Apollo Challenge Thread

[Acken]

I'm finally back from my "trip" and would like to see if there is some interest in an apollo chalenge series. As far as I know there isn't such a series already.

For reference people can look into Civ5 ongoing Deity Challenge series in the strategy forum of Civ5. It's some sort of unofficial GotM format without a specified VC.
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=531153

While I find it hard to call the game challenging I still very much like playing the same map as other people and see results to see what is the current metagame for single player. It's both a way to learn strategies, for people struggling or veterans wanting to find little tips, and a way to better assess what works great and what doesn't.

I'd propose a format very similar to what Dinglebird did with Civ5 DCL. To be specific:
-A proposed map (and in the case of BE the autosave at map creation before landing but seeding options already chosen)
-A regular event (biweekly)
-No specified VC (but I may indicate some sort of default VC for people like me who don't want to chose themselves)
-Honor rules regarding replay, cheats and spoilers
-People post results in spoilers for the 2 weeks before next event
-Community is free to suggest map to the organizer or next week organizer
-No annoying "out of the game" rules
-No mods

The game being in an incomplete state in my opinion I can probably take care of it for the firsts times but I cannot guarantee it in a few months if I become bored with the game. At which point if the series is popular someone will have to continue it.

PS: Is there a way to deactivate DLC for map creation ? Cant find it. Or can people without the exoplanet DLC still load normal maps like protean created by someone with the DLC.
Edit: Found a way to deactivate it on steam.

 

[Thrar]

I'd be interested to play. I didn't play Civ5 but had lots of fun doing the IU and other threads in Civ4.

 

[RedRover57]

I'm sure I'll join in, but it seems you will need to impose some significant restrictions to make it a challenge. Such as a game playing as African Union and only allowing Might virtues until the entire tree is filled. Unlike Civ 5, in BE the map almost doesn't matter since you get a large chunk of benefits from trade routes anyway and any tile can eventually become decent with the later improvements. So it is much less of an issue to start in tundra for example (slower yes, but not as difficult as in Civ 5).

 

[Acken]

I'm sure I'll join in, but it seems you will need to impose some significant restrictions to make it a challenge. Such as a game playing as African Union and only allowing Might virtues until the entire tree is filled. Unlike Civ 5, in BE the map almost doesn't matter since you get a large chunk of benefits from trade routes anyway and any tile can eventually become decent with the later improvements. So it is much less of an issue to start in tundra for example (slower yes, but not as difficult as in Civ 5).

I'm 100% aware that Civ:BE isn't very challenging, but I don't want to impose restrictions not available as options in the game. In the past (civ5) artificial restrictions became quickly silly and made players run away instead. Players still can come up with their own experiments or self imposed restrictions, and they do in these threads (Grendelf likes total domination and I did a melee only domination in one of them).

I'm also of the opinion that this kind of series help illustrate potential issues with the game for people wanting to play it "normally".

 

[cas]

I'd be interested, but I think you should exclude the spy 'establish network' repeatedly to increase intrigue levels nonsense. I want to call it an exploit, but it is really just a horrible job of balance by the game designers.

cas

 

[teqofc]

IMHO, wait a month or so for them to fix bugs and make it harder. This game is far too easy on Apollo. You'd have to enforce rules like max 3-4 cities to make it a challenge.

 

[Zet]

IMHO, wait a month or so for them to fix bugs and make it harder. This game is far too easy on Apollo. You'd have to enforce rules like max 3-4 cities to make it a challenge.

Actually winning with just one city, even on Apollo, is quite possible and not difficult either.

In order to get a challenge, one would have to place restrictions such as these:

- 1 city max.
- African Union.
- Bad starting location (near wildlands, isolated, tundra?)
- No contact victory.
- No coups.

 

[Acken]

Well if the game is too easy, you could view this as only being a race to see what strategies yield the fastest results until the game gets harder. Some people don't find Immortal and Deity challenging on Civ5 but still participate to race for the fastest wins in a specific victory condition. And then there's also some people in it to learn to beat the game, even if that objective is much easier to attain in current CivBE.

Also, down the road if the community is okay with it and Firaxis too slow to make the game harder, we could vote on one of the balance mod and continue there after a few games. But I know that this has a tendency to make players flee instead...

I guess Challenge wouldn't really be the right word It's more a simple community version of GotM on max difficulty only. That thread helps me assess if there would be participants, to show how they like to play and results or beginners interested in learning the ropes.

