Apolyton Civilization Site Copyright © Daniel Quick
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Phalanx
After the Militia, you can get the Phalanx, your primary defense for the
first three thousand or so years. The only step up (in CivOne) is the
Musketeer. So, build them in quanity, but be warned.. unless they are just
a bulwark for Catapults or Chariots to counterattack from behind, they wear
out quickly, and become obselote even though they are the best defensive
unit before the Musketeer (what you say?? you luv Knights on the defense?
Well, we think you are wasting your time. Don't use an expensive, mobile,
attack unit where a Phalanx would do adequately. And yess, we know that
Knights can attack back. Fine. Do it your way. So why are you here
again?). They require Bronze Working to be built. Their factors are:
1/2/1.
Cavalry
Not to be confused with CivTwo's cavalry. In CivTwo they are Horsemen.
In essence they are explorers. They cannot attack well, or defend well, and
are basically half the unit a Knight is. They require Horseback Riding.
Their factors are: 2/1/2. And although I have successfully used them in
an attack, it is rare and usely in the first 500 or so years, when Militia
are the primary opposition.
Legion
The legion isn't all that great, at least in CivOne. But u might disagree.
I know some people who adore legions... they like their cheapness. And, true,
they are the power of the first 1000 years or so, but they'll never
reach their historical reign of 2000 years or so, around A.D. The knight
is just developed to early. So, build em if u want, dont if u don't.
Their factors are: 3/1/1. Note that Civ II has them being 4/2/1. Major
upgrade, and it makes them a powerful unit, but don't duplicate the
AI's obsession with building them. Elephants are more useful. If u want
that extra DP, build a phalanx, or better yet, a Pikeman.
Chariot
The chariot, basically, rules. It's fast, powerful, and don't worry about its
defensive weakness. That's not important. Use your Chariots in combination
with Phalanxes when attacking cities, or by themselves when attacking on the
plains (or forest) (or mountains) (or whatever). Pump out Chariots as quick
as u can, especially the Veteran Chariots. Note that a veteran Chariot
is the same as a Catapault on the attack, only faster. Their factors are
4/1/2. In Civ II they are significantly lower, and the Elephant has the same
factors as a CivOne Chariot. They require the Wheel. Get it early, use it,
build em, and above all, get into a war with them!
Catapult
Build them. Really build them. Then build more. And get them in Barracks,
cause that 9 attack factor can be real nice. With Catapults, the basic tactic
is not to attack anybody in the open. Catapults work best from behind the
City Walls, pounding the attackers, and from inside a fortification with
a Phalanx, right up against the enemies' cities. In the field, they'll be
slaughtered by the faster Chariots, so don't. Try to keep one in every city
till u get Cannons.
Knights
Knights are not all they're made up to be, but they'll work better than
any other unit but the Catapult for any job, so use them. They are excellent
for offensives where u can't get a Phalanx to your conquerings in time, and u
need some defense. Basically, they provide a compromise, and we never liked
compromises. But if you do, they're your best option until you get
Mech Infantry (as a compromise, they'll be obselete before then).
Musketeers
Musketeers are very useful. They also make the Knight practically
obselete, since it is difficult to attack a fortified Musketeer (3 defense
times 1.5 = 4.5) with a Knight (4 attack). Although the odds there are only
slightly in favor of the Musketeer, with nice terrain to defend in, that
really grows. For instance, a Musketeer in forest (x2) and fortified (x1.5)
is a 9 defense (3 defense * 2 = 6 * 1.5 = 9), while even a veteran Knight is
only a 6, that's 3:2 in favor of the Musketeer (even if it's not veteran).
Always keep the odds in your head.. don't attack without a quick calc.
Generally when working with Musketeers, remember to
never use them for attack (i'm not trying to insult your intelligence with
that, but this page is devoted to stating the obvious, plus a few tricks).
Also, fortify them, I showed u why above. That 150 percent strength really adds
up.
Cannons
Cannons, the wierdest unit in the game, until Civ2 (ever seen that custom
air unit? if u haven't, try doing a bit of modification to rules.txt and
add custom unit 3, check it out.). Anyway, its wierd because of the
time period it covers, u use the same cannons in the 1600s that u use with
Armor. But that's not that important. The cannon should be brought up with
Musketeers for protection, placed next to a city, and used like the overgrown
Catapult it is. See Catapults for more.
