Gotm 125

[Magic_gorter]

Game of the Month 125: August 2011


Game Settings:
Civilization: Vikings
Map: Large map (75x120); random civ's, flat
Difficulty: King
Barbarians: Raging Hordes
Restarts: On
Victory: First to deliver three caravans/freigt to all own four cities (each caravan/freight is from different city)
Special rule #1: You are not allowed to build lighthouse
Special rule #2: No ships before discovery of Magnetism
Special rule#3: No ships before all cities are size 20. Start building them after the last city reaches size 20. You may rush buy them that turn.
Special rule#4: You must build cities with the starting (four) settlers, more cities are not allowed.
Special rule#5: It’s not allowed to conquer/bribe enemy cities.
Special rule#6: You are free to choose which settler builds the first city.
Special rule#6: After Magnetism and size 20 each city must deliver one van/freight to all other three cities.
Special rule#7: You may use the mapeditor to look at the map (at the start of the game).
Save 1: First save after discovery of Magnetism.
Save 2: 2nd save when all cities are size 20.
Save 3: Last save when last van/freight is delivered.


Starting Techs:
~ Alphabet
~ Bronze Working
~ Code of Laws
~ Masonry


This month a special game. Read the special rules carefully.

Games will be due on September 13th, 2011.


Please be sure to follow the submission guidelines when submitting your game (please do not send your files in a .zip file. Attach them directly to your e-mail with your name in the save file). No extra save is needed.


Please sent the savegames only to civ2gotm@gmail.com.

Have fun.

Starting save is here.

 

[Magic_gorter]

If the rules are not clear please ask.

In this game you have to deliver 12 vans/freight. City A to City B, C and D. City B to City A, C and D. City C to City A, B, D and city D to city A, B and C.

 

[Major Advantage]

That sounds highly interesting!

A few questions:
I think it's a scenario-game and therefore free tech-choice?
Are there huts in the game? If so, what about advanced tribes? I guess they should be disallowed if building/taking over cities is forbidden.
What if we should lose a city?
Any restrictions to foreign trade?
Do we have to build the cities at the settler's starting locations? (I hope not)

 

[Magic_gorter]

That sounds highly interesting!

A few questions:
I think it's a scenario-game and therefore free tech-choice?
Are there huts in the game? If so, what about advanced tribes? I guess they should be disallowed if building/taking over cities is forbidden.
What if we should lose a city?
Any restrictions to foreign trade?
Do we have to build the cities at the settler's starting locations? (I hope not)

Yes it's a scenario-game...
Huts are removed...
If you lose a city you've lost the game....so get some defence/offence.

You can't trade with AI civs because you can't leave the islands. If an AI civ lands on your island then you're lucky....

You can move the settlers to better spots....

 

[feelotraveller]

Okay, so I'm probably an idiot - but how do you use the mapeditor to look at the map? I've only ever looked at maps by going to the cheat menu.

 

[haleewud]

The Map Editor is a separate tool. In the Map Editor you can either load a .map file or any .sav file. If you load a .sav file, all units, cities, roads, railroads, mines and irrigation will be removed (just as if it were a .map). I believe it may also show the location of the huts (if they are allowed).

 

[feelotraveller]

Cool, I'll do that.

I have poked around in the map editor a bit before but never found much use for it (no patience to design my own maps). Didn't realize you could load .sav files...

Many thanks.

 

[haleewud]

Is there a real point to special rule #1 (you are not allowed to build the Lighthouse). Magnetism makes the Lighthouse obsolete. Since you can't build ships before Magnetism, the Lighthouse won't ever be able to 'enhance' any ships.

I can't see why anyone would want to build the Lighthouse under the other restrictions.

 

[Ali Ardavan]

Thank you Magic for a very unusual innovative game.

Observations:
1. It is not obvious from the posted graphic; but once you open the game you realize that these 4 settlers are on different islands at the 4 corners of the world. This means 3 of the 4 cities will have huge corruption problems before Democracy. Thus democracy is a top goal in this game.

2. Rule 1 (no Lighthouse) is superfluous in light of rule 2 (no ships before Magnetism) since Magnetism obsoletes Lighthouse.

