Research to fast, a question from a CIV 4 n00b

[Sara-Lenore]

EDIT 4: I've pretty much figured out what I should do about the issues with the tech speed/years passed questions, but I'd still want to know if this might have been and issolated incident and if tech advancement usually occurs at a saner rate. Also there is a question about maps at the end.

I just started playing CIV 4 (was disappointed in CIV 3 and didn't play it much, played tons of CIV 2 as a kid and still love to play an alpha centauri game now and then) and want to know if there is any way to edit the game files to make the later technologies, renaissance+, take more time to research?

Also is there a way to make fewer year pass per turn in the earlier times? I'd like to spend more years with ancient times and dark ages technology. I also want the renaissance to industrial advancement to be slower, I went from musket and riflemen to infantry so fast I hardly had time to use the riflemen and I think the only battle a musketman had before they were uppgraded were against some barbarian.

EDIT: I'm looking in the CIV4EraInfos.xml file, should I edit the one in the warlord GameInfo map or the CIV 4 one or both (I'm sticking to both). I also can't find how to edit how years pass.

EDIT2: Is there a good place that lists exactly what all this stuff in the gameinfo files does?

EDIT3. Found the stuff on http://www.civ4wiki.com, so the only question now is how to make the years pass slower only in the earlier ages and the map question below. Is it possible to add line in the CIV4EraInfos file, one like the iYearIncrement in the GameSpeedInfo file?

Is this the wrong forum for this?

Reason I ask this:

It's my first game and I'm playing as Incans on noble difficulty, (have to admit I restarted the game on the first turn a couple of times to get a start location by some flood planes), biggest map, marathon speed, 12 opponents. The current year is 1668, and I'm far into the the industrial revolution, have constructed broadway, have had infantry and machinegun units since 1600, I can see uranium on the map so nuclear weaponry probably isn't far off. Trading away research for cash and goodwill a few times to many the rest of the world is only seven or so techs behind me, packing riflemen (as are the barbarians that will not be in my next game), I'm winning, no complaints there, but I really want the old times back.

'Is this normal?'

Also, second question:

I played with custom continents, 5, temperate, and the map is kinda boring, with just four square continents surrounding a big round one in the middle. Is there some setting that makes more alpa centauri like maps, where there are a few islands, and continents had more interesting shapes, like crescent shaped ones and more 'stretched out'/elongated, and others?

I'm having a bit of a hard time getting out what I want, but if anyone here played alpha centauri on big maps you probably know what I mean.

[Sabre2th]

I'm better off leaving the modding questions to other people, but as far as the map goes, custom continents are notoriously bad if you want maps like the old days. Picking a regular continents or archipelago map will get you more what you're looking for. Personally, I find the archipelago/snaky continents maps to be a lot of fun

[Provost Harrison]

Remember you do have the options of Epic/Marathon which does slow down the game pace to 2x and 3x respective. But you can alter the length of time it takes to research technologies. Go to the Assets\XML\Technologies\CIV4TechInfos.xml and edit as a text file and modify the values for iCost, eg, 50...simple as that. Although it is recommended that you move this file to the custom assets in the My Documents area reserved for Civ 4/Conquests rather than apply it to the default settings in the program files folder.

[Autotropx Sox]

'Is this normal?'

If you are playing a good game on any difficulty, yea, it is always normal to be ahead in techs at least later into the game. I usually find myself two or three important techs ahead of the leading AI on monarch when going for a Space Race victory.

I'm sure others like DrSpike are able to do it as well on difficulties like Immortal, but again, if you are able to play a "good game" on the difficulty, it is usually not a problem. The only time you will find yourself behind them or on par is if you are simply not competing well against the AI's bonuses or you had bad starting terrain.

[Sara-Lenore]

Originally posted by Sabre2th
I'm better off leaving the modding questions to other people, but as far as the map goes, custom continents are notoriously bad if you want maps like the old days. Picking a regular continents or archipelago map will get you more what you're looking for. Personally, I find the archipelago/snaky continents maps to be a lot of fun

Snaky continents turns out to be exactly what I wanted =], but I'm getting my ass kicked playing on prince, so =[. Trapped on a small area with the mongols in the way, I'll only have room eight cities if I clear up the jungle. I have only ivory to keep people happy, and no one willing to trade with me something else, so population is limited (and I slowed down tech advancement, and there's no religion I can addopt, so no smilie buildings). Leading AI has almost twice my points, time for a restart I guess.

Thanks for all the advice though.

[snoopy369]

Remember that ICS is out for Civ4, so 8 cities is a pretty solid number of cities IMO without attacking other civs (which if you're on a continent with the Mongols, take it as a given you'll be attacking at some point, or else attacked).

[Brutus66]

I have to agree with the OP that on normal speed, the rate of tech and building is way too fast. I'm definitely a marathon-speed player.
I would also say that winning seems a little easier for me on marathon. I think that, in a way, marathon distorts the game mechanics a little to give warmongers like me an advantage.

The distortions are due to the fact that, while the speed of unit movement and combat are identical to a normal-speed game, the building time of units and buildings is drastically increased.
If you're a peaceful builder-type and you neglect your military, you better hope there's no aggressive civs nearby- if you're suprise-attacked by someone with big stacks of troops, the time it takes to build units to respond may cost you the game. By the time you build a barracks, enemy troops will be knocing at the door of your palace. Your only hope lies in adopting Nationalism and drafting your population.

When I am in the early part of a marathon game and I find a peaceful/builder civ next door, they will be my first target. I consider them dead meat.
I like you, Cyrus, but that's not going to stop me from eating your lunch.