PolyCast Episode 191: "Find a Balance Point"

Carefully now. The one-hundred-and-ninety-first episode of PolyCast, "Find a Balance Point", features regular co-hosts Daniel "DanQ" Quick, "Makahlua", Philip "TheMeInTeam" Bellew and "MadDjinn" with first-time guest co-host Sandy "nerdysandy". Carrying a runtime of 59m59s, the summary of topics is as follows:

- 03m06s | Open Mic
Responding to feedback from Episode 191 and answering an email from "Red" about making co-operative multiplayer Civilization V games enjoyable for those at varying difficulty level proficiencies (11m19s).
- 20m04s | Forum Talk
Taking a pulse on what the best Unique Building in CivV presently is, arguing that chopping Jungle tiles giving one nothing shouldn't be (29m17s), and the prevalence of talking to one's self while playing the game (35m17s).
- 39m27s | Research Lab
Measuring the merit of a suggestion for having land units surrender to enemy armies and getting into a concept for Landmines in the Civilization series (46m05s).
- 51m07s | Miscellaneous
A chart looks to summarize what Civ players mean when they say "one more turn".

- Intro/Outro | Miscellaneous
One listener shares their pleasure in finding the show through another, a second listener on finding it similarly through another and when a dessert fibs.

Recording live before a listening audience every other Saturday, PolyCast is a bi-weekly audio production in an ongoing effort to give the Civ community an interactive voice on game strategy; listeners are encouraged to follow the show on Twitter, and check out the YouTube channel for caption capability. Sibling show RevCast focuses on Civilization: Revolution, ModCast on Civ modding, SCivCast on Civ social gaming and TurnCast on Civ multiplay.

Another excellent episode! I especially liked the new intro. I also found the discussion about working with skill gaps in multiplayer to be helpful, as I've recently been playing with a friend who just upgraded to BNW

(also, thanks for the tip on watching PolyCast on Youtube for a transcription, although I notice that sometimes the CC gets a little... off.)

I noticed this week's forum talk focused on the 2K forums and reddit. Out of curiosity, how are the forums/threads for forum talk selected?

I love polycast but sadly didn't have enough time lately to listen to them in 2013.

Here's a suggestion for the caller, who complained about skill gaps in multiplayer civ, with different AI difficulties.
He COULD arrenge for a team game, where the two skilled people are on opposing teams, each with a weaker teammate, who you can give advice to. Good for balance in many multiplayer games


Here's what I'd like to have more around polycast. Plz don't take this the wrong way, but there should be more CIV5 focused STRATEGY DISCUSSION in polycast.

Consult madjinn or themeinteam or somebody. I know themeinteam is great player in civ4, but he hardly even plays civ5 anymore does he?

I don't visit civfanatics forum that much, so it would be nice to have strategy focused segment in audio format. (so I don't have to read and search everything myself, on the civ5 strategy forums).

strategy focused discussion i.e.

- opening strategies...

-victory-focused strategies

-map-specific strategies

-rush strategies

-scouting strategies (i.e. when you have starting location, what can you deduce from the terrain around you?)
etc...


ps: It was also epic to hear the firaxis people on polycast I gotta admit that was really nice to hear from them back in the day thanks for that.

MattZed said:

Another excellent episode!

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On behalf of myself and fellow co-hosts, thank you kindly.

I especially liked the new intro.

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The introduction follows comparable structure to last season -- how did you find it new, out of curiosity?

(also, thanks for the tip on watching PolyCast on Youtube for a transcription, although I notice that sometimes the CC gets a little... off.)

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, yes, the automatic transcriptions are far from perfect but typically good enough for a general 'gist'.

I noticed this week's forum talk focused on the 2K forums and reddit. Out of curiosity, how are the forums/threads for forum talk selected?

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These topics are selected in a similar fashion to most other segments. I scour a number of forums with Civilization discussion, with a focus on CivV, looking for conversations on those that have been receiving recent intention and are on something that has not been covered on the show before (or, at least, not in the same manner).

Laurwin said:

I love polycast but sadly didn't have enough time lately to listen to them in 2013.

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Fortunately, you can access full archives of the show from its official website. (Going back to and including Season 6, copies are also available from PolyCast's YouTube channel.)

Here's what I'd like to have more around polycast. Plz don't take this the wrong way, but there should be more CIV5 focused STRATEGY DISCUSSION in polycast.

Consult madjinn or themeinteam or somebody.

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Input for topic selections are welcome from my fellow regular co-hosts at all times, but it is almost always left to me to choose them. In my view, game strategy has been and continues to be well covered on PolyCast. It is true that there is no -specific- CivV strategy segment on this episode, but there was on the last and it covered almost half of its runtime (called "Senate"). If you look back at last year's season of the show as further recent comparison, we had extensive post-Brave New World release strategy discussion.

