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  • How to get a good start in Civ2

    © 1996 by Carsten Straaberg, straaberg at inet.zitech.dk. v. 1.0, August 1. 1996.
    Please, do not link this page directly, but make a link to my Civ2-page in stead.
    You are not allowed to redistribute this material without expressed permission!

    This is my own experiences, though, I am aware that other people has similar views on how to get a good start in Civ2. This document focuses mainly on getting a good start. But, the rest of the game is also shortly covered. The aim in this document is to win by launching the Space Ship. The described approach is not optimal for conquering the world.

    Comments are welcome by email to: straaberg at inet.zitech.dk.

    1. Settling down

    At the beginning of the game you should build your first city as fast as possible. This implies building on the square where you start out, unless this is an extremely bad terrain square. If any of the squares you can see immidiately is a grassland square or a river square, then move there and settle. If you see a goody house, take the chance and get it. If it contains barbarians you are probably killed, but so early in the game that is not a big tragedy.

    2. Build something

    Check your city to see, if the people are using the surrounding squares properly. Your main goal is to grow fast, but an extra shield is also very good, since you can build defensive units faster. Remember, that you do need a food surplus! Build a phalanx (or archer) if available, otherwise build a warrior.

    3. Advance

    Your first choice of advance should be Bronze Working if you haven't got it. Otherwise you should go for the fastest route to Monarchy (use the Goal button, if in doubt). Pottery is also very handy in the early game, since it gives you the ability to build a Granary, which speeds population growth.

    4. Build more

    When you have build your first unit, change production to Settlers. Check the food roster to assure, that city will be at least size 2, when the settler is build.

    5. Another city

    At the time your settler is build, change production back to phalanx, and send your settler out to found the next city. You might want to let the settler a road next to your capital city, and another road next to your next city, simply to improve trade. Always remember, that a road should be build in a square, that is already in use by the city population.

    6. Improve defense

    Your new city should start out building a phalanx, and thereafter another settler. Every city should have to phalanxes as defense, if you made a warrior as your first unit, send the warrior out in the world looking for new great city sites, booty houses and rival civilizations. With a little luck you should be able to get a feeling of the nearby terrain and the shape and size of your continent/island.

    7. Be the King (or Queen)

    Change to Monarchy, when it gets available. This improves your general production. Check the Tax Rate, and raise the Science Rate to 70% if possible.

    8. Expand

    When the settlers are build, let them found new cities. Build phalanxes and new settlers. Now the wheel starts turning. With four cities each building settlers, you can rapidly expand if you got room for it.

    9. What to research next

    When you have Monarchy, Bronze Working and Pottery, you might start to research naval technologies, especially, if you think you are stuck on an island. Trade is also a very good thing to discover, since it gives you caravans to improve trade and build wonders faster.

    10. More defense

    When you have two phalanxes in every city, and a few units is roaming round the in the darkness, you should definitely build City Walls in every city. Remember, that City Walls do not cost upkeep!

    11. Going for the Future

    The rest of the game just goes. If possible (you're not engaged in wars) change to Republic. Then expand further and discover a lot. If you need more space or your rivals is simply doing too well, then change to Fundamentalism and capture some enemy cities, seriously setting your rivals back in science, and giving you a good boost in cash flow. In the mid game you should also have a lot of settlers/engineers irrigating and building road/rails. When you have your rivals under control, prepare for Democracy like this: Check the cities and be sure you have temples and coloseums (and maybe cathedrals in the big ones). Make peace with your rivals, raise luxuries to at least 20%, call your units home, and disband the ones, you don't need. Become democratic, and see your taxes drop, and science skyrocket. Advances every second or third turn is not rare. With 20 to 30 cities you should be able to easily win the space race.

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    • Civ2: Player's guide and Strategy Idea
      by Martin Gühmann
      Player’s Guide and Strategy Idea
      by Dick Knisely



      With my thanks to Brian Reynolds, Gus Smedstad, M. Philip and the many other Civ2 addicts who contributed ideas and comments.

      Thanks to “Gamelord” for the use of the Civ2 graphic!

      This paper is copyright © R. W. Knisely. Portions of this paper are copyright MicroProse Software, a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. You are free to distribute, but not sell, this document so long as the entire document is distributed intact and this notice is included. However, it may not be incorporated into a published work in any form, including paper, CD-ROM or other electronic media without the express written permission of its author and Spectrum HoloByte, Inc.

      Introduction

      This paper is a general guide to playing “Sid Meier's Civilization II”. Its based upon my experience with the game and input received from many of my fellow Civ addicts. It does not pretend to be the authoritative and final word on Civ2 strategy. Civ2 is an extraordinarily rich game with many, many potential ways to play. Also, keep in mind that, as I write, the game is still new, so other strategies will no doubt evolve. While the strategies laid out here work for me and for others, they are not the only possible approaches to the game--and that means we will all have a lot of fun for a long time to come!

