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Original Author:
Mike DelPrete
4/28/96
Mike DelPrete
4/28/96
Here we will discuss some common
questions players of Civilization II have. If you have any questions,
answers, or comments, send them my way at shivadeath at msn.com.
Q:
What is the best form of government?
A: This is a hard question to answer, since it depends on what level of the game you are playing at, your strategy and goals in the game, and the size of your empire. The most useful forms of government are the two that are most commonly used, Fundamentalism and Democracy. Fundamentalism is good because you don’t have to worry about unhappy citizens (very useful in harder games) or unit shield maintenance unless you have a lot of units. This keeps production up high and the folks at home happy. The down side is that science production is cut in half, so unless you have a lot of libraries and universities your scientific community will suffer. This government is best used when you are involved in a large war where defeating the enemy comes before anything else.
The other government used the most is Democracy, which is for the more peaceful player who want to be on top with research and money. Using this method it is possible to have enough money to subvert enemy cities rather than attack them. This is much like the Republic except the restrictions on declaring war and senate interference are not as bad. These two governments are the extremes of all possibilities, and it is very possible to play with other types if it suits your needs.
Q: How do I destroy a city that I own?
A: Make all of the citizens in it entertainers if possible, sell everything so you get some cash, then wait until the population is one. At this point you should produce settlers or engineers and buy them. It will then ask you if you want to abandon the city, to which you reply yes. This can only work on smaller cities, and only on ones that will suffer hunger when no one makes food. For the next patch many users have suggested a “sack city” or “raze city” feature that would make it easy to eliminate cities you do not want. You can also try a more risky method if there is an enemy nearby: Abandon the city and let your foe take it. That will decrease the city size by one. Now take the city back, which will again lower the city size. If you do this long enough, even the largest city will eventually be destroyed. The bad side is that it takes a military gamble and every time the enemy takes your city they get one of your technologies.
Q: Should I concentrate on building roads or irrigation first?
A: Personally I try to build roads in a square first, then irrigate. I suggest this for two reasons. First, if something happens to your settler or you have to move him, if a road is built you can get back to the square easily. Second it boosts trade which helps a lot. It takes less time than irrigation, so I think that trade (money and science) is more important than city size, especially on Emperor and Deity level when larger cities are harder to control. The one exception to this is if the square is on a river, which for all purposes acts like a road. In that case I just make the irrigation then move on.
Q: Everyone hates me! How do I improve my reputation?
A: Well, the obvious answer is to build either the UN wonder or the Eiffel Tower wonder. The first will force all Civilization to declare peace with you, so reputation isn’t important that much any more. The second will gradually improve your reputation, but is more of a long term rather than a short term solution. That may seem odd, but usually in Civilization you You could also delve into the diplomatic system of Civilization, where every single turn you talk to every single Civilization and try to improve your standing with them. Possibilities are: trading technologies, sharing maps, giving them money, knowledge, or a unit, not demanding tribute or declaring war on them (duh), giving in to their demands, or declaring war against a common enemy. I did this once and succeed in ganging everyone up against the Mongols, which proved to be a big help.
A: This is a hard question to answer, since it depends on what level of the game you are playing at, your strategy and goals in the game, and the size of your empire. The most useful forms of government are the two that are most commonly used, Fundamentalism and Democracy. Fundamentalism is good because you don’t have to worry about unhappy citizens (very useful in harder games) or unit shield maintenance unless you have a lot of units. This keeps production up high and the folks at home happy. The down side is that science production is cut in half, so unless you have a lot of libraries and universities your scientific community will suffer. This government is best used when you are involved in a large war where defeating the enemy comes before anything else.
The other government used the most is Democracy, which is for the more peaceful player who want to be on top with research and money. Using this method it is possible to have enough money to subvert enemy cities rather than attack them. This is much like the Republic except the restrictions on declaring war and senate interference are not as bad. These two governments are the extremes of all possibilities, and it is very possible to play with other types if it suits your needs.
Q: How do I destroy a city that I own?
A: Make all of the citizens in it entertainers if possible, sell everything so you get some cash, then wait until the population is one. At this point you should produce settlers or engineers and buy them. It will then ask you if you want to abandon the city, to which you reply yes. This can only work on smaller cities, and only on ones that will suffer hunger when no one makes food. For the next patch many users have suggested a “sack city” or “raze city” feature that would make it easy to eliminate cities you do not want. You can also try a more risky method if there is an enemy nearby: Abandon the city and let your foe take it. That will decrease the city size by one. Now take the city back, which will again lower the city size. If you do this long enough, even the largest city will eventually be destroyed. The bad side is that it takes a military gamble and every time the enemy takes your city they get one of your technologies.
Q: Should I concentrate on building roads or irrigation first?
A: Personally I try to build roads in a square first, then irrigate. I suggest this for two reasons. First, if something happens to your settler or you have to move him, if a road is built you can get back to the square easily. Second it boosts trade which helps a lot. It takes less time than irrigation, so I think that trade (money and science) is more important than city size, especially on Emperor and Deity level when larger cities are harder to control. The one exception to this is if the square is on a river, which for all purposes acts like a road. In that case I just make the irrigation then move on.
Q: Everyone hates me! How do I improve my reputation?
A: Well, the obvious answer is to build either the UN wonder or the Eiffel Tower wonder. The first will force all Civilization to declare peace with you, so reputation isn’t important that much any more. The second will gradually improve your reputation, but is more of a long term rather than a short term solution. That may seem odd, but usually in Civilization you You could also delve into the diplomatic system of Civilization, where every single turn you talk to every single Civilization and try to improve your standing with them. Possibilities are: trading technologies, sharing maps, giving them money, knowledge, or a unit, not demanding tribute or declaring war on them (duh), giving in to their demands, or declaring war against a common enemy. I did this once and succeed in ganging everyone up against the Mongols, which proved to be a big help.
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