Gypsy Kings - pitboss session (closed game)

[Munro]

Welcome Gypsy Kings!

I've started this discussion thread for us to use for discussing the technical and game setup, problems, notifications of absence etc etc. - anything related to the game.

Notes:

• This thread is for a private game for the Gypsy Kings SGOTM team (i.e. all the players are already known to each other) so we're not opening up a general sign-up thread (at least this time around). Sorry!
• It's also my first time hosting a pitboss game, so - forum admins - I hope it is ok to create a thread here for the discussion; if not please move it / let me know!

 

[Munro]

Player roster

• Munro
• adrianj
• ozyar
• Ronnie1
• da_Vinci
• hellwitch
• Conquistador 63
• toller pretzl

(proposed) Game settings

• map: Inland sea
• size: standard
• sea level: normal
• starting era: ancient
• speed: normal
• climate: temperate
• players: 8 (2v2v2v2 team play)
• worldwrap: flat
• resources: standard
• turn timer: 26 hours
• game options: No Technology Trading, No Vassal States, No Tribal Villages
• Victory conditions: all permitted
• Civs / leaders: all permitted (duplicates allowed)
• Difficulty: Emperor
• Version: BtS V3.17 - standard, no Mods

 

[Munro]

Getting started

1. Patch BtS to version 3.17.

• Patching to version 3.17 doesn't seem to affect the vanilla or warlords installs (unlike the 3.13 patch, say) so you'll still be able to play locked vanilla and warlords saves (including SGOTM07!) after you patch.
• However, if you still need access to older BtS saves (e.g. BOTM) you may want to create an additional 'dual install' copy of the game at 3.13, before you patch.
• It may also be worth creating a 'dual install' copy of the game at 3.17, after you patch - to use for playing this pitboss game. This will make sure you still have the right version (3.17) available for the pitboss game when we are finishing the game in a year's time regardless of any future patches or modifications that you might want to apply to your main install.

How to create a dual install:

• The easiest way to create a dual install is just to create a copy of your C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4 folder in a new location.
• E.g. if your current install is at version 3.17, you might create a new folder C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\V3.17
• Create a copy of your C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4 folder in the new location, i.e. C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\V3.17\Sid Meier's Civilization 4
• That's it! Use the new folder to run BtS when you want to connect to the PitBoss game.
• Your dual install(s) will continue to use the same saves, .ini settings, autolog, screenshot folders etc as your existing install - i.e. everything in \My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4).

Example:

Spoiler :

• Create a new folder in C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\ for your pitboss version of civ; e.g. call it V3.17
  
  
  
• Create a copy of the Sid Meier's Civilization 4 folder in your new folder
  
  
  
• To load up the game for pitboss, just run the version of BtS inside this folder:
  
  

 

[Munro]

2. Joining the game.

• Join the pitboss game by going to Multiplayer > Direct IP from the main menu, and entering the connection info I've sent you by PM.
• Chose a civ and protect it with a password. You'll be sharing the password with your teammate (so he can play for you if you're away) so chose something unique - i.e. don't use the same password you have for your internet banking or email account or whatever.
• Check that you can connect to the game and you should be able to see both your own units and your teammate's.
• If you can't connect right away, let me know - I may need to add a firewall wall for your specific IP address the first time you try to connect. (I already have rules added for dV, aj and ronnie).

 

[Munro]

3. Register your leader at http://www.civstats.com.

• The game ID of the current test game is 1010 (Gypsy Kings 12 July 2008).
• http://www.civstats.com/viewgame.php?gameid=1010
• You will need to PM the password you would like to use and I'll set it up for you through the civstats.com admin interface for our game.

 

[Munro]

reserved #5

 

[oyzar]

We are playing epic? With no tech trading on monarch i am not sure if that is needed? It means the game will probably take 1.5 times as long time as normal in real time... Also neither no tech brokering nor locked modified assets do anything. I also suggest we turn off vassal states as they should have no place in such a game. Personally i would also like to switch barbs off but i go with whatever the majority decides. You know that all selecting monarch does is make techs more expecnsive / maintainance and upkeep higher / makes barbs harder right? Also what are the teams? IMO we should go with whatever makes the most balanced teams...

 

[Conquistador 63]

{copy/paste from PM to Munro}
Looks fun, although I've never played MP and as I mentioned in our team thread, I'll be away Jul 13 to 20. If I can catch up later that's fine.

 

[Munro]

@C63 - great! Being away for a week won't be a problem (as long as your teammate is not also away). The main thing is that the game will probably last a year or more, with an approx. 24 hour turn timer, so you'll need to be online most days over that timeframe (5-6 days per week? depending on how much you and your teammate are able to cover for each other). For occasional days off or holidays you can just have your teammate play for you.

Is that a level of commitment you're comfortable with?

