Worlds & maps in Civ4

Öjevind Lång wrote:

> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
> continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
> challenge.

My last game has been exactly like that: I haven't seen any other Civ until
I reached Optics and my caravel found another civ.
You need to choose the "Archipelago" map type, choose what you prefer
between large-continents, archipelago and small-islands and then reduce the
number of oppsing Civ's. I usually play huge maps and Civ4 suggests 10
other Civs, I use to reduce that amount by 2 or 3 and often get to start
alone on a continent.
Sometimes neighbours are very close, just a tile or two of shallow water
between you and them so a galley is enough to reach them, other times I
don't see no other Civ until someone discovers Optics.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

In alt.games.civ3 on Thu, 24 Aug 2006, Öjevind Lång wrote :
>"kiwi" <ogme.TakeThisOut@actrix.co.nz> skrev i meddelandet
>news:1156331378.988455.318160@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>> The main complaint i have re Civ4 and Warlords is the feeling that the
>> space available is less.
>> You never gat huge plains or deserts or very large Mountain ranges. How
>> do you get a map that has both continents and islands?
>> Any ideas about this ?
>> cheers kiwi
>
>No, but I agree. Choosing a fractal map doesn't help; basically, that just
>means you get weirdly shaped continents.

Plus an infinitely long coastline enclosing a finite area?
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

Paul Hyett wrote:
> In alt.games.civ3 on Thu, 24 Aug 2006, Öjevind Lång wrote :
>> "kiwi" <ogme RemoveThis @actrix.co.nz> skrev i meddelandet
>> news:1156331378.988455.318160@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>>> The main complaint i have re Civ4 and Warlords is the feeling that the
>>> space available is less.
>>> You never gat huge plains or deserts or very large Mountain ranges. How
>>> do you get a map that has both continents and islands?
>>> Any ideas about this ?
>>> cheers kiwi
>>
>> No, but I agree. Choosing a fractal map doesn't help; basically, that
>> just
>> means you get weirdly shaped continents.
>
> Plus an infinitely long coastline enclosing a finite area?

When you choose fractal try setting 'high' sea-level. This results in
less land area and more likely to have seperated continents.
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

"Vilco" <a.DeleteThis@b.invalid> skrev i meddelandet
news:dceHg.80161$zy5.1400970@twister1.libero.it...
> Öjevind Lång wrote:
>
>> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
>> continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
>> challenge.
>
> My last game has been exactly like that: I haven't seen any other Civ
> until I reached Optics and my caravel found another civ.
> You need to choose the "Archipelago" map type, choose what you prefer
> between large-continents, archipelago and small-islands and then reduce
> the number of oppsing Civ's. I usually play huge maps and Civ4 suggests
> 10 other Civs, I use to reduce that amount by 2 or 3 and often get to
> start alone on a continent.
> Sometimes neighbours are very close, just a tile or two of shallow water
> between you and them so a galley is enough to reach them, other times I
> don't see no other Civ until someone discovers Optics.

Actually, after having made that post I started a new game and found myself
all alone on a continent. I played standard size map, continents, normal
number of civs for the map size, marathon speed. I could develop my civ at
leisure, except for the barbarians, and I shielded my cities from them with
a line of axemen. The only drawback was that when I finally got into contact
with other civs, they all distrusted or hated me because of my religions
(Hinduism and Judaism), which no one else had; in order not to be ganged up
on, I switched to religious freedom at once. Still, it was an enjoyable
game, and I won the space race neck to neck with Shaka (I was Elizabeth).

Öjevind
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

On Thu, 24 Aug 2006 09:32:04 +0200, "Öjevind Lång"
<bredband.net.TakeThisOut@ojevind.lang> wrote:

> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
>continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
>challenge.

For some value of "small continent", "Islands" fits the bill. Enough
space for six to eight cities. I prefer it, as it's just the right
size to avoid barbarian entanglements while still giving you a decent
chance of winning a spaceship victory.

--Craig
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

"Craig Richardson" <richardson.RemoveThis@net-venture.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:vo72f297ufvjiml1i3bhpa3c9qetf8083v@4ax.com...

[snip]

> For some value of "small continent", "Islands" fits the bill. Enough
> space for six to eight cities. I prefer it, as it's just the right
> size to avoid barbarian entanglements while still giving you a decent
> chance of winning a spaceship victory.

