[BTS] News: BOTM119 Starts November 15, 2016

[kcd_swede]

BOTM 119: GilgaScrooge (Gilgamesh of Sumeria)

In this early Christmas edition of BOTM, you will play as GilgaScrooge. Humbaba is tamed and works for you now. Mery Christmas. However, since I give you some cash (you start with 500 gold) and a way to spend it (you are gifted the technology of DEMOCRACY and begin in Universal Suffrage civic), you may not want to play like a Scrooge -- But perhaps you will be saying BAH HUMB(ab)UG before long anyhow, because... well... I didn't want the AI to feel left out of the Holiday spirit.

Are you a spendthrift? Will Humbaba make things interesting again? Who knows... anything can happen with the magic of Christmas.

Note: Espionage culture victories will count as normal culture victories for this game.



Game settings:
Playing as: GilgaScrooge (Gilgamesh) of Sumeria
Rivals: 8 AI
Difficulty: Immortal
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: no huts, no events,
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Terra, Low Seas
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard


Your traits are Creative and Protective
and you start with knowledge of The Wheel, and Agriculture and Democracy

Creative +2 culture per city.
Double production speed of Library, Theater, and Colosseum.
.
Protective Free Drill I and City Garrison I promotions for archery and gunpowder units.
Double production speed of Walls and Castle.



Unique unit Vulture; Replaces Axeman
+25% vs. Melee Units
Strength 6 instead of 5.

Unique building for Sumeria; Ziggurat (replaces Courthouse)
+2
-50% maintenance
Can turn 1 citizen into Spy
Required to build Forbidden Palace



Starting screenshot

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





Adventurer Class bonuses:
N/A


Challenger Class Equalizers:
N/A

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 15 November 2016, 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 December 2016.

Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.

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 3.19.003 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.

 

[MarleysGh0st]

Oh, my! Immortal is beyond my ability, but how can I resist playing GilgaScrooge?

 

[Livio]

If I click for a bigger image there's the botm 116 start

 

[lymond]

If I click for a bigger image there's the botm 116 start

click the image and change the 6 to a 9 in the address..it will work

If not mistaken, Mobile Artillery work as siege and can't take cities or kill units. They can steal workers. Would complement some Vultures nicely or maybe even a warrior rush.

Hmm..nice start. SIP would be fine, but I might consider move 1N to get more river tiles while keeping the (all dry) corns. Warrior could move 1N or maybe 1SE to check coast.

Low seas Terra..that's a lot of land. I assume all AIs are in the Old World.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Interesting... access to early Emancipation. With enough green land, doubled speed of Cottage growth would possibly make Cottage-spamming a viable alternative to whipping. If you're going to switch into Universal Suffrage, as seems to be suggested by the Map Maker, you might as well switch into Emancipation at the same time, since you'll have the same 1 turn of Anarchy.


If the AIs have their own Humbabas, that fact will be okay, as long as the Barbs don't get one again.


Exploring the water looks like a good idea, and if something nice gets revealed, it could be worth moving the Settler 1 E GH Riv For to settle.

Exploring 1 N G Riv For with the Warrior is the only direction in which Humbaba cannot reveal more land on Turn 0. So, I agree on the suggested options for moving the Warrior, leaving Humbaba to explore in a direction in which the Warrior was not sent.


Would it be better to Chop out an army of Vultures or to Chop out The Statue of Liberty? I seem to recall needing a Forge for The Statue of Liberty, and even if not, getting a Forge plus Mathematics before building it sounds like wise playing.

 

[kcd_swede]

click the image and change the 6 to a 9 in the address..it will work

If not mistaken, Mobile Artillery work as siege and can't take cities or kill units. They can steal workers. Would complement some Vultures nicely or maybe even a warrior rush.

Hmm..nice start. SIP would be fine, but I might consider move 1N to get more river tiles while keeping the (all dry) corns. Warrior could move 1N or maybe 1SE to check coast.

Low seas Terra..that's a lot of land. I assume all AIs are in the Old World.

With a fast unit like Humbaba, it should be pretty quick for you to confirm or negate that theory!

