Okay this is my first civ game, so excuse my lack of knowledge, but i have some questions about gotw. Firstly why do 90% of people on the leaderboard have the same starting civ as me (this week USA) and about 10% have other random civs (japanese, egyptians, spanish, etc). I'm fairly certain i have no choice. So someone has to know the answer to this I'm sure.
Secondly and discussed in a few previous threads. i really don't buy it that you can win on upper difficulties by 2800BC. Someone gave step by step instructions how to do it on cheiftan that i saw, but that includes getting warrior from the door. So realistically the fastest you can possibly have a unit in upper difficulties is 3 turns (3700BC) that leaves 9 turns to defeat the game. with just a warrior which you cant even take down a villiage if its two squares away until 3400, so no way there. The route is usually go is right away go 4 science and learn horse in 5 turns, then turn it to 4 production, and get a horse out quick. Which to me is around 3000 BC.

This strategy leaves me 2 turns to defeat four civs spread across the map. tough to pull that off. So anyway right now i'm in second on emperor with a respectable score of 1150 AD on 360 only a couple hundred turns away from first place 2700bc (randomword). My only thought is they have a computer hooked up with their 360 and their is some slight of hand if you will. I appreciate any enlightenment to these issues. chris.

Posts merged. You can use the "Edit" button next time.

First, what I have noticed on the leaderboards is that it includes some games from the previous weeks (actually you can see some games with China, although this week game is with the americans). My theory is that these games were played while the scoreboard was changed, and once finished they counted for this weeks :undecide:


For the others, there is always a way, the game of the week is no more than a complicated puzzle, you need to figure it out how to finish early :(

if it were from previous weeks it doesnt add up to me because, there as i said (japanese, spanish, egyptians) along with as u said (chinese) and of course americans. thats 5 right there.
A- i don't know that this game has been out 5 weeks, maybe i'm wrong.
B- my score with the chinese on diety from last week is not on the leaderboard any more. why would it be erased but other lower scores were left from who knows when
C- from 2ks perspective wouldn't this defeat the purpose of the game. they make it so you all start in the same spot and no saves, same opponents,etc. , so it can be comparative. But lets just compare it to things that aren't all equal. it doesnt make sense.
and the other part. Ive seen many people say that ok it's a puzzle, I'm pretty good at solving puzzles, and I'm obviously incredulous that it can be solved that quick. Someone just tell me or show me how to get off to a start where it is possible to win by 2800 BC. take me up to 3600BC . on emperor or deity. It's ludicrous people with skill are playing on chietan.

Yep, it hard to believe. I thought the same as you weeks back. When the game first came out here (it's was available in the UK a month prior) I went after the achievements, and had no care for GOTW. With most of the ach's done, I started playing regular games, some scenario's, crawled to Deity(where I still lose games), and then tried my luck at GOTW.
After playing a few times, I'd look at the scores, roll my eyes, and play again. I was pretty convinced something was up, so I went online, and came here where I had gotten Civ4 info prior, and read. Played some more, and hey, the years shed away. Still a 1000 years off, I came back, read some more. Luckly, Sigmaken had posted his solution to one of the GOTW's at the end of the week, Bingo! I learned what was missing in my strat, shed 500 more years off , and every other game since. I read other posts, and because it changed how I looked at the map, the next week I found myself at the top of the chieften leaderboard. Imagine that, me a non Civie.
Guys like Grumbles, Sigmaken, RickWj, Spencer, RandomWord, ect. They all had a love for Civ, probably well before CivRev came out. If you read any/all threads they replied to, you'll glean tonnes of skills/strats, and shave years off your times.(I and many should be thankful they shared so much strat advice)
I'm not a Civ devotee, I play lots of games, if you look at my gamercard, you'll see that. The point being, high scores aren't there to mock you, they should drive you, and show what's possible. There's always someone, somewhere with more skill, in any game.
I think there's more then enough info given up, so I've got no secret to share, cause it's been typed already. Thanks guys!:)
This is the only leaderboard I know, that doesn't accumulate, each week everyone has a crack at that top spot, which is more fair than anything I've seen thus far. Keep playing, learning and reading, and you'll get there.

You are right my friend, most probably that's the pourpose of this game, and it is fine for me too!!!

random ,
thanks i appreciate your reply. I am in the same boat as you in afew regards. I didnt try gotw till i got my 1000 gs first, so i just wanted to extend the play i get from this title. I try to play every worthwhile game out there (over 28000 gamerscrore so far). This game is tremendously addictive and regardless of how other people play the game i still can really get into my own game , and lose on diety sometimes. My post isn't saying these uberscores are diminishing my fun in any way. I am just by nature skeptical because in reality if there was a way to hack in, you know people would do it. I have definitely seen that guys strat, for 2800 on chieftain. It doesn't help me because I don't play on chieftain. I played my first game on chieftain when i first popped in the disc, had no idea how to play, and easily won. It is for beginners. It's like punching a baby! If somebody can please tell me what they would do this month as the americans, in the first 5-6 turns on emperor or deity, i will believe it. Also apparently nobody knows why the leaderboard has different leaders for some people, other than it put in some scores from other weeks. i appreciate replies, but still looking for answers. thanks. chris

Not to try to change subject, but what day of the week does the GotW change?

Not to try to change subject, but what day of the week does the GotW change?

On Sunday.

