BOTM 08 Pregame Discussion

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 08: French

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm08civ.jpg[/img]

Game Details:

Game settings:
Civilization: French (Leader: Charles De Gaulle; Traits: Industrious, Charismatic)
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Emperor
Map: That would be telling!
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Tropical
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Epic
Options: Unrestricted leaders.
Victory Conditions: all enabled

Charles De Gaulle:
Charles De Gaulle is Industrious and Charismatic, and the French start with the wheel and agriculture. Industrious gives +50% hammers when building wonders, as well as double speed production of forges.. Charismatic gives +1 happiness in each city plus an additional +1 happiness from monuments and broadcast tower. Further, units require 25% fewer experience points for each promotion.

Unique unit: Musketeer (replaces musketman)
The benefit of the musketeer compared to the musketman is that it can move as fast as mounted units: It has two movement points, compared to the musketman's one.

Unique building: Salon (replaces observatory)
Like the observatory, the salon gives an additional 25% science in a city and allows one citizen to become a scientist. Unlike the observatory, it also gives one free artist to the city.


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



Adventurer Class bonuses:

1. Archer: For additional defence, your warrior has been replaced with a mechanized infantry unit. Hang on, I mean an archer.
2. Worker: You have a worker (sharing a tile with what you wish was that mechanized infantry unit)

Challenger Class Equalisers:

1. No warrior: Your warrior, remembering last month's challenger class equalizer, was so scared of being murdered by the settler that he ran away, jumped into one of the coastal tiles, and drowned. Stupid prat.
   
2. No techs: Yep. Call me unimaginative. I couldn't think of any new challenger class equalizers.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open on 15 July 2008. From that date, you'll be able to get the starting saves at here. Use the same URL to submit your completed entry, which you must do by 15 August 2008.

Civ version

This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Warlords or vanilla Civ), patched to version 3.13, for Windows, and with the HOF mod version 3.13.001 installed. You can download the HOF mod here.

Note that this is NOT the most recent version of the patch, because we don't yet have a HOF mod for that version. DO NOT install the 3.17 BtS patch because you won't be able to play this BOTM using it. (Sorry, if you've already installed it, you'll have to do a reinstall of BtS to be able to play this BOTM)


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.

 

[LiddellHart]

Hmm, unrestricted leaders and secret map?
I guess we're in for a surprise!

Can't wait for this one

 

[Caesar of Rome]

Looks like we must build monuments if we are to keep the people happy as well as healthy.
Moving 1SE keeps all the resources in BFC and looks to allow two other cities on peninsula. Settle NNE and maybe we bag peninsula for future expansion. We must clear some fog before settling, but how many turns can we squander on the wander?

 

[Ronnie1]

Thanks DS, you always know how to throw in a new twist. What exactly does "unrestricted leaders" mean?

As for the start, warrior SE might reveal more tile east, but not many, the tile SE of the settler is the obvious 1st choice.

Wandering??? What would you be looking for? 3 foods in BFC seems pretty good. And you can share the sheep and corn for future cities if you need to.

 

[Erkon]

Looks very fun! But the screenshot... Where have I seen that layout before? Should there not be a river?

EDIT: Does anyone with Steam know how to handle unwanted patching?

 

[JungleIII]

TEST GAME link included.

Here is a test game to try out your starting position with DS's setup...

DS has a few surprises, so I too have tried to second guess what they might be... with all the colonization buzz at the moment....

At Emperor level as a reminder:
We mortals start with a warrior and a settler
The A.I. starts with 2 scouts, 2 archers and a settler.

Not many worker steals going on here.

I preferred to leave my A.I.'s on their regular nationalistic settings, as I would have no idea what surprise would present with the unrestricted leader setting that DS has included. Otherwise, my map is a crapshoot as to similarity with DS - but if I was making a map for XOTM's at the moment, this is what it would be...

Have a little adventure and above all - have a little fun!

 

[JungleIII]

Thanks DS, you always know how to throw in a new twist. What exactly does "unrestricted leaders" mean?

Unrestricted allows leaders to be assigned to ANY national entity and utilize those traits instead of the normal national traits. It is intriguing why DS chose it for this game and I imagine it has something to do with the map???

 

[JerichoHill]

Unknown map. Unknown leaders with unknown traits.

Frederick with Quecha?

How the heck do you test this?