@oyzar - good points about game settings. I've edited my first post above to suggest normal speed, no vassal states etc

About barbs and game difficulty - I would prefer to play with barbs on; just adds a bit more interest in the early game and plays more like a 'normal' game of civ; and monarch difficulty - again, to make resources / city management a bit more interesting in the early game. (Emperor might be even better, but we don't want dV getting wiped out by the barbs in the first couple of weeks... Unless he's on your team of course.. )

 

[da_Vinci]

(Emperor might be even better, but we don't want dV getting wiped out by the barbs in the first couple of weeks... Unless he's on your team of course.. )

Well, I AM able to come up with new and creative ways to lose ... but I don't think I have ever been wiped out by the barbs.

Slowed down by them to the extent that I have no chance, yes, but not wiped out.

Re team selection ... two items to try to balance ... skill and pitboss experience. Not sure if pitboss experience is that big a deal (although experience making war on a human may account for something) ... but general skill certainly is. Seems oyzar and I are the only ones with prior pitboss experience?

So here is a suggestion ... Munro, oyzar, and dV on different teams (dV to split out the prior pitboss experience), then dV team gets the next most skilled player (if we can even figure out how to decide that ranking ) among the other players.

Or they draw straws and short straw gets me

Or maybe C63 gets me, since it is his fault that I am a GK to begin with!

Playing on monarch will slow the game progress by increasing expenses, tightening pop caps ... might make a long game even longer. A lot of pitboss seems to be played on normal speed and noble difficulty, perhaps in part because things progress faster that way. Just a thought.

Or we could set different players to different levels ... I could get a handicap!

dV

 

[Ronnie1]

Well I have been taken out by barbs! So I should get the handicap that dV gets ++ something else, free settler maybe. Oh wait, that's just another city for the barbs to take from me before I get any defenses built!

 

[Munro]

Another thing to consider is whether anyone is going to be away for extended periods, so we can make sure teammates are available to cover if possible.

Main trips I have coming up when I'll be offline are

• oct 10-20
• dec 18 - jan 5

I'll also be away for several weeks sometime in the summer of 2009 (getting married) but not sure of the exact date yet. Possibly around july 4th.

 

[Ronnie1]

I'll be away from Feb 6 - Feb 15 '09. Probably some at Christmas time also.

Has anyone PM'ed hw for an invite?

 

[Ronnie1]

I've been able to log in!

Still waiting for aj, C63, and dV!

 

[Munro]

I'll be away from Feb 6 - Feb 15 '09. Probably some at Christmas time also.

Has anyone PM'ed hw for an invite?

I PM'd hellwitch. Haven't heard anything back yet.

If lots of people are away at the same time (e.g. christmas) we can always pause the game for a few days when necessary..

 

[oyzar]

I'll prolly be able to play for christmas, my wedding is comming up in august but not sure if it means i will be unable to play(in most pitbosses you can easily be away for 48 hours without much notice...). I have a laptop and there is both internet here and at my parents place and everywhere in between(yes there is internet on the 500 km bustrip there ).

Oh and going by the order munro posted things in(1 and 4, 2 and 5, 3 and 6) i now decide that the teams are me and ronnie, adrianj and munro and dv and cq63. That is unless there are some objections or strong feelings otherwise.

 

[Munro]

Those teams sound good to me, depending on what we hear back from hellwitch (and confirmation from C63 that he's ok with the amount of online time required as well).

aj - we should start thinking about civs as well; which leaders will be good for this map type, and compliment each other in a 2-way PA. I'll have a think about this and try to catch you on IM to discuss.

 

[da_Vinci]

Dual installed, patched, and in the game!

I waited until I finished BOTM 07 and got it submitted, all from the dual install folder, to be sure everything was working before installing the patch on the main folder.

So I am good to go ...

In my dual installs, I set up duplicate folders in my games as well as program files ... and the saves from 3.13 go automatically to into the 3.13 my game folders, etc.

AlanH had suggested this ... but you are saying that even running from a renamed parent folder, the saves find their way into the normal civ folders in my games?

When we play BOTMs in the 3.13 version (until new HOF mod), you may find that just clicking on a saved game will want to open 3.17 by default, in which case you may have to open the 3.13 first, then load the save from within the game.

Also, for Vista users, be sure that both versions of your dual install do not have the options screen hangup problem related to folder permissions settings. Do this by starting a new single player game using HOF, going to the HOF options, and being sure you can exit.

dV

 

[da_Vinci]

Well after the turn rollover, I am timing out trying to log into the game ... anyone else tried to get back in?

dV

 

[Munro]

I can still get back in ok (connecting via IP) sok the Pitboss game is still running. Could be some kind of network issue. I should be online tomorrow after work; IM me if you are still unable to connect and we'll see if we can figure it out.