Civilization IV

When you begin Civilization IV, you can choose to lead one of four major empires: the Dutch, English, French, or Spanish colonies. Each colony starts with a Caravel ship, a Colonist with tools, and a Soldier. The Dutch receive a Merchantman instead of a Caravel. The English start with two free colonists, a pioneer, and a soldier. The Spanish receive a pioneer and Veteran Soldiers, while the French get Hardy Pioneers and normal soldiers.

Each nation has two leaders, each with a distinct trait that modifies their empire's operations. Additionally, each empire has a general trait; the Dutch are more enterprising, and the Spanish are more warlike.

The Dutch

Special Trait - Mercantile: Market prices are less sensitive. This trait is beneficial as market prices can become a significant income source. As your colonies become more efficient and produce more goods, selling them in Europe will cause prices to drop due to increased supply and fulfilled demand. The Mercantile trait mitigates this price drop for a time.

Leaders:

• Peter Stuyvesant - Industrious: Provides a +25% Hammer Production bonus in all Settlements. This bonus increases production by a quarter, leading to 25% extra Founding Father points over the course of the game. This bonus is particularly effective when combined with Founding Fathers who also increase hammer production, such as Alexander Hamilton, ensuring decent production even without carpenters or lumber.
• Andiaen Van Der Donck - Charismatic: Grants +100% Time between Tax Increases. This leader extends the duration before your home nation increases taxes on your colony, which is useful as taxes can reduce profits.

The English

Special Trait - Tolerant: Requires -25% Crosses for Immigration. This trait provides more free units at docks in Europe, but you do not control the type of immigrants received, which can be problematic if you receive units you do not need.

Leaders:

• George Washington - Disciplined: Requires -50% Soldier Equipment. This trait reduces the cost of arming soldiers by 50%, which is extremely useful for the final push for independence, especially as arming soldiers at European docks becomes increasingly expensive.
• John Adams - Libertarian: Provides +25% Liberty Bells Generation in all Settlements. This is a highly beneficial trait as Liberty Bells are crucial for declaring independence (requiring at least 50% Liberty Bells) and can also increase production.

The French

Special Trait - Cooperative: Natives are more tolerant towards territory encroachment, and there is -50% time spent Living Among Natives to Learn a new skill. This trait allows for less friction with native populations when encroaching on their land and reduces the time needed to learn skills like Fur Trapping and Cotton Farming, which are not available for purchase in Europe and can only be taught by natives.

Leaders:

• Samuel De Champlain - Enterprising: Provides +100% Conversion Rate from Missions. Missions are a way to convert natives, who can teach valuable field skills. However, this trait may be less necessary if you have access to expert units.

Louis de Frontenac - Militaristic

• Grants a Free Promotion (Grenadier I) to Mounted Units and Gunpowder Units.
• While potentially useful for increased damage, other leader traits may offer more practical benefits for colony development.

The Spanish - Special Trait: Conquistador

• Provides a +25% Attack bonus against Natives.
• This trait reflects the historical conquest of South America.

Leaders:

Simon Bolivar - Determined

• Grants +100% effect of Liberty Bells on Rebel Attack.
• This means units receive a larger damage boost from Liberty Bells during attacks, which is especially useful during the fight for independence when Liberty Bell generation is high.

Jose De San Martin - Resourceful

• Requires -50% XP for Unit Promotions.
• This is beneficial for creating a highly skilled, albeit limited, ground force. It allows units to gain promotions faster, making them more effective when fighting the mother country.
• Reader Theovenon Vivien notes that this trait is also useful for large, untrained forces, allowing all soldiers to gain their first promotion with only 1 experience point.
• Using a Great General with newly trained soldiers can result in numerous promotions simultaneously.
• A favorite application is using this trait after acquiring the last military Founding Father, Dom Pedro, to grant new soldiers the second level of Minuteman, resulting in units with +45% settlement defense.
• This leader trait is also ideal for achieving high-level promotions, making it realistic to aim for Veteran VI (4 power +75%) with multiple units, enabling rapid conquest and efficient elimination of threats like the royal artillery.

The Right Place

When establishing your first colony in Civilization IV, consider the following:

• Land Bonuses: Look for resources like cotton, wheat, or fur, which are useful for manufactured products.
• Port City: If establishing a port-based city, ensure access to items like fish or crabs for fishermen to harvest, providing a good food source.
• Proximity to Natives: Maintain a good distance from native settlements to avoid conflict and potential fines for using their tribal lands.
• Shipping Access: Choose a location that allows easy control of ships to and from England, as these will be crucial for troop landings during independence declarations.

Building a Nation

As you place more colonies in Civilization IV:

• Food Security: While securing food is important, Wagon Trains can supply colonies in need.
• Money Management: Trading valuable goods generates gold, essential for hiring specialists, purchasing ships, and cannons. Be aware that increased trading leads to higher taxes from the king. Refusing to pay taxes (throwing a tea party) will permanently prevent trading that specific commodity.
• Resource Acquisition: Seek out new resources like cotton for cloth, fur for coats, and tobacco for cigars. Iron mines are particularly important as they enable the creation of tools.

This section of the guide covers advanced strategies for building a large empire in Civilization IV, focusing on resource management, trade, and expansion.