News: GOTM 34 Pre-Game Discussion

[ainwood]

GOTM 34: Japan

A prince-level game this month. We haven't played as Tokugawa for a while, so seems like a good option!

NOTE:
This game has a different HOF version than was used last month: mod version 1.74.003. You can download the HOF mod here. Players using windows vista are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.


Game Details:

Game settings:
Civilization: Japan (Leader: Tokugawa; Traits: Aggressive, Organized)
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Prince
Map: Fractal
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Arid
Sea Level: Low
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Epic
Options: standard
Victory Conditions: all enabled

Tokugawa:
Tokugawa is aggressive and Organised; starting with fishing and the wheel. Organised allows double production speed of lighthoues and courthouses, as well as a 50% reduction in civics costs. Aggressive gives a free Combat 1 promotion to Melee & Gunpowder units, as well as double production speed of barracks & drydocks.

Unique unit: Samurai (replaces maceman)

Compared to the standard maceman, the samurai has the same stats (strength = 8, move = 1, cost = 105). A samurai gains 2 first strikes, but requires iron (specifically), while a maceman requires iron or copper.

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


Adventurer Class bonuses:

1. Worker. You have a worker (sharing a tile with the settler)
2. We are sailing.... You start with a workboat.

Challenger Class Equalisers:

1. No techs. They're gone.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open on 1 September 2008. From that date, you'll be able to get the starting saves here. Use the same URL to submit your completed entry, which you must do by 1 October 2008.

Civ version

Windows: This game MUST be played in Civilization 4 (NOT Warlords or BTS), patched to version 1.74, and with the HOF mod version 1.74.003 installed - a different version from last month! You can download the HOF mod here. Players using windows vista are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here

Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Civilization 4 (NOT Warlords), patched to version 1.74, and with the Mac HOF mod version 1.74.002 installed. You can download the HOF 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. Please use this Saves Available thread for any technical queries, eg. if you have trouble opening the game, NOT for discussions about what happens in your game.

 

[kcd_swede]

Someone suggest a square to settle... I see no reason not to settle in place. What are Fractal maps like... is there a chance this is a small land-mass? Prince level should be quite do-able for me, but I think this time I will really try for a rapid victory.

 

[DwarfSleepy]

a workboat for challenger class... Does that mean there's a sea resource just hidden that might influence city placement? Or is it just for exploring?

 

[kcd_swede]

a workboat for challenger class... Does that mean there's a sea resource just hidden that might influence city placement? Or is it just for exploring?

You mean Adventurer Class. And yes, I don't think it would be much of a bonus unless there are sea resources somewhere nearby, or lets you quickly find out you are on an island or something like that. Normally, I don't like my capitol on the sea because sea tiles are so limited. But if we are somewhat isolated, then sea access becomes more important. There is an un-forested PH river tile (1se)that could be tempting for early production bonus (and defense, tho I hope city defense will be a moot point for me on Prince difficulty) Good production site and long-term potential.

But I have the definite impression (guess, intuition, whatever) that I would regret moving inland for this start. I'm hoping someone can give me something more concrete to go on as to where to settle, though. Perhaps a test game could help, but map differences could make or break either strategy so its unlikely even a test game will help. Either way still leaves room for adaptation, but making the right guess can cut down the turns to victory, I believe. Warrior 1sw might be worth it to see if there is a sea resource next to the cow. If so, settle in place for sure. If not, hmm....


Unless someone tells me fractal maps rarely give island or small land mass starts, I'm leaning towards settling in place. agri>AH>mining>BW> seems a reasonable tech priority.

 

[Warden USA]

only one day to play this game? I'm going to have to get it off work! I'll probably play adventure class since i have never won on this difficulty. I'm thinking of settling in place

 

[ngraner42]

Uh oh, Ainwood took my just for fun poll seriously. One session only, keep the coffee pot running.

 

[nokem]

Nice. Never played Toku - I guess the best thing is that we can't be stuck on a peninsula behind that big impenetrable red wall for the first 50 turns. I'm sorely tempted to build nothing but castles and longbows and sit there sulking all game.

