Big Empire: Fun but tooo looonnngggg

[m4gill4]

I was playing a totally fun game as Wang Kon on a standard fractal map going for domination. Fairly straightforward. But by the time the 1800's rolled around, I was so tech leading that my victory was assured, but there were another 100 long turns of constant war between me and victory that I just lost my will to play.

Now, I can't even bring myself to start a new game of Civ, just knowing that it will take so much time. After I've strategically assured my victory, the rest is just bricklaying so to speak, but it can take hours and hours.

Anybody else ever reached this point that I speak of, where you temporarily become frustrated with/lose interest in Civ due to the sheer amount of tedious work that sometimes goes into a victory?

Now, the only games I can bring myself to even consider meaningful are GOTM/WOTM games (of which I've now submitted the mighty sum of 1, and thus far always lose) but they are too few and far between to sustain me.

 

[Crenor]

Thats why I don't like military victories, and prefer going for space race or culture instead.

Alternatively, you could play on smaller maps with a higher difficulty level.

 

[m4gill4]

Yeah, that's probably what I'll end up doing. Or lowering the speed. But it seems to me that if I lower the speed, then that gives me less time for military action, which is not scaled according to speed like most other game aspects. And since at prince/monarch where I play, the AI is better than me at just about everything except military matters, I assumed that faster playing speeds would put me at a disadvantage. Thus far I always play on epic.

 

[KaytieKat]

Hi

:;raises hand:: hehe Yeah I get to the point sometimes in games too. Where I KNOW I am gonna win and now just picking or choosing how. Maybe not as exciting as those games where you get space win by JUST one turn or something but it satisfying knowing you dominated that well too. But yeah sometimes you can get a little bored at that point when instead of competeing against whats left you're just toy with em or spend rest of game playing SIM empire instead of competing.

Usually if Im at this point and just want to start over I would build UN and vote myself diplomatic win so I could just quit and start over. But it seems new patch coming out wont let you get a diplomatic win like that. One of changes is if someone has enough votes they could just vote themselves in then a diplomatic vote would never get called. Seems kind of like punishing someone for playing the game successfully but oh wells. I guess now when I get to that point and want to start over I just have to just quit which doesnt seem fair cuz I like at least getting that final score before I start over hehe.

Kaytie

 

[Jaybe]

I prefer huge marathon games, with roughly standard numbr of civs with multiple continents. I almost always play the games to the end. Yes, it can get drawn out sometimes,
... but if you don't play it, how will you know that an AI civ wouldn't pull a win (UN, space, culture, whatever) out of a hat??

 

[bonafide11]

Jaybe: Because as soon as they'd approach any of those, I'd raze their capitol

 

[Underdawg]

So you were well on your way to domination? Just go and send stacks wherever you need to and just raze the bastards for conquest victory. And you said you are playing only on a standrad map! That's very quick to get through (unless your computer takes a long time processing the AI between your turns).

 

[MrFelony]

ya i'm going to win my 2nd emperor game by probably domination, but for some reasony we're on a huge land mass for a standard terra. my comp is strugging. especially since i'm at war with the 2 world powers and winning . luckily i got tanks around the same time nappy did and brennus, while he WAS #1 in power, was going for a cultural win so he's still fighting with rifles

 

[Dan Quale]

I play at immortal/marathon and the game usually goes pretty well for me... unless i do something stupid early like declare war as soon as i meet a scout, which rarely happens, but sometimes i get angry. I tend to easily dominate my continent through rex, and minor warfare of pitiful neighbors then around 400-600 AD some already annoyed guy with caravels says hello, who has 20 techs on me. So I take over the entire continent abuse my vassals, and the next thing I know when I'm just getting infantry I hear apollo programs going up. SO there is only one solution.. NUKE, and vote myself leader of the world once biology is researched.
At emporer and below I can usually win a semi prolonged intercontinental invasion, but at immortal it just isnt worth it. I haven't won a domination or conquest in a while, but I just cant get over the tactical nuke. Who cares if they have more units than me, 20 cruisers full and a couple handfuls of Icbms and the world becomes a pangea, with a parking lot island on the other side.

 

[mice]

Alternatively, you could play on smaller maps with a higher difficulty level.

I don't see smaller maps as needing higher difficulty. They are just as hard, but you can get victory sooner if you go domination.

I like small maps because the diplomacy is straightforward, but still key.

It's a good solution to the OP's problem, which I feel too.

 

[Spearthrower]

... but if you don't play it, how will you know that an AI civ wouldn't pull a win (UN, space, culture, whatever) out of a hat??

The cry of the fallen throughout history..... "but I thought we couldn't lose!"


Considering that you have won... and winning... are two different things.

 

[kurtkage]

When I get to the point of "this is pointless to play any longer" and I'm ready for my next game I try to change some things.

try a different map than you are used to
a different leader/civ
a different victory condition as a goal
a different difficulty
try different economy models. SE / CE etc
mess with victory conditions / rules custom game
play OCC

Not all at once, but just to mix things up

 

[Munch]

When I get to the point of "this is pointless to play any longer" and I'm ready for my next game I try to change some things.

try a different map than you are used to
a different leader/civ
a different victory condition as a goal
a different difficulty
try different economy models. SE / CE etc
mess with victory conditions / rules custom game
play OCC

Not all at once, but just to mix things up

Seconded. Quite often I find in the late game the outcome is assured, one way or the other. I'll play on in case the AI makes a surprise comeback, but then you get to the point when your lead really is insurmountable. At this point quit, smugly knowing that you beat the game and the result is tedious and inevitable, and play something more difficult or just a different strategy.

 

[lulu135]

Another option is to turn on all the city governors, automate all the workers, disband or sentry the units you don't need, and put the rest into large stacks. Then the turns start going by quickly again.

There should be a "let the AI finish my game" option which just makes the AI take over and play turn after turn until the game is won. Then you can see your score at the end.

 

[Indiansmoke]

Jaybe: Because as soon as they'd approach any of those, I'd raze their capitol

Why not raise all their cities now then and win conquest? If you are that ahead!!!

 

[Seras]

it happens more often than not that i'll stop playing a game before victory....you just reach a point where you accomplished what you wanted with that empire and playing till victory seems more like a chore.

but i'm always ready to start up the next game though =)

 

[m4gill4]

@ all

In my game, I have only about 22% of land area, but I have a VAST tech lead and a HUGE amphibious invasion force. I have 6 full carriers, 10 transports full of marines and machine gunners (for defense after assault) 15 destroyers and 2 battleships. There is no question I will win, but now I actually have to spend the next 50 turns or so actually doing the conquering.

Kind of a shame considering the time I spent building my grand fleet only to not feel like using it.

 

[m4gill4]

There should be a "let the AI finish my game" option which just makes the AI take over and play turn after turn until the game is won. Then you can see your score at the end.

Agreed! That would be excellent! Just let the AI take over for your civ and play out the remaining turns. Wow that would solve all my woes! Would it be possible to do this in a mod?

 

[MrFelony]

you should be able to select the victory type you would like the AI to try and achieve so it doesnt accidentally go for a space race when you were going for domination or conquest. but that is a great idea.

 

[Psyringe]

In Civ2 and Civ3, I didn't complete most of my games due to the tedium the OP mentioned. For some reason, Civ4 has been different and I haven't ever quit a Civ4 game due to this reason. I might change my strategy to pursue another victory type than domination though, depends on how I feel like. Domination admittedly needs the most micromanagement.