Chopping in v1.61

[Dactyl]

In v1.61, chopping does not net as many hammers. It appears to me to now be a rather minor tactic. I have been in the habit of building a worker, followed by two settlers. I would chop to get those two settlers out quick. Now that doesn't seem to be as viable a strategy and I'm wondering if it might now be better to wait until your capital city reaches 2 or 3 before building a settler. Does anyone have an informed opinion on this?

[MadDjinn]

not that informed, but here it is

I've found that keeping the forests around is a bit better early game for the bonus to health... instead of chopping for the builds.

the chop numbers have dropped, but once you get Mathematics, they become reasonable again.

and I always wait til pop 2/3 to get settlers out faster.

[joncnunn]

According to the "1.61 patch is out" thread in the main forum, post-math it's exactly the same if the forest tiles are within city radius. (The patch also reduced the shields from forest chopping outside your cities raidi)

[Bkeela]

I am hesitant to apply the patch now. I always keep two forests minimum for health reasons - four preferably, but any forests on hills or resoures were a sure way to get a settler out quick. Now that has spoilt somewhat.

[Generaldoktor]

He will not Patch!?

Originally posted by Bkeela
I am hesitant to apply the patch now. I always keep two forests minimum for health reasons - four preferably, but any forests on hills or resoures were a sure way to get a settler out quick. Now that has spoilt somewhat.

What are you saying! You will not patch?? You will continue using a lesser version of the game?? Even if you are perpetually SP, how can people have discussions with you about game mechanics, when you are using a different and lesser version? Don't you think the Game Gods at Firaxis know what's best for you, when it comes to play balance? That's why, in their Infinite Wisdom, they changed the chop rule anyway. Can you really make settlers out of wood? Is it fair, that you receive early domination because you were lucky to find a city site surrounded by timber? (Please answer these questions in the order received.)

Patch Now!

[Mr Justice]

well its his right,

answers (if i can be so cheeky)

discussions: they are top down here, wisdom is dispenced by the like of velorix, aeson, arrian ect (soz about names, cant be arsed reaserching, their are others too), with the rest of the discussions are relevent to specific sitations. merely my opinoion.
no, but im willing to go by their rules.
humans and wood are both carbon and water based. transmutation is possible in virtual worlds.
yes.

[Generaldoktor]

I was afraid someone would miss the humor. I considered not installing the patch myself when I found what was in it.

Of the guys you mention, I've learned from some of them and among that group are some people who clearly spend a lot of time studying the game. (Not all of us have as much.) But seniority counts most at Apolyton; a lot of their status is derived from posting the most and the longest. In actuality, I have no Gods!

Transmutation? Not part of the rules; Civ4 is not a "fantasy" game.

[Mr Justice]

well what can i say.

i still play cs 1.6 (if that means anything here )

[Generaldoktor]

C.S. 1.6 ?? What's that?

Last version of Civ4 was 1.52, unless you're talking about another game with initials "C.S." Present version released last weekend is v. 1.61.

More on topic:

Played two partial games last night after download of new patch. Am afraid to chop now because fear not getting best efficiency from chops in early game. Barbs were overwhelming for me on Noble at "Raging Barbs", Genghis, Great Plains huge. Restarted as Asoka on "Stringy Continents" Archipelago, no "raging", but still barbs. Still getting overwhelmed, can't get axemen out even when I have metals and no Oracle or Parthenon, as I'd become accustomed to. Was really dependent on that "chop" and I'm wondering if a lot were and that's why "Higher Powers" neutered the effectiveness of the chop in the early game for this version.

Whole business kind of shameful as I know most play on much higher levels than Noble, but are you guys having as much fun with a less effective chop and is anybody else "saving forests" for use after Math??

Thinking of evolving a strategy to be called "Mathematics Slingshot" to get Math ASAP to restore effectiveness of the chop. Was sort of doing that anyway, as I frequently broke, even at Noble and like to get Currency early. Now it's even more critical. Well, my 10th grade geometry teacher told me that Math made the world go round, then he flunked me for the course.

[amicus curiae]

I used to chop all the time as well. It seemed dominant in the early game for getting quick settlers. I am happy they reduced it somewhat. Now I will play a more mixed strategy.

[lastchance]

CS = counter-strike, very popular MP First-Person Shooter.

[Cadarn]

The post-patch chop is still useful. It has ended it's function as a sort of Deus Ex Machina / Universal Panacea though, which to my mind is A Good Thing!

(Mutters something about having to concentrate and adapt to in-game changes far more, followed by a rant about the price of headache remedies.)

Chopping early for Archers (to defend potential city sites and fortify on forested hills as barb magnets) rather than chopping for settlers seems, to me with what post-patch play I've had, to be a good move now.

[Generaldoktor]

Yeah, I never meant to imply I wouldn't use it, pre-Mathematics, but it makes me have to make unpleasant decisions about how many trees to chop early, knowing I didn't get the maximum use out of them, that way.

(Also rants about headache medications. )

Was reading some comments last night over at CF. Some of those guys say the cumulative changes for v.161 will force everyone to step down at least one level in the difficulty level they play, over previous.

[Hermann the Lombard]

Having to step down a level in play may be a good thing, and likely in a few weeks the State of the Art will advance enough to move back up that level. "Maybe" to both, though.

[Mr Justice]

force everyone to step down at least one level in the difficulty level they play, over previous

i disagree. chopping was never something i used much in the early game. certainly i never relied on it for slingshots, like i dont useually use a GP to lightbulb one tech either.

i prefer to keep em and evetually build lumbermills or chop arround the time i have it worked in the city screen or i'll chop the lot to build the infrastructure quickly, but thats not relevent for my first couple of cities.