A Few Questions

[unmerged(5414)]

I would appreciate it if somebody could answer these questions. Thanks. BtW I just bought the game Thursday after debating on whether or not to buy the game since March (reluctant to buy it because of the fear of it being too RTS).

Today I was playing as the English in GC and the French wound up attacking me. The French were in an alliance with Navara, Papul States, Poland/Lithuania, and Naples. While I had an alliance with Austria and Hungary. When the French attacked me all of France's allies joined them in the war yet mine didn't. Why is that? Is there a way that I can get my allies to join my side in a war? If not what exactly is the point of an ally?

I'm wanting to explore some of the terra incognita by naval measures. How do I get an explorer boat? I know about the level21 thing but isn't there a way to explore that area before that period of time, possibly building an explorer.

When your technology becomes more advanced (i.e. discover tech for caravels) do your old, obsolete units automatically become upgraded? Do you have to build new units in order for you to have units from the new tech? How can you tell if your units become obsolete?

Onto monopolizing now, how can you monopolize? For some reason all my merchant levels always stay at five. You're not allowed to place anymore merchants in an area in which you already have five merchants. The AI civs can monopolize, why can't I do it, is there some sort of catch?

For now that's about all the questions I have, or at least all the questions that I can think of right off the top of my head.

 

[PatMaster]

Originally posted by TechWins
I would appreciate it if somebody could answer these questions. Thanks. BtW I just bought the game Thursday after debating on whether or not to buy the game since March (reluctant to buy it because of the fear of it being too RTS).

Today I was playing as the English in GC and the French wound up attacking me. The French were in an alliance with Navara, Papul States, Poland/Lithuania, and Naples. While I had an alliance with Austria and Hungary. When the French attacked me all of France's allies joined them in the war yet mine didn't. Why is that? Is there a way that I can get my allies to join my side in a war? If not what exactly is the point of an ally?

There'll show up a small button in the right corner of the screen.
Open that and click on accept.

I'm wanting to explore some of the terra incognita by naval measures. How do I get an explorer boat? I know about the level21 thing but isn't there a way to explore that area before that period of time, possibly building an explorer.

By a random or historical event.
Some nations get them all the time.

When your technology becomes more advanced (i.e. discover tech for caravels) do your old, obsolete units automatically become upgraded? Do you have to build new units in order for you to have units from the new tech? How can you tell if your units become obsolete?

They will get upgraded.

Onto monopolizing now, how can you monopolize? For some reason all my merchant levels always stay at five. You're not allowed to place anymore merchants in an area in which you already have five merchants. The AI civs can monopolize, why can't I do it, is there some sort of catch?

You must have trade techlevel 3 to create a monopoly.

For now that's about all the questions I have, or at least all the questions that I can think of right off the top of my head.

Your welcome to get back and ask more
Someone will answer them.

 

[unmerged(4217)]

Originally posted by TechWins
I'm wanting to explore some of the terra incognita by naval measures. How do I get an explorer boat? I know about the level21 thing but isn't there a way to explore that area before that period of time, possibly building an explorer.

You can't build explorers. You have to wait till they appear at the historical dates. If you're lucky you can get one by a random event. Don't worry, as England you'll soon have enough explorers.

Originally posted by TechWins
When your technology becomes more advanced (i.e. discover tech for caravels) do your old, obsolete units automatically become upgraded? Do you have to build new units in order for you to have units from the new tech? How can you tell if your units become obsolete?

They are upgraded automatically.

Originally posted by TechWins
Onto monopolizing now, how can you monopolize? For some reason all my merchant levels always stay at five. You're not allowed to place anymore merchants in an area in which you already have five merchants. The AI civs can monopolize, why can't I do it, is there some sort of catch?

Some of the AI-nations have already acquiered the required tradelevel (e.g. Venice and Genua). You have not yet.

 

[unmerged(4217)]

Damn, Patmaster. You beat me by a few seconds.

 

[unmerged(5414)]

There'll show up a small button in the right corner of the screen.

Do these pop-ups go away after a certain amount of time? I'm saying this becuase I usually see these pop-ups when they arrive on my screen. I could have possibly just missed one and it went away.

Thanks for all the answers.

 

[Agelastus]

Originally posted by TechWins


Do these pop-ups go away after a certain amount of time? I'm saying this becuase I usually see these pop-ups when they arrive on my screen. I could have possibly just missed one and it went away.

Thanks for all the answers.

I believe they do-certainly you only have one month to accept or decline peace offers. It is, of course, always possible your allies won't join you in your war if you've let your relations decline too badly.

 

[unmerged(1095)]

Originally posted by TechWins


Do these pop-ups go away after a certain amount of time? I'm saying this becuase I usually see these pop-ups when they arrive on my screen. I could have possibly just missed one and it went away.

Thanks for all the answers.

Whilst playing the game take the time to go to:

Menu (at bottom left)
Options
Message Settings

There you can arrange for the messages to pop up anyhow you like.

 

[unmerged(3627)]

England takes a lot longer to get going than eg. Spain or Portugal .. but your first explorer will turn up in, er, 1498 I think, although he dies pretty quickly. If he uncovers one hospitable-looking province in America, try to colonise it so that the next guy can use that colony as a base for further exploration.

Once you get to 1560, your colonial efforts will explode But for the first seventy years, playing England is almost entirely about building internal strength and deciding whether or not you want to stay in Europe.

 

[unmerged(5414)]

but your first explorer will turn up in, er, 1498 I think

Ah so that's why I get Gabot. I didn't understand why he came about then he died a few years later. That really clears things up now.