What other settings? Normal world size, normal sea level?

Öjevind
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

In article <4l52vmF9olnU1 RemoveThis @individual.net>, Öjevind Lång
<bredband.net RemoveThis @ojevind.lang> writes
>"kiwi" <ogme RemoveThis @actrix.co.nz> skrev i meddelandet
>news:1156331378.988455.318160@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>> The main complaint i have re Civ4 and Warlords is the feeling that the
>> space available is less.
>> You never gat huge plains or deserts or very large Mountain ranges. How
>> do you get a map that has both continents and islands?
>> Any ideas about this ?
>> cheers kiwi
>
>No, but I agree. Choosing a fractal map doesn't help; basically, that just
>means you get weirdly shaped continents. Or at least that's been my
>experience.
> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
>continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
>challenge.
>
For pretty well any start position, go into World Builder and cut off
the rest of the world - in fact tinker around with the terrain in any
way you wish - then revert to the game by pressing the red exit button.
Game will continue exactly as normal, but on your choice of geography.

David
--
David Littlewood
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

"Öjevind Lång" <bredband.net.DeleteThis@ojevind.lang>'s wild thoughts
were released on Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:15:22 +0200 bearing the
following fruit:

>"Vilco" <a.DeleteThis@b.invalid> skrev i meddelandet
>news:dceHg.80161$zy5.1400970@twister1.libero.it...
>> Öjevind Lång wrote:
>>
>>> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
>>> continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
>>> challenge.
>>
>> My last game has been exactly like that: I haven't seen any other Civ
>> until I reached Optics and my caravel found another civ.
>> You need to choose the "Archipelago" map type, choose what you prefer
>> between large-continents, archipelago and small-islands and then reduce
>> the number of oppsing Civ's. I usually play huge maps and Civ4 suggests
>> 10 other Civs, I use to reduce that amount by 2 or 3 and often get to
>> start alone on a continent.
>> Sometimes neighbours are very close, just a tile or two of shallow water
>> between you and them so a galley is enough to reach them, other times I
>> don't see no other Civ until someone discovers Optics.
>
>Actually, after having made that post I started a new game and found myself
>all alone on a continent. I played standard size map, continents, normal
>number of civs for the map size, marathon speed. I could develop my civ at
>leisure, except for the barbarians, and I shielded my cities from them with
>a line of axemen. The only drawback was that when I finally got into contact
>with other civs, they all distrusted or hated me because of my religions
>(Hinduism and Judaism), which no one else had; in order not to be ganged up
>on, I switched to religious freedom at once. Still, it was an enjoyable
>game, and I won the space race neck to neck with Shaka (I was Elizabeth).
>
>Öjevind

I switch barbarians off, they *always* appear just as I
found a new city, usually the best unit I have by that point
is a bowman, either way they always seem to win and take my
city.

I just can't seem to develop enough defenses in time.




Jan Hyde (VB MVP)

--
Sign on the petshop window.- "Every customer receives a free legless
parakeet. No perches necessary"

(Gary Hallock)
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

Jan Hyde <StellaDrinker RemoveThis @REMOVE.ME.uboot.com> writes:

> I switch barbarians off, they *always* appear just as I
> found a new city, usually the best unit I have by that point
> is a bowman, either way they always seem to win and take my
> city.
>
> I just can't seem to develop enough defenses in time.

You need to send out archers and fortify them on hills. Barbarians do
not spawn in visible areas, and the ones that come from further out
may attack the lookouts. If any scouts survive long enough, you can
use them as lookouts too.


