Challenge-XIX-08

[Noble Zarkon]

​

While the general Hall of Fame is an ongoing competition, we are running a series of ten games called the Hall of Fame Challenge Series - "Fall of the Inca II". Standard Hall of Fame rules (*) still apply, but your best submission meeting the settings of one of the games will be counted towards the Challenge.

(*) Please read the >> HOF rules << BEFORE playing!
(*) Games must be played using the >> BUFFY MOD 3.19.003 << or >>>BUFFY MOD 3.19.004b<<<.
(*) Games to be submitted via the >> Civ IV Hall of Fame Website <<
(*) New players, please >> register << using your CFC forum name

Settings:

• Victory Condition: Espionage (though all victory conditions must be enabled)
• Difficulty: Deity
• Starting Era: Any
• Map Size: Standard
• Speed: Epic
• Map Type: Hemispheres
• Civ: England (Elizabeth)
• Opponents: Must include Byzantium (Justinian), India (Asoka), Maya (Pacal), Ottoman (Mehmed II), Sumeria (Gilgamesh)
• Version: 3.19.004b
• Date: 10th September 2017 to 9th March 2018

Must not play as Inca.
The earliest finish date wins, with score as a tiebreaker.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

The good news about this Deity challenge is that the slot is empty so there's a real incentive to compete, perhaps some people might like to give an Espionage victory a try for the first time?

Please use Buffy version 3.19.004b for this game, if you forget post in here and I can sort manually but much easier if you use the correct version.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

What exactly is an espionage victory? I think it's a cultural victory where you uses spies to give your culture to another city and then take that city?

 

[lymond]

What exactly is an espionage victory? I think it's a cultural victory where you uses spies to give your culture to another city and then take that city?

You are correct.

 

[Fippy]

..but what are the restrictions compared to normal culture, how much do you have to use that Plastic Ducks trick?

 

[elitetroops]

..but what are the restrictions compared to normal culture, how much do you have to use that Plastic Ducks trick?

Technically you don't even need to use espionage to increase culture in your legendary cities. If I'm not mistaken, the submission engine only checks if you have performed any spread culture espionage missions at all. It can't tell in which cities those are performed.

 

[lymond]

Yep, Elite is basically correct here. Noble knows the code better, but is on his way to Singapore, but basically there are no restrictions in terms of Espionage culture in a game designated as such. So really the check is in place for a non-Espionage culture victory.

 

[Fippy]

That an okay culture date?
Mansa stole my Sistine -.-

Spoiler :

Funny starting posi, but was not optimal i think..got no reli spreads, only Islam very late and only 2 Cathedrals.

Spoiler :

 

[Major Tom]

I havent looked into this espionage assisted culture. In what cities did your spies spread culture and you later capture, Fippy?

 

[Fippy]

Hiya Tom, well i did just run one "fake" culture spread mission..hmm nope actually 2 cos first spy was caught,
in a city i gifted Asoka when he was down to 3 cities (so he would accept them anywhere).

Calling them espionage games is imo unnecessary, i would prefer if we stick with culture and official victory conditions.
Cos it's culture anyways, nobody would actually use espio missions for those games..was useful for one sgotm game, and a very nice find there, but it's useless for HoF.

 

[Major Tom]

Hiya Tom, well i did just run one "fake" culture spread mission..hmm nope actually 2 cos first spy was caught,
in a city i gifted Asoka when he was down to 3 cities (so he would accept them anywhere).

Calling them espionage games is imo unnecessary, i would prefer if we stick with culture and official victory conditions.
Cos it's culture anyways, nobody would actually use espio missions for those games..was useful for one sgotm game, and a very nice find there, but it's useless for HoF.

Yeah, much ado about nothing it seems.

 

[Kaitzilla]

What exactly is an espionage victory? I think it's a cultural victory where you uses spies to give your culture to another city and then take that city?

It is a way to use spies and espionage to massively accelerate a cultural victory, so it is its own category now. (Just need to do 1 "spread culture" spy mission in game)
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/culture-through-espionage-exploit.499578/

The current Cultural Victory record of 1330AD can easily be eclipsed by its dark sister Espionage Victory.
I think 500AD is possible.

Liz is quite a good leader for this.

 

[Fippy]

Well if that's the case (and Kaitzilla plays much better HoF games than me), my apologies for mocking espio victories

 

[Fippy]

In the end i am currently replaying this one, mainly cos the game was fun.

Using normal culture again thou (and 1 fake spy mission), espio victory gameplay feels not entertaining when playing.

 

[Fippy]

Oh my was this fun ~~

1270 AD culture victory, so i ofc did not run a spy mission and use this game for the HoF instead
Look what Justi did so short before legendary in my other 2 cities (that's my first in the screenie), luckily i had 2 units more inside than he had attackers

Spoiler :

Diplo was painful the whole game, with him in Bud and Asoka & Mansa as Judas.

 

[Major Tom]

Hehe, Culture games can be really nervewrecking the last stretch. All diploskills required. There are two others in this challenge. Hope to see you there.

 

[Kaitzilla]

Hemispheres seems to have really fast Wonder times!
Been a while since I've seen 2600BC Pyramids.

Also, the Human Player seems to always group up with AI Number 1, AI Number 3, AI Number 5, AI Number 7, and AI Number 10 on the left continent if using 2 continents and 10 AI.
AI Number 2,4,6,8, and 9 group up on the right continent.

**Edit**
Actually, which continent you start on is random.

 

[Kaitzilla]

Huh, it works 90% of the time.
Sometimes 4AI end up on one continent and 6AI on the other, and then everything gets mixed up.

 

[Fippy]

Yup i played around with that, i usually managed getting Mansa on my continent when picking him first, but not always
Overall i had the feeling it's random, even had some semi-isolated starts lol.

 

[Kaitzilla]

When the Axe rush is too good to be true..



That's when the broad daylight freak power outage strikes!
I will prove that 500AD is possible somehow.