From: brianc@iastate.edu (Brian J Cerveny)
Subject: Re: Yet more civilization questions
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 17:29:56 GMT

In <Bvr7Bw.wH@fc.hp.com> koren@fc.hp.com (Steve Koren) writes:

>It seems too short.  I've played about 6 times now, and only once has
>any civilization, computer controlled or otherwise, ever gotten a
>spaceship launched.  All the other times, nobody gets past aircraft
>technology before the time limit expires.

Really?  I've gotten spaceships of 40,000 people to Alpha Centauri in every
game I played except one, when I chose a military domination mode of play.
My ships usually arrive at around 2000 A.D., although one game I had one by
1906.  Oh, and my record for future technologies is 42.  Usually hovers at
around 25 though by the time the game is over.

>I do build lots of roads.  After making a city, I usually have one
>settler unit building roads around that city, irrigating, and mining.
>Then, after "improving" all the squares around the city, I have the
>settler build roads between cities.  After that, I disband it until
>later in the game when it can clean up pollution.

Roads??  What are they? :)  I never have any roads sitting around on my
own continent.  If I built the city myself, then I put railroads on EVERY
square visible to the city.  Production skyrockets with railroads, so if you
see any untracked squares in the city screen, start laying.

In my last game I discovered something VERY interesting... It is possible to
build railroads in the ocean!  It's real easy... move a transport ship next
to the shore, then move a settler unit onto it.  In the next turn, activate
the settler unit, but don't move it off the ship.  Instead, start it building
a railroad!  This will increase the food production on ocean squares that
are marked as good fishing spots.  (Don't bother laying track anywhere but
on fish; it won't do anthing for you.)  Note, however, that even though there
is now a railroad over the sea, you can't move land units over it.  The only
purpose of the railroad is to increase production on fishing spots.

>> They aren't pillaging.  However, the people in the city can't use a square
>> while a military unit from another civilization is sitting on it.  You

>Sometimes I think they are pillaging.  What happens is this: I have a
>square with a mine on it.  Another civ's unit moves over that square,
>and then leaves.  After it leaves, there is no more mine (or
>irrigation).  They sometimes just march through my civilization doing
>this, and I have to send out a bunch of settlers to rebuild everything,
>but I've lost a lot of production and have people starving in the
>meantime.  And this is *without* a formal declaration of war on their
>part.

Yes, they ARE pillaging if the improvement disappears.  Land barbarians
(and guerillas) will always pillage the landscape as they move toward your
cities.  Sea raiders never will though, as they want to settle in and take
over your cities.  The actions of other civilizations depends also on whether
their intent is to destroy you, make peace, or move in.

>> One hint about this:
>> Start a revolution, break the truce during the period of anarchy, and
>> go straight back to the original form of government when it asks you what

>That's a good idea.

Unless you have dozens of cities like I typically do late in a game.  If I
have 30 cities and the people revert to anarchy, that's a LOT of civil
disorder requesters and city screens to go through!!  Normally I don't
bother starting war with others since I enjoy the economic aspects of the
game more than the military, but let the others attack me first.  However,
I do leave the option open by building the Pyramids, which allow you to
choose ANY form of government regardless of what you've developed, and allow
you to switch governments on the fly WITHOUT going through anarchy.  Then I
select Communism, break the treaty, and usually go back to Democracy.  This
is much more friendly since civil disorder occurs on a much smaller level.
*** NOTE, however, that in order for the Pyramids to work, nobody must have
developed the Communism advancement!  I save Communism until AFTER I have
Fusion Power so as to take full advantage of the Pyramids.  Once fusion is
developed, Communism and Labor Union must be developed before Future Tech
development can begin.

>> I produce one militia, a settler, another militia, and then I build NOTHING
>> but settlers and temples (mostly settlers) for two THOUSAND years or

I do something similar, but I make caravans as well to get as much trade
established as possible.  This brings in lots of cash, easing the burden
on taxes and allowing more attention payable to science.

>Whenever I try this, my cities get taken over by either barbarians, or
>other cilizations, since they are essentially undefended.  I've found it
>best to get a phalanx in there as soon as possible to defend the city,
>and then worry about development.  But of course, that takes time...

I do the same, but only on coastal cities.  I just leave a single militia
in the continent interior, since barbarians rarely make their way in that
far before being destroyed.  Of course, after a city is past 10 population
levels, there is often nothing to build other than military units, so
upgrading doesn't get in the way of other improvements.

>> Either play on Earth, or make a custom world with "large continents".

I like the large continents, but those things can take on some ODD shapes.
My last one looked like a big bug on the windshield.

>Speaking of "custom world", does anyone know what the "age" thing does?
>All the others are explained in the computer specific supplement (Ami
>version).  But it says nothing about the world age.  It gives you a
>choice of 3, 4, or 5 million years.

A young planet will not have endured much erosion, so there will be a LOT
of hills and rugged mountains.  An old planet will be much like Earth,
with a few ranges, but most of the planet will have been flattened out
by glaciers and other such erosion.  I like 4-5 million myself.  There are
just too damn many mountains at 3 million, limiting the amount of food 
that can be grown.  At 5 million there is LOTS of great farmland and forests,
allowing for a huge population. (I've had 62 million people, with several
cities at level 31.  Haven't been able to get past that number though.)
Remember, more food means more people and more production, so if you get a
spot of land with a river or two, lots of grassland, 4-5 forest squares, and
a hill or two for mines, expect a BIG, extremely productive city!  These
kinds of areas are easiest to find on an old earth with large continents.
-- 
   // Brian J. Cerveny (brianc@iastate.edu)
 \X/  Disclaimer:  The views expressed above are my own.  So there.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games