Solam

Join Date 03/2007

+16

Newbie trying to understand a few things. I have some questions...

I've been playing galciv 2 for years. Galciv seems a game for toddlers compared to the complexities of this game.

My city population is capped at 100. I have 4 food. I have a growth of 0. I build a garden which now gives me 15 food per grain. I expected my growth to start up again. However I am still at 0 growth and capped at 100. How can I get my town to get bigger?

Seems to me that expansion is more important than army at the start is that a good assumption?

I'm roaming the wilderness with all my units together. Should I be starting to create units to protect my settlements?

Any place where there is a newbie guide that tells you how to start up a game, which units or structures or research to learned first?

Thanks for any help

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#1 Sounds strange. Wait and check again next turn. If it still shows 0 growth and the same amount of food, report it as a bug.

#2 Go for new cities asap yes. But to get those cities up you might need army, or good sovereigns/heroes first. It's a decision depending on the map.

#3 Usually you are fine if you clear out stuff around your cities before settling. Easy lairs can be beat with only default defenders, but stronger ones need to be cleared first. You'll learn the difference soon enough

#4 Don't think there is a sure answer for what you are asking. You can prioritize different tech paths and structures depending on map. But a rule of thumb is get Research buildings up first, then production, then food. Army stuff as needed depending on the map.

Just fool around and try stuff, that's most of the fun ^^

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mqpiffle

Join Date 10/2010

+44

The UI doesn't update immediately. Check the numbers once you start a new turn.

Seems to me that expansion is more important than army at the start is that a good assumption?

I'm roaming the wilderness with all my units together. Should I be starting to create units to protect my settlements?

Any place where there is a newbie guide that tells you how to start up a game, which units or structures or research to learned first?

A lot of this depends on the difficulty/other settings you play with. Use the resources you find as a guide for how the specialize your cities. Also your faction and sovereign traits will steer your towards a specific direction in terms of military, expansion, teching, etc.

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Illauna

Join Date 09/2006

+83

This is a game where you really have to play with the hand that is dealt to you. Here are some random tips that work for me.

- I set the tax rate to none, start civics and as soon as I can I convert my first city into a town or a conclave. In this city I reduce my unrest to zero and get the pioneer build time to a reasonable level (3-5 turns) then I pump out a scout or 2 and start them heading towards my hero and champion. Because of their explorer ability they will catch up to my champion or sovereign fairly quickly make sure they are uncovering as much ground as possible.

Scouting

- I usually send out my sovereign far and wide early on taking anything I can hit without dying. Generally this character will be from my cities until expansion is done.

- My first champion heads in the opposite direction. I keep this character somewhat close however to my cities since they die easier then the sovereign and rack up injuries.

- When my explorers pass my heroes then I pull the heroes back and have the scouts take over the scouting duties. I pull my champion sovereign back to the town and clear out early creeps and my sovereign champion generally keeps scouting or helps creep the early area.

Early Military

- If you have slaves make the best thing you can pump out every turn or 2. For normal units I usually do 4-5 turns. Don't over build your early military. Just get enough to defend your lands from creeps or early threats.

- No more than 1 sovereign or champion per attack group. I make very few exceptions the experience penalty is brutal.

- When building units try not to have overflow. In all my games I have yet run into a surplus of production points so high that I can't add something as long as I'm keeping up with research.

- Try to avoid heavy encumbrance Mix in leather armor for some of the heavier pieces Save metal for later. Your early units are garbage compared to higher end units.

City Enchantments

- Try to always fill all your slots. Specialize your cities with them.

Research

- Start with civics to get your infrastructure up with the first 3 techs. After you build your first pioneer for a city get trading. Then either go magic or military. Even if you go magic get leather armor and spears. Drill also helps.

Magic

- Don't forget to buff your troops 3 hitpoints from courage can make a huge difference early on. Initiative is critical. Avoid the nuke spells unless you have lowered tactical casting costs or fighting a monster that is weak to the element.

Other Tips

- Leveling your sovereign is important for early city growth. You receive .5 faction prestige for every level

- Finally try to do things in 3s, build up enough mana to cast 3 enchantments then cast them all at once. Build up your city to build a specific unit then make 3 of the same type. Make a few buildings then switch to units. This will help you have an even flow through the game and not run into the I only have militia to fight off your attack problem.

