Nobles' Club Bullpen: Sixth and Seventh Cycle

[AcaMetis]

Welcome to the Nobles' Club, the sixth time around. Having finished all the leaders (except Sid) in the fourth and fifth round, as well as played a few leaders of the sixth round already (that topic indeed got a bit crazy), we're starting again. This thread is for discussing the series as a whole and planning which leaders to do when, and these first few messages are for summarizing what has happened so far and the way NC operates; they will get edited as needed.

The purpose of the club, from the boilerplate:

The Nobles' Club series started out as a way for Noble-level (and below) players to improve their game. Most of the original participants now play at much higher levels, so this has become a way for advanced players to help others learn to play better. You can play your own game at any level and with any mod, but it would be nice to comment on the games of other players and give them advice.

There's a separate list of resources for learning to play at Noble, though note that parts of it may be outdated by now - a more recent resource can be found here.

 

[AcaMetis]

For anyone creating maps and posting game threads, here's the most recent version of the boilerplate (last changed 11 Mar 2022).

Spoiler boilerplate :

The Nobles' Club series started out as a way for Noble-level (and below) players to improve their game. Most of the original participants now play at much higher levels, so this has become a way for advanced players to help others learn to play better. You can play your own game at any level and with any mod, but it would be nice to comment on the games of other players and give them advice.

Our next leader is Leader of Civ, whom we last played in NC num; we last played the Civs under Leader in NC num. The Civs start with tech1 and tech2.

• Traits: Leader is trait1 and trait2. Aggressive gives all Melee and Gunpowder units a free Combat I promotion, and gives a +100% bonus to Barracks and Drydocks. Charismatic gives every city, Monuments and Broadcast Towers +1, and decreases the exp required for units to level by 25%. Creative gives every city +2 for free, and gives a +100% bonus to Libraries, Theatres, and Colosseums. Expansive adds +2 to all cities, gives a +100% bonus to Granaries and Harbors, and a +25% bonus to Workers (note that the worker bonus doesn't apply to excess directly converted to ). Financial adds +1 to any tile that already produces at least 2. Imperialistic adds +100% to Great General generation and +50% bonus to Settler production (note that the settler bonus doesn't apply to excess directly converted to ). Industrious gives a +50% bonus to all Wonders (World and National), and gives a +100% bonus to Forges. Organized cuts Civic Upkeep in half, and gives a +100% bonus to Lighthouses, Courthouses and Factories. Philosophical gives all cities +100% generation and a +100% bonus to Universities. Protective gives all Archery and Gunpowder units a free City Garrison I (+20% City Defence) and Drill I (+1 First Strike chance) promotion, as well as a +100% bonus to Walls and Castles. Spiritual allows you to swap state religion/civics without suffering Anarchy, and gives a +100% bonus to all Temples.
  
• The UB: The UB, a base building with improvement.
  
• The UU: The UU, a base unit with improvement.

And the start:
IMG link for starting position

Spoiler map details :

What map script and options were used. Map script, climate and sealevel should be included always, other common settings (size, world wrap, etc.) should be included if they deviate from a script's default settings.

Spoiler edits :

What edits were made.

Spoiler isolated? :

Whether the map is (semi-)iso or not. Not necessary on map scripts that, by nature, can't be (semi-)iso (Pangaea, Inland Sea, etc.).

The WB-saves are attached (zipped; they are bigger than standard saves). To play, simply download and unzip it into your BTS/Saves/WorldBuilder folder. Start the game, and load your favorite MOD (if you use one, if not, check out the BUG MOD), select "Play Scenario", and look for "NC number Leader Noble" (or Monarch, etc., for higher levels). You can play with your favorite MOD at the Level and Speed of your choice. From Quick-Warlord to Marathon-Deity, all are welcome! We stuck with the name "Nobles Club" because it has a cool ring to it.

Spoiler what's up with specific difficulties :

In each scenario file you can select your level of difficulty, but that doesn't give the AI the right bonus techs by itself. Use the Noble save for all levels at and below Prince. The Monarch save gives all the AI Archery. Emperor adds Hunting; Immortal adds Agriculture; Deity adds The Wheel.

Spoiler what is demigod :

The difference between Immortal and Deity difficulty is akin to the difference between Noble and Immortal. Players eventually reached a point where Immortal was too easy, but Deity was still out of reach, and so neither difficulty provided a fun experience. "Demigod" is an otherwise standard Deity game where the AIs are only given their Immortal level starting units, in an attempt to bridge the gap.

Spoiler for players on Monarch or above :

You should add archery as a tech for the barbarians (if you don't, the AI will capture their cities very early). This cannot be done in the WB save file and must be done in Worldbuilder as follows:

Spoiler how to add techs to the barbarians :

1. Zoom in all the way so you can't see the rest of the map.
2. Use the CTRL-W key (or the menu) to enter the worldbuilder. Avoid looking at the mini-map in the lower right corner.
3. By default you're in "player" mode (look in the box in the upper right; the icon that looks like a person should be selected). You'll get a drop down menu labeled with your leader's name. Barbarians are at the bottom, so cover the rest of the list with your hand if you don't want to see who else is on the map. Select "Barbarians".
4. Select the "Technologies" tab in the box on the left.
5. Find Archery (the arrow head icon; 8th row, 3rd column from the right) and click it.
6. Exit the worldbuilder.
7. Zoom out again after the map fades, and start playing.

If you're playing at higher level than Monarch, consider also giving them Hunting at Emperor, Agriculture at Immortal, and The Wheel at Deity.

