6K Man
Bureaucrat
I used to reload.
A lot.
I called it "correcting stupid errors"
I called it "test cases"
I called it "not letting 1 mistake ruin a game"
I called it "fixing imbalanced things"
But I'm better now. I am a reformed reloader. I have learned from the error of my ways. And in the spirit of the furtherance of knowledge, I will share this wisdom with you all.
Without a great deal of additional ado... The 7 Degrees of Reloading
Reloading in the 0th degree
Your 24-Civ Huge map pangaea game just crashed for the nth time, or your desktop PC suffered a power failure.
Shame level: Nil. Unless your power failed because you stopped paying your bills in favour of playing more Civ.
Solutions: Get a job that pays the bills. Or a better PC.
Reloading in the 1st degree
Your cat, or your moronic infant, pressed a bunch of keys randomly.
Shame level: Practically nil. Unless the cat that walked across your keyboard was one of, say, 7 cats in total.
Solutions: Office door with a lock. Vasectomy (or tubal ligation, if you have those parts). Really, you have multiple cats?
Reloading in the 2nd degree
Misclicking. Your Worker walks towards the barb Warrior with its last move, instead of away from it. The goto function sucks. While grouping units together, the pathing line stayed on screen and took you in the wrong direction... And your stack is now on a grassland tile, instead of the forested hill it was on before.
Shame level: Low. Sometimes commanders make mistakes. It is historical fact that David Beatty actually misclicked both the Indefatigable and Queen Mary. Misclicks are a part of war, and a real leader would suck it up and deal with them.
Solutions: Pay attention! And maybe stop trying to Civ while holding a conversation with your girlfriend/boss/mom. Remember that old saw about chasing two rabbits?
Reloading in the 3rd degree
Also known as "oh, I meant to stop that worker from finishing its chop last turn", and/or "why am I not in Hereditary Rule/Representation despite finishing the Pyramids 50 turns ago?"
Shame level: Low-ish. Really, which would you rather be, forgetful or klutzy?
Solutions: As 2nd degree, above. Reminders (as in BUG, or LoR). You weren't seriously going to go back 50 turns and revolt to Rep, were you?
Reloading in the 4th degree
"Sure, I could finish the Great Library for 3 pop points in my National Epic city. But it'll finish naturally in 6 turns anyway, why bother?"
--------------------5 turns later---------------------------
The Great Library has been completed in a distant land!
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: Medium. You gambled, and lost. But if you never lose, is it really gambling? Suck it up.
Solutions: Espionage? Better attention paid to the Techs screen? Or maybe realizing that whipping 3 pop points to finish the GL is really only 1 net pop point? And they do grow back, y'know.
Reloading in the 5th degree
"I could capture that city with any number of my units, but my GG Panzer can get 2 free XP by killing off that last defender"
Heinz Guderian has died in Combat!
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: High. Units die. Deal with it.
Solutions: Super medic instead. And did you know that with 5 Settled GG, you can start units at level 5 without too much trouble (Barracks/Drydock/Stable+ 2 of Theology/Pentagon/Vassalage)?
Reloading in the 6th degree
"Bombarding takes too long and just gives the AI a chance to build/whip more defenders. I'll suicide 6 Cats against his Longbow-defended capital, and then my 17 Horse Archers/Swordsmen/Axeman should be able to mop up... After all, there are only 5 defenders!"
--------------------23 clicks later-----------------
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: High, if you go back to the beginning of the turn and decide to start bombarding that 80% culture. EXTREME, if you keep reloading until you pull 5 wins out of 17 attackers, all attacking with odds between 2% and 24%.
Solutions: When you think you have enough seige, bring 50% more. Pillage the everloving bejazus out of his lands in the meantime... it's not like his 5 Longbows are gonna come out and stop you.
Reloading in the 7th degree
"Wow, Mansa Musa is teching slowly... that's one hell of a civic change he's going through."
Mansa Musa has won a Cultural Victory!
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: EXTREME. Dude, Mansa is Spiritual.
Solutions: Victory screen? Espionage? Please tell me you aren't going to go back 30+ turns, whip/draft together an army, and go raze his capital? It hurts just thinking about that.
