Civ II veteran, new to Civ IV

[Roman]

I just bought the Civilization IV Complete package, so after a multi-year hiatus I am back to Civ. Any recommendations as to what difficulty level I should start of with, given the fact that some years back I used to play Civ II at the Prince and King levels (Prince was an automatic victory for me, King was not so automatic).

I understand that each civilization now has some advantages and disadvantages. Any recommendations as to which civilization I should pick to reign over during my first reign?

Also, what are the major changes between Civ II and Civ IV that I should bear in mind?

The ruler of a future mighty Civilization thanks you for your answers!

[wodan11]

The biggest difference is that you can't simply churn out settlers and make cities. Nor can you build a huge army of axemen or whatever and conquer a ton of cities. City maintenance costs are incurred both for number of cities and also for distance from your Palace.

To combat this, you should keep an eye on a couple of critical technologies: Currency and Code of Laws. Get them as soon as practicable. Plan on having at most 6 or so cities before you get those two techs.

Other than that, enjoy.

Wodan

[Wiglaf]

Civ II knew how to party. You won't find anything half as pimpin as the fat military guy in Civ 4.

[Colonâ„¢]

I Played on noble (the level AI and human have the same bonuses) from the start and it's been challenging enough but not too. I was a habitual king/emperor player in Civ2 and I also had some experience with Civ3, so I'm guessing on notch below noble would be good for you.

Biggest change for me is how the maintenance system works, since maintenance is now based on cities (and units) rather than buildings. The maintenance also grows disproportionally with every additional city so you want to be careful to expand. Basically there's a clear trade off between expansion and technology.

[rjmatsleepers]

Given what you said about your Civ 2 level, you probably have less to unlearn as you move to Civ 4. My advice (for what its worth) is to have your first game at chieftain to get used to the different ideas in Civ 4. You will probably win reasonably comfortably, but probably make a number of mistakes (some you will recognise; some you won't). Try winning different types of victory - going for a cultural win will teach you a lot about that aspect of the game. Also, try for a diplomatic victory. This will help you understand the importance of relations with the AI civs. You can gradually move to more difficult levels at which point you can concentrate on the type of victory you enjoy most.

Good luck,

RJM

[MoonWolf]

I also was a heavy Civ2 player normally winning on King. But after Civ3 and now Civ4, my level have dramitaclly dropped. There are a lot more options and a lot more way to do stuff in Civ4 than Civ2. It's not as straight forward. And if you're used to terraform the landscape (like making hills out of grassland meaning you could settle a production city nearly anywhere), this is not possible anymore.

[Garth Vader]

I was a similar level Civ2 player and now play Prince at Civ4. You should be able to start out at warlord level, and as mentioned you have to expand slowly and build up what you have to be able to expand more. Cities cost money, but buildings don't.

There have been major changes to combat, terraforming, and the whole culture aspect as well. There are a lot of good strategy guides around the forums that helped me out a lot!

[Supr49er]

Re: Civ II veteran, new to Civ IV

Originally posted by Roman ... I understand that each civilization now has some advantages and disadvantages. Any recommendations as to which civilization I should pick to reign over during my first reign? ...

What is your style of play?
Warmonger Start with Rome and the Praetorians
Builder Incas or Egyptians

You can also play for cultural wins, tech (Space Race), or use the new corporations to exploit financial leaders.

[Roman]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the advice. I will soon try my first game. So far, I have been trying to get the tutorial to run - hopefully to explain new game concepts - but it seems to crash after a while...

[johnmcd]

Read the very back of the manual, the afterword from Soren. It's the only part of it worth reading.

[snoopy369]

I don't recommend the tutorial, just jump in and play. Start with a FIN leader for less trouble with money, is my suggestion; someone like the Inca or the Mayans is probably best. FIN is usually easiest for a new player.

Don't expand too fast, but don't expand too slow - that balance is very complex - and don't expect the AI to be nearly as easy as the Civ2 AI is. You will need to use complex tactics to win wars with the AI (though not as complex as against humans of course).

[Roman]

Alright, I will bear the advice in mind. And off to lead a civilization to enlightment and victory I go!