Spoiler huts and events :

Note: The standard saves have no huts and have events turned off. If you want tribal villages and random events, choose the saves with "Huts" in their names. If you want huts but no events, select the Huts saves and use Custom Scenario to turn on the option that suppresses events.

 

[AcaMetis]

Bullpen from the first cycle.

Spoiler Leaders from the first cycle :

• Nobles Club I, Elizabeth. FIN and PHI are traits that are fairly easy to play.
• Nobles Club II, Ramesses II. SPI/IND, another set of great traits, on a Continents map.
• Nobles Club III, Kublai Khan. CRE/AGG, Pangaea Map, great UU for a Conquest/Domination situation.
• Nobles Club IV, Frederick. Map unknown. but an attempt to try and learn to play an SE with a strong leader for that style.
• Nobles Club V, Hannibal. A water based map with a very strong leader on that type of map. Trade Route Economy learner.
• Nobles Club VI, Brennus. Another "war oriented" type of game, with Aggressive AI setting turned on, and a Civ with solid warmongering traits and UU/UB.
• Nobles Club VII, Sitting Bull. Who is the AI that makes you groan the most when he pops up? For me, its no contest, SB takes it by a mile!
• Nobles Club VIII, De Gaulle. A flexible leader suited for war or building, on a Pangaea map!
• Nobles Club IX - Joao II! OK guys, here it is, another water leader with a solid UU. I requested some special features this map, but I don't want to give away too much. I will tell you that rolo used the new Tectonics format, but he assures me we will be able to have both some Barb lands and AIs that aren't reachable pre-Optics.
• Nobles Club X - Zara Yaqob! Our leader = Zara has an excellent combo of traits, both of which aid in one of this games primary goal, grabbing land. His starting techs aren't bad either, although unless you start with deer, you need food to get some food techs going:
• Nobles Club XI - Catherine! A known backstabber, Catherine has traits that truly excel when REXing. CRE means fast border pops and IMP means fast settlers. But beware, overexpansion is a very real possibility in the hands of the human player.
• Noble's Club XII-Elizabeth Revisited! Alright so a bunch of us (me (Krick19) included) thought Elizabeth would be a great leader to take us to the next level. So she's back and badder than ever! Her traits are great, FIN and PHI, two of my faves. This calls for a great hybrid economy. Her UU, the Redcoat gets a 25% bonus against Gunpowder Units, which is really helpful when you're attacking muskets or rifles. Lastly the UB is a Bank with 65% more income instead of 50%. This combines for a nasty combo.
• Noble's Club XIII - Alexander of Greece Hello everybody, TMIT takes a break from messing with AI XMLs to present the 13th instalment of the Noble's Club series! Our leader is Aggressive and Philosophical. This match of traits allows for some economy (especially early) and some warmongering!
• NC XIV - Saladin of Arabia Sal is considered by many to be a weak leader, lending mostly to his protective trait. Nevertheless, he boasts a solid, early UB that allows for some culture control and religious manipulation via great prophets...only Egypt can get them this easily other than Arabia! The UU is a knight that does not require Iron, and with a hefty bonus to its withdrawal chance, making medieval combat a little more intriguing.
• Noble's Club XV: Roosevelt of America America...America. We bestow questionable UUs and UBs on thee. Nonetheless, the collection of leaders for this civ have strong traits, and the starting techs are nice and allow for versatility also. Our leader today is known for wonderspam and for the fact that he is probably the fastest person to get the Great Lighthouse in the game.
• Noble's Club XVI - Shaka We all know him. Some probably hate him. Tied with 3 other AIs for the most probability to train units, Shaka is a devastating warmonger that declares at pleased. The Impi is a utility troop and is a little difficult to use against targets with metal, but if an opponent lacks it has all the devastating power of traditional mounted troop charges. The UB is among the top in the game, early maintenance reduction in a barracks that coupled with the courthouse is nearly as strong a total effect as Holy Rome's.
• Noble's Club XVII - Tokugawa One of the game's biggest one-trick ponies, Toku is all military and no economy. Unless, of course, you count having more cities as economy. The UU is fairly strong if you get there in time, the UB is not that strong in my opinion but hey, at least you're guaranteed to have full advantage if you get infantry. Not that you'll need the help with the game's best gunpowder troops.
• NC XVIII: Willem This time we are using: THE NETHERLANDS! Many will argue he's a top leader on a water map due to the UB. I personally think the UB is good but far from great, because it comes later. However, it has the potential to shine on a map like this. Combine it with Moai for some true abuse. The UU is a bit cooler, since it's more cost-effective to invade. Good hunting!
• NC XIX: Napoleon This time we are using: France. With the little general. UB isn't the worst thing ever, just close. The UU IMO is underrated, as are units with >1 move in general. Musket smackdown! How fast can YOU get to gunpowder?!
