News: WOTM26 - Starts 26 October

WOTM 26: Germany

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/wotm26civ.jpg[/img]

It is Oktoberfest season and, to celebrate, we will playing the German Civilization this month.

Game Details:

Game settings:
Civilization: Germany (Leader: Bismarck; Traits: Expansive and Industrious )
Rivals: 7 AIs
Difficulty: Immortal
Map: Fractal
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No goody huts
Victory Conditions: all enabled.

Bismarck:
Bismarck is Expansive and Industrious and Germany starts with Hunting and Mining. Expansive gives +2 Health per city, 50% faster production of Workers and double production speed of Granary and Harbor. Industrious provides +50% Wonder Production and double production speed of Forges.

Unique unit: Panzer (replaces Tank)
The Panzer starts with Blitz, is +50% versus Armored Units and does not receive defensive bonuses. It requires Industrialism, Rifling and Oil.

Unique building: Assembly Plant(replaces Factory)
Having an Assembly Plant allows you to turn 4 Citizens into Engineers, has +50% with Power. The build speed is increased +50% with Coal. The Assembly Plant is required to build a Coal Plant, Hydro Plant or Nuclear Plant.

Starting screenshot
This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):



Challenger Class Equalisers:

Your game is played on Deity level.

Adventurer Class bonuses:

Your game is played on Emperor level.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open on 26 October 2009. From that date, you'll be able to get the starting saves -->Here<--. Use the same URL to submit your completed entry, which you must do by 7 December 2009.

Civ version

This game MUST be played in Warlords (NOT Beyond the Sword or vanilla Civ), patched to version 2.13, as modified by BtS version 3.13, and with the correct HOF mod version installed.

Windows players
You can download version HOF-2.13.004 of the HOF mod here. Note that this is the new version of the HOF mod, first used for WOTM 25. For game security reasons this HOF mod version requires you to be logged in with an account that has admin privileges when you are playing for your game to be a valid entry to the GOTM competition. You'll see a warning dialog if you attempt to start a session without appropriate privileges.

If you have not installed BtS, you will need to update the relevant DLL files in order to match the Locked Assets checks. These are available here

Mac players will also require the 2.13 patch, with HoF Mod version HOF-Mac-2.13.001.

While playing...

Remember - for your entry to be accepted, it MUST be your first attempt to play this game, and you MUST NOT replay any turns. If you make a mistake while playing, you have to live with it, learn from it, and carry on the game without replaying.

We will open 'spoiler' threads towards the end of October for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.

Ooo, Immortal level. This will be a challenge I think I'll take seriously, having only won a handful of Immortal level games.

Lovely starting location too. Only thing extra I could wish for are some more food resources so that we could actually work all those plains hills...

Nice bunch of plains hills, but we need more food to work them.
Scout could go N-NE, to see if there is any food there. Otherwise I am tempted to move 1N, losing one FP, but hoping something good shows up.

Immortal+no early UU+no warmongering traits+normal speed = military games could be very hard. Probably going to shoot for the stars, and hope to edge out the AI.

Could not the flood plains be the food? Once windmills roll around it would be a nice city in my book.

hmmm...Normal or Adventurer this time out. I'm starting to kick ass on Noble now, but the game is likely to do the same to me.

Can i be conquered by those Germans?

I've been thinking of an early strategy for this game...

The Great Wall gives Engineer right? Perhaps an early GW, cross my fingers and hope I can still Oracle MC, build a cheap forge for some more Engineer and rush the Pyramids when the GE pops.

What else is the Industrious trait really good for?

I agree with Fluroscent about the opening moves. If there is better food that just floodplains nearby, I definitely want to use it.

I've attached a couple of test games for you to plan your openings. But what lies in the fog to the north...?

Question for the experienced Warlord players here. If possible, please provide me a brief list of general strategies for playing Warlord - regardless of leaders and difficulty. I'm thinking about things like tech path, war strategy, REXing, and maybe build orders. Basically, I'm trying to understand if there are basic strategies that work here vs. say BTS, which is more popular. (Obviously, things like espionage are out. I really only played the scenarios on Warlord. Thanks, much appreciated.

My best advice would be to spend a little bit of time and play the game.

From memory, I can think of a few things:
1. No espionage = no spy = you get engineer from the Great Wall

2. There's also no Apostolic Palace, so forget about anything to do with that.

3. There are no Corporations. In BtS when going for space I think you'll probably go either corporations with a fairly compact empire, or state property with a massive empire. In Warlords I think your best bet is State Property if you're big enough to warrant it.

4. Caste System does NOT give an extra to workshops. Which is a shame, since that's one of my favourite things about Caste System in BtS.

5. I'm not 100% sure of the game mechanic that controls this, but it seems that if the AI learns a tech that enables a new unit upgrade, they'll upgrade all of their units immediately and seemingly 0 cost. This is especially annoying if you're fighting an early war with an AI and they research Feudalism just as your stack arrives at their capital.

6. Some of the spaceship techs have changed. Eg, you now need Robotics to build the SS Docking Bay - previously you could ignore Robotics completely.

