Beginner to Civ4... Help

[armydad77632]

I feel stupid for having to even start this thread. I just purchased this game today and I am having problems figuing out how to do just about anything.

I started with the English colonies with GW. I went through the 1100 GP pretty quick. How do you sell stuff? What is the soldier wandering around outside the settlement doing? I have one colonist getting food, I have picked up a few immigrants(expert ore miner, colonist, servant, expert distiller). Still can't figure out how to automate trading, or what to do with the soldier. Basically I am as lost as a goose in a new world?

Any help/guidance would be appreciated. Just try not to laugh too hard.

Rob

[wodan11]

You're not a beginner to Civ4, but to Colonization, right?

If you're a beginner to Civ4, I would suggest you not play Col.

If you are trying to play Col, I would suggest you install the Age of Discovery mod.

http://apolyton.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180715

It will solve about half of your problems.

Good luck.

[armydad77632]

Yes I am new to CIV4. I have never played any of the Civ series. I just bought Civ4 Col because it looked like a good game.

[wodan11]

Did you buy Civ4 *and* Col, or just Col?

If the latter, then install AoD as I suggested.

If the former, then I would suggest learning one of them at a time. Civ 4 and Col are two very different games (despite that Col is based upon the Civ4 engine).

ps When you become disillusioned with Col, as I did, I would suggest you try Civ4 by itself. As mentioned, it's a very different game. Col has some fundamental problems they have yet to solve. That said, give it a shot if, as I expect, you have Col but not Civ. It's a fun game. Just has some game balance problems you won't discover until you play it a while.

[PrinceMyshkin]

please delete me

[PrinceMyshkin]

The soldier is defending the colonies; it gets a 5% fortification bonus per turn to a max of 25%

Alternatively you can use him to attack Indians or other European powers, which you will inevitably come across.

How can you trade stuff? First you will need to produce “stuff” (goods) in your colonies. Then you will need to load them in your ships and sell them back to Europe.

Alternatively you may try to trade with Indians (use wagon trains to reach inland camps) or other European powers.

One of my worst nightmares during my first days playing original colonization (back in 1994 >.<), was what on earth do I do with the missionaries, and why the crap don't I get muskets, I have three free colonists in this armory!

C4C is a trade game, as original colonization was, so you have to follow the production chain. In order to build muskets, you will in the first case need ore, which you will need to turn into tools. Then you will need tools to turn them into muskets...

As for missionaries, you can't possibly be as dumb as me when I was 15, wondering how you can make your own colonists Christians... How can I establish a mission in my colonies? Should I put the Jesuit missionary in the church? Missionaries, or even better Jesuit missionaries, can be used to establish missions in Indian camps. Indian camps are useful, because they will convert the faith of natives for you; some of them will be even willing to work for you.

As my mate wodan said, thumb up for Age of Discovery II, mod! It is 100 times better than the game you play now!

Find more info at: http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?t=180715

Welcome to Civilization 4, Colonization, perhaps the best game ever made!

It's highly addictive, you have been warned!

[Hermann the Lombard]

There are many ways to victory. Maybe you want to use one of the hand-holding guides to get your first win, and then you can tinker and explore alternatives. Here's the most recent:

http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?t=180907