• NC XX: Montezuma Whip till you bleed! It's everyone's favorite zealous backstabbing #2 tier (as an AI) warmonger, Montezuma! The UU is a niche unit but quite useful potentially. The UB? One of the best in the game. It's borderline unlimited whips.
• NC XXI: Ragnar Rangar, everyones favorite wannabe Horn Get ready for some intercontinental delivery of pain. UU is a Maceman with added city attack and free amphibious, perfect for building an medival coastal empire, UB is a Lighthouse which makes your ships faster.
• NX XXII: Suleiman: Silly Man! It's been gone over in recent times, but the Ottomans are among the most well-rounded civs in the game. Silly Man gets less of the spotlight than the dreaded Mehmed, but is actually a top flight leader with powerful expansion and power tech traits!
• NC XXIII: Hatsheput: Hatsheput. When there are discussions for "best leader in the game", Hatty rarely sees #1. Ask people for their top 5? Suddenly, it's different. The better warmonger of Egypt's starting two, Hatty can set the tone with war chariots, fast expansion and great people, and flexibility. Others rate her looks, but this isn't the place for that .
• NC XXIV Wang Kon: Wang Kon of Korea is the leader of the day. Usually when played by the AI he's a weakling which nevertheless manages to have a lot of friends, due to his Religion, and able to keep up in tech even when pitifully small.
• NC XXV Cyrus: okay ... next NC, this time with Cyrus, Usually seen as the more warmongering of the persian leaders, whereas Darius is more of a economic jugganaut ... Cyrus is able to both get many big cities early on due to his faster settlers and +1 happiness, or if the map lets you, get a big, fast promoted, army and clean out any enemies close by.
• NC XXVI Pacal: Your UU is a resource-less spear, the UB is the quite-good ball court. Try to use the UU for anti-barbs (and fogbust enough to avoid seeing axes), and the UB can allow for an early elephant/cat war to be more appealing if you want to go that route.
• NC XXVII Charlemagne
• NC XXVIII Gandhi:Gandhi is considered by many the weaker of the two Indian leaders. His traits: PHI allows for early great people, while SPI is asking for civic abuse. All in all his traits lend to a specialist heavy warring game, while bulbing key techs. Our starting techs are Mysticism and Mining.
• NC XXIX Stalin: "If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves." Joseph Stalin.
  Stalin is both aggressive and industrious. He is also the only aggressive leader to start with mining, giving possible early access to BW. The other Russian starting tech is Hunting.
• NC XXX Boudica: The Celtic UU, Gallic Warrior, is a swordsman who starts with Guerrilla I; you need Iron Working, but only copper (or iron) to build them. The UB, the Dun, is a wall that grants Guerrilla I to units built in the city -- but only Archery, Recon, and Gunpowder units qualify. It seemed to me her civilization's UU and UB would both work better on a Highlands map, which tends to have more hills. Standard size, Temperate. Mountains form ridgelines with normal peaks (both default), and lakes are large. Because there is less water than on some other map types, there are 7 opponents instead of 6.
• NC XXXI: Charlemagne: The burger king is all over your face.
• NC XXXII: Louis XIV: Guy? Girl? Bad hair? Sniveling backstabber/culture whore? You decide.
• NC XXXIII: Washington: He doesn't tell lies and doesn't take prisoners. He charismatically grows his healthy cities and liberates them from the incompetents who don't follow his model.
• NC XXXIV: Pericles: Eek, more GREEK...CULTURE! A lot of facial hair and even more helmet makes for a balanced leader. Put on your armor and join the fray.
• NC XXXV with Julius Caesar: THE leader of the Romans is the better warmonger of the two, and very dynamic. He can pound out 2-3 opponents on any level below deity with prats alone (and can probably take down 1-2 on deity if they're softer targets). If he doesn't have neighbors, he can set his cities up cheaply and quickly and has the means to pay for them. You don't get a top UB, but you can't have everything, unless you take it with prats .
• NC XXXVI Gilgamesh
• NC XXXVII: Victoria: Combining expansion speed with long term commerce potential just got easier. Milk the overrated UU best you can, but use the traits to carry.
• NC XXXVIII:Ghengis Khan: The Keshik tornado returns after a long time off in the Noble's Club.
• Nobles club XXXIX - Asoka: Asoka greets the NC, with balance traits and a UU that never gets old. The UB is less known but can be nice if going for a mid-game espionage push or planning a big war.
• NC XL Mehmed II: One of the game's most balanced leaders takes on a fantastic start on the big and small map script, which TMIT personally dislikes about as much as archipelago. Mehmed's traits and uniques leave most strategies open...so "play the map" .
• NC XLI Lincoln: America is back! Use your fishing tech to your advantage as this time you are swimming early.
• NC XLII with Qin
• NCXLIII: Bismarck
• NC XLIV Darius I
• NC XLV Zara Yaqob
• [NC XLVI Isabella
• NC XLVII Mansa
• NC XLVIII, Suryavarman
• NC XLIX Churchill
• NC L Augustus
• NC LI Mao
• NC LII Hammurabi
• NC LIII Justinian
• NC LIV Peter
• NC LV Huayna

