Personally, I would love to see you try the upgraded AI. I started using it a month and a half ago and it makes the cpu opponents much more realistic.
That's three iterations of the game--about 10 years if past history is any indication! Am I really going that slow?!?
you're your own boss, so you choose.Intriguing ideas. I'll consider them. I have to confess that I'm very interested to try out Cyrus/Persia and Isabella/Spain. Stalin is interesting too since his traits seem like an inherent contradiction (war or build, war or build?).
now now nowAs for America, I have the greatest respect and affection for our cousins south of the border. (I love calling them that, since it makes them do a mental double-take. ) However, I preferred Washington's trait combination before Warlords and played several vanilla games with him. Like Catherine, Genghis Khan, and Caesar, I think he got nerfed and that's unfortunate, especially since his UU and UB come so late.
I understand toning down certain game features that are borderline exploits (like the CS Slingshot, chopping, and so on). I can even live with nerfing some of the best UUs like Redcoats and Cossacks. However, I don't understand why they felt compelled to make some of the fans' favourite leaders less formidable. If a player wants a challenge, he/she can always try moving up a level or playing as a different leader; heck, I've practically made an on-line career out of the latter. The AI, on the other hand, usually needs all the help it can get. I've been tempted to change some of the traits back to their old settings for my off-line games.
(Though you can go overboard there; just for fun I made a mod that changed Julius Caesar to Aggressive and Organized, as well as replacing Fishing with The Wheel as a starting tech. Cheap barracks, easy hook-up of early resources, and especially automatic Combat I Praetorians made him ridiculously overpowered.)
you're your own boss, so you choose.
Cyrus was leader of WotM 7. This means that a good deal of people just played him. He's a big warmonger, though with good synergetic options.
+ some of the best having just played him there is quite some reference in the gotm subforum...
Personally, I would love to see you try the upgraded AI. I started using it a month and a half ago and it makes the cpu opponents much more realistic.
I prefer not to introduce any mods into the ALCs. I want anyone to be able to load the saved games rather than having to find, dl, and install a mod. And I want the games to be comparable to the regular game; a lot of players don't play with mods, or if they do, everybody has a favourite. Far better to use the standard game as a point of reference.Are you talking about better AI? I messed around with this, and at times they were better, and other times not so much. A few times they would not expand at all. They were playing OCC, I guess.
As far as fractal goes, I would like to see you move away from this as well. Too many times it is either isolated or on a long snaky pangea type landmass. This makes it too easy for the human player to manipulate relations and tech trade, at least I think so. And takes the fun out of finding out who the neighbors are.
If you are looking for more of a challenge, would adding a civ and playing random # if continents help? There is a new speed mod out now that helps reduce the turn time in unmodded games. I have played with it a bit and it seems to be pretty effective.
i actually thought it was perhaps Blake's AI (which I use), but i find that more and more, my military tech order is BW (yup, no Copper) > Archery > IWStrangely, I've noticed that copper seems surprisingly scarce on fractal maps while horses and iron are quite common.
I suspect that while the discussion may be the highlight for you the game updates are the highlight for 90%+ of your subscribers (including me). Its one thing to talk about such and such a strategy but its seeing what you do with it (or not!) that keeps the interest (and the ideas) going.
Isolated start is certainly a different challenge, fortunate that you got it playing Mehmed.
I suspect that while the discussion may be the highlight for you the game updates are the highlight for 90%+ of your subscribers (including me). Its one thing to talk about such and such a strategy but its seeing what you do with it (or not!) that keeps the interest (and the ideas) going.
Isolated start is certainly a different challenge, fortunate that you got it playing Mehmed.
Okay, but there's definite synergy between the updates and the discussion.
It's one thing to postulate strategies in theory in the strategy threads and articles. The idea of these games is to see how those strategies and tactics play out, especially when variables such as the geography and neighbours come into play.
I've seen that option, of course, but I've always wondered what the difference is between it and Fractal, aside from the fact that Shuffle will occasionally give you an Archipelago map.On the topic of different maps: Sisiutil, have you tried the Shuffle option?
I've been playing with it lately and I like it a lot.
IIUC, it gives you one of four map types -- Continents, Fractal, Pangaea and Archipelago -- randomly with an equal chance. You'll realize pretty quickly which type you are on, but it definitely adds an interesting extra level of suspense in the first few turns.
If you want to try different map types, maybe this might be a way to go?
cheers,
Waldo
I see your point. I seem to recall that I tried those maps as Rome. Though Rome starts with Fishing, it was frustrating not being able to use Praetorians effectively.
Sounds like I should try the map while playing as someone like Elizabeth--also starts with Fishing, but has a later UU.
Maybe I'll give it a try off-line and see what I think. Even so, I'd rather not get an archipelago may when I have an early UU, and more than I'd want an isolated start. I may choose map types accordingly. Persia, for example, should probably start on a continents map.
I could always combine the pre-game thread with a map poll. I kind of like that idea.If you don't like Archipelago, just do your own Shuffle before starting an ALC
Roll a die
1, 2 Pangea
3,4 Continents
5, 6 Fractal
And don't cheat!! Oh look, I rolled Fractal again
Cheers.
This could just get too involving and confusing, but would it be possible to make [some] future ALCs SALCs?
This could just get too involving and confusing, but would it be possible to make [some] future ALCs SALCs?
There have been so many different ideas and strategies posted that I can't help but wonder just how different things would be right now had we chosen any of those different strategies.
I'm not certain exactly how to implement succession gaming into the ALC without confusing the issue or putting 'too many spoons in the pot' but certainly believe if the element was there, it could shed a lot of light on different strategies and why they work best in certain situations over others.