Riflemen
Once u (or someone else, but u r pretty incompetent if u can't get techs
way before the AI) get Riflemen, get ready for some boring wars until the
Armored unit (who called it that, anyway? itsa Tank!!!) comes around. Nothing
less than Armor has a chance on the Rifleman (a Bomber's not less, a Fighter
is). Fortify these cheap boys wherever u feel like, and put them there. Don't
bother replacing with Mech.Inf. Good unit.
Armor
This is a fun unit. Send veteran Armor anywhere but cities, cities will have
to wait for the Bomber or Artillery. We've sent columns of literally ten Armor
at a city (fortified with Mech.Inf., Riflemen, and City Walls), and lost every
one to the city, with no gains. But in the field, they can kill anything that
moves, since it probably moves slower. Armor's wonderful for handling less
advanced computer players with Ancient (pah!) or Medivel (nanny nanny boo boo)
technology. Build Armor, but don't get obsessed. For attacking cities, a nice
Nuke (just kidding =) or Artillery will do much, much better. Must I say it
again? Don't waste your time on advanced Civ's cities with Armor.
Artillery
Ahhhhh... finally u can hurt those cities again. The Artillery is
(of course) the modern Catapult... so use the same general tactic
of supporting it (either with Armor or Mech.Inf.) and getting close
to cities, but use its extra move to stay further away from cities
on the first attack. After that, u can't stay away, because then
your guardians (the Armor or Mech.Inf.) can't fortify, because
they'd have to keep moving around.
Mechanized Infantry
Mech.Inf. are a matter of personal preference. Since we're partial to great
art (Michelanglo's Chapel) we don't like to get Communism (Labor Union's
prerequsite) and void the Chapel (like that Cathedral bonus..). So, we don't
even get the tech usually, but that extra def.point and lotsa mobility can
make a difference.. so its your choice, basically (everything here is, really
we just advise u on most of it).
Sea and Air Units
Trireme
These small, early sailing ships are good for exploring coastline or
not transporting units. Read that again. They are no good for transportation,
since even another Trireme can't lose in an attack on the 'full'y loaded
Trireme. That really is bad when u lose two nice big Catapults to one puny
1/0/3 Trireme. Even worse when u lose it to a 4/4/4 Ironclad. Cause that
means ur really losing. Requires Map Making.
Sail
This ship is extraordinarily useful in the early game, if you're on a small
continent, especially. Although they are fairly weak, they don't have the death
at sea penalty that the Trireme has. Therefore, build Sail units often, and
don't bother to replace them with Frigates (but that's something for another
section). Often, it is good to place a siege unit (Catapult, Cannon), plus a
diplomat, and a defensive unit (Phalanx, Musketeer) on the Sail as an initial
military contact party, if you wish to do battle, or think they might try to
attack your Diplomat. For peacful contact, place some Caravans and/or
Diplomats (the mix is your preference), onto a ship and send 'em to seas in
search of a continent.
Frigate
The frigate is nothing special, in CivOne. Although upgraded in Civ
Two, there isn't that much reason to get the extra defense factor, attack
factor, or hold capacity that the Frigate has, especially when Transports
are just around the corner. However, they can be slightly more useful than
Sail, just don't waste your time upgrading your fleet unless you expect to b
stuck with them for a long time.
Ironclad
At last, you have an offensive ship. Or so the manual claims (or was it
Rome on a 640k Day, we can't remember). But in reality, this ship
won't last a minute against a dug-in Phalanx, so use the Ironclads you build
for sea defense, keeping people from reaching your continent, killing
barbarians, and protecting your ships from the same. Repeat: do not attack land
units, except for the odd Settler, Caravan, or Diplo-dude.
Transport
Why does the Transport come before the Cruiser? If anyone knows, please
email us with the answer. Anyway, the Transport is a wonderful invention.
There's really no need for that extra attack power u get from an older ship,
like the Frigate or Sail, and the eight unit carry capacity (plus an extra
movement) can come in mighty handy. hehehe. There isn't much to say.
Cruiser
Now the most worthless ship in the game... the Cruiser. Don't bother with
them, unless you haven't got Steel and are in despret need of naval strength.