Bullpen from the second cycle.

Spoiler Leaders from the second cycle :

• NC LVI: Willem van Oranje of the Netherlands (Cre/Fin).
• NC LVII: Joao II of Portugal (Exp/Imp)
• NC LVIII Elizabeth (Fin/Phi)
• NC LIX Boudica (Agg/Cha)
• NC LX Ramesses II (Ind/Spi)
• NC LXI Montezuma (Agg/Spi)
• NC LXII Julius Caesar (Imp/Org)
• NC LXII Sitting Bull (Phi/Pro)
• NC LXIV Louis XIV (Cre/Ind)
• NC LXV Washington (Cha/Exp)
• NC LXVI Darius I (Fin/Org)
• NC LXVII Saladin (Pro/Spi)
• NC LXVIII Zara Yaqob (Cre/Org)
• NC LXIX Bismark (Exp/Ind)
• NC LXX Sulieman (Imp/Phi)
• NC LXXI Churchill (Cha/Pro)
• NC LXXII Ragnar (Agg/Fin)
• NC LXXIII Pericles (Cre/Phi)
• NC LXXIV Isabella (Exp/Spi)
• NC LXXV De Gaulle (Cha/Ind)
• NC LXXVI Charlemagne (Imp/Pro)
• NC LXXVII Hammurabi (Agg/Org)
• NC LXXVIII Cyrus (Cha/Imp)
• NC LXXIX Kublai Khan (Agg/Cre)
• NC LXXX Wang Kon (Fin/Pro)
• NC LXXXI Asoka (Org/Spi)
• NC LXXXII Roosevelt (Ind/Org)
• NC LXXXIII Peter the Great (Exp/Phi)
• NC LXXXIV Tokugawa (Agg/Pro)
• NC LXXXV Augustus Caesar (Imp/Ind)
• NC LXXXVI Gandhi (Phi/Spi)
• NC LXXXVII Hannibal (Cha/Fin)
• NC LXXXVIII Suryavaraman II (Cre/Exp)
• NC LXXXIX Victoria (Fin/Imp)
• NC XC Napoleon (Cha/Org)
• NC XCI: Alexander (Agg/Phi)
• NC XCII: Hatchepsut (Cre/Spi)
• NC XCIII: Mao Zedong (Exp/Pro)
• NC XCIV: Stalin (Agg/Ind)
• NC XCV: Frederick (Org/Phi)
• NC XCVI Brennus (Cha/Spi)
• NC XCVII Shaka (Agg/Exp)
• NC XCVIII Huayna Capac (Fin/Ind)
• NC XCIX Catherine (Cre/Imp)
• NC C Justinian I (Imp/Spi)
• NC CI Pacal II (Exp/Fin)
• NC CII Gilgamesh (Cre/Pro)
• NC CIII: Lincoln (Cha/Phi)
• NC CIV: Genghis Khan (Agg/Imp)
• NC CV: Mehmed II (Exp/Org)
• NC CVI: Mansa Musa (Fin/Spi)
• NC CVII: Qin Shi Huang (Ind/Pro)

Bullpen from the third cycle.

Spoiler Leaders from the third cycle :

• NC CLIX: Mao Zedong (Exp/Pro)
• NC CLVIII: Hammurabi (Agg/Org)
• NC CLVII: Mansa Musa (Fin/Spi)
• NC CLVI: Suryavaraman II (Cre/Exp)
• NC CLV: Justinian I (Imp/Spi)
• NC CLIV: Wang Kon (Fin/Pro)
• NC CLIII: Lincoln (Cha/Phi)
• NC CLII: Kublai Khan (Agg/Cre)
• NC CLI: Bismark (Exp/Ind)
• NC CL: Cyrus (Cha/Imp)
• NC CXLIX: Shaka (Agg/Exp)
• NC CXLVIII: Huayna Capac (Fin/Ind)
• NC CXLVII: Asoka (Org/Spi)
• NC CXLVI: Sulieman (Imp/Phi)
• NC CXLV: Genghis Khan (Agg/Imp)
• NC CXLIV: Napoleon (Cha/Org)
• NC CXLIII: Sitting Bull (Phi/Pro)
• NC CXLII: Hatchepsut (Cre/Spi)
• NC CXLI: Augustus Caesar (Imp/Ind)
• NC CXL: Darius I (Fin/Org)
• NC CXXXIX: Stalin (Agg/Ind)
• NC CXXXVIII: Isabella (Exp/Spi)
• NC CXXXVII: Churchill (Cha/Pro)
• NC CXXXVI: Pericles (Cre/Phi)
• NC CXXXV: Qin Shi Huang (Ind/Pro)
• NC CXXXIV: Pacal II (Exp/Fin)
• NC CXXXIII: Boudica (Agg/Cha)
• NC CXXXII: Gandhi (Phi/Spi)
• NC CXXXI: Victoria (Fin/Imp)
• NC CXXX: Gilgamesh (Cre/Pro)
• NC CXXIX: Roosevelt (Ind/Org)
• NC CXXVIII: Mehmed II (Org/Exp)
• NC CXXVII: Catherine (Cre/Imp)
• NC CXXVI: Hannibal (Fin/Cha)
• NC CXXV: Alexander (Agg/Phi)
• NC CXXIV: Ramesses II (Spi/Ind)
• NC CXXIII: Willem (Cre/Fin)
• NC CXXII: Frederick (Phi/Org)
• NC CXXI: Brennus (Spi/Cha)
• NC CXX: Tokugawa (Agg/Pro)
• NC CXIX: Joao (Imp/Exp)
• NC CXVIII: De Gaulle (Cha/Ind)
• NC CXVII: Montezuma (Agg/Spi)
• NC CXVI: Elizabeth (Fin/Phi)
• NC CXV: Zara Yaqob (Cre/Org)
• NC CXIV: Charlemagne (Imp/Pro)
• NC CXIII: Washington (Cha/Exp)
• NC CXII: Ragnar (Agg/Fin)
• NC CXI: Julius Caesar (Imp/Org)
• NC CX: Saladin (Pro/Spi)
• NC CIX: Louis XIV (Cre/Ind)
• NC CVIII: Peter the Great (Exp/Phi)

Bullpen from the fourth, fifth and start of the sixth cycle, and the bullpen from the sixth cycle proper.