      This paper contains several sections:

      • General strategy notes for the early, middle and late parts of the game,
      • Specific strategy ideas concerning special purpose cities and my thoughts about the Wonders of the World,
      • A number of tables extracted from the various game parameter definition files that come with the standard Civ 2,
      • My “wish list” of features for Civ 3 (!),
      • And some references to other sources of good information from both the publisher and from more of your fellow Civ addicts.

      I hope you’ll find this useful. At the very least, I think you’ll find the tables both useful in understanding the game and handy as reference material as you play the game.

      Enjoy! Comments, additions and corrections are welcome.

      Dick Knisely, 75046.473 at compuserve.com

      ...
      April 6, 2011, 16:26
    • Civilization 2: Offense and City Diffense
      by Martin Gühmann
      OFFENSIVE STRATEGIES The main thing I can recommend here is not to make an assault on an enemy city without having all the necessary units nearby. For example, don't just send random assaults by single units. Instead send in several (say 5) assault units [Howitzers, Cannons, etc.], followed by a couple defensive units to hold onto the city after you take it. Also, don't try to take an entire continent at once, unless you have nuclear weapon and they don't. Take it a city at a time, with a few cease fires along the way, if you need to get your troops organized for more victories. But, if you do have nuclear weapons, just build a dozen nuclear missiles and twice as many engineers to get rid of the pollution, along with a comparable number of supporting ground troops. Just Nuke all their cities, and on the same turn, just walk in with your ground troops and begin cleaning up after the previous inhabitants. ...
      March 25, 2011, 19:04
    • How to get a good start in Civ2
      by Martin Gühmann
      © 1996 by Carsten Straaberg, straaberg at inet.zitech.dk. v. 1.0, August 1. 1996.
      Please, do not link this page directly, but make a link to my Civ2-page in stead.
      You are not allowed to redistribute this material without expressed permission!

      This is my own experiences, though, I am aware that other people has similar views on how to get a good start in Civ2. This document focuses mainly on getting a good start. But, the rest of the game is also shortly covered. The aim in this document is to win by launching the Space Ship. The described approach is not optimal for conquering the world.

      Comments are welcome by email to: straaberg at inet.zitech.dk.

      1. Settling down

      At the beginning of the game you should build your first city as fast as possible. This implies building on the square where you start out, unless this is an extremely bad terrain square. If any of the squares you can see immidiately is a grassland square or a river square, then move there and settle. If you see a goody house, take the chance and get it. If it contains barbarians you are probably killed, but so early in the game that is not a big tragedy.
      ...
      March 25, 2011, 16:58
    • FIRE! Making War in Civilization II
      by Martin Gühmann

      FIRE! Making War in Civilization II

      Original Author: Marc Fisher (Compuserve: 70711,3177,
      Internet: mfisherat mail.cjnetworks.com)

      "Attrition is not a strategy. It is, in fact, irrefutable proof of the absence of any strategy. A commander who resorts to attrition admits his failure to conceive of an alternative. He rejects warfare as an art and accepts it on the most non-professional terms imaginable. He uses blood in lieu of brains."

      - Dave Palmer, historian and soldier

      ...
      March 19, 2011, 19:40
    • How to Wage a successful Nuclear War in Civ II
      by Martin Gühmann
      How to Nuke in Style
      How to Wage a successful Nuclear War
      By Tim McBride


      Have you ever had one of those games were you're kickin' back, relaxing playing a nice game of Civ when some Stupid Little no-name Civ nukes Ya. Annoying isn't it? Don't you whis you could turn his
      Entire Empire into a glass lined parking lot. Unfortunately There is the problem of global warming and a bad rap with the other civ's. There is a way to have your cake and eat it to.

      You can't just nuke people from the start, you need a couple turns of recon before you can even think about killing them. So after that annoying first strike check out the enemy's cities you whis to nuke, check to see whether or not each city has a SDI improvement. Preferably only nuke city's without SDI improvements it's a lot harder for you to turn city's to slag if they have SDI defenses(Much more time too). Your next step is to switch to a fundamentalists government. This new government helps you because you can build 10 units and the other Civ don't hate you as much ( The Eiffel Tower Wonder is a added Plus ). From here on out you go two ways based on whether or not your target's have SDI improvements or not. Also make sure you've got a ton of money it's easier and quicker with money.
      ...
      February 13, 2011, 16:11
    • Mike Laplaunte's Civ2 Strategy
      by Martin Gühmann
      Original Author:
      Mike Laplaunte

      Hi. I have been somewhat obsessed with Civilization 2 since the time that I bought it.
      My current best score is 197% (one hundred ninety seven percent) on Emperor level with 7 civilizations.

      Not everyone plays a game the same way. The path to victory can be different for each person. Here is one that worked for me:
      ...
      February 12, 2011, 19:28
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