I guess if a moderator could change the title too: "Starting an Apollo challenge series (like Civ5)" maybe it would be clearer.

 

[Arnold_T]

I'd play, sign me up! there's tons that I don't know about BE yet. I've only played one and a half games so far, and I find it very different from previous civ games because of the tech web, and the unfamiliar tech names, units, buildings, and where they are in the tech web

 

[TLHeart]

bring it on, would be fun, just like the civ:V series are. No special rules, play the game firaxis released. as easy as this game is though, people may loose interest in bi weekly.

 

[KingMorgan]

Post a save already!!, i'm sure it will be good to measure progress of a particular map against other players.

 

[teqofc]

Well if the game is too easy, you could view this as only being a race to see what strategies yield the fastest results until the game gets harder. Some people don't find Immortal and Deity challenging on Civ5 but still participate to race for the fastest wins in a specific victory condition. And then there's also some people in it to learn to beat the game, even if that objective is much easier to attain in current CivBE.

Also, down the road if the community is okay with it and Firaxis too slow to make the game harder, we could vote on one of the balance mod and continue there after a few games. But I know that this has a tendency to make players flee instead...

I guess Challenge wouldn't really be the right word It's more a simple community version of GotM on max difficulty only. That thread helps me assess if there would be participants, to show how they like to play and results or beginners interested in learning the ropes.

I guess if a moderator could change the title too: "Starting an Apollo challenge series (like Civ5)" maybe it would be clearer.

I'd at least wait until they fix gunners and instant upgrades. It's just a joke how easily a gunner rush works in this game. Build 4-5 cities and pump out as many rangers as you can while they are cheap. Research physics and get affinity. The instant upgrade wherever your ranger is to a gunner is just insanely OP and can take down cities in a heartbeat.

The Kozlov/Elodie rush to battlesuits is pretty broken too

 

[xamlop]

The Kozlov/Elodie rush to battlesuits is pretty broken too

If you think that's broken, try the Kozlov/Elodie rush to planet carvers instead (using the institute free tech... 2 free techs in the first 100 turns is pretty strong).

 

[Soffacet]

Well if the game is too easy, you could view this as only being a race to see what strategies yield the fastest results until the game gets harder. Some people don't find Immortal and Deity challenging on Civ5 but still participate to race for the fastest wins in a specific victory condition. And then there's also some people in it to learn to beat the game, even if that objective is much easier to attain in current CivBE.

Also, down the road if the community is okay with it and Firaxis too slow to make the game harder, we could vote on one of the balance mod and continue there after a few games. But I know that this has a tendency to make players flee instead...

I guess Challenge wouldn't really be the right word It's more a simple community version of GotM on max difficulty only. That thread helps me assess if there would be participants, to show how they like to play and results or beginners interested in learning the ropes.

I guess if a moderator could change the title too: "Starting an Apollo challenge series (like Civ5)" maybe it would be clearer.

I would support and participate in a BE ACL for this reason. Right now there are tons of people clamoring about Gunners, Battlesuits, Planet Carvers, Ectogenesis Pod, Academies, ITRs, ETRs, etc, all of which look strong. But there is very little comparison of how good those approaches are in relation to eachother. Unfortunately the combat AI is *so* incompetent right now that low-tech domination will probably always be fastest. Which I guess isn't all that different from CiV, but it is discouraging if the goal of the project is to find the best theoretical methods.

 

[Acken]

Time for victory are only comparable on the same victory condition anyway. Otherwise yes, domination is the fastest (at least on pangea standard size).

 

[bruntfca]

I like the idea. However, as you say the balance is borked, but better to launch something than nothing. In any event, give how whacked out the balance is it might be fun, at least for the first few times, just to see what crazy thing people can come up with.

 

[Udey1]

This thread needs title change. Currently Apollo /= Challenge.

 

[Sprenk]

This thread needs title change. Currently Apollo /= Challenge.

Well, I checked again on Steam, and the percentage of players who have the Apollo achievement is still only 0.9%. So we can posture all we want, but Apollo is certainly a challenge for the average player--and even for most CFC patrons, I wager.

 

[xamlop]

Well, I checked again on Steam, and the percentage of players who have the Apollo achievement is still only 0.9%.

I won on Appolo but didn't get the achievement because I played with a mod (I think it's the reason) and I guess i'm not the only one.

 

[Browd]

Yes, playing with mods will disable achievements.