Definitively in order to satisfy everyone, they must change the look of the leaderboards. They can leave the way it is (fastest finish), but also include leaders for each kind of victory, and add some score based on "points". Also mantain a record for previous weeks, althought you can check the history in civgameoftheweek.com



Edit: Check THIS (http://civgameoftheweek.com/awards.html), it seems that this will add more interest in the GOTW

i see randomfires u have a score of 2100BC now, dropping my score to third. So obviously I'll take your word it can be done without cheats of any kind.
I have no idea how, but i'll leave that to the elite players to do. I definitely got my 60 bucks worth from this game anyway. And also, u have the highest gamerscore I've ever seen, almost exactly twice mine, u have put in some work, my friend.

"If somebody can please tell me what they would do this month as the americans, in the first 5-6 turns on emperor or deity, i will believe it. "-cmpaparelli
If you've been watching, or by the time you read this, I've slowly climbed to that 2800BC score... Yup used pretty much every trick. Being as there's only 12 moves, I'm not willing to lay down the first 5-6.
I can tell you, all you need to know is either here, or the 2Kforums. That's where I've gotten all my info, other then playing.

Edit: Check THIS (http://civgameoftheweek.com/awards.html), it seems that this will add more interest in the GOTW
Yeah, that would seem interesting. Don't know about those Ps3 people though (real shame that), that might cause some contention with scores...

I'm stuck at 2400 BC. With my current strategy I don't think a win any earlier than 2500 is possible.

I think I'm aware of the strategies being used for a 2800 but don't know how to put it all together.

Here is what I'm thinking must be going on...
a. Somehow getting to the medieval era quickly (for the 3 pop cities) while still taking out the first 2 civs and then rushing settlers towards another unit already 2 squares ahead to shuffle between them and get a city right away and repeat.

b. Moving the original settler to a more central location to launch attacks from (although this seems to take too many turns)

c. Managing to get iron working very quickly while building a barracks and attracting Agamemnon (with the great person's culture boost) thus giving automatic upgrades to new units (IE March) <--seems far fetched but I had a BC win with this in one of my early tries.

....or it could be something much more simple since I just got a unit to every remaining civs doorstep by 3000BC

interesting ideas. i have been playing around with the city location a bit. maybe SE next to the barb village is the better location?

I haven't tried this game yet, first and only time I played it it seems too dificult to finish this early to me, and quit. Probably next Saturday I will have the time to figure it out and finish a game ;)

OMG!!! I just finished 2700 BC on deity (gnosis1). It's true. Everything you need is in this forum and over at the 2kgames forum. My only hint is this. Look at the ideas (also mine) posted in the forums. Do not think too complicated!

And most important: Think about city placement again and again. And then some more.... And when you think you are in the right spot think again (no more hints for now).

It is way easier than I have thought. And I know how to get to 2800 BC too :-)

Zevlopus thank you ;)

OMG!!! I just finished 2700 BC on deity (gnosis1). It's true. Everything you need is in this forum and over at the 2kgames forum. My only hint is this. Look at the ideas (also mine) posted in the forums.
Great stuff, maybe now you can understand, with so few moves why some might not be willing to part with them.
And now I know Yer Gamertag!

Yes, everything anyone needs to know is in the forums, and of course to play. Perhaps now, the "how to's" responses will be replaced with regular tips.
Cause I'm worried now.Gulp.:eek:

I've finally put it all together for a 2700BC victory but 2800 is tricky...

Yeah, making the leap from 2700 to 2800 is pretty tricky. You just have to figure out the correct road to victory. ;)

Pretty sure I know the method now just need to figure out how to employ it in time.

The best I was able to come up with was 2200 BC. I cannot for the life of me figure out how you people got units all the way to Madrid and Tenoch in time. I had no trouble taking down Thebes, since they only have one warrior unit for the first several turns, and I got to Kyoto quickly with the Galley from the 2nd bararian village to the east. But my units can't move fast enough to take down the last 2 civilizations by 2800.

I've tried to upgrade my units to March by doing battles but every time the only upgrades I get offered are Blitz and Infiltration. Not sure what else I can do to shave off turns.

You are on the right track in thinking about using the galley to shave off a turn or two of land movement. You probably need to rethink the starting location of your city. ;)

I usually start my city adjacent to the Barbarian village to the SW. Seems to be the best starting spot, since you have 2 trees for production and you can rush a warrior after the Great Person discovers the grasslands to conquer the adjacent Barbarian village and get enough gold to rush a horseback rider by 3800.

Actually, I just realized you can also get a horseback rider by 3800 if you found your capital somewhere else. Interesting...

Yeeeeah! Look at all the 2800's

I'm not understanding very well what you said when founding your capital somewhere else, as I only have played chieftain level and the city is already settled... I know that there is a way, as you my friend R.F. are in the top ten in chieftain also :)

Just yesterday completed the full game of this week, got place 22 at that time :(

this of course only applies at the higher levels (e.g. deity) where you do not start with a city but a settler.

Well, many have managed the Deity 2800. It'll make next weeks puzzle all the more competitive. Anyone try cracking that Cheiften score? Closest I and a couple other got is 2600, just cann't seem to get any closer. I've come close to Grumbles 2700. Azzie's keep denying me, but Spain can be taken by 2800. Getting there by 2900 is kinda hard. Mixed my strat like a scrambled egg trying to spawn a settler at Kyoto's barb, still a no go. Use a hut to get tech, no spawn, use your scientist, one turn too late.
There's still time.

I completely sux at GOTW :(

I have to write down all the possible variables, I want to get better for this month's competition...

Offtopic: Here in Mexico is difficult to find anyone that plays this game, I've searching people to share thoughts but nobody has playing the game... Sad :(