 

[kcd_swede]

If I click for a bigger image there's the botm 116 start

I do noy know why that is- I am obviously deficient on learning the new forum format. Apologies- I will ask a Mod to fix it, but in the meantime, the proposed solution (copy address and change the 6 to a 9 in a web browser tab) will work- Or get some magnifying glasses.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

That that is an interesting game. Not sure how it can count as a Christmas game when it finishes 10 days before Christmas - should the two December games be the Xmas ones? But I won't complain

If I've understood correctly, we start with universal suffrage, but not emancipation. So if we want to run emancipation, that's a turn of anarchy anyway. I guess emancipation can wait a few turns, until we have some cottages. (On the other hand, changing now gives a free turn for the settler to explore).

So what do we do with the 500 gold? There's an obvious balance between buying stuff and using it to power 100% research. Where does the sweet spot lie? Buying an instant worker would make a lot of sense, since there are 3 corns and we start with agriculture. Then after that, maybe a settler and a 2nd worker - and hopefully that'll leave enough to pay for some research.

For moves: Humbaba either SE-NE to explore the coast or SW-NW to check out the plains hill. I think the plains hill may be more tempting, although it would leave us unable to build levees in the capital. Save the coast and the eastern corn for a 2nd city. Humbaba will be very useful to escort settlers in the early game, and to capture any AI workers - unless of course it turns out the AI has worse. That's going to be a difficult decision when we meet the AI... Do we risk that they have enough military to destroy Humbaba or not?

 

[kcd_swede]

Interesting... access to early Emancipation. With enough green land, doubled speed of Cottage growth would possibly make Cottage-spamming a viable alternative to whipping. If you're going to switch into Universal Suffrage, as seems to be suggested by the Map Maker, you might as well switch into Emancipation at the same time, since you'll have the same 1 turn of Anarchy.

To clarify, you BEGIN already in the Universal Suffrage civic. You do NOT begin in the Emancipation civic. If you wish to change civics outside a Golden Age, it costs a turn of anarchy. Do NOT do the mistake I always do... if you plan to switch civics, sooner is better than later, particularly if you plan to move a turn or more before settling.

 

[Fippy]

And switching is usually best after completing a settler, new city does not get Anarchy then
(if not spending 1 turn moving at start)

 

[kcd_swede]

That that is an interesting game. Not sure how it can count as a Christmas game when it finishes 10 days before Christmas - should the two December games be the Xmas ones? But I won't complain

This is Bah Hum(ba)bug! There will be no Christmas this year, Give my regards to Tiny Tim.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I've used my moderator privileges to fix the link to the large map in the starting post. That should be working now.

 

[kcd_swede]

If I click for a bigger image there's the botm 116 start

The Russians are probably just hacking everything with Eric Snowden in it.

 

[kcd_swede]

I've used my moderator privileges to fix the link to the large map in the starting post. That should be working now.

Was it magic, sorcery, or voodoo that you do?,

 

[LowtherCastle]

So we don't have to wait 5t before another civics switch?

 

[Sun Tzu Wu]

In case some players are not aware, Gilgamesh's unique building, Ziggurat (replaces Courthouse), is unlocked by Priesthood (not Code of Laws).

 

[Sun Tzu Wu]

What is a Humbaba? Is it a Mobile Artillery unit as Lymond seems to imply in his post?

 

[lymond]

What is a Humbaba? Is is a Mobile Artillery unit as Lymond seems to imply in his post?

Humbaba has been an ongoing joke thing for some years now with GOTM staff. Usually it's a late game barb unit like Mobile Artillery, and I think even a Mech Infantry once, which turned out really badly for me that game. Anyway, Humbaba has made an appearance in a few GOTMs over the years, but I believe this is the first time he has been tamed.

It appears Humbaba is a mystical giant of Sumerian mythology, actually appearing in the Epic of Gilgamesh, so I assume that is why he is on our side this time.

 

[AlanH]

If I click for a bigger image there's the botm 116 start

Fixed it.

 

[Livio]

The Russians are probably just hacking everything with Eric Snowden in it.

I don't think so. Probably, they are in Golden age