# Things we learned from Civilization IV
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [November 12, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295 "2009-11-12T07:46:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/1 "2009-11-12T07:46:57Z")
Never trust Montezuma. He can be “pleased” as punch with you, then turn on a dime and go all Pearl Harbor on your ass.
Giving up trade relations or entering a war with someone because another civ “demands” it is never a good idea. They’ll become best buddies again while you’re left holding the bag.
Technological progress is nice, but is trumped by brute manufacturing strength.
When you want to take a city, bring twice as many troops as you think you’ll need.
Despite some civs saying they’re “friendly”–you have no friends.
---
### Author:  [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/2 "2009-11-12T08:21:14Z")
Isabella’s a goddamn religious zealot. eff her.
---
### Author:  [@Walther\_Ego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walther_Ego)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/3 "2009-11-12T10:30:54Z")
Artillery is the part of your army meant to be consumed. Always start offense with artillery fire. This will often destroy your artillery. No problem, you’ll still win.
---
### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/4 "2009-11-12T10:52:40Z")
Never, ever let your only iron mine be on the border with another country.
A stack of 6 axemen early in the game can do wonderful things.
And previous posters were so right about Montezuma and Isabella. I’ll put Tokugawa up there too.
---
### Author:  [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/5 "2009-11-12T10:57:18Z")
If you can manage it, attack from two directions at once. (This confuses the computer.)
---
### Author:  [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/6 "2009-11-12T12:41:17Z")
I haven’t played it, but I think I’ve read that setting off a bunches of nukes will cause…global warming. :dubious:
To be fair, this one actually could have some basis in [theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_summer), but it’s still a bit eyebrow raising. I mean, there’s topical environmental awareness, but…
'Course, it was probably set up that way to keep players from “balancing out” their civ’s carbon footprint just by veiling the world in radioactive ash. Spoilsports.
---
### Author:  [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/7 "2009-11-12T18:59:22Z")
> [@Walther\_Ego](#):
>
> Artillery is the part of your army meant to be consumed. Always start offense with artillery fire. This will often destroy your artillery. No problem, you’ll still win.
Exactly. Reduced Defenses + Collateral Damage = Victory.
---
### Author:  [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/8 "2009-11-12T19:04:41Z")
Any quotation sounds cool coming out of Leonard Nemoy. Even if that quotation was originally spoken by Sputnik.
Snacks are good in moderation.
---
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/9 "2009-11-12T19:16:40Z")
I’m moving this over to the Game Room. I _think_ that’s what y’all are talking about.
twickster, Cafe Society moderator
---
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/10 "2009-11-12T19:40:30Z")
Actually, I trust Montezuma a lot more than I trust most of them. With Monty, you always know exactly what he’s up to. Managing him is just a matter of making sure he’s at war with the folks you don’t like, instead of with you.
---
### Author:  [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/11 "2009-11-12T19:43:26Z")
I don’t worry much about Montezuma because that’s who I usually play as. Also, send your settlers with an escort.
---
### Author:  [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/12 "2009-11-12T21:06:40Z")
If the battle odds aren’t better than 75% you’re fucked.
Montezuma is a psycho and the Malinese are pussies.
Generations worth of work on a World Wonder will all be for naught if someone else builds something similar on the other side of the world just a year ahead of you.
---
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/13 "2009-11-12T21:27:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Generations worth of work on a World Wonder will all be for naught if someone else builds something similar on the other side of the world just a year ahead of you.
Better than Civ 3, though… “Hey, you know that big pyramid we were building, that we were almost finished with? Well, it turns out that someone else has one, so we’re going to turn it into a huge wall thousands of miles long, instead. We finish tomorrow.”
---
### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/14 "2009-11-12T21:50:03Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#):
>
> Isabella’s a goddamn religious zealot. eff her.
Or do like I do and BE her. 😃
---
### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/15 "2009-11-12T21:54:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Better than Civ 3, though… “Hey, you know that big pyramid we were building, that we were almost finished with? Well, it turns out that someone else has one, so we’re going to turn it into a huge wall thousands of miles long, instead. We finish tomorrow.”
I thought Civ III didn’t let you switch Wonders; you simply had to eat the progress and start something else. I know Civ II let you switch on a dime. I hated Civ III so much, I didn’t play it a lot.
---
### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/16 "2009-11-12T21:55:35Z")
> [@mobo85](#):
>
> Any quotation sounds cool coming out of Leonard Nemoy. Even if that quotation was originally spoken by Sputnik.
Uh, no. Nimoy sounded stupid in many of those quotes. Beep beep beep was one of them. :smack:
---
### Author:  [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/17 "2009-11-12T22:14:34Z")
The French are dirty, rotten thieves who will constantly send spies into your territory to steal technological secrets.
If you find one it’s perfectly acceptable to march cross country and burn Paris to the ground. No one else seemed to mind much. 😛
---
### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/18 "2009-11-12T22:22:51Z")
Remarkable what four spies can do if you attack with them all at once.
---
### Author:  [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/19 "2009-11-12T22:52:40Z")
The more religions present in a city, the less likely riots are to occur.
---
### Author:  [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295/20 "2009-11-12T23:09:55Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#):
>
> The more religions present in a city, the less likely riots are to occur.
Or Civ 3 - The first thing rioters burn are the buildings making them happy.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-we-learned-from-civilization-iv/517295.md?page=2)