Which utilities/helpers do you use?

SlowThinker · March 22, 2003, 18:35

For playing Civ2 I have prepared a .bat file that contains: the techtree.jpg, SG's HutFinder (very useful epecially after scrolling was added) ... and ... my

Civ2Planner (allows to plan the tech research) and Civ2Beakers (counts beakers accumulated).
I can't imagine a game without these four helpers.

I want to download Xin's LazyCiv if I will play more than 10 turns per month.

Smash · March 22, 2003, 20:29

I don't use any.Just play by feel and experience.

I have used civmanager for big scenarios where lots of rush buying is done.Huge time saver.

SlowThinker · March 22, 2003, 20:37

I am sorry, I confused LazyCiv and CivManager.

Six Thousand Year Old Man · March 22, 2003, 20:56

I have a .txt file which contains a lot of hints and tips culled from the GL and the forums here. The stuff I use mainly is the oedo table, and the chart showing what you can convert specials into by mining/irrigating/transforming.

Otherwise... I can't be bothered to have a bunch of helper programs running.

Smash · March 23, 2003, 01:26

I do have a printed list of oedo years for deity

..although I've pretty much memorized them now

rjmatsleepers · March 23, 2003, 02:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Smash
I don't use any.Just play by feel and experience.

I don't use any either. I consult the civopedia from time to time - and even the manual

I also have a text file containing the deity OEDO years.

RJM at Sleepers

SCG · March 23, 2003, 02:53

i've come to appreciate the hutfinder, both for the oedo years as well as for locating specials, and to a lesser extent finding huts. Other than that, I just use the tools that came with the game (Civilopedia with a grain of salt, poster with tech tree and specials etc). I've not gotten Civ manager or the beaker counting program to run properly (usually have to end task) so never used them. I'll try and add up accumulated beakers based on the city to make the last discovery if i'm trying to decide whether to hold off on a delivery or not

ColdWizard · March 23, 2003, 11:42

i don't use any

Juggler · March 23, 2003, 14:35

nope

SlowThinker · March 23, 2003, 19:40

About the manual - Nethog's Civ2 Reference Pack is much better and without all those errors.

Now I remembered Boco's combat probability calculator. I use it rarely but it is a good thing.

Quote:

Originally posted by SCG
I've not gotten Civ manager or the beaker counting program to run properly (usually have to end task) so never used them.

SCG, come to Civ2 Beakers Counter. I solved the problem there.

Caesar the Great · March 23, 2003, 23:39

i don't even use oedo years! play it in the raw!

-Jrabbit · March 24, 2003, 11:09

The only aid I use is a printout of deity OEDO years.

I do have a printout of spaceship configs that I've used a few times.

Nethog's tech tree is useful, but I tend to use the poster that came with the game.

'course, as a Mac user, there are NO software-based cheater tools available to me.

Six Thousand Year Old Man · March 24, 2003, 11:31

I just dl'ed ST's 'beaker counter' program, and I'm going to give that a try.

Bloody Monk · March 24, 2003, 12:14

SlowThinker's new and improved version of "beaker counter" is very sweet. And, as this ten thumbed cleric's experience shows, it is very user friendly.

I have a Word file with dumps from various "thinkers;" Oedo yrs and tech sequence table, spaceship config (makes it sound like a Windows command), a table showing the bonus (food, shield, arrow) from building a city on different types of terrain, samson/solo trade discoveries, a table of times for engineer tasks.

I enjoy the brilliant hutfinder that SG[1] is constantly polishing.

The posters that come with the game are used constantly, with the tech tree part at eye level on the wall.

Adding it all up, this player regularly uses many "helpers." The creative output and applied strategy toward this simple game by this extraordinary community is astounding. My thanks to all.

Monk

Elephant · March 25, 2003, 16:22

Normal Task Windows open:
1) CIV2 2.4.2 game
2) NotePad/WordPad for log (yes I have gone over 64K...)
3) CIV2PLAN for next tech planning (love the save file!)
4) HutFinder for huts, specials,OEDO years
5) Extra NotePad for Terrain Chart, TechPlan,DeliveryBonusRules, etc

Pre/Early game:
- CIV2PLAN
- HutFinder for Huts, specials, resource seed
- MapEditor (blank ocean seeded from HF) to mark multi-special positions for early exploration
- NotePad to record strategies, compare tech paths, possible SSC locations, etc
- WordPad for TerrainChart & GrandTechPlan

I am VERY slow, even with all the helpers; very much a perfectionist.

Still learning, though...

Old n Slow · March 25, 2003, 16:59

I have a few paper copies of sage advice; I have the tech information on an Excel spreadsheet, sorted by tech prereqs, with ai preferences & the oedo (alphabet) scale; and for every CFC GOTM, I now have a preprinted spreadsheet with year (oedo highlighted) and blocks for relevant notes. I haven’t loaded the sw stuff to use yet -- coming soon though.

I guess to paraphrase Elephant, I’m a semi-careless perfectionist.