7. (Most important!) Siege units can KILL!!! This is a huge change in military tactics. Basically siege units are all you really need, and lots and lots of them. Maybe bring some other things to protect the stack, but otherwise you don't need a lot else. There is also no Flanking damage from Mounted Units. So not only can you have a massive stack of siege units, they cannot be as effectively killed as in BtS.

Thanks, adrian. So would you say cottages are pretty important in Warlords? Interesting about cats. I've noticed that the kill in Warlords, but never that of a cat SoD.

I think cottages are still as important as they have always been. Perhaps the only change for improvements might be that workshops are slightly less great under Caste System, so you might not find them hugely valuable until the late game.

Another few of things I've remembered:
1. Cavalry do not need the Rifling tech. So they are much easier to get to, since they need only Military Tradition, Gunpowder and Horses.

2. There is no such tech as Military Science. Military Academies are enabled by Education, West Point is enabled by Military Tradition, and you can build Grenadiers with only the knowledge of Chemistry. So Grenadiers could come much sooner than Riflemen (Plus they are on the way to Steel, required for Cannons)

3. Golden ages aren't as good. They don't double or , you DON'T get the free civic changes, and the first one costs 2 great people. You do get the extra in every tile with and the extra in every tile with , but unless you have a pretty big empire (eg, late game) I don't think they are really worth it.

Good stuff. It's amazing how these changes can effect one's approach. I've been a workshop whore lately. Even though certain military type techs are missing, the game seems geared more toward military exploit. Sounds like pushing for chem/steel is the way to go. Not sure about immortal though since it's above my level. I'm just going to try to survive. (I have been getting a lot better of late though)

I mainly just played the scenarios way back when in Warlords and then exclusively BTS. The Warlords scenarios are strictly about conquest and I didn't play the game then like it should be played anyway.

Is wonder spamming recommended in this game with Bizman?

I've heard that Deity is easier with BtS. What about Immortal? Is Immortal Warlords harder than Immortal BtS?

This Immortal game will be easier than BOTM22 adventurer - AIs will start with only one settler.

Conquer my continent (if possible) and go to Space. I think game over when you build the last part. Or do you have to hit the button? No ten turns to capture enemy capital?

---
No hops available . There should be wheat and wine and pigs.

Deckhand said:

This Immortal game will be easier than BOTM22 adventurer - AIs will start with only one settler.

Click to expand...

The number of AI units in each save are adjusted for the difficulty level for .
Adventurer is Emperor and starts with 2 Archers, 2 Scouts, 1 Worker and 1 Settler.
Contender is Immortal and starts with 3 Archers, 2 Scouts, 2 Workers and 1 Settler.
Challenger is Deity and starts with 4 Archers, 2 Scouts, 2 Workers and 2 Settlers.

is slightly different.
Emperor starts with 2 Archers, 2 Scouts and 1 Settler.
Immortal starts with 3 Archers, 2 Scouts, 1 Worker and 1 Settler.
Deity starts with 4 Archers, 2 Scouts, 1 Worker and 2 Settlers.

Deckhand said:

No hops available . There should be wheat and wine and pigs.

Click to expand...

They are certainly there, somewhere.
Tried to change their Unique Building to Fest Tent, but couldn't find an icon.

adrianj said:

I've been thinking of an early strategy for this game...

The Great Wall gives Engineer right? Perhaps an early GW, cross my fingers and hope I can still Oracle MC, build a cheap forge for some more Engineer and rush the Pyramids when the GE pops.

What else is the Industrious trait really good for?

I agree with Fluroscent about the opening moves. If there is better food that just floodplains nearby, I definitely want to use it.

Click to expand...

Great Walls and Oracle on Immortal - this means no 2nd city and in case of bad luck and 7 (!) AIs, by the time you start to settle there is only few space left...

the problem about more food is seeing it - your scout will not help you much...

I expect to:
Settle in place.
Build worker, then units and settlers.
Research to see copper, then to get agriculture.
Farm some flood plains and mine some plains hills (and the gold).
Explore to find nearby city-sites.
Hope that I don't get pasted by the other Civs before I can stand up.

blubmuz said:

can i be conquered by those germans?

Click to expand...

yes please!

Thanks for the rundown and the test games AJ!

Meister Maggi said:

Great Walls and Oracle on Immortal - this means no 2nd city and in case of bad luck and 7 (!) AIs, by the time you start to settle there is only few space left...

the problem about more food is seeing it - your scout will not help you much...

Click to expand...

GW + Oracle worked for me in a test game, with the second city building the Oracle. The Great Wall in the capital was a handy production filler while the city grew to max size (size 6 with the gold), and keeping the immortal barbs out was certainly useful.

But you are right, if you're cramped for space with many AI nearby it probably isn't the best route.

I think my first tech will be agriculture so I can farm some floodplains and get to a good size to work as many of those hills as possible. Depending on how close by the AI are, I'll either go Masonry 2nd for the GW, or BW so I can quickly claim some copper and chop out a settler or two.

Oh, another difference between Warlords and BtS - Expansive gives +50% production to worker. Better than the +25% in BtS.

BLubmuz said:

Can i be conquered by those Germans?

Click to expand...

It would appear that you already have been ...

dV