Spoiler Leaders from the fourth cycle :

• NC 211: Augustus Caesar (Imp/Ind)
• NC 210: Isabella (Exp/Spi)
• NC 209: Kublai (Agg/Cre)
• NC 208: De Gaulle (Cha/Ind)
• NC 207: Charlemagne (Imp/Pro)
• NC 206: Montezuma (Agg/Spi)
• NC 205: Darius (Fin/Org)
• NC 204: Peter (Exp/Phi)
• NC 203: Mehmed (Exp/Org)
• NC 202: Churchil (Cha/Pro)
• NC 201: Alex (Agg/Phi)
• NC 200: Willem (Cre/Fin)
• NC 199: Ramesses (Ind/Spi)
• NC 198: Joao (Exp/Imp)
• NC 197: Gilgamesh (Cre/Pro)
• NC 196: Lincoln (Cha/Phi)
• NC 195: Asoka (Org/Spi)
• NC 194: Ragnar (Agg/Fin)
• NC 193: Catherine (Cre/Imp)
• NC 192: Huayna Capac (Fin/Ind)
• NC 191: Frederick (Org/Phi)
• NC 190: Brennus (Cha/Spi)
• NC 189: Mao (Exp/Pro)
• NC 188: Genghis (Agg/Imp)
• NC 187: Elizabeth (Fin/Phi)
• NC 186: Cyrus (Cha/Imp)
• NC 185: Suryavarman (Cre/Exp)
• NC 184: Roosevelt (Ind/Org)
• NC 183: Mansa Musa (Fin/Spi)
• NC 182: Toku (Agg/Pro)
• NC 181: Suleiman (Imp/Phi)
• NC 180: Hatty (Cre/Spi)
• NC 179: Qin (Ind/Pro)
• NC 178: Napoleon (Cha/Org)
• NC 177: Shaka (Agg/Exp)
• NC 176: Hannibal (Cha/Fin)
• NC 175: Bismarck (Exp/Ind)
• NC 174: Justinian (Imp/Spi)
• NC 173: Pericles (Phi/Cre)
• NC 172: Wang Kon (Fin/Pro)
• NC 171: Hammurabi (Agg/Org)
• NC 170: Sitting Bull (Phi/Pro)
• NC 169: Pacal II (Exp/Fin)
• NC 168: Boudica (Agg/Cha)
• NC 167: Louis XIV (Cre/Ind)
• NC 166: Julius Caesar (Imp/Org)
• NC 165: Saladin (Pro/Spi)
• NC 164: Washington (Cha/Exp)
• NC 163: Stalin (Agg/Ind)
• NC 162: Victoria (Fin/Imp)
• NC 161: Zara Yaqob (Cre/Org)
• NC 160: Gandhi (Phi/Spi)

Spoiler Leaders from the fifth cycle :

• NC 263: Tokugawa
• NC 262: Mansa Musa
• NC 261: Genghis Khan
• NC 260: Ramesses II
• NC 259: Peter
• NC 258: Wang Kon
• NC 257: Justinian
• NC 256: Boudica
• NC 255: Louis XIV
• NC 254: Mehmed II
• NC 253: Elizabeth
• NC 252: Saladin
• NC 251: Shaka
• NC 250: Willem
• NC 249: De Gaulle
• NC 248: Julius Caesar
• NC 247: Sitting Bull
• NC 246: Isabella
• NC 245: Kublai Khan
• NC 244: Napoleon
• NC 243: Huayna Capac
• NC 242: Charlemagne
• NC 241: Washington
• NC 240: Pericles
• NC 239: Montezuma
• NC 238: Darius I
• NC 237: Qin
• NC 236: Cyrus
• NC 235: Suryavarman
• NC 234: Gandhi
• NC 233: Roosevelt
• NC 232: Ragnar
• NC 231: Joao II
• NC 230: Churchill
• NC 229: Hetshepsut
• NC 228: Frederick
• NC 227: Stalin
• NC 226: Victoria
• NC 225: Mao
• NC 224: Zara
• NC 223: Brennus
• NC 222: Alexander
• NC 221: Augustus Caesar
• NC 220: Pacal II
• NC 219: Gilgamesh
• NC 218: Asoka
• NC 217: Lincoln
• NC 216: Suleiman
• NC 215: Hammurabi
• NC 214: Catherine
• NC 213: Bismarck
• NC 212: Hannibal

Spoiler Leaders from the sixth cycle :

• NC 264: Zara (CRE/ORG)
• NC 265: Lincoln (CHA/PHI)
• NC 266: Bismarck (EXP/IND)
• NC 267: Montezuma (AGG/SPI)
• NC 268: Victoria (FIN/IMP)
• NC 269: Gilgamesh (CRE/PRO)
• NC 270: Napoleon (CHA/ORG)
• NC 271: Peter (EXP/PHI)
• NC 272: Augustus (IMP/IND)
• NC 273: Ragnar (AGG/FIN)
• NC 274: Hatshepsut (CRE/SPI)
• NC 275: Churchill (CHA/PRO)
• NC 276: Frederick (ORG/PHI)
• NC 277: Joao (EXP/IMP)
• NC 278: Huayna Capac (FIN/IND)
• NC 279: Kublai Khan (AGG/CRE)
• NC 280: Brennus (CHA/SPI)
• NC 281: Sitting Bull (PHI/PRO)
• NC 282: Mehmed II (EXP/ORG)
• NC 283: Catherine (CRE/IMP)
• NC 284: De Gaulle (CHA/IND)
• NC 285: Mansa Musa (FIN/SPI)
• NC 286: Alexander (AGG/PHI)
• NC 287: Mao Zedong (EXP/PRO)
• NC 288: Julius (IMP/ORG)
• NC 289: Willem (CRE/FIN)
• NC 290: Ramesses II (IND/SPI)
• NC 291: Boudica (AGG/CHA)
• NC 292: Suleiman (IMP/PHI)
• NC 293: Suryavarman II (CRE/EXP)
• NC 294: Wang Kon (FIN/PRO)
• NC 295: Asoka (ORG/SPI)
• NC 296: Stalin (AGG/IND)
• NC 297: Cyrus (CHA/IMP)
• NC 298: Pericles (CRE/PHI)
• NC 299: Pacal II (EXP/FIN)
• NC 300: Saladin (PRO/SPI)
• NC 301: Hammurabi (AGG/ORG)
• NC 302: Louis XIV (CRE/IND)
• NC 303: Washington (CHA/EXP)
• NC 304: Charlemagne (IMP/PRO)
• NC 305: Elizabeth (FIN/PHI)
• NC 306: Isabella (EXP/SPI)
• NC 307: Roosevelt (IND/ORG)
• NC 308: Shaka (AGG/EXP)
• NC 309: Hannibal (CHA/FIN)
• NC 310: Gandhi (PHI/SPI)
• NC 311: Qin Shi Huang (IND/PRO)
• NC 312: Genghis Khan (AGG/IMP)
• NC 313: Darius (FIN/ORG)
• NC 314: Justinian (IMP/SPI)
• NC 315: Tokugawa (AGG/PRO)