On a related point which ties into a question of MattZed's: last year's survey from our listenership is a primary driving point in terms of what segments should be covered on the show, how frequently they appear and how many topics within each this year. Its results surprised in part where slightly more respondents favoured the inclusion of "Forum Talk" over the "Senate" segment. It also showed considerable favour for "News" as well as "Research Lab"; for full discussion on these survey results, see Episode 190's "Open Mic" segment. In short, it's an ongoing balance.

If there is a specific strategy topic that you would like to hear discussed, yes by all means let us know. A direct or related forum thread referral is preferred for context, but not necessary.

It was also epic to hear the firaxis people on polycast I gotta admit that was really nice to hear from them back in the day thanks for that.

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You are welcome. We hope to have one or more Firaxians back on the show this year as well.

DanQ said:

The introduction follows comparable structure to last season -- how did you find it new, out of curiosity?

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I'm not sure. Maybe it was Makahlua's opening, but it felt like the intro had an especially nice "rhythm" to it, if that makes sense.

MattZed said:

I'm not sure. Maybe it was Makahlua's opening, but it felt like the intro had an especially nice "rhythm" to it, if that makes sense.

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Ah, that part of the introduction.

The theme to the show is 'led' on a rotation by one of the regular co-hosts in the order in which they joined the show; so, this had myself introducing the most previous episode and Phil to introduce the next. This opening is added in post-production from stock clips of each one of us recording set lines.

You mentioned on this Polycast that someone said they’ve never seen the AI build a navy that made it worth building a fleet of Privateers to use against. I don’t know about you guys, but every time I have the Byzantines in a game, they inevitably build a couple dozen Dromen and, even if I have Open Borders with Theodora, my poor Trireme has a hard time navigating her congested coastline.

Also, I loved the discussion about your favorite/the best UBs. It wasn’t too broad of a topic (like, i.e. “What’s the best civ in the game?&#8221 and provided some good insight into them that I hadn’t considered before.

Agreed with Shaglio; and to a lesser extent, it applies to all AIs with naval UUs.

btw the best unique building is NOT coffe house

best unique building IS THE HANSE! (fear the germans for they are coming for you in the dead of night!)

Laurwin said:

btw the best unique building is NOT coffe house

best unique building IS THE HANSE! (fear the germans for they are coming for you in the dead of night!)

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On this topic, I find Windmills useful if I take an AI's coastal capital early (or didn't see a good hill to move my coastal capital to). It helps get things up and running faster in the long run. It's not a building you'll build in most of your cities, but it is useful on occasion. The Engineer slots are good for a Great People factory, as well.

Oh, and thanks for selecting my jungle topic Dan. Despite MadDjinn's point toward the end of the segment that jungles are powerful tiles (with the correct social policies or religion) post-Renaissance, I still believe they're ineffective and punishing tiles in the early game. (Less food than a farm, no way to improve them but removing them - which takes forever!) I've had too many games with a coastal/jungle (or my infamous all jungle for three tile rings start that I posted here several months back) to not see jungle as imbalancing.

shaglio said:

... I loved the discussion about your favorite/the best UBs. It wasn’t too broad of a topic (like, i.e. “What’s the best civ in the game?”) and provided some good insight into them that I hadn’t considered before.

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bcaiko said:

... thanks for selecting my jungle topic Dan.

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You are welcome.

Thanks to Jon and Laurwin for your comments as well.

I suppose you touched on this topic briefly in an above post, but where EXACTLY do the topic selections for the show come from?

And, as a follow-up point, could I request that on the next episode you talk about what you think is next with the Civ series (with the Complete Edition releasing soon) and that you talk about the corresponding patch notes (assuming there is one announced by then, to go along with the CE release)?

Great show as always

Aaron90495 said:

I suppose you touched on this topic briefly in an above post, but where EXACTLY do the topic selections for the show come from?

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I can't tell you "exactly" because the topic selection is more of an art than a science. There's no formula, no theorem but rather the combination of factors I outlined balanced with my judgment.

And, as a follow-up point, could I request that on the next episode you talk about what you think is next with the Civ series (with the Complete Edition releasing soon) and that you talk about the corresponding patch notes (assuming there is one announced by then, to go along with the CE release)?

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The next episode is to be recorded this Saturday. We will certainly be bringing up the official confirmation of Civilization V: Complete as well as new, and free, DLC for the game. Should there be any new patch notes, in turn of confirmation of a patch in the first place , before then then yes, it will be covered to.

Great show as always

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DanQ said:

I can't tell you "exactly" because the topic selection is more of an art than a science. There's no formula, no theorem but rather the combination of factors I outlined balanced with my judgment.


