G-Minor 26

Play a game as Toku which required Astronomy to get off my island and still got a 1160AD finish, currently 2nd. I'm not sure whether Praets or Combat I melee units are overall more useful, but currently I suspect that Axes would fairly easily get the required land limit (with catapult support as cultural defense gets to 60%) a sub 500ad finish may be possible from more skilled players. Personally, I feel I can hit a sub-1000AD finish with a little luckier Iron location and accessability to other civ's lands.
 
I got a 1265 finish in my first try, as Toku vanilla. I used snaky continents but high seas to minimize necessary land - needed something like 390 squares. Was on largest island, but that only got about 30% of the land and I still had to conquer 2.5 civs on individual smaller islands and settle 3 more on my own to hit the limit.

Is it the consensus that the additional squares needed on low seas (anyone know a typical number?) is offset by the potential larger size of your starting island and possibility of having almost all the AI on it?
 
I feel I need too much land on low seas, mainly because I still need astronomy in the end. Guess I've been unlucky with my maps.
High seas poses a problem because I have to build more galleys/galleons and find the land.
I submitted a small improvement over my best finish but it got rejected because I forgot to save after I won, after which I reloaded the autosave of 2 whole turns earlier.
I'm thinking about giving up on this gauntlet anyway. Partially because I know people get pre-1100 AD finishes with this and I can't get below 1400 AD. :(

@ FiveAces: you'd typically need about 700 squares on low seas. I don't know which is easier, low or high, see above.
 
Don't give up! It's not so much about beating other's dates as improving your own play. Notice what things slow you down and what things you can improve on, and use them to improve your date. Also, getting a settler from a hut is very useful.
 
Alright, I'll give it another shot. But I'm not sure how to proceed. I need to start expanding and conquering as early as possible, without crippling my economy. Or do I value my economy too much?
I just remember, I missed the Oracle in my last game. I think I have to pop rush a lot more too and maybe bulb some techs.
Well, I'll try again. :)
 
Damn, I've made three attempts and all have just failed miserably... last one I was Catherine vanilla and I had a gamebreaking 3 settlers in three huts before turn 5, until I found out I couldn't see anymore land.

Stupid map.
 
I was lucky with my map this time. I picked 10 opponents, low seas, snaky continents and got 1 landmass with enough land to get the win (after regenerating about 6 times, the first starting location that actually seemed to indicate an at least 6 tile wide patch of land). I won in 1355 AD, still not very good, but at least it's my best.
I always take very long to get to the other civs, even on this map. It's very annoying to conquer 3 civs and have my land at 15%. After that, it seems to take ages (not only in-game ;)) to get the others. Slowly my land increases...15...20...25...30, yay half way through. Where's the rest? I see Cyrus' borders, Ramesses', Victoria's, even Isabella's whom I had to get to by detour. Yes, the continent wasn't exactly one solid lump of land either.
My pretorians and macemen take longer and longer to get to the battlezone. Then there is...engineering, +1 road movement. Now it takes only slightly longer and longer. More and more units crawl over the map. The 5-10-15 turns it takes for any produced unit to get where he is needed seems to last forever. Centuries pass by...800 AD...1000 AD...1200 AD (yes it goes that fast, really :O). Finally, I raze Bismarck's capital, shortly after I destroyed the Spanish. It's 1300 AD, and the 4 cities I conquered last have 3 turns remaining for their revolt. *Sigh*...now that too...I was basically done already. I was running at zero science and 50% culture for a little while now. Land was at 52%, 54%, 55,8%...ah dammit! Another turn down the drain.
Then it came...pop-up window...guy slamming flag into earth (realy love that part)...and a big sigh of relief. :)
At least I'm done, now can I go to bed? First day at college tomorrow...

Maybe I'll find time to try again sometime next week. Until then...I still hate quick speed maps. Quick my foot, or better yet, my soldier's feet. :crazyeye:
 
Wow I just tried this one and did'nt even get there, the land is really quite difficult to get a grip on. I guess I waited too long to goto war. I think I'll try with Japan and be a lot more aggressive in my play style. Still it is interesting to see how quickly some of you guys are managing it.
 
I just submitted my 1st HOF/Gauntlet game, getting a 1345AD finish. I played as Catherine, selected random max opponents (with Inca), snaky, medium sea level.

The start location wasn't brilliant (no mapfinder, but I did regenerate once), and the map itself was a logistics nightmare (I had only 1 AI as neighbour - Alex), I had to conquer/settle 10+ landmasses for 56% land (~495 tiles?).

I think her traits (Creative/Fin) and UU are pretty good for this game, if not for a fastest win, but for a half-decent finish time. I could try again, but Domination isn't my cup of tea - I might try my hand at the OCC gauntlet instead.
 
