PolyCast Episode 158: "Let That Sink In"

Take a moment. The one-hundred-and-fifty-eighth episode of PolyCast, "Let That Sink In", features regular co-hosts Daniel "DanQ" Quick, "Makahlua" and Philip "TheMeInTeam" Bellew with returning guest co-hosts Jon "CanuckSoldier" Ryder and Paul "vexing" Grimes, it has a runtime of 59m59s; listeners are encouraged to follow the show on Twitter, and check out the YouTube channel for caption capability.

The summary of topics is as follows:

- 02m47s | Senate
Contesting the good that Mounted units are, and then on using an air force (11m48s), both in Civilization V: Gods & Kings.
- 21m39s | Open Mic
A shoutout to the show leads to a discussion on a number of CivV "Elimination Threads" (#1; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), and then reading and answering an email sent in by a listener named Nick (25m33s).
- 30m59s | Forum Talk
Should one upgrade CivV Machine Guns into Mechanized Infantry, contrasting Battleships and Destroyer units (35m38s), and then a heated debate over what if Civilization IV combat was not Random-Number Generator (RNG) dependent. (37m48s; recorded for Episode 152).
- 49m27s | Research Lab
Examining the desirability and viability of building in fractions in Civ.

- Intro/Outro | Miscellaneous
A pleasant surprise to accompany the fall CivV patch, some co-hosts dating and then others trying to modernize themselves, and the return of an annual effort to get the show some additional recognition.

Recording live before a listening audience every other Saturday, PolyCast is a bi-weekly audio production in an ongoing effort to give the Civ community an interactive voice on game strategy; sibling show RevCast focuses on Civilization: Revolution, ModCast on Civ modding, SCivCast on Civ social gaming and TurnCast on Civ multiplay.

Is their a mod of TheMeInTeam idea of combat ?

So that combat isn't RNG dependent?


civ 4 is superior in every way except combat (I would say its game breaking ) I can tell you how many games I just raged quit because of this silly combat rolls.

thats why I prefer civ 5 over 4

apocalypse105 said:

Is their a mod of TheMeInTeam idea of combat ?

So that combat isn't RNG dependent?


civ 4 is superior in every way except combat (I would say its game breaking ) I can tell you how many games I just raged quit because of this silly combat rolls.

thats why I prefer civ 5 over 4

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The MOD is not yet complete, and work on it has in fact been temporarily suspended given the limited availability of its lead (who is not TMIT). I too am waiting for the effort to be realized before I intend to play CivIV any further myself.

Hi Dan! Love your show!

Just a thought. Remember your old shows where you also spoke about Galactic Civilizations 2 sometimes? I miss some comments and reflections arround Stardock's upcoming game Elemental; Fallen Enchantress. It's to be released now at the 23rd of october, and it's a Civ-like game in the same way you could say GalCiv2 is. Would be cool if you talked about it in the show, it's turning out to be a great new turn based 4X grand strategy with some RPG elements in a fantasy world.

GalCiv is Sci-Fi Civ, Fallen Enchantress is Fantasy (and some RPG) Civ.


Take care Dan! Wish you good health and a long life!

Listening to the latest installment of the Polycast got me thinking about RNG. I have to say I prefer it for a variety of reasons.

1) A “unit” in Civ is a representation of a group of soldiers and in that group are many different people and personalities. The randomness of the RNG could represent one solder’s human error; no matter how well the general prepares for the battle, he still needs to rely on all his soldiers to perform their duties properly. Maybe a soldier sneezes and blows the unit’s cover. Maybe a soldier has an itchy trigger finger and fires before he “sees the whites of their eyes.” Maybe in the chaos and confusion of battle, a soldier accidentally kills an ally.
2) Weather and other environmental factors also play a role in combat. A general might strategize to take into account his and his enemy’s moves, but if a sudden thunderstorm or blizzard rolls in or if there’s an earthquake, the circumstances may change. RNG can account for these situations in a way (sort of simulating Weather Events that some people have been asking for).
3) I’m a huge sports fan and am in an NFL Pick ‘Em league with my family (where we attempt to predict which teams will win each week). No matter how much the evidence and statistics and research suggest Team A will beat Team B, sometimes Team B actually wins. There are a multitude of reasons why the unexpected outcome occurs, and this can be likened to a “universal RNG” of sorts.

Life is chaotic and unpredictable and RNG exemplifies this perfectly. Knowing that, in the same terrain and with the same promotions, Unit A will always do 34 points of damage to Unit B, makes the game too predictable and formulaic. With that knowledge, you can surmise that you will need exactly 3 of Unit A to kill Unit B. There’s a certain degree of fun in not knowing whether those three Unit A’s will take out Unit B, or if you’ll need to bring in another unit to finish things off. Part of the excitement of Civ games is adapting your strategies when things don’t go exactly according to plan. You can argue that the ability to improvise your plan and overcome unanticipated obstacles is what makes the difference between a so-so player and a good player, or a good player and a great player. I for one look forward to the challenge.

Luckystrike, thank you for your kind words and to both you and shaglio for your inquiry and comment respectively.

I have both of your posts above itemized for discussion on the recording of the show's next episode which is to be this Saturday, October 20th.

DanQ said:

Luckystrike, thank you for your kind words and to both you and shaglio for your inquiry and comment respectively.

I have both of your posts above itemized for discussion on the recording of the show's next episode which is to be this Saturday, October 20th.

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Great news Dan. Really look forward to it.