Eddie
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

Jan Hyde wrote:
> "Öjevind Lång" <bredband.net.DeleteThis@ojevind.lang>'s wild thoughts
> were released on Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:15:22 +0200 bearing the
> following fruit:
>
>> "Vilco" <a.DeleteThis@b.invalid> skrev i meddelandet
>> news:dceHg.80161$zy5.1400970@twister1.libero.it...
>>> Öjevind Lång wrote:
>>>
>>>> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
>>>> continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
>>>> challenge.
>>> My last game has been exactly like that: I haven't seen any other Civ
>>> until I reached Optics and my caravel found another civ.
>>> You need to choose the "Archipelago" map type, choose what you prefer
>>> between large-continents, archipelago and small-islands and then reduce
>>> the number of oppsing Civ's. I usually play huge maps and Civ4 suggests
>>> 10 other Civs, I use to reduce that amount by 2 or 3 and often get to
>>> start alone on a continent.
>>> Sometimes neighbours are very close, just a tile or two of shallow water
>>> between you and them so a galley is enough to reach them, other times I
>>> don't see no other Civ until someone discovers Optics.
>> Actually, after having made that post I started a new game and found myself
>> all alone on a continent. I played standard size map, continents, normal
>> number of civs for the map size, marathon speed. I could develop my civ at
>> leisure, except for the barbarians, and I shielded my cities from them with
>> a line of axemen. The only drawback was that when I finally got into contact
>> with other civs, they all distrusted or hated me because of my religions
>> (Hinduism and Judaism), which no one else had; in order not to be ganged up
>> on, I switched to religious freedom at once. Still, it was an enjoyable
>> game, and I won the space race neck to neck with Shaka (I was Elizabeth).
>>
>> Öjevind
>
> I switch barbarians off, they *always* appear just as I
> found a new city, usually the best unit I have by that point
> is a bowman, either way they always seem to win and take my
> city.
>
> I just can't seem to develop enough defenses in time.

If you have the Warlords expansion use chariots for fighting barbs.
They can move quickly to troubled areas, they crush warriors and archers
and with a 50% attack bonus against axemen in warlords they'll even make
quick work of barb axes.
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

Öjevind Lång wrote:

> No, but I agree. Choosing a fractal map doesn't help; basically, that just
> means you get weirdly shaped continents. Or at least that's been my
> experience.
> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
> continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
> challenge.
>
> Öjevind

I played Civilization alot, have never played civ2, tried civ3 for
about a month before deciding to get civ4 not long before getting the
Warlords expansion. In the original Civ you could customise how mixed
up the terrain was ... so you could get large plains or whatever. Also
it was more common to get a mix of landmass sizes... from big
continents down to tiny islands, all of which meant one of the
situations I enjoyed playing most was a seafaring civilization. Its
possible to do in Civ3 but in Civ4 the maps just dont seem to allow it.
I have approximated the sort of map I want using Archipelago with low
sea levels....the problem then is all the players are doing the same
thing.
also
In Civ4 and Warlords do you ever really use the explorer unit. I find
that theres simply nothing to explore thats empty by the time I get
around to building the unit and shipping it.
I also want to know what the wildlife eats when I am not playing, and
why I don't get special credit for developing the sleeping pill for
Isabella and the disposable razor for Hannibal.
cheers
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

"kiwi" <ogme.TakeThisOut@actrix.co.nz> skrev i meddelandet
news:1157021779.987148.54380@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

[snip]

>I played Civilization alot, have never played civ2, tried civ3 for
about a month before deciding to get civ4 not long before getting the
Warlords expansion. In the original Civ you could customise how mixed
up the terrain was ... so you could get large plains or whatever. Also
it was more common to get a mix of landmass sizes... from big
continents down to tiny islands, all of which meant one of the
situations I enjoyed playing most was a seafaring civilization. Its
possible to do in Civ3 but in Civ4 the maps just dont seem to allow it.
I have approximated the sort of map I want using Archipelago with low
sea levels....the problem then is all the players are doing the same
thing.

Cool! I must try that.
You would have enjoyed Civ II. Some people still look back on it as the
best Civ game ever. I don't go that far, but it had some great points.

>also
>In Civ4 and Warlords do you ever really use the explorer unit. I find
that theres simply nothing to explore thats empty by the time I get
around to building the unit and shipping it.

That is precisely my experience, and it is even true for scouts. If you
start out with a scout, or find one in a goody hut, he may be quite useful,
but by the time you have built one, all the goody huts on the continent seem
to have been popped open by the other civs, and barbarians have started to
appear in such numbers that the scout unit spends most of the time dodging
them, and still it is sooner or later killed by something.
As for the explorer - same thing, except that on uninhabited continents
(on large or huge maps), there is now a barbarian standing guard over every
goody hut, so if you want to see what's inside the huts, you need a galleon
and some fairly strong military unit to travel in it. Explorers are
worthless except as precisely that - explorers spying out the land while
trying not to stumble into some barbarian city full of macemen or
grenadiers. Though according to the Civilopaedia the Spanish conquistador
(replacing the explorer) is different. It can actually attack, it seems. I
must play as Spain soon and see how useful the unit is.

