User Guide

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TYPES OF TERRAIN
The differences in terrain are deeper than a variety of artwork and colors to make the game
map more visually interesting. Each type of terrain has its own economic usefulness, effect
on movement, and effect on combat. Detailed information about the terrain types is
provided in the TERRAIN CHART on the Poster, and from the CIVILOPEDIA.
To get terrain information from the CIVILOPEDIA, click on the CIVILOPEDIA menu, and select
the TERRAIN TYPES option. A list of both standard terrain types and their special resources
appears. If you don’t recognize the icon for a special resource, click on the standard terrain
type to see what special resources are possible.
A NOTE ABOUT RIVERS
In Civilization II, rivers are not a type of terrain unto themselves. Instead, they can flow
through any type of terrain. Rivers make movement easier for ground units that follow the
line of the river bed either up- or downstream, because each square costs only one-third
of a movement point, regardless of the underlying terrain. Settlers and Engineer units
cannot build roads across rivers until your tribe discovers the Bridge Building advance.
Rivers count as sources of water for the purposes of irrigation. Citizens working terrain
through which a river flows gain a bonus arrow icon, representing the ease with which
rivers facilitate trade. Finally, a river’s presence enhances the defense bonus of the terrain
through which it flows.
STANDARD TERRAIN SQUARES
The standard types of terrain can be divided along climactic lines. Here’s a short summary.
Glacier and Tundra squares are both cold terrain. Neither produces much in the way of raw
materials, and neither can be converted into more profitable terrain. Swamp and Jungle
are both wet terrain. Neither is easy to move through, and it costs a considerable
investment of time to convert either into more profitable terrain. Plains and Grassland
squares are both open terrain. Both are easy to travel across, and when improved, both
produce substantial amounts of food as well as other raw materials. Hills and Mountains
squares are both vertically challenging. They take some effort to travel across and yield
more raw materials when developed by mining. Ocean squares generate substantial
amounts of trade, and appropriate types of terrain bordering them can be irrigated. Ground
units can move at a rate of one-third of a movement point per square if they follow a
riverbed up- or downstream. Desert squares are dry terrain that can be developed for
marginal production. Forest squares are difficult to travel through, but yield decent
raw materials.
Terrain &
Movement
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