The next episode is to be recorded this Saturday. We will certainly be bringing up the official confirmation of Civilization V: Complete as well as new, and free, DLC for the game. Should there be any new patch notes, in turn of confirmation of a patch in the first place , before then then yes, it will be covered to.

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Thanks for the elaboration, makes sense. I have the next episode circled on my calendar and will certainly listen if time allows

Aaron90495 said:

Thanks for the elaboration, makes sense.

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You are welcome. It's a fair question (and I'm glad that it's still being asked every now and again. )

I have the next episode circled on my calendar and will certainly listen if time allows

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(For those wondering, yes, Aaron is referring to the live recording of Episode 192 this Saturday.)

I have not finished listening to the latest one but have enjoyed several of the archived podcasts recently.

I have just taken up Civ V BNW after getting dumped by my GF and looking for a diversion. I played Civ IV BTS several years ago and then got away from gaming altogether. Now with Civ V BNW I find that most of the info I have found is related to vanilla so your podcasts are helping. Thank You!

Maybe this isn't the place to ask or post but I am going to anyway because I am a little challenged when it comes to forums / gaming. I have a couple of questions and observations about the game.

First of all I really miss Leonard Nimoy but in all fairness that's a tough act to follow.

Secondly I would like to ask how to improve the speed in between turns? I have a new PC with a nice i7 Haswell processor that I put together. I have not put a vid card in yet because I doubt I will get into gaming that much but maybe. Would a nice card improve my speed? I am thinking not but any help or info appreciated.

Lastly, I have a bit of a rant about when the AI demands tribute. I could be wrong about the terminology here but when an AI civ pops up and demands like 980 gold I feel like I have a gun held to my head to make an immediate decision with no other information available. There is no way to consult my advisory counsel or otherwise look at the situation with that civ. I am forced to make an immediate decision. This part of the gameplay seems odd. Maybe it is by design to increase the difficulty or add to the fun but I feel differently. When a civ makes a demand like that it seems to me that would be the best time to have all the tools of diplomacy available. And in the real world I think that such a demand would warrant discussion among the counsel available.

Maybe I am off base here. Any help appreciated. I am a very average player and I am happy just to play. I hope this is not posted in the wrong place and I do enjoy your podcasts.

Thanks,
Mark

WhoGnu said:

I have not finished listening to the latest one but have enjoyed several of the archived podcasts recently.

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I have just taken up Civ V BNW... [..] I played Civ IV BTS several years ago and then got away from gaming altogether. Now with Civ V BNW I find that most of the info I have found is related to vanilla so your podcasts are helping. Thank You!

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Maybe this isn't the place to ask or post but I am going to anyway because I am a little challenged when it comes to forums / gaming. I have a couple of questions and observations about the game. [..]

Any help appreciated. I am a very average player and I am happy just to play. I hope this is not posted in the wrong place and I do enjoy your podcasts.

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I've made note of your questions to be answered on the recording of Episode 193 on February 15th.

Out of curiosity are you a new listener to PolyCast or a new 'again' listener following the release of Brave New World last year? Did you first come across the show here on CFC or..?

Thanks DanQ,

I appreciate the attention but a bit embarrassed. I am not very advanced in my play and I don't know where to post queries so here I am.

To answer your question I am new to polycast. I just purchased Civ V BNW in December without having ever had vanilla. I had never listened to your podcasts until last month. I am basically looking for current info on strategy since most of the info on CFC seems to be for vanilla. I realize I am quite late to the party.

Ironically I got into Civ IV the same way. I found the game after the BTS version was out so I was late to the party there too. And therefore only learned the final version. I found CFC during those days and tried to learn the game. I ran into the same problems of outdated info. I got to where I could play a little on deity but not well or without going back to saves.

Then I got away from gaming altogether until last month.

When I decided to get Civ V I looked for help on CFC and came across your podcast.

I think I just need to play and learn but I appreciate any help your podcast can provide. The real fun is in the learning.

A side note / observation is how technical the terms are on your podcast. I am an avid air gun enthusiast. We have terms on our forums that make no sense to the newbie or casual observer. The same seems to be true for your podcast. There is no good way around it but a reference of some sort could help. Perhaps one exists and I am just not aware of it. Even if there were it would still take time to get the jargon down.

Thanks,
Mark

Civ V Acronyms from the War Academy; which is a subforum of strategy.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=442106

I'm not sure if even the comments have been updated for G&K and BNW, but it's a start.
War Academy also has great articles to get started; unfortunately nothing in the main articles there are BNW specific, but it's a start.

Thanks,

I actually had seen that before.

It just takes time to learn all the jargon so that things make sense. Even with a reference like that.

I think I am just a slow learner

Thanks again