Having a hard time liking Civ2...

[sboog]

Smash, I tried setting the option to "wait at end of turn" and it does help.

Thanks.

sboog

[Smash]

many turns early in the game are like this.Press enter.Press enter.Its because you have no units out yet and nothing has been built.

[kyrie_asini]

I know what you mean... I played Warcraft (II) and Age of Empires first, and I am still getting used to the turns... If I hadn't had bcr3 helping me I don't know if I would have won my first game... Personally, I still like AoE a little better but I still am learning CivII, so I won't make a definite descision yet.

[Chronus]

Hi sboog,

I believe further up you had a post that said you would press Enter several times and nothing would happen. Try this ...

1) Turn the "Wait at end of turn" option back on.
2) Go open your city screen every time you hit the Enter key and take a look at what's going on. You'll notice your production and food boxes getting fuller. Try moving the "workers" around in the terrain map (within the city screen) and take note of the different results. Although this may not appear like much, it is one of the fundamental cores in understanding CIV 2.
3) Exit the city screen and go to your Science Advisor. You'll notice your research bar increasing each turn as well.

Sorry if this post sounds patronizing . . . I'm assuming that you truly thought nothing was happening when you clicked Enter.

Hang in there and happy gaming!

[sboog]

Not patronizing at all. Very helpful.

Sometimes the "press enter" sign keeps flashing until I press enter 3 or 4 times rapidly.

I'm sticking with it. There's got to be something magical about this game for everyone for years to love it so.

Right now I am trying to figure out all the stuff on the City Display. Haven't got it down just yet.

sboog

[Chris 62]

quote: Originally posted by sboog on 04-07-2001 06:12 PM Sometimes the "press enter" sign keeps flashing until I press enter 3 or 4 times rapidly.

Look at the year indicator at the right of the screen when this is blinking. Each time you hit end player turn, it should change years. The odds are you went through 3 or 4 turns, not that the end of turn wasn't working. In the early part of the game, nothing much is going on with the AI civs either, so the turns go quickly.


------------------
All knowledge begins with the phrase: I don't know.

[Laertes]

quote: Originally posted by sboog on 04-05-2001 07:39 PM I just can't figure out what is going on from the tutorial. The icon of the soldier blinks and I can move him with the numbered keys - left or right or up or down - but it seems to do nothing. What am I moving him to or for? sboog

Your first screen should when you start a game should show you a settler, not a soldier. You want to find a nice site to start a city (close to green fields, trees and hills with a square or two, and ideally a river, whales or silk in the vicinity).

Once you have found a nice site, all the advice Smash provided applies

[rwprice]

I've been thinking alot about this thread since it was started. In fact, a similar question prompted me to start the thread "How long did it take you to really understand Civ2?". My goal was to see if other people found the going a little tough in the beginning. I've been sticking with Civ2, but sometimes it's hard to escape the feeling that I'm just going through the motions as I cycle through all my many units.

Some people have mentioned reading the manual. I've done that, and it actually does help--I'd recommend it. Others have said that you need to play several games, and I'm thinking that that may be the key. So, I plan to stick with Civ2 and learn as much as I can, but I hope to feel the addiction that so many of you seem to share. I can tell that the game is incredibly deep, I just want to experience the enjoyment for myself.

[sboog]

I'm with you rwprice. I want to be able to have the experience of playing this beautiful, deep game.

But even with the manual in hand, I just can't seem to get it.

I can get my first city built. (No problem handling the Orders button.)

But then, I want to send a settler to produce something and all that seems to happen is I move him right or left and then if by chance on where I land, a box pops up and the tutorial says I can research something that will enable this or that. Now I see the value in that. But what I want to know is:
1 - What causes that box to pop up? Is it a certain unmarked square I land on?
2 - I can't see anything happening with my settler as far as producing food goes. For example, in AoE you can click on a villager and send him to chop wood, shore fish, build a dock, or pick berries - AND you can SEE him doing it.

I am embarrassed to display my blindness on all of this.