A lot.
I called it "correcting stupid errors"
I called it "test cases"
I called it "not letting 1 mistake ruin a game"
I called it "fixing imbalanced things"
But I'm better now. I am a reformed reloader. I have learned from the error of my ways. And in the spirit of the furtherance of knowledge, I will share this wisdom with you all.
Without a great deal of additional ado... The 7 Degrees of Reloading
Reloading in the 0th degree
Your 24-Civ Huge map pangaea game just crashed for the nth time, or your desktop PC suffered a power failure.
Shame level: Nil. Unless your power failed because you stopped paying your bills in favour of playing more Civ.
Solutions: Get a job that pays the bills. Or a better PC.
Reloading in the 1st degree
Your cat, or your moronic infant, pressed a bunch of keys randomly.
Shame level: Practically nil. Unless the cat that walked across your keyboard was one of, say, 7 cats in total.
Solutions: Office door with a lock. Vasectomy (or tubal ligation, if you have those parts). Really, you have multiple cats?
Reloading in the 2nd degree
Misclicking. Your Worker walks towards the barb Warrior with its last move, instead of away from it. The goto function sucks. While grouping units together, the pathing line stayed on screen and took you in the wrong direction... And your stack is now on a grassland tile, instead of the forested hill it was on before.
Shame level: Low. Sometimes commanders make mistakes. It is historical fact that David Beatty actually misclicked both the Indefatigable and Queen Mary. Misclicks are a part of war, and a real leader would suck it up and deal with them.
Solutions: Pay attention! And maybe stop trying to Civ while holding a conversation with your girlfriend/boss/mom. Remember that old saw about chasing two rabbits?
Reloading in the 3rd degree
Also known as "oh, I meant to stop that worker from finishing its chop last turn", and/or "why am I not in Hereditary Rule/Representation despite finishing the Pyramids 50 turns ago?"
Shame level: Low-ish. Really, which would you rather be, forgetful or klutzy?
Solutions: As 2nd degree, above. Reminders (as in BUG, or LoR). You weren't seriously going to go back 50 turns and revolt to Rep, were you?
Reloading in the 4th degree
"Sure, I could finish the Great Library for 3 pop points in my National Epic city. But it'll finish naturally in 6 turns anyway, why bother?"
--------------------5 turns later---------------------------
The Great Library has been completed in a distant land!
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: Medium. You gambled, and lost. But if you never lose, is it really gambling? Suck it up.
Solutions: Espionage? Better attention paid to the Techs screen? Or maybe realizing that whipping 3 pop points to finish the GL is really only 1 net pop point? And they do grow back, y'know.
Reloading in the 5th degree
"I could capture that city with any number of my units, but my GG Panzer can get 2 free XP by killing off that last defender"
Heinz Guderian has died in Combat!
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: High. Units die. Deal with it.
Solutions: Super medic instead. And did you know that with 5 Settled GG, you can start units at level 5 without too much trouble (Barracks/Drydock/Stable+ 2 of Theology/Pentagon/Vassalage)?
Reloading in the 6th degree
"Bombarding takes too long and just gives the AI a chance to build/whip more defenders. I'll suicide 6 Cats against his Longbow-defended capital, and then my 17 Horse Archers/Swordsmen/Axeman should be able to mop up... After all, there are only 5 defenders!"
--------------------23 clicks later-----------------
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: High, if you go back to the beginning of the turn and decide to start bombarding that 80% culture. EXTREME, if you keep reloading until you pull 5 wins out of 17 attackers, all attacking with odds between 2% and 24%.
Solutions: When you think you have enough seige, bring 50% more. Pillage the everloving bejazus out of his lands in the meantime... it's not like his 5 Longbows are gonna come out and stop you.
Reloading in the 7th degree
"Wow, Mansa Musa is teching slowly... that's one hell of a civic change he's going through."
Mansa Musa has won a Cultural Victory!
"%$#@*!"
Shame level: EXTREME. Dude, Mansa is Spiritual.
Solutions: Victory screen? Espionage? Please tell me you aren't going to go back 30+ turns, whip/draft together an army, and go raze his capital? It hurts just thinking about that.