SlowThinker · March 25, 2003, 19:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Elephant
- MapEditor (blank ocean seeded from HF) to mark multi-special positions for early exploration

I don't understand... HF - hutfinder? Why mapeditor?

SCG · March 25, 2003, 20:46

Quote:

Originally posted by SlowThinker

I don't understand... HF - hutfinder? Why mapeditor?

makes perfect sense to me

yes, HF = hutfinder. and the mapeditor is a much bigger screen than the one on hutfinder and quickly shows the layout of the specials without having to scroll nearly as much. Of course to take that to the logical extreme, he could try multiples of the seed provided by the hutfinder until he got one that matched all the specials he has for the known terrain to find out which 4-special site would be a major production site vs a major trade site instead of just using a blank ocean

TimTheEnchanter · March 26, 2003, 11:10

Excel spreadsheet for log
Hut finder (at least early, and for oedo)
Civ2Beakers
I couldn't get civplan to work, so I have my own excel spreadsheet that shows which techs will be missing/available and lets me plan out tech paths (when I don't forget to type in the techs I get)
Civ
Winamp

I also have a printout of the tech tree and the quick-reference page from the Paulicy nearby.

SlowThinker · March 26, 2003, 13:45

Is using of the map editor in cooperation with Hut Finder legal? The Hut Finder doesn't provide the type of specials. In other words, is there a way how to determine placings of Whale/Fish if you have only HutFinder and not the MapEditor?

BTW, I can't run Civ2 and Civ2Map simultaneously, I have to use files different installations (MGE and 2.42).

Elephant · March 27, 2003, 14:10

As long as you do not open the SAV file in MapEditor. Use HutFinder to calculate the Resource Seed, then start a blank ocean in MapEditor, set the seed, and draw the tiles in as you discover them. This will alert you to hidden specials and show you which way to go to find 4-special spots. Beware, though, that HF calculates a "base" seed, not the exact seed; the specials will be in the right place, but they may be the opposite "type" (Whale or Fish). To get the seed right you need to expose more of the map to see several groups of specials, then experiment with the seed in MapEditor by adding 16 or 32 repetitively until you get the right arrangement.

SlowThinker · March 29, 2003, 09:55

Quote:

Originally posted by TimTheEnchanter
I couldn't get civplan to work...

Why don't you contact me? I am prepared to help, if it is possible...

La Fayette · March 29, 2003, 14:00

Many of the authors are my friends and I admire and thank them for what they have managed to offer us.

But I use no helper at all, because this is a game and I don't feel like playing it with a complete research lab behind me.

(perhaps I change my mind later on, when anyone beats me

)

rah · March 31, 2003, 12:50

Quote:

Originally posted by La Fayette
(perhaps I change my mind later on, when anyone beats me

)

Play MP. It's the only way to learn humility.

La Fayette · March 31, 2003, 18:27

rah,
I am very sorry if my sentence didn't sound humble enough

I had early landing in the back of my mind, and the situation is as follows:
One master: solo.
Two strong players: SG(2) and Bloody Monk.
The others, way behind, among whom myself.

Early landing requires skill and patience. I know that several good players are busy playing the comparison game #2, making use of helper programs. I guess they will get results better than mine, since playing that kind of game without helpers is somewhat like playing with an arm tied behind one's back.

This is precisely what my sentence tried to sum up.
Bad summary. I apologize.

rah · April 1, 2003, 09:16

No problem, I was just teasing. Playing SP, I'm a god

, but against others.............................

Yes, all the SP challanges have been fun and difficult, but the first time someone cleans your clock in an MP game is quite a sobering experience.

H Tower · April 1, 2003, 13:02

yaroslav's pbem diplomacy pbem tool

Marquis de Sodaq · April 2, 2003, 13:58

I play Civ2 in the raw - no Oedo years, no charts, no lists, no programs. Experience is already enough of an edge to defeat the AI, no need for the other tools.

SlowThinker · April 2, 2003, 17:19

H Tower,
What yaroslav's pbem diplomacy tool can do now? Or can you add a link?

rjmatsleepers · April 6, 2003, 02:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Elephant
As long as you do not open the SAV file in MapEditor. Use HutFinder to calculate the Resource Seed, then start a blank ocean in MapEditor, set the seed, and draw the tiles in as you discover them. This will alert you to hidden specials and show you which way to go to find 4-special spots. Beware, though, that HF calculates a "base" seed, not the exact seed; the specials will be in the right place, but they may be the opposite "type" (Whale or Fish). To get the seed right you need to expose more of the map to see several groups of specials, then experiment with the seed in MapEditor by adding 16 or 32 repetitively until you get the right arrangement.

I tried this in the current early landing game and it worked a treat. Without HutFinder you have to try each seed in turn, but there are only 64 so it's no big deal. However, the co-ordinate system in the map editor seems to be different from the one used in the game itself. Can someone out there confirm this, or have I made some silly mistake?

RJM at Sleepers