The AEGIS Cruiser from CivTwo is much, much better. Anyway, that's about it,
here, also. Other than don't use 'em to bombard, just to catch Transports.
Battleship
This is the culmination of naval design throughout the ages. Build
them, build more, don't stop to smell the roses, blast the @#$#@ roses!!
The Battleship can kill anything, anywhere, at least half of the time, almost
always more often. Build large groups (for Battleships, like 3 or 4) and send
them in at coastal cities with city walls and some Mech Inf, or send them at
that little size 4 Bronze Age puke of a city the enemy built. Your pick...
you've got about the same odds, just the prize is different.
Submarine
The Sub should almost never be built. The computer has a "knack" for guessing
where u hid them, which nulifies their invisibility, and other than that,
they're the weakest modern unit, so don't build em.. I've got evidence 2
support me (try some of the links, someone will say the same for Civ2).
Fighter
Why is this available before the bomber? Other than recon, it can't do much,
and its only real use is to kill bombers while the hang around your cities.
Don't build before the bomber.
Bomber
At last, a useful unit. Build some, build somemore, and attack. Bombers should
be sent out in small groups, and never left stacked except in a city, or else
the computer will get 'em with some Fighters. Use them on cities with City
Walls especially. Bombers should b used until the city is empty, then occupy
just like you would with a Battleship.
Carrier
Now, for a useful unit.. the Carrier! The Carrier should be used to carry one
or two Nukes (for emergencies), a Fighter or two, and a bunch of Bombers.
That's all for now, folks.
Nuclear Missle
Non-Military Units
Settler
The settler is your best friend; build lots of him. Its real nice to pump
out one of these ready-made city kits every 10 turns, can build lots of cities
that way. But there isn't that much to say; see general tactics.
Diplomat
The diplomat is useful. Basically, use him to steal techs before u do anything
else with him.
Caravan
Again, not much to say. (these non-mil units are boring) So just
remember to build them before, say 1980 (build them in B.C., when they really
count for something. Just a note, but the computer doesn't build them. If it
wants a trade route, it builds a caravan, and *presto*, there's a trade route
to wherever. If it wants to lend production to a Wonder, too bad. It just has
the ability to pay for part of a Wonder, at a time.
Keeping the People Happy
Especially at Emperor level, the people can be real sour. Developing
Religion, and later building Bach's Cathedral (and remember to build that on
your biggest continent.. it has a limited effect) and Michelangelo's Chapel
(one of the most underrated Wonders in the game... I always build it, and
often avoid Communism just to keep it.). Temples and Cathedrals are other
good long-term fixes. Colosseums are not. They will drain your treasury way
too fast. Entertainers are a short-term and end-game fix only. Don't keep
them unless necessary.
Changing to Republic will double your trade, and let u bring that lux rate
way up, while a Monarchy, Communism, or Despotism will keep u safe for a
while with that 3 units = 3 happy people.
We love the king days are great for spurring that new Democratic city to
grow. Get 'em if u can.
Trading to Improve Your Economy
Trade can be established when trade routes are built between two or more
cities. Once the trade route is established, sending more Caravans creates
more revenue, but doesn't make the trade route any better. To help boost
trade, build Roads and Railroads.
Also, be sure to trade far away from your own cities. And don't leave it
until the end of the game when u have nothing better to do... send them on
go to a city, and wait for the profits to roll in.
Civilization's Cheat Mode
Just press 'SHIFT + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 0' in one of the
older versions of CivOne (DOS only) and you can do just about anything to the
compu you want. Wish they had this in Civ II.
Accepting Peace Treaties
Hey, remember this ain't Civ II. It doesn't matter how many treaties u
break, the computer don't care. So, in the early game, always accept them --
but remember, they're there to be broken. And don't ever, ever pay tribute
it just encourages the AI to come back for more (in exactly 16 turns, same
spot, same terms). On the other hand, if you meet a fairly weak Civ, make
em pay. Big pay like. Always ask for tribute from weaker Civs, if you're on
your continent. If you're on their continent, they only look at power ratios
for that continent, so expect them to be bossy even if ur number one in the
world.