Spoiler Leaders from the seventh cycle :

• NC 316: Suryavarman II (CRE/EXP)
• NC 317: Lincoln (CHA/PHI)
• NC 318: Huayna Capac (FIN/IND)
• NC 319: Julius Caesar (IMP/ORG)
• NC 320: Montezuma (AGG/SPI)
• NC 321: Mao Zedong (EXP/PRO)
• NC 322: Pericles (CRE/PHI)
• NC 323: Hannibal (CHA/FIN)
• NC 324: Augustus Caesar (IMP/IND)
• NC 325: Asoka (ORG/SPI)
• NC 326: Shaka (AGG/EXP)
• NC 327: Gilgamesh (CRE/PRO)
• NC 328: Elizabeth (FIN/PHI)
• NC 329: Cyrus (CHA/IMP)
• NC 330: Ramesses II (IND/SPI)
• NC 331: Mehmed II (EXP/ORG)
• NC 332: Kublai Khan (AGG/CRE)
• NC 333: Wang Kon (FIN/PRO)
• NC 334: Suleiman (IMP/PHI)
• NC 335: Brennus (CHA/SPI)
• NC 336: Bismarck (EXP/IND)
• NC 337: Hammurabi (AGG/ORG)
• NC 338: Willem (CRE/FIN)
• NC 339: Charlemagne (IMP/PRO)
• NC 340: Gandhi (PHI/SPI)
• NC 341: Washington (CHA/EXP)
• NC 342: Stalin (AGG/IND)
• NC 343: Darius (FIN/ORG)
• NC 344: Catherine (CRE/IMP)
• NC 345: Saladin (PRO/SPI)
• NC 346: Peter (EXP/PHI)
• NC 347: Boudica (AGG/CHA)
• NC 348: Roosevelt (IND/ORG)
• NC 349: Victoria (FIN/IMP)
• NC 350: Hatshepsut (CRE/SPI)
• NC 351: Sitting Bull (PHI/PRO)
• NC 352: Joao II (EXP/IMP)
• NC 353: Napoleon (CHA/ORG)
• NC 354: Ragnar (AGG/FIN)
• NC 355: Louis XIV (CRE/IND)
• NC 356: Isabella (EXP/SPI)
• NC 357: Churchill (CHA/PRO)
• NC 358: Frederick (ORG/PHI)
• NC 359: Genghis Khan (AGG/IMP)
• NC 360: Mansa Musa (FIN/SPI)
• NC 361: Qin Shi Huang (IND/PRO)
• NC 362: Zara (CRE/ORG)
• NC 363: Pacal II (EXP/FIN)
• NC 364: De Gaulle (CHA/IND)
• NC 365: Alexander (AGG/PHI)
• NC 366: Justinian (IMP/SPI)
• NC 367: Tokugawa (AGG/PRO)

The full set of maps for the five completed cycles is available in a set of five .7z files provided by Kjotleik here (first three cycles) and here (fourth and fifth cycles).

 

[AcaMetis]

Spoiler map creation guidelines :

A poll in September 2012 established the following as desirable or highly desirable edits; all others considered at the time were undesirable:

• Ensure there are some hills in the starting location BFC.
• Ensure there is fresh water (river or lake) adjacent to the starting location.
• Ensure the UU resource is reasonably nearby, within range of a 2nd or 3rd city.
• Ensure each AI has some strategic resource reasonably nearby, so it isn't a pushover.

Beyond this it's recommened not to edit the map too much. Nobles' Club maps should have certain characteristics that are good for helping beginning players, without being so heavily edited that they become completely uncharacteristic of "normal" maps.

Also note that maps should ideally be rolled on Monarch difficulty. The below instructions will assume this is the case, but otherwise it shouldn't be difficult to adapt as necessary. The main reason to use Monarch over Noble is because it keeps AI starting techs intact (the only free tech the AI gets is Archery, which is otherwise never a starting tech for any civ) while starting AIs with Archery units, which makes it easy to tell apart PRO/Hammy/Mansa leaders from non-PRO leaders at a glance. Immortal (or Deity) would also easily separate Asoka and Gandhi from the crowd, but would also start all AIs with Hunting/Agriculture(/Wheel) even when they normally wouldn't on Noble/Monarch, so overall Monarch is preferred.

Spoiler creating the worldbuilder save files :

Open Worldbuilder and save the map as a Worldbuilder file. Find the WB save and open it up in a text editor - Notepad++ is strongly recommended for it's ability to have multiple files opened at once, which will be useful when creating the non-huts saves.

