An old strategy book??

[SlowThinker]

<font size=1>Originally posted by Blaupanzer in http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...&threadid=2517 </font>
These formulae (for the demographics screen) were all included in one or the other of the two strategy books that came out at the same time as the game, all those many years ago. I would think Ming, or the Scouse Gits, or some of the other old-timers would have those.

Has anybody that book? Are we looking for those demographics, caravan, spy formulas unnecessarily??

[Scouse Gits]

We have never seen a strategy book, though we tried hard to buy one. It was because of this situation that we were keen to build the GL.

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SG(2)

[SlowThinker]

Originally posted by Scouse Gits
We have never seen a strategy book, though we tried hard to buy one.

I don't understand. Was that book unavailable in Europe?
I remember from the communist era that there were goods (butter, toilet paper, sugar, you know, it was the age of qeues )that were hard to buy. But under capitalism?

[La Fayette]

Originally posted by SlowThinker
. But under capitalism?

under capitalism those who own such a book keep it until the price is so high that neither you nor me might dream of even borrowing it.
(BTW I drove to Toulouse this morning: no news at all about civ3 ).

[Albert B]

I have an old strategy guide...

but it was for Civ 1, not 2. It has all the formula that was used for calculating the demographics, etc. However, I have never compared these formula to what has been posted here as the ones used in Civ 2.

There was also a second book published as a guide for Civ 1 which I don't have. However, I have never seen any official (or even unofficial) strategy guide for civ 2.

[Blaupanzer]

Roger that. Both books were for civ 1, so no spy formulae at all. Also the caravan stuff focused on the AI processes (they used "stealth caravans in Civ 1), and uses of trade, not actual formulae for the payoff and continuing trade. However, as quoted, I believe the demographics were roughly the same. Someone had these all posted on civfanatics four of five years ago, and I haven't thought about it since. However, I'll root around and see if I can find them, if the demographics of Civ II are that critical to someone. I would think with Civ III just around the corner, that Civ II will only be of interest to the MPers. MPers don't care about demographics, do they?

[SlowThinker]

BTW, what is the "Civ II Official Strategy Guide"? (I saw a note about the book here). Is there something interesting (besides the corruption formulas)?

[finbar]

The "Civilisation II - The Official Strategy Guide" was published in 1996, written by David Ellis, a technical writer and designer with MicroProse at the time. I've got a copy, but they seem to be incredibly rare.

It's useful for all sorts of arcane bits and pieces, but some of the formulae quoted in it for calculating various things have been shot down in flames by some of the site's mathematically-inclined posters.

[SlowThinker]

Originally posted by finbar
The "Civilisation II - The Official Strategy Guide" was published in 1996, written by David Ellis, a technical writer and designer with MicroProse at the time. I've got a copy, but they seem to be incredibly rare.

I don't understand why do they print such book in a such low number of copies. Or there wasn't the interest?

So do you think there is no mystery unrecovered that would lie in that book? I think I never saw those corruption formulas (a link in the above post) at Apolyton...

[Ecthy]

together with the German CiC version came a so-called strategy guide... well, it was called a clubook, but the author didnt really have a clue

[finbar]

Originally posted by SlowThinker

I don't understand why do they print such book in a such low number of copies. Or there wasn't the interest?

The book was one of the "Prima's Secrets of the Games" series. Prima produced - and probably still do produce - books with strategies/tips on a whole lot of computer games. Civ was only one book in the series. I suspect that, given the way interest in various games fluctuates, they probably didn't produce any of the books in huge numbers. And, while Civ remains one of the most enduring games, the numbers - even worldwide - probably don't warrant huge numbers of copies.

So do you think there is no mystery unrecovered that would lie in that book? I think I never saw those corruption formulas (a link in the above post) at Apolyton...

There's no reference in the book to the demographics screen. There are lots of forumlae quoted - for example, how to calculate the trade icons generated by a trade route; how to calculate the initial trade route bonus; the bonuses for fulfilling trade demand; how to calculate the modified trade route bonus; how to determine the final trade route bonus; how to calculate the cost of bribing an enemy unit; how to calculate the cost of bribing an enemy city; and so on.

As I pointed out earlier, though, some of these formulae have been questioned by some of the mathematically-inclined posters in these forums.

[Lars-E]

Slowthinker,

there are a few civ2-strategy books out there. The GL is great, but it it is nice to have a book where you can get strategy systemized step by step from the start of the game. Kinda like a recipe.

I have the "Civilisation II - The Official Strategy Guide" - it's a helpful book.

I'm trying to get Sid Meier's Civilization II : Advanced Strategies and have preordered a used copy at amazon.com. I'm willing to pay $10.00 !!

No one seems to want to sell it though .

[Lars-E]

Still looking for that above mentioned book. I have had it preordered at amazon.com for ages...

I found this page at Apolyton:

http://apolyton.net/links/Civilization_II/Games_and_Books/

Can anyone tell me a thing or two about:

Civilization II Strategies & Secrets
The Ultimate Strategy Archives
Ultimate Civilization II Designer's Guide to Building Scenarios