Building a Navy
Build a navy even if there isn't a great big ocean to cross. Those battleships
will decimate anything they can send across land, and from inside a city
they can defend better than anything else. If there is a big ocean, all the
more reason to build a big navy. Rule the seas and your one continent, and
eventually u can rule the world. Just always, always attack before the AI
does. There's nothing as good as wiping out his big stack of ten Armor with
on Artillery in front of the city he built them in.
Building Irrigations
Remember the basic thing about irrigation -- they must have a water source.
Some people forget this and get so mad when they can't build that irrigation
on that grassland. As a city gets past the disorder level, u will need to
spend more time on irrigation, since it will require two three-food squares
to support one Elvis. Generally, always irrigate Rivers, Grassland, and Plains
then worry about Jungle, Desert (except Oasis), or Swamp. Unless u are
starving, don't waste time on irrigating Forest or Hills. Both are better off
producing shields like they were meant to.
Building Railroads
Building Railroads should be your top priority as soon as u can build them.
They will really boost your cities. Remember there is a 50 percent bonus on
everything for having them. Nothing else does so much for so cheap. Also,
especially if you are highly military, remember to connect your cities by rail.
But don't send the rail system through them, put it around them. Otherwise,
will slow you down.
Speaking with Foreign Diplomats
Hey, don't follow most peoples advice on them... don't talk unless your
on top, or prepared to pay. They'll rob u blind. Really don't talk if ur
in a Republic or a Democracy, and u are at war with them. Them danged
Senators is always interferring with Foreign Policy.
Building a Science City
Before a civilization can obtain military superiority, it is vital
to achieve technological superiority early in the simulation (usually).
A Science City is one way to increase the speed that knowledge is acquired by
your Civ.
After creating three or four cities, create a city that will become your
science city. Within this city, build the Colossus and Copernicus'
Observatory as soon as possible. You should also build these improvments:
a Library, a Marketplace, a University, and a Bank. Once this city is
established, use it to create various wonders of the world. Be sure to use
Caravans from other cities to lend help in production of wonders. To
further increase your science production there, build several scientists.
By the year 1950 or so, you should be cranking out up to 70 or 80 lightbulbs
a turn. Be sure to build SETI and double that amazing level of production.
Other good wonders to build here are Isaac Newton's College, and William
Shakespeare's Theater (keep 'em happy, and you can focus on making them
Elvii Einsteins).
Your First City
Your first city should be built on the best terrain you can find in 20 or
so turns. If u can't find suitable terrain by then, u've lost. Always build
on Grassland over River, River over Plains, and Specials that have good or
fair food (fair being like irrigated Plains w/ Special Resource) over
absolutely anything else. But even better is to find a Grassland in that
"perfect four" special resource arrangment. Four is the most specials that
can lie inside a city radius, thanks to the algorithms built into the
world generator.
Building Barracks
Do it. The compu always does, and u gotta be careful, or they'll kill u
with units that are half-again as good as yours. Just consider: A veteran
Chariot is a regular Catapult. A veteran Catapult is better than a Cannon.
A veteran Cannon has as much strength as an Armor. And a veteran Artillery or
Battleship has so much firepower, it isn't even funny. So don't laugh.
Breaking Stuff
This can be alot of fun. Just stick some defensive units, cheap ones
preferably, onto the enemies carefully built irrigations, roads, RRs,
and industrial improvments, and press that 'SHIFT + P' key. Watch them
cities burn, watch them people starve. Watch those units lose their support,
and crack that uncrackable city.
Building the Panama Canal
Ever been really annoyed by that little strip of land between your size
20 city and the sea? The solution, while easy, is often missed. First,
get some settlers (this also works with Civ2, and just as well) together,
and send them down there. Next, build a contigious string of cities across
that strip of land. This will work for any amount of land seperating water,
just not as well for the amount of effort when you do four or more cities.
Then, sail ships through the string of cities. To really annoy your opponents,
do this near their cities, and send some battleships into that lake
next to their super-secure city, and blow it open, drop in a unit, try it,
its wonderful.
Go Hedonistic!
When u decide u got all the tech u want, don't bother with Communism (if
you're dying for the government, build the Pyramids) or Labor Union. Set the
tax/luxury rate to 50/50, and watch the people be happy with the new, high
tax rate (its kinda stewpid), and watch the treasury fill, and the people
practically worship u (like those luxs!).
That's all for now, folks.