Has anyone tried this: No-Build Challenge

The No-Build Challenge is a variant of the One-City Challenge (OCC).

With the OCC, you can only ever have one city. The NBC is less stringent: you can haveas many cities as you like. But you can only ever build one -- your first. All cities after that must be captured from other civilizations.

Since this is easier than the OCC, it should robably be played only at Prince level or higher. Extra kudos if you play it to a Domination or Conquest win.

Has anyone tried this? Would anyone like to?


Waldo

Sounds interesting. I usually build ~5 cities then take the rest

vormuir said:

The No-Build Challenge is a variant of the One-City Challenge (OCC).

With the OCC, you can only ever have one city. The NBC is less stringent: you can haveas many cities as you like. But you can only ever build one -- your first. All cities after that must be captured from other civilizations.

Click to expand...

Look, if you are going to do a no build challenge, then it should be a NO build challenge, what?

Sounds good, but sometimes the AI puts cities in the worst spots. Plus the beginning of the game would be so slow. Depending on when you conquer a city, there might be gaps in your borders allowing other AI civs to plop a city down.

This would definitely be a challenge. I'll give it a shot when I finish my current game. I'll try it as China.

Balliso said:

Sounds interesting. I usually build ~5 cities then take the rest

Click to expand...

ditto.

Well, since the ai usually builds right up against cultural border I can see a few cities flipping ownership if u keep culture up.

People have succesfully done no science (slider to 0) or no military games, so I suppose its possible

I usually only build 3 cities anyway. If i play as the incans, I usually get by with just one city and then use quechuas to get the rest.

I did it once, but not intentionally. I was playing an 18 civ game and got hemmed in before I could build a second city. I built the settler, but before I could snag that last open spot, an AI got it. I ended up getting a domination victory without ever founding a second city -- just went on a war spree based out of my capital. That was a rough game, not one I care to repeat.

VoiceOfUnreason said:

Look, if you are going to do a no build challenge, then it should be a NO build challenge, what?

Click to expand...

So, what...you try and conquer yourself a city with your initial warrior? I've actually tried that, and it can't be done. You see, at levels above noble, the AI starts out with a free archer at the very least. 1 Warrior cannot defeat a fortified archer in a city, and by the time you find and reach an opponent, they are probably going to have another unit there as well. 2 vs. 5.45 & 1 First-strike gives you something on the order of .01% chance of success.

As for the original challenge proposed, this would basicly be a OCC except that you get none of the building-option bonuses in your capitol, but do have the option of forming an empire. I'm not sure whether it would be easier or harder, but you would certainly have to time your conquest right. I think at least an axe-rush in the beginning would be called for, which wouldn't be too hard since you are already invested in growth and production in your one city. You just have to balance military supremacy with "do they have enough cities to conquer?".

It would depend significantly on resources for your first city: if no copper,iron or horses then very tricky; if you start with copper it would be much easier;Jaguars could become a favourite UU! Along with Quechas; camel archers would come a bit late.

My current game turned that way, pangaea/18civs/marathon/emperor, luckily I spawned Huayna so it wasn't a problem, although I had to go very far to meet my neighbours as there was a 15-tile wide desert/ice ring around my capitol Closest was Mansa, but you can't take Mansa early, so I took out Monty & Isabela to start. Now, domination is very likely to happen.

I recently won an Emporer level, balanced large map, marathon speed, default # of AIs game without laying down a single cottage the whole game. I pillaged all the enemy cottages that I could before I captured their cities, and if any were left I replaced them with other improvements ASAP (sometimes I had to wait for the coast to be clear, i.e. the war to end). I won a Domination in the early 1800s.

I used Saladin, and obviously ran Caste system very early.

It was not easy for me, but I am not that great at this game yet. (I normally can only win like 1/20 Immortal games, and that is assuming a good start). I can win about half of my Emporer games with good starts)

I suggest people try this, it was pretty fun. It gives a whole new appreciation of specialists and especially Caste System.

I also have won a Monarch game as Gandhi without building a single military unit, just like Kylarean did. I tried it after reading his write up. I did majorly cherry pick my start though (I kept regenerating map until I had an oasis in my fat cross start ). I ended up founding all the religions but Islam. It was also quite a fun game.

I have definitely gotten to the point where these "challenges" are keeping the game fresh, as I had settled into a rut when I played (almost always doing the same things, depending on my victory objectives).

Anyway, if anyone else has any weird conditions that they have tried, I am interested in the write ups.

VoiceOfUnreason said:

Look, if you are going to do a no build challenge, then it should be a NO build challenge, what?

Click to expand...

That was hilarious. I'm definitely going to try that myself. Admittedly, you did get rather lucky it seemed on the last attempt, but still, maybe with a little more luck, and only one opponent, it would be possible to at least get started.

Dropping the difficulty might help too.

VoiceOfUnreason said:

Look, if you are going to do a no build challenge, then it should be a NO build challenge, what?

Click to expand...

I am giving it a run.

I am not even trying to capture a city, though. Just trying to keep my scout alive for 6,500 years.

Trying to live like a bohemian hippy for 6 and a half millenium.


Tough for any civ to declare war on me since I will have no territory. Of course, I could tweak the game, go for tiny islands archipelago with just one other civ and hope they leave me alone on Gilligan's Island. If I get lucky enough to get an island with just one or two tiles and no resources, I think I can do it.

I played 4 suicide starts until I got lucky and captured a city.

Civilization: Inca
Difficulty: Noble
Map: Pangea
Size: Standard
Speed: Marathon
Options: Lock Modified Assets, No City Razing

Winning from here is left as an exercise for the reader.

The 100% Slacker Challenge



I have made it past the year 1,000 AD with just my scout.

On Prince.




Pretty boring just hitting the space bar, but I'm still alive!


Gilligan's Island Lives!


There are no winners on Gilligan's Island. Only survivors.

that is the saddest game ever...

Pbhead said:

that is the saddest game ever...

Click to expand...

Well, that's like your opinion, man.




I went exactly as I hoped it would, so in that sense I am very happy.

I just won a space race victory on prince without building a city (Napoleon, fractal map).

It was on a huge map on marathon speed, and found the romans right next to me, so had to take them out with warriors before they could get praetorians.

After that I conquered the russions next to me with swordsmen, and filled up my territory by conquering barbarian cities.

I just finished doing the "incan no-city challenge" on warlord level. After a few starts, I was able to capture a city... then another one. Then a few more, all with quechuas. After that it was pretty much over... but I built stone henge, and did a CS rush just for the heck of it.

Pretty good score too. 40K in 240 AD.