Once you get a good idea for how the game flows you can change this however you want.

- Make a new sovereign every game. Try different play styles. It's fun when one of your created sovereigns mops the floor with you. Playing the exact same way every game will lead to boredom.

- Avoid losses early on move units.

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Quoting ,

quoting post

I'm roaming the wilderness with all my units together. Should I be starting to create units to protect my settlements?

Any place where there is a newbie guide that tells you how to start up a game, which units or structures or research to learned first?

Thanks for any help

1. So far I've barely used garrisons in this game as most settlements will have a small militia force to defend them. To see what kind of militia force a settlement has, just bring up the city details (click on a city and then hit its portrait) and on the left hand side there should be some little portraits of the militiamen garrisoning the city.

These garrisons won't be able to hold off an army, but they'll easily kill smaller roaming forces.

2. I've been watching these lets play videos. They're from an outdated version of the game, but 5-6 episodes in and the basic concepts still seem sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf0RKPSHrzQ

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Thank you all for the input it's greatly depreciated.

I played one game and got my ass kicked easily. Seems that my two not kingdom opponents declared war on me right at the start and then invaded. How rude.

I'll try a few things I saw here.

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I would recommend not playing on a crowded map. In other words, choose the lowest recommended number of players for any given map size. At least, until you're comfortable with the game.

Also, realize that some random maps will not be winnable for us mortals. So, if you're well into a game and are still looking for a spot to found your second city, it might be time to try a restart.

Finally, don't shy away from saving the game before any battle you are not sure of. This gives you a chance to see what's winnable or not without trashing your game if you lose. Whether you choose to continue to do this type of save after you are more comfortable with the game is a personal choice, but I highly recommend it while you are learning.

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ElanaAhova

Join Date 09/2008

+105

All the advice above is good. Expect to get bushwacked a few times. I lost my first 9 games on normal level. There are just so may things to 'balance.' So many interesting (and sometimes 'deadly') choices to make. Just have fun learning how things work, and what synergies work well together - and which ones don't. Enjoy the adventure.

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Expanding is important. It's important also to note that the game currently has a 30 Guildar (Gold) cost for Pioneers when it should be 30 Population (as seen in Frogboy's video of Legendary Heroes, the upcoming expansion). I made a mod to correct this, but keep forgetting to upload it. I'll try to remember when I go home this morning. The 30 Population cost makes it take longer to expand.There are a lot of bugs in the game that you can work around. For instance, if you set a destination for an army, and that army gets attacked, the army will automatically move at the beginning of your next turn. If this causes them to move onto a tile that would trigger something, it won't be triggered. Also, if you load a game, all your armies that have destinations will move. It's best not to leave a unit with a destination at the end of your turn or when you save.

As mqpiffle said, the UI doesn't update right away, and often won't update things until the following turn. Zone of Control (borders) are one of these things, and the Growth number is another. The change actually takes effect right away, but you won't see what that change is until the next turn. In-combat life gain is another. A unit gains life, but you don't see the life bar change right away. The Selection window often won't update until you re-select the army/city.

The reason to keep your sovereign and your champions separate from each other is that they divide experience between them. Your regular units also gain experience, but they gain the same amount of experience as your sovereign/champion instead of splitting it with them. That said, it's good to have a strong army with your sovereign so that he can go out killing monsters and completing quests, which will get him levels and equipment, you prestige (which affects growth), money, influence, and occasionally resources.

If you want the other factions to not kill you, try offering them tribute. Bring up diplomacy through the Govern option, go to Treaties, and Offer Tribute. If you have your tax rate set to None, you don't actually give them anything (because it's 10% of your tax income, which is 0), but they still like you better. I keep my tax rate at None until I run out of money, because I'd rather have the extra research and production than money, especially early game.

The first unit I make is an Explorer, and keep it with my Sovereign. They give you extra sight range, and make decent meat shields (they don't do much damage, though). Try not to let them die, but they can take a few hits, and they are quick to produce so it's not a big deal if you do lose them.

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