• Find "Speed=xxx" and change "xxx" to "NONE"
• Find "MaxTurns=xxx" and change "xxx" to "0".
• Replace all instances of "PlayableCiv=1" with "PlayableCiv=0" except the one in Team=0, which is the player's team. This avoids giving the player the option of selecting what should be AI civilizations.
• Delete all lines saying "Handicap=" except the one in Team=0, which should read "Handicap=HANDICAP_MONARCH". This lets the AI handicap vary by level, while automatically selecting the correct difficulty level when starting a scenario.
• Replace all BeginUnit/EndUnit blocks except those with "UnitOwner=0" with the correct marker. The markers are "### units india" for Asoka or Gandhi, "### units mansa" for Mansa Musa, "### units hammy" for Hammurabi, "### units pro" for all Protective leaders, and "### units base" for all other leaders.
• Save the result as the "NC ### (leader name) Monarch huts" save file.

• Remove "Tech=TECH_ARCHERY" from all teams, and change the Handicap entry in Team 0 to "Handicap=HANDICAP_NOBLE". Save the result as the "NC ### (leader name) Noble huts" save file.

• Re-open the Monarch file, do not continue from the Noble file, and add "Tech=TECH_HUNTING" to all teams except TeamID=0, and change the Handicap entry in Team 0 to "Handicap=HANDICAP_EMPEROR". Save the result as the "NC ### (leader name) Emperor huts" save file. I always avoid duplicates if the civ already has the tech but it may be harmless.
• Repeat for TECH_AGRICULTURE/HANDICAP_IMMORTAL (immortal), and TECH_THE_WHEEL/HANDICAP_DEITY (deity).

• In the Deity save replace the unit markers with the correct set of Immortal starting units, and assign them to the right Team - search for "### units" to quickly cycle through all the markers. A replace command can be used to quickly replace "@" with the right team number if unit blocks are added one by one, since @ otherwise does not appear anywhere in a worldbuilder save. Alternatively teams can be set manually. The correct team is the same as the number in the "TeamReveal=X" line on the same tile, for easy point of reference. The sets of Immortal starting units are included below. Save the result as the "NC ### (leader name) Demigod huts" save file.
  Spoiler :

  
  

  ### units base:
  
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_WORKER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_WORKER
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SETTLER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_SETTLE
      EndUnit
  
  ### units pro:
  
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          PromotionType=PROMOTION_CITY_GARRISON1
          PromotionType=PROMOTION_DRILL1
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          PromotionType=PROMOTION_CITY_GARRISON1
          PromotionType=PROMOTION_DRILL1
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          PromotionType=PROMOTION_CITY_GARRISON1
          PromotionType=PROMOTION_DRILL1
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_WORKER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_WORKER
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SETTLER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_SETTLE
      EndUnit
  
  ### units india:
  
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_ARCHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_INDIAN_FAST_WORKER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_WORKER
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SETTLER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_SETTLE
      EndUnit
  
  ### units hammy:
  
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_BABYLON_BOWMAN, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_BABYLON_BOWMAN, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_BABYLON_BOWMAN, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_WORKER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_WORKER
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SETTLER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_SETTLE
      EndUnit
  
  ### units mansa:
  
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_MALI_SKIRMISHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_MALI_SKIRMISHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_MALI_SKIRMISHER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_CITY_DEFENSE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SCOUT, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_EXPLORE
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_WORKER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_WORKER
      EndUnit
      BeginUnit
          UnitType=UNIT_SETTLER, UnitOwner=@
          Damage=0
          Level=1, Experience=0
          FacingDirection=4
          UnitAIType=UNITAI_SETTLE
      EndUnit

  Once this is done open all the huts files, add a new line with "Option=GAMEOPTION_NO_EVENTS" directly below the speed line, and replace all instances of "ImprovementType=IMPROVEMENT_GOODY_HUT" with "### ImprovementType=IMPROVEMENT_GOODY_HUT". This will comment out the goody huts and prevent them from spawning ingame, but not completely remove them from the map files. Save the result as the "NC ### (leader name) (difficulty)" save file.

Spoiler changing starting positions :

To change the starting positions of two (or more) teams you must change the "StartingX=XX, StartingY=YY" lines in the respective Team entries to their new starting positions, otherwise the AI's starting units will not spawn in their correct positions. You also need to either change every "TeamReveal=X" line that belongs to a team who had their starting positions changed to reference the correct team, or simply delete the relevant lines altogether, as otherwise the tiles from the original starting position will still be revealed.

Alternatively you can correct the revealed tiles issue ingame, but note that you will still need to change the Team's starting positions in the worldbuilder file if you choose to go that route. To correct the revealed tiles issue ingame follow these steps exactly, in this order:

• Open worldbuilder
• Delete the starting units of the civs who's starting positions you wish to swap
• Enter Revealed Tile Mode, which is the four square button next to the two hands.
  
• Select one of the civs from the selection menu who's starting position you wish to change and hit the "Unreveal All Tiles" button. Repeat this for every other civ. This will cover every tile for the selected civ that it doesn't have active vision on, which is why the units needed to be deleted first.
• Enter Player Mode, which is the button with the green square and unit.
  
• Select one of the civs from the selection menu who's starting position you wish to change and place a Settler on the same tile where the different civ's Settler was previously. Repeat this for every other civ, including AI civs who's units are going to be deleted when creating the worldbuilder files anyway. This may not be strictly necessary for AI civs, but I like to make sure that nothing unusual might happen because one or more AI civs are technically eliminated.
  