I very much want to like the game and be able to grow with it.

If only the manual had a simple pictorial guide - you know, "This is a settler" "Send him here he does this." Or "send him there and he does that." It's all fine about research and resources, but I just can't get the hang on HOW and WHERE TO MOVE the units to accomplish something.

sboog

[Smash]

ok.The pop up box is annoying and contains much bad advice.It is in FILE/GAME OPTIONS/tutorial help and instant advice.Thats what controls those.There will other important messages though.
Roads(R) can be built on any terrain cept ocean.You need to discover Bridge Building before you can build them on rivers.
Forts(F) can't be built until you discover Construction.
Irrigation(I) has different effects depending on the terrain.
Grass and Plains can have their food production increased by irrigating.The square must be next to a water source.ocean,river or another previously irrigated square.
If you press I on a forest square it will be "cut down" and turned to a plains square.
Mining(M) can be done on hills,mountains,desert and some specials to increase sheild output.If you mine(m) a grass or plains it will change to forest(reforestation)

These actions take differing amounts of turns to complete depending on the task and the terrain involved ie:its easier to build a road thru flatland than it is thru a mountain pass.

here is what to do:
start a game.
STOP
go to the top and open CIVLOPEDIA.
Go to Game Concepts section(not the manual)
here you will find the info you need.
Consult this CIVLOPEDIA any time you wonder about a city improvement,a technology,a unit,a wonder etc.You should see a list of categories:
Civilization Advances
City Improvements
Wonders of the World
Military units
Governments
Terrain Types
Game Concepts
Search

The City Screen
When you first build a city or later by clicking on it you get a pop up City Screen.Most of it is self explanatory.A very important part of it is the Resource Map

click

Here I have just founded a city.You see the city square producing 2 food icons,1 sheild amd 1 trade arrow.There is one square being "worked".It is a whale.It produces 2 food icons,2 sheilds and 2 trade arrows.That gives me a total of 4 food,3 sheilds and 3 trade arrows which at 60% science in despotism gives me 2 science beakers towards research.This is being generated each turn.

Now,if I move my mouse on to the "workers" on the whale and click it, they "disappear".I can then click on another square and "re-assign" them
click
In this picture I have "moved" my "workers" from the whale to a forest.Notice now it produces just 1 food icon and 2 sheilds.Now my total is 3 food,3 sheilds and 1 trade arrow which at 60% despo gives me 1 science beaker towards research.It will take twice as long to finish my first research...not good.

click

Now,in this picture I have once again "moved" my "worker" from the forest to an unsheilded grass square.That square only produces 2 food right now giving me a total of 4 food,1 sheild and 1 trade arrows.
If I build a road on that square it will produce a trade arrow.If I irrigate it it will produce more food icons-note-irrigation has no effect under the despotism government..another reason to get out of it ASAP.

So,I am best off placing that worker on the whale.That is obvious.Later as my city grows and I get more workers to control,I will need to manage things a little more.The game itself does not automatically place my workers on the best squares.I need to go into the resource map and "manage" my workers from time to time
.ie:if I have 2 sheilded grass squares and 1 has a road,I want to make sure my workers are on the roaded one.Or the irrigated one..or the mined gold square..or the irrigated wheat square etc...


>>>are you using the numeric keypad to move?
5 corresponds to the unit's position and you can move any direction 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9

[This message has been edited by Smash (edited April 14, 2001).]

[Smash]

I feel like a drug pusher

C'mon,one little hit.Just try it....everybody is doing it...you're not chicken are you?

[Scouse Gits]

You're doing great Smash!

What are you - a Public Relations Consultant for Sid's Games?

--------------

SG(2)

[sboog]

Thanks, Smash. If that doesn't help, I don't know what will.

Will give it another good try tonight. Or better yet, on Easter Sunday.

sboog

[MattHiggs]

OMG, I love Civ 2, it's a game you can play again and again and never get bored! If only I could play it multiplayer

[Archangel MasterBob]

How could you not like Civ2?