grow bigger and get taxmen and scientists. You can build settlers in one turn in your big cities, move them to small cities, and insta-grow those.

And conquering as a democracy--your army of settlers insta-build RRs and fortresses, then your army marches to the next city in the sequence.

Sten Sture · December 28, 1999, 15:49

I don't think this one has been mentioned this time around: Playing on small maps.

When I first started playing this game I played on Large maps for score and the game took forever and ever. Then I started playing small maps after the Nov98 tournament game map that geofelt provided. It was a half small map and I suddenly thought, hey, I can play games a lot quicker this way and try new things and get better!

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If you can not think of a really good reason why you should build something other than a caravan, build a caravan. - jpk

Mad_Conquest · January 24, 2000, 08:49

One word...........caravans

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The Mad Mad Ruler of the World

MyOlde · January 24, 2000, 10:14

Sten:

What would be a typical "half small map"? What dimensions? Or did you mix it around for variety?

DaveV · January 24, 2000, 11:22

Since this thread has been bumped up again, I'll suggest something along the lines of Sten Sture's advice: play several games to about 500BC. This is a great way to hone your early-game strategy. Try hut-hunting or no huts; try ICS or perfectionist; try different wonders. You should be able to reach 500BC in an hour or less. Then try again (on the same map, even) with the opposite tack.

rah · January 24, 2000, 12:50

Playing MP.

I played a SP game for laughs the other day. It was way way too easy. I didn't even micro manage my cities. If you can hold your own against human civs, the ai will never challange you again.

rah

War4ever · January 24, 2000, 14:28

MING i just saw your post .... i just don't think one needs to mine the city center.... build on a hill or mountain... to me its an unfair advantage if the city can't be taken at all thats all

Graag · January 24, 2000, 14:55

I'd say the thing that most improved my game is when i discovered you can use numpad rather than the cursor keys. i honestly didn't know that i could use the diagonal keys. i knew something was missing, and it was strange i couldn't get to certain tiles. and then one day... wammo. it wasn't long before i had advanced to prince level!

graag

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You should never smoke in pyjamas, you could start a fire and burn your face