[BTS] News: BOTM 261 - England, Immortal - Starts 3 Nov

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 261: Queen Victoria of England.

For this game, you are Queen Victoria, ruling the British Empire. How successfull (or friendly) will you be in expanding your influence across the World, or will you choose to rewrite history by remaining peacefully on your own island? I anticipate this being a tough game because... well, immortal - plus islands map means you won't be able to early-rush any neighbours. In fact you don't even yet know whether you'll be able to reach any neighbours pre-astronomy. I've edited the map a bit - mainly to try to maximise your dilemma of where to settle.

Game settings:
Playing as: Queen Victoria of England
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Immortal
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No goody huts, no random events
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Islands
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -90°S to 90°N


Queen Victoria is Imperialistic and Financial, and you start with Fishing and Mining.

The Imperialistic trait gives +100% great general emergence and +50% production of settlers

The Financial trait gives +1 commerce on any plot that already has at least 2 commerce

Unique unit: Redcoat (replaces Rifleman)
Where the rifleman has +25% strength against mounted units, the redcoat has +25% against both mounted and gunpowder units.

Unique Building: Stock Exchange (replaces Bank)
The stock exchange gives an amazing +65% gold in the city it's built in, as opposed to +50% for the bank.

Starting screenshot

This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):



Adventurer Class bonuses:
You are on exceptionally good terms with the Scots, and they have provided you some extra (wo?)manpower. You additionally start with a worker and a longbowman, both on the same tile as the settler.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 3 Nov 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 4 Dec 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.

@Blake00 @The_J

 

[Xcalibrator]

I've edited the map a bit - mainly to try to maximise your dilemma of where to settle.

Always looking out for us, DS! 1W to pick up a gold in the BFC while keeping lots of food and coastal location looks pretty good to me. Your ploy to tempt me to settle on the marble has failed!

 

[Fine_Distinction]

I may finally have some time to play civ I November And what is it - 2 golds There must be a catch ...

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Always looking out for us, DS! 1W to pick up a gold in the BFC while keeping lots of food and coastal location looks pretty good to me. Your ploy to tempt me to settle on the marble has failed!

Yeah, 1W seems very tempting, but I didn't do any sandboxing yet

 

[Smiregal]

It may be better to stay in place, if one favors expansion. In the old days I would Not even think about it. But staying on the Hill will give you faster worker, worboat, Settler and warriors for Barbdefence. The second City can pick up the Gold and corn. On the other hand moving west picks up AT least two more early forrests. I will probably do some sandboxing. I know myself and will pick up the Gold anyway. By the way I just say one Word to you one Word, Great Lighthouse.
But maybe I m getting a little a head of myself

 

[LowtherCastle]

The marble is for sure not coastal or else there would be no dilemma whatsoever. Nonetheless, it is extreeemely tempting.

 

[MarleysGh0st]

Adventurer Class bonuses:
You are on exceptionally good terms with the Scots, and they have provided you some extra (wo?)manpower. You additionally start with a worker and a longbowman, both on the same tile as the settler.

Sigh.

Some players may do better than you expect at Immortal and Deity, but us mere mortals don't find an extra unit or two at the start the equivalent of a two-level difficulty penalty for the entire game.

The worker will be immediately useful, but since you've already told us that we won't be able to early-rush our neighbors, the longbow (Scottish longbow? ) won't have much to do except guard against barbs. And how many of those will we see on an island?

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Hmm, so we are probably stuck on a small island, but to make it sweeter, can can pump out settlers easily . I sense that the mapmaker is mocking us

 

[Fine_Distinction]

It may be better to stay in place, if one favors expansion. In the old days I would Not even think about it. But staying on the Hill will give you faster worker, worboat, Settler and warriors for Barbdefence. The second City can pick up the Gold and corn. On the other hand moving west picks up AT least two more early forrests. I will probably do some sandboxing. I know myself and will pick up the Gold anyway. By the way I just say one Word to you one Word, Great Lighthouse.
But maybe I m getting a little a head of myself

Yeah, I am beginning to thinking the same - the warrior stands on a plain hill, right?

 

[Frederiksberg]

Great dilemma regarding where to settle. All three suggestions (SIP, 1W, on marble) seem viable. Guess I have to test a bit, and even then it might be a matter of preferences. Starting techs and traits also factor into the final decision....

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Great dilemma regarding where to settle. All three suggestions (SIP, 1W, on marble) seem viable. Guess I have to test a bit, and even then it might be a matter of preferences. Starting techs and traits also factor into the final decision....

Yeah, marble is also tempting, but it is a gamble - seeing what is South of it would take one turn - or more if you decide to go back

 

[LowtherCastle]

Sigh.