 

[JungleIII]

You can test your starting position to get a feel for how your capital will produce and research at this level... And, test the Emporer level BtS (first Botm at this level) traits in comparison to a general crowd of opponents. The 'real' game will be very much an unknown as DS has decided on secrecy. So... if you download the 'test' game, it's just to get in the mood - or operating frame of mind for this Botm.

Personally, if I don't play a test game at this level and above, I may find I'm not ready for the 'speed', opponents strength, research ability, or even find relocation is or is not essential for the capital, as well as other issues. Just a little bit of prep, can go a long way in keeping to a minimum those hasty decisions when playing for real... And there is no second chance if you are going to submit your game. But - I hear you on this one... it will still be very different

 

[LowtherCastle]

That opening position is so hammerless and commerceless, I think I'll just settle in place. Got be something worth staying for...

 

[Jove]

I SE looks OK. Grab some forests, keep all the food, plan ahead...

 

[kcd_swede]

I like unrestricted leaders. If you played enough Multiplayer, you've probably got some feel for the combinations you'd expect. I'm a little disappointed that we have to play France with a French leader though. I like random maps as well. I think it is most certainly a coastal capitol is a big advantage, so some scouting is called for.

Emperor level is a little bit of a stretch for me, though. I seem to do OK at Emperor when I play Vanilla but in a long dry spell with BtS. I think I'll definitely try some practise games this time around.

Montezuma of the Romans... I eagerly await your Praets.

 

[srad]

Never played de Gaulle but the traits are nice. Start looks hammer poor, that is a pity for an industrious leader.

Thanks for the test game, I will give it a try to plan my first techs and worker actions.
I' m really looking forward to the game and the unknown map-type plus unrestricted leaders sounds interesting.

 

[Mighty Dwaarf]

Surely if we are playing France we should start on 14th of July??

 

[Erkon]

Never played de Gaulle but the traits are nice. Start looks hammer poor, that is a pity for an industrious leader...

My map-gazing skills may fail me, but I spot a forest hill 2E of warrior, and a hill 3N of settler. I lean towards settling 1NE. Gain one forest in FC (2NE of settler), loose five grasslands (with possibility of horses), but I think there's another forest in northern Italy, and iron in Belgium

With two food resources and four hills, there will be plenty of wonders in Paris . The low commerce is troublesome, but I will nonetheless expand to grab resources, and spam cottages.

 

[oyzar]

My map-gazing skills may fail me, but I spot a forest hill 2E of warrior, and a hill 3N of settler. I lean towards settling 1NE. Gain one forest in FC (2NE of settler), loose five grasslands (with possibility of horses), but I think there's another forest in northern Italy, and iron in Belgium

With two food resources and four hills, there will be plenty of wonders in Paris . The low commerce is troublesome, but I will nonetheless expand to grab resources, and spam cottages.

With the river missing can we know where the iron / copper is? I just don't hope spain and portugal and the dutch are all in the game...

 

[Sarek]

Hmmm...test game file bounces me out of Civ to an MS "send us an error report" window before fully loading.
Anyone else with this trouble?

Sorry...didn't see the following above:
Note that this is NOT the most recent version of the patch, because we don't yet have a HOF mod for that version. DO NOT install the 3.17 BtS patch because you won't be able to play this BOTM using it. (Sorry, if you've already installed it, you'll have to do a reinstall of BtS to be able to play this BOTM)

Already patched!
Why no 3.17 HOF???

 

[srad]

.... loose five grasslands (with possibility of horses)

Or maybe copper?
Is it worth the risk to loose the horses, copper (if there are some)? Horses or copper means a good barb defense and good support for fast rex'ing. If neither of them are in the FC, I think it is necessary to research hunting and archery (which I would delay).

Planned teching: AH-Mining-Copper-Myst. (maybe stonehenge? hm)

 

[Erkon]

Or maybe copper?
Is it worth the risk to loose the horses, copper (if there are some)? Horses or copper means a good barb defense and good support for fast rex'ing. If neither of them are in the FC, I think it is necessary to research hunting and archery (which I would delay).

Planned teching: AH-Mining-Copper-Myst. (maybe stonehenge? hm)

I was planning to fogbust with warriors A capital 1NE will get the warrior-hill in the first cultural expansion, so will fogbust a lot SW. A warrior further SW will probably be enough to block the peninsula. But please don't follow my advice and blame me later if I'm totally wrong!

Techpath: agri (challenger), mining, AH, BW, writing (unless something else show