>I also want to know what the wildlife eats when I am not playing, and
why I don't get special credit for developing the sleeping pill for
Isabella and the disposable razor for Hannibal.
cheers

For vileness, Isabella stands in a class of her own, though Brennus of the
Celts is a nasty one too. You simply *know* that he'll start a fight once he
has got together enough units to mash you; he's clever that way and doesn't
go off at half-cock like Montezuma. And then (on a somewhat different note)
there is Ragnar Hairy-breeches, who grosses me out because of the way he
keeps wiping the snot from under his nose. Hannibal does the same thing,
which seems weird considering that Carthage was a very cultured, mercantile
nation. Hannibal's fondness for going to war is remarkable too; basically,
the Carthaginians were defending themselves against Roman aggression, though
they proved themselves formidable enemies once they had got pissed off at
Rome. But then, Warlords is intensely tailored for warmongers, so I suppose
that's why they made his culture warlike too. I presume the lopard skin is
also part of the martial design of the XP. I am looking forward to the next
expansion pack, which I hope will have more for builders and culture mongers
such as myself. Just as an example, a tweak to Hannibal, making him more
commercial/civilized though formidable as a foe, would be welcome.

Öjevind
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4 

VileMerchant <lonelyjew@christmas>'s wild thoughts were
released on Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:48:28 +1000 bearing the
following fruit:

>Jan Hyde wrote:
>> "Öjevind Lång" <bredband.net.DeleteThis@ojevind.lang>'s wild thoughts
>> were released on Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:15:22 +0200 bearing the
>> following fruit:
>>
>>> "Vilco" <a.DeleteThis@b.invalid> skrev i meddelandet
>>> news:dceHg.80161$zy5.1400970@twister1.libero.it...
>>>> Öjevind Lång wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> One thing that *never* happens in Civ 4 is that you get one small
>>>>> continent all to yourself. Sometimes that could be nice, or a special
>>>>> challenge.
>>>> My last game has been exactly like that: I haven't seen any other Civ
>>>> until I reached Optics and my caravel found another civ.
>>>> You need to choose the "Archipelago" map type, choose what you prefer
>>>> between large-continents, archipelago and small-islands and then reduce
>>>> the number of oppsing Civ's. I usually play huge maps and Civ4 suggests
>>>> 10 other Civs, I use to reduce that amount by 2 or 3 and often get to
>>>> start alone on a continent.
>>>> Sometimes neighbours are very close, just a tile or two of shallow water
>>>> between you and them so a galley is enough to reach them, other times I
>>>> don't see no other Civ until someone discovers Optics.
>>> Actually, after having made that post I started a new game and found myself
>>> all alone on a continent. I played standard size map, continents, normal
>>> number of civs for the map size, marathon speed. I could develop my civ at
>>> leisure, except for the barbarians, and I shielded my cities from them with
>>> a line of axemen. The only drawback was that when I finally got into contact
>>> with other civs, they all distrusted or hated me because of my religions
>>> (Hinduism and Judaism), which no one else had; in order not to be ganged up
>>> on, I switched to religious freedom at once. Still, it was an enjoyable
>>> game, and I won the space race neck to neck with Shaka (I was Elizabeth).
>>>
>>> Öjevind
>>
>> I switch barbarians off, they *always* appear just as I
>> found a new city, usually the best unit I have by that point
>> is a bowman, either way they always seem to win and take my
>> city.
>>
>> I just can't seem to develop enough defenses in time.
>
>If you have the Warlords expansion use chariots for fighting barbs.
>They can move quickly to troubled areas, they crush warriors and archers
>and with a 50% attack bonus against axemen in warlords they'll even make
>quick work of barb axes.

I don't have chariots by this point, I've only *just* got
bowmen when they come.




Jan Hyde (VB MVP)

--
Horse sense is a sure sign of a stable mind. (Very Punny)
 >> Stay informed about: Worlds & maps in Civ4