I also have another question about allies, how do I join them in their wars? Will another pop-up message appear?

 

[BiB]

U better set that as a pop up too. U should get a message where they ask for ur help (unless it's Spain attacking the Aztecs/incas)

 

[unmerged(3627)]

If they get into a war in Europe they will want your help (you can always join the war but not send any troops or anything. That's often what your allies do to help you out.) But when Spain attacks the Aztecs, like BiB said, they're not going to want your help

 

[unmerged(1095)]

Originally posted by TechWins



I also have another question about allies, how do I join them in their wars? Will another pop-up message appear?

If you set it so - see my earlier post.....

 

[unmerged(5305)]

As we're on the subject of allies can I insert a quickie?
When I, as leader of an alliance, make peace do all my allies automatically make peace as well? I thought I knew the answer to this (yes) but it appears in a recent war of mine that although I've made peace, one of my allies is still fighting the war.

 

[unmerged(4943)]

One can also right click on a pop-up message when it appears and chose settings from there.

 

[unmerged(4868)]

Originally posted by Magister
As we're on the subject of allies can I insert a quickie?
When I, as leader of an alliance, make peace do all my allies automatically make peace as well? I thought I knew the answer to this (yes) but it appears in a recent war of mine that although I've made peace, one of my allies is still fighting the war.

Yes, your one ally that is "still fighting his war" most likely sued for a separate peace earlier. Once he sues for a separate peace with the enemies, he is no longer "fighting beside you". Thus, he is not included in the terms of YOUR binding alliance peace.

Think about the consequences of this for a moment. It means that if that one lone ally is still fighting the horde of 5 enemy nations while the rest of your grand alliance has proceeded to conclude a unilateral binding peace treaty.... chances are good that the "lonely ally" will be ganged up on and annihilated. This is especially true if that nation was a small 1-province nation like Modena or Milan or Cologne.

 

[unmerged(3106)]

More on Explorers

As someone else said, you get your first explorer fairly early in the game. Send him west to find america. Since you don't have a conquistador, you cannot go ashore until you actually uncover a province. You do that by sailing up and down the coast. As you uncover them, they will be fully colored and named. This seems to be random, so it is helpful to continue to sail along coasts in the hope that more provinces become accessable.

As soon as you get a province in america with a harbor (shows up with water when you click on it), send troops to occupy it and start to colonize. Once you have a level one colony, you will have a harbor to base in.

Explorers seem to die randomly. Perhaps someone else can comment, but they seem to die faster on long exploration voyages (time between harboring). They also die if their ships attrit, so send more than one ship. I try to do one or two unexplored sea zones then back to the harbor. BTW - If you hold down the shift key when you right click you can order several voyages at one out to the area to be explored, then back to the harbor, then out to another area to be explored, then back to the harbor. (this also works in wartime when you want to patrol the English Channel).

Convert to Protestant as soon as you can. Take the stability hit, invest the extra cash in restoring stability and you are off to the races. The extra colonists will allow you (as you get conquistadores) to explore and settle North America way ahead of France (Spain and Portugal have their hands full elsewhere in the early game). It also prevents Spain from seizing your new world colonies.

Lots of good threads on Merchants and monopolies. Generally, I try to put 5 merchants in major COTS (over 200D), but, as the majors - Spain, France, Portugal get monopoly they will drive you out. Don't go back, focus on the other, non major controlled COT's. (Novogorad was great for almost 100 years until the Ruski's drove me out).

 

[unmerged(3627)]

Originally posted by Suleyman

Think about the consequences of this for a moment. It means that if that one lone ally is still fighting the horde of 5 enemy nations while the rest of your grand alliance has proceeded to conclude a unilateral binding peace treaty.... chances are good that the "lonely ally" will be ganged up on and annihilated. This is especially true if that nation was a small 1-province nation like Modena or Milan or Cologne.

That's often what causes it in the first place, too ... Milan is fighting as part of the Spanish alliance, and gets conquered by the Pope fighting as part of the French alliance.. Milan buys off the Papal states and is now completely at the mercy of France, because when Spain signs an alliance peace, Milan isn't included.

 

[PatMaster]

For about aa fue hours ago, I played a game where exectly that happend

 

[Agelastus]

Re: More on Explorers

Originally posted by hayseed
Explorers seem to die randomly. Perhaps someone else can comment, but they seem to die faster on long exploration voyages (time between harboring). They also die if their ships attrit, so send more than one ship. I try to do one or two unexplored sea zones then back to the harbor.

Unless lost to attrition or combat, they die when they're set to die, the same as all other leader types-the way leaders are recorded is very inflexible in that fashion. That's certainly the best method for exploring though, although the number of seazones explored should depend on the number of seazones the TI is from your port, particularly in the early period of the game.

 

[unmerged(5305)]

Originally posted by Suleyman


Yes, your one ally that is "still fighting his war" most likely sued for a separate peace earlier. Once he sues for a separate peace with the enemies, he is no longer "fighting beside you". Thus, he is not included in the terms of YOUR binding alliance peace.

Think about the consequences of this for a moment. It means that if that one lone ally is still fighting the horde of 5 enemy nations while the rest of your grand alliance has proceeded to conclude a unilateral binding peace treaty.... chances are good that the "lonely ally" will be ganged up on and annihilated. This is especially true if that nation was a small 1-province nation like Modena or Milan or Cologne.

Ah I see, yes that would explain it.
Oh dear! Poor old Brandenburg