I guess if my warrior stands on a cow and sees seafood that might lure me SW to settle.

 

[BakeliteRules]

Torn between 2 openings.
1. warrior 1ne, settler 1se and settle on plains hill for production boost. I also don't like present location because not on ocean (I don't think) so end up with useless sea tiles.
2. warrior 1w to look for seafood, settler 1 n or 1nw depending on warrior result.

I am leaning toward 2. Since Togu starts with fishing I think their will be Seafood. If the warrior finds none moving west then I will send the Settler to the plains Hill.

 

[Adonias]

I also don't like present location because not on ocean (I don't think)

It is an ocean start (watch the grid)

 

[Ronnie1]

I like the PH SE of the settler start position. It has fresh water, PH bonus, saves a forest for chopping, gets all visible resources in BFC, eliminates all sea squares for this city. It MAY give up a seafood resource SW of the cows, but I wont worry about that. It is a little shy on food, but there are lots of tiles in the fog that may help. I can always farm the FP for +2 and have the cows ofc.

Research path AG>AH>Mining>BW

Builds, worker>warrior>warrior>settler

Victory Condition ???? I should probably decide before i get too far in, but i'll see how it goes.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

2. warrior 1w to look for seafood, settler 1 n or 1nw depending on warrior result.

I am leaning toward 2.

I hope for your sake the warrior is good at swimming

 

[Ronnie1]

I hope for your sake the warrior is good at swimming

I think he must have a snorkel!

 

[LowtherCastle]

I think he must have a snorkel!

It's low sea level, maybe he's planning to wade.

 

[kcd_swede]

I guess if my warrior stands on a cow and sees seafood that might lure me SW to settle.

I don't see any advantage to that, compared to settling in place. What makes you want to give up fresh water (river) access?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

In place is rather short of food to make much of a long term city. In the short term you could get a pretty good production city by farming the flood plain, one grassland, and using the cow - I think (on a rough mental calculation) that'd just give you enough food to work the three plains-hills at size 6 with zero growth. Nice if you're going for conquest and there was a guarantee that all civs could be reached prior to astronomy (but there isn't). But potentially problematic otherwise. If there is seafood, then settling SW may give you a better long-term site, though at some medium term production cost.

Trouble is, on an arid map, good city sites do tend to be few and far between. There has to be at least a possibility that in-place is as good as it gets Personally, I'm probably going to spend a few turns exploring (albeit with some nervous memory that the last time I remember playing on an arid map, in WOTM 01, I 'wasted' 3 turns exploring before settling in-place anyway....)

 

[nokem]

I don't see any advantage to that, compared to settling in place. What makes you want to give up fresh water (river) access?

If there were fish 2W or 2W1S of the cows I might move. Would swap land for food - but food may be in shorter supply on this map. Basically it's the only warrior move that influence to my starting position so it's the one I'll make.

 

[BakeliteRules]

I hope for your sake the warrior is good at swimming

His compass got wet during his morning swim. I told him to take the workboat or at least follow the shoreline NW.

 

[Conquistador 63]

I'll move warrior to cow tile just in case but odds are I'll settle in place regardless - a little fog-gazing shows there is another FP SE of the one we already see. Having a coastal capitol is a priority since I plan to build GLhouse.
To leverage Toku's traits I plan to go for Domination this time - that is, if I can get rid of my space/diplo games addiction.

 

[kcd_swede]

In place is rather short of food to make much of a long term city. ---Trouble is, on an arid map, good city sites do tend to be few and far between. There has to be at least a possibility that in-place is as good as it gets

Yes and yes. I think "short of food" will be a problem on this map no matter where we go. Production of a few good units probably can rectify that. BTW... shouldn't you be opening a BOTM09 spoiler thread fairly soon?

 

[Warden USA]

I have been playing on a practice map with the same conditions and I didn't realise how much of the map would be desert/jungle. I think I'm going to settle in place unless I see something on the first turn with my movement.

I also think I am going to do adventure class since I have never won on this difficulty. My practice game I played on as noble and I was very very lucky to get a win.