Watch me Get Obliterated!

[Straybow]

Attaboy!

I'm hoping you meant this to be as funny as it sounds…

Knock on Wood somehow disappeared whil I wasn't paying attention

I notice you also weren't paying attention and founded a city that you didn't include in the log. We shall have to deduct points for that. At least we won't be grading on spelling or typing.

Anyway, 4 cities by -3k is great! Keep it up and found a new city every 10 turns or so throughout the game. The Mongols were #1 and they had 30 cities in 1930 (turn #330). You'll find that 30-40 cities is big enough to kick butt, yet not a headache to manage. There are many reasons adding new cities throughout the ages.

exploration by AT #2 reveals that both a whale and fish just out of reach.

This is pretty much always the case. Huts are always 2 tiles NE or SW from a special, right next to a "sweet spot." Advanced Tribe is 2 tiles NE of a Spice and AT #3 is 2 tiles NE of a Buffalo. Which brings me to one of my favorite topics:

Bored Engineers go on a railroading frenzy.

Hidden Specials are what your Settlers and Engrs can do with spare time. Mining a hill gets you 3 shields. But changing grass into Silk gives you 2 shields and 3 precious arrows—taking 10 turns instead of 15. The benefits in the early game are big.

How do you know if there is a hidden special? They occur in somewhat predictable patterns, which I think of as 1-3-3-1 and 2-4-2 groups (actually one pattern rotated 90°). Here is an example of a 1-3-3-1 group showing known specials (pink) and predicted hidden ones (yellow). See the recent Hidden Specials thread and The Sticky Mouse Senate #259 and #272-274 for more examples.

[Scouse Gits]

Great work Gravy - the first time buzz is wonderful!!

SG[1]

[Gravy Smoothie]

Thanks all for the continued advice. Now I just need my first conquest win

Gravy

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

You'll need more cities for conquest... The SG's can give you competing advice on the benefits of celebrating Communism or celebrating Fundamentalism for conquest... both are really good.

@Straybow.... I like the unit graphics, where did you get them?

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Gravy Smoothie
Thanks all for the continued advice. Now I just need my first conquest win

Gravy

The SG are online....I give it 5 minutes before the crooks and clads are enthusiastically endorsed.

[LDiCesare]

Nice game!

HG would probably have helped more than Colossus (WLTKD in Monarchy = extra productivity), allowing to hold on building temples a bit and less lux needed for celebration. Did you have aqueducts ready for every city when you celebrated them up?
Communism is great for spying. However, you lose lots of science compared with Demo. Considering you were behind in tech, your choice of government was judicious, but you shouldn't need communism in a space win.
For conquest, however, communism and fundy are really helpful (and so is Democracy, but mostly for its wonder).

[Straybow]

@Straybow.... I like the unit graphics, where did you get them?

From Th0mas in CIV 2 - Like a pair of comfortable old slippers

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Originally posted by Straybow

@Straybow.... I like the unit graphics, where did you get them?

From Th0mas in CIV 2 - Like a pair of comfortable old slippers

Thanks.... and thanks ThOmas - I'll d/l them when I get home

[Straybow]

Just right-click on the gif and "save as" to the appropriate location.

[Bloody Monk]

@ Straybow--

Presumably this would be the ticket if I wanted to replace the entire set of gifs. Yes??

How would I replace a single gif, eg: tank??

Thanks

[Scouse Gits]

Monk - it's fairly easy if you have a decent graphics package like Paint Shop Pro - if you haven't you will have to get someone like me to have a go - the process is as follows:

• d/l and "save as" the whole set
• select the item(s) you require
• open your units.gif file in the same package
• carefully copy the rectangle that contains the entire "civ square" of a desired unit and cut and paste that rectangle precisely from the new file into your units.gif file in the exactly corresponding position
• save and play

Precision is required and the little dots on the frame are significant and must not be omitted.
Of course you back up your own units.gif file first.

Enjoy SG[1]

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Mmmm. Nice graphics... although it's kind of hard to see the strength bar on some of them. And the alpine troops unit is practically invisible on a mountain! Camouflage??

It doesn't help that in my test game the AI is giving me a run for my money

[Straybow]

BMonk: Keeping in mind that "the entire rectangle" includes the green lines w/blue shield position dots above and to the left… corrected as necessary.

STYOM: Max zoom in helps. I usually don't use Fighters unless they're nearly full strength. As long as you can see more than a smidge of green it's OK. Bombers' strength bar is totally obscured… haven't had to use 'em so far.

[Bloody Monk]

Originally posted by Scouse Gits
Monk - it's fairly easy if you have a decent graphics package like Paint Shop Pro - if you haven't you will have to get someone like me to have a go - the process is as follows:[list]

Enjoy SG[1]

Thanks SG[1]. Unfortunately, I don't have the required tools or I would follow your excellent instructions.

I would only ask you to have a go at changing out a few of these units -if- you were interested in using them yourself. Time for everyone is precious, especially this season of year. Have a Merry and a Happy!!

[Gravy Smoothie]

STYOM, you were right -- it does get easier.

Scored my second win today, and this one gave me the buzz more than the first. Where, in my first win I clawed my way to the top (and would not have won if the Aztecs had not foolishly gifted Superconductor to me), this one was more comfortable.

I did many, many things better in this game, and while I didn't log it, here's a short synopsis:

ended with 17 cities (had 16 until the last turn, then jacked a Persian city with a spy.)

I went through three growth cycles, one after I built Mike's and then shifted to Republic, one after I had built Aqueducts and went Demo, and one after building Sewers.

Although I was behind in tech around 1870 (Darwin's was built while I was researching Physics), I hit 4-turn advances after my second growth cycle, 3-turn advances after my third (with +400 gold/turn), and 2-turn advances after putting Superhighways up in most of my cities (with +700 gold/turn). It's very easy to draw the conclusion with 20-25 cities, 1-turn advances are not hard to attain, even on Deity.

Took some time to build up defenses everywhere (3 Mech Infantry, City Walls, Coastal Fortresses) which REALLY helped later

I put off Space Flight till I had the resources to build Apollo in a few turns, and as soon as I got Space Flight the Persians and Greeks both jacked it. I already had researched all the prereqs for Plastics, Superconductor and Fusion by this point. Four turns later, I had Plastics and Superconductor, these were also stolen (next time when I build my defenses, I'll put a spy in each city as well.) I dropped my Science to 0 when Fusion Power was imminent, stored up a bunch of cash and continued building my ship at as frenzied a pace as I could. Greeks launched a 15/6/1/1/1 before me, but no worries: I launched a 33/16/1/1/1 in time enough to beat them by ten years.

Went through wars with the Greeks and Persians off and on until the end of the game, losing maybe 3 or 4 mech infantry to 40 or 50 enemy units, and jacking a Persian city right at the end.

THIS I consider my first real win, but not my last

Gravy