BOTM 254: Zara Yacoub of Ethiopia.
A nice easy game for your summer holidays. I did give a couple of your AI opponents some extra help, but really that shouldn't matter.
Game settings:
Playing as: Zara Yacoub of Ethiopia
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Noble
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: Aggressive AI, unrestricted leaders, no tech brokering, permanent alliances, no goody huts, no random events, rising seas
Victory Conditions: All enabled
Map settings:
Map: Donut! Who doesn't like donuts!!!
World Wrap: None
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -90°S to 90°N
Zara Yacoub is Creative and Organized, and you start with Hunting and Mining.
The Creative trait gives +2 culture/city each turn and double production speed of Colosseum, Library and Theatre
The Organized trait gives -50% civic upkeep and double production speed of Courthouse, Factory and Lighthouse
Unique unit: Oromo Warrior (replaces Musketman)
The oromo warrior's strength lies mainly in first strikes: Where the musketman has none, the oromo warrior is not only immune to them, but has one of its own. And it starts with the drill I and II promotions, which between them give 1-2 additional first strikes and 20% less collateral damage.
Unique Building: Stele (replaces Monument)
The stele gives extra culture: +25%/turn as well as the fixed +1/turn of the monument.
Starting screenshot
This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):
Adventurer Class bonuses:
not applicable
Challenger Class Equalizers:
Oh yeah... you'll do this on Deity level if you want a challenge. Barb tech and AI units are (mostly) the same as on Noble level, so you experts will probably find this challenging enough to be fun but nothing you can't handle.
To Enter the Competition:
This competition will open at 00:01 am on 15 Jul 2023, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.
Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 15 Aug 2023.
Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.
Software Versions
Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.005 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.
Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.
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 during the month for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.