Wow I just tried this one and did'nt even get there, the land is really quite difficult to get a grip on. I guess I waited too long to goto war. I think I'll try with Japan and be a lot more aggressive in my play style. Still it is interesting to see how quickly some of you guys are managing it.

I started with 1885 AD two weeks ago. So you can improve a lot if you keep trying this gauntlet. :)

Japan is a good choice, as stated on the first page. Other good choices are Kublai and Augustus if you have Warlords. I did a 1485 AD finish with Cyrus and comparing that to my best score he's not so bad to play as either. :) And you really need to be agressive. And lucky with the map too.

Oh yeah...finally remember to ask this: I can't get the map finder to work. When I press ALT-M it says path invalid or something. I assume it means I have to change the search directory. Can anyone tell me how it works?
 
Oh yeah...finally remember to ask this: I can't get the map finder to work. When I press ALT-M it says path invalid or something. I assume it means I have to change the search directory. Can anyone tell me how it works?
Run the Civ4_Map_Finder.exe. It will ask to update the HOF ini file for Vanilla. If you pick Warlords off the Version menu it will ask to update the warlords HOF in file.

Otherwise, you need to update the Map Finder path, the Save path and the Rule file in the HOF ini file for each version. You can use the in-game Options menu or notepad.
 
How come nobody has mentioned the Vikings as a possible civ to use here?

I did, sorta. :mischief:

I used high sea levels and the traits/UB(+fast ships)/UU were definitely helpful, but not enough for me, I got a 14xxAD win. I just finished with the civ I usually play (Julius) and got a 1295AD (though the save is named 1265, WTF?). A praet rush does wonders for early expansion - I took out two civs fairly early and was able to just proceed south down the continent (4 other civs on it total) but the last two civs toughened up. By that time I discovered WangKon in galley range of the northwestern tip and got praets at him while he still had only archers. About the same time that I got Astronomy, and found Napoleon isolated and archer-only the same as Wang, I was able to get the force that took Korea down to take France while my continent-finishers galleoned up and headed for the remaining cluster of AIs. A couple cities of Washington's put me over the limit. And a Great Artist culture-bomb is great for getting a single settler to immediately occupy an entire decent-sized but otherwise-unoccupied island.

I might take one more shot at this one next weekend, to see if I can make better use of Ragnar's traits. :viking:
 
Run the Civ4_Map_Finder.exe. It will ask to update the HOF ini file for Vanilla. If you pick Warlords off the Version menu it will ask to update the warlords HOF in file.

Otherwise, you need to update the Map Finder path, the Save path and the Rule file in the HOF ini file for each version. You can use the in-game Options menu or notepad.

Okay, got it to work. There was already a possibility to set directories in the options of the HOF mod, but I hadn't downloaded the map finder itself. :crazyeye:
I'll check the program later, it looks a bit complicated. :)

EDIT: I can no longer see what position I am. Normal?
 
Okay, got it to work. There was already a possibility to set directories in the options of the HOF mod, but I hadn't downloaded the map finder itself. :crazyeye:
I'll check the program later, it looks a bit complicated. :)
It isn't that complicated. Anyway, I just look at the pictures. :mischief:

EDIT: I can no longer see what position I am. Normal?
Well, you triggered/found a interesting bug. You last submission didn't include the Inca as an opponent. The opponent check must be a second pass filter. It must have bumped the previous one out on the first pass but then got filtered out from the final list.

I don't know that we will be able to fix it right away. If we don't we will adjust the standings accordingly when it is over.

Of course, you could save us a lot of trouble and just submit another one with a better date and include the Inca this time. :mischief:
 
Of course, you could save us a lot of trouble and just submit another one with a better date and include the Inca this time. :mischief:

Me saving you trouble by going through 3< hours of gaming?? :lol:

Sure thing ;)

Thanks for changing it, I might have tried again anyway, but I'll surely do so now.
Forgot Capac eh, no wonder I improved my finish. :mischief:
 
I'm having some good results with Ragnar. Beserkers are cool. Although when I say "good", all I really mean "I am going to be able to finish this".

It has been a challenge to get out of One City Challenge mode though. I can't remember what I am supposed to be doing with all these extra cities!
 
Whew! Finished my first Gauntlet ever! I know 1928 on this map is nothing to crow about, but it's a start. Used Kublai with vanilla Civ ... creative and aggressive, pretty nice combo.

In hind site, I probably spent too long building my economy before my conquest. I was only using axes/swords against 1 opponent before the switch to maces. I cleaned up, but it took a while.
 
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