Some players may do better than you expect at Immortal and Deity, but us mere mortals don't find an extra unit or two at the start the equivalent of a two-level difficulty penalty for the entire game.

The worker will be immediately useful, but since you've already told us that we won't be able to early-rush our neighbors, the longbow (Scottish longbow? ) won't have much to do except guard against barbs. And how many of those will we see on an island?

Either Boudica or Brennaus will trade stuff if you’re at friendly and don’t know any other civilizations. You’ll definitely be able to trade ironworking for alphabet if you beeline alphabet.

Note that dynamic spirit of course knows the geography of Great Britain. Scotland and England are on the same landmass. Map maker lie number one!

 

[Xcalibrator]

I'm coming around to settling on the starting plains hill. Being Financial, and with Fishing already in the bag, and those lake tiles, we're not going to be hurting for initial commerce so the gold could wait. And with all that food (especially once we get a lighthouse), the capital can be a worker and settler pump. (BTW, note that the 50% bonus for settler building only applies to hammers, not surplus food.)

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Always looking out for us, DS!

But of course! I'm always thinking of you guys - so you can be sure that, if there's any way that I can make your lives more frustrating, I'll do it!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Either Boudica or Brennaus will trade stuff if you’re at friendly and don’t know any other civilizations. You’ll definitely be able to trade ironworking for alphabet if you beeline alphabet.

Before anyone gets accidentally mislead... I should clarify that the reference in the starting post to 'Scots' was for the historical scene-setting only. You shouldn't use it to deduce anything about which AIs may or may not be on the map.

On the other hand, the reference to the 'British Empire' in the game announcement was intended to provide subtle clues about your opponents.

 

[LowtherCastle]

Before anyone gets accidentally mislead... I should clarify that the reference in the starting post to 'Scots' was for the historical scene-setting only. You shouldn't use it to deduce anything about which AIs may or may not be on the map.

On the other hand, the reference to the 'British Empire' in the game announcement was intended to provide subtle clues about your opponents.

Not to worry. It’s fun to speculate. We also don’t know just how “exceptionally good” the terms are on the adventure save, but the point is the same, whoever it is, at Friendly they should trade without knowing others. (We also don’t know if a bunch of Euros are across the Channel.)

But thanks for the clues…

 

[Fine_Distinction]

I'm coming around to settling on the starting plains hill. Being Financial, and with Fishing already in the bag, and those lake tiles, we're not going to hurting for initial commerce so the gold could wait. And with all that food (especially once we get a lighthouse), the capital can be a worker and settler pump. (BTW, note that the 50% bonus for settler building only applies to hammers, not surplus food.)

It is for sure good for production - but having both these golds so close, but not have any in a BFC? Intellectually, I know that Settlers/workers/early production may be more important, but I am probably not that disciplined ...

 

[LowtherCastle]

I'm coming around to settling on the starting plains hill. Being Financial, and with Fishing already in the bag, and those lake tiles, we're not going to be hurting for initial commerce so the gold could wait. And with all that food (especially once we get a lighthouse), the capital can be a worker and settler pump. (BTW, note that the 50% bonus for settler building only applies to hammers, not surplus food.)

I can talk to myself into settling any of the three. It’s very well designed to create that dilemma.

So many considerations. For example, settling in place might allow a work boat to travel east along the lakes to another city that’s coastal thus saving time. Settling on the marble enculturate, both gold, enabling settlers to settle further from the gold, and still start working them immediately. When consideration that might be important, is where additional cities will be located. Not that we know much about that right now anyway.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Not to worry. It’s fun to speculate. We also don’t know just how “exceptionally good” the terms are on the adventure save, but the point is the same, whoever it is, at Friendly they should trade without knowing others. (We also don’t know if a bunch of Euros are across the Channel.)

But thanks for the clues…

To clarify further: The entire thing about friendly Scots was a historical context-setter in order to provide a background story for why you have the extra units. I have not changed anything about the in-game diplomacy between the contender and adventurer games. So if you want an AI to be friendly in either game, you'll need to get them to be friendly using all the normal techniques. This game is a hard game and I anticipate that on this occasion, the adventurer save will just be, a bit less hard.

(Although I should also say, Thanks! You've given me an interesting idea to possibly test out for future games).

 

[LowtherCastle]

To clarify further: The entire thing about friendly Scots was a historical context-setter in order to provide a background story for why you have the extra units. I have not changed anything about the in-game diplomacy between the contender and adventurer games. So if you want an AI to be friendly in either game, you'll need to get them to be friendly using all the normal techniques. This game is a hard game and I anticipate that on this occasion, the adventurer save will just be, a bit less hard.

(Although I should also say, Thanks! You've given me an interesting idea to possibly test out for future games).

Sure thing. Give us a game with Mansa Musa but make him -100 in negmods on us.