• If you're swapping the player's starting position make sure to also place down the appropriate military starting unit - a Scout if the civ in question starts with Hunting, a Combat I Quechua if playing as HC, a Combat I Warrior if playing as Tokugawa, a basic Warrior otherwise - somewhere close to the Settler.
  
• Exit worldbuilder and save the edited map. You don't need to manually reveal the right tiles, the game will do so automatically when you place down the units.

Be careful not to accidentally place units of different civs close enough to each other to establish contact between them, otherwise you will have to remove the unintended contact in the worldbuilder file.

 

[AcaMetis]

Reserved in case something new comes up that should be in the beginning of the topic.

 

[AcaMetis]

And the first leader of the sixth cycle topic, though not the sixth cycle itself , Nobles' Club 268: Victoria of England is up!

 

[Kjotleik]

Attached are the complete sets of cycles four and five in one 7z-file each.

We had no separate thread for cycles five and six until now, so I lost count... now all is well.

 

[krikav]

Nice job @AcaMetis !

And thank you too @Kjotleik for putting the collections together!

 

[Pangaea]

Attached are the complete sets of cycles four and five in one 7z-file each.

We had no separate thread for cycles five and six until now, so I lost count... now all is well.

Awesome! Remember you posted this for some previous cycles too, and I was going to try to find the posts. Do you happen to have links to those as well? I have a file on the computer from Round Three (108-159), but would be better to have the original link than a new upload (I guess?).

Good idea with a fresh thread.

Small thing about barb techs that I mentioned at some point earlier. Instead of needing to cover the screen with your hand, and possibly glancing something you didn't want to see: You can move the mouse over the click-down menu with the human on top.
1. Look away as you click on it
2. Hit Down Arrow on the keyboard a few times until you're sure you are on the bottom of the list
3. Hit Enter. Barbs are now selected. No risk of seeing other AIs or map details (still a good idea to cover the bottom right corner though, so you don't see map details in the periphery vision)
4. Choose techs for the barbs (mainly Archery).

That is how I do it at least :shrug:

 

[Kjotleik]

Awesome! Remember you posted this for some previous cycles too, and I was going to try to find the posts. Do you happen to have links to those as well?

AcaMetis did put the links in the third post in this thread (at the bottom of the third post now). You will find all five cycles if you look there.

 

[Pangaea]

Thanks. I didn't notice that link

 

[AcaMetis]

After far too many attempts rolling maps Nobles' Club 269: Gilgamesh of Sumeria is finally up!

 

[AcaMetis]

Nobles' Club 270: Napoleon of France is up!

 

[AcaMetis]

Nobles' Club 271: Peter of Russia is up!

 

[AcaMetis]

I really wish there was a level between immortal and deity. That would probably have been perfect.

I'm wondering if such a difficulty could be (relatively) easily approximated with NC Worldbuilder files. This seems like something that'd be right up NC's alley, and IIRC I could, for example, set up a Deity game where AIs only have one Settler to start with, for example.

Of course I don't think anything could be done about the murderous hordes of barbs, the mounting per-era Deity bonuses, and probably a few other things, but still. If anyone has suggestions I'd like to hear them.

(Suggestions include potential names for this theoretical difficulty, because neither "immortal-er" or "deity light" sound like good options in my ears )

 

[krikav]

Really good idea!

I think there are two way to go about it.
Immortal+, same settings as Immortal but the AI start with deity units.
Deity-, same settings as deity, but the AIs start with only 1 settler.

To save space in the worldbuilder zip files, we could remove all the huts-saves, I have not heard of anyone playing with those for ages and ages (speak up if you do!!).

Thats the naming convention that I think would be easiest to understand, it would reduce the likelyhood of people taking the wrong difficulty when starting games from the worldbuilder save.

But of those two alternatives, I would suspect that Immortal+ would actually be harder than Deity-, which might be abit confusing...

In Immortal+, the extra settler adds so much pressure early on, both to claim land and not get boxed in, but also faster barb invasion.
But it does give the player some respite to recover from the tougher start, before the AIs blaze away in tech.
The deity- setting would enable the aspiring immortal player a chance to play the start as they are normally used to, but after than get a feeling for how fast the AIs era bonuses start to snowball.


Iirc @elitetroops did add some variant of this setting a few NC games way back.

 

[elitetroops]

At some point in some series, not sure if it was NC, there was immortal+ saves posted. I think it was immortal difficulty with deity starting units for AI. (Edit: Nope, it was deity difficulty with immortal starting units.)

The huts issue has been discussed before. At least back then the wbsave zip file would typically have way more downloads than there were people posting in the threads, indicating that the majority of people who played them were lurkers. Active forum users play mostly without huts, but that might not be the case for the casual lurkers.

 

[Nick723]

I like the suggestion! I too enjoy and am relatively comfortable on immortal, but die horribly most times on deity. I think that the extra settler option would be better and would help more with the transition between the levels?

Suggested name ‘Demi-god’?

 

[krikav]

Might be something @sylvanllewelyn would appreciate too? I think you mentioned that the difficulty was just a tiny bit too hard on that Gilga map?

Also, shout-outs to @keaaa , @Kernigh , @SamV , @5tephen , @Spielban and probably others I haven't seen.
Your participation in the game threads are appreciated. Not only do they give enjoyment for me and others active, but there are so many lurking out in the shadows that are also helped by your writeups.

 

[elitetroops]

Checked the archives. Appears I made immortal+ save at least for NC 173 (attached to post #3). It was actually deity difficulty with immortal starting units for AI.