3. With 1 city per island, raging hordes of barbarians, and losing the game if a city is lost, defense is top priority.

4. Although not strictly required, you will certainly have no chance of winning this game if all 4 cities are not port cities (capable of producing their own ship). This means that 3 out of the 4 settlers have to move.

5. Since you only have 4 cities, each should be at an optimal spot just as you do for OCC. Map analysis is a must. Thankfully, the revealed map makes this a lot easier.

6. Since each Galleon can carry 3 units, you may as well stop research after Magnetism. This being a scenario, there is no tech hiding. You should choose your techs very carefully.

7. Nice relations with the rivals is a must. Appease at all costs.

8. Wonder and infrastructure choices are very unusual in this game. It may look like an OCC times 4 or a small scale landing game (and it certainly resembles those more than a conquest or high score game), but it is not.


Question:
1. What if there is a tie? As in 2 players finishing deliveries in the same turn. I suppose the Civ2 score decides the winner, right?

 

[Major Advantage]

Question:
1. What if there is a tie? As in 2 players finishing deliveries in the same turn. I suppose the Civ2 score decides the winner, right?

I think scoring goes by the usual GOTM-formula. However with population being more or less the the same for everybody, time (=game turns) is way more significant.

I already spend some time on this game and now I think I'm ready to start. (It's all been planning and developing a strategy so far )

 

[Magic_gorter]

Is there a real point to special rule #1 (you are not allowed to build the Lighthouse). Magnetism makes the Lighthouse obsolete. Since you can't build ships before Magnetism, the Lighthouse won't ever be able to 'enhance' any ships.

I can't see why anyone would want to build the Lighthouse under the other restrictions.

While making the map (placing the settlers) I did not looked very closely at the map. The plan was that without being able to build the lighthouse nobody could leave the islands with early ships. Now I've looked better at the map I realize that the islands are near other islands.

So in this case the restriction is a bit pointless. However I won't change the rule because somebody who is already playing might not see the change.

Question:
1. What if there is a tie? As in 2 players finishing deliveries in the same turn. I suppose the Civ2 score decides the winner, right?

Yes. And if they have the same score it will be a tie.

I think scoring goes by the usual GOTM-formula. However with population being more or less the the same for everybody, time (=game turns) is way more significant.

I already spend some time on this game and now I think I'm ready to start. (It's all been planning and developing a strategy so far )

The winner of the gold star (also wins green) is the player who delivers quickest. GOTM score will be used to find out who wins a blue star (and if players finish the same turn).

 

[Catwalk]

What's the reason we're only allowed to look at the map pre-game? Do you want to stress the memorization part of it? Are we allowed to make any notes about the map?

Game setup looks great, started playing already!

 

[Magic_gorter]

It's important to look at the map before starting because you want to know where to place your cities. Normal games you're not allowed to look at the map but in this game it's very important to find the best spots.

You may (always) make notes about the map.

 

[Catwalk]

Could we maybe be allowed to consult the mapeditor during the game as well? Not much difference between that and taking extensive notes about the map. Or did I misread the rule and this is already allowed?

 

[Ali Ardavan]

What's the reason we're only allowed to look at the map pre-game? Do you want to stress the memorization part of it? Are we allowed to make any notes about the map?

You are misinterpreting the rule. When a game, such as this one, is played on a known map, you are allowed to open the starting save in map editor any time during the game. What you are not allowed to do is open later saves in map editor or reveal the map via the cheat menu. The problem with the latter two is that you may/will get information about the rivals.

 

[Catwalk]

Makes sense, thanks!

 

[Jokemaster]

Certainly unusual. I can't make much of a plan right now as I have to finish GOTM 124 first.

Are we allowed to build and deliver vans before size 20 to foreign cities?

 

[Ali Ardavan]

Are we allowed to build and deliver vans before size 20 to foreign cities?

This has already been addressed:

You can't trade with AI civs because you can't leave the islands. If an AI civ lands on your island then you're lucky....

When you look at the map, you will realize that our four home islands are fairly small and we are likely going to be alone for a long time.

 

[Jokemaster]

I had not taken the time to look at the map. Thanks for sorting that out.

 

[Ali Ardavan]

I was picking city sites as part of my initial planing when it occurred to me that most city sites will have part of the city radius in darkness that cannot be revealed unless we make a boat. The rules, as they are, prohibit that. Is that intended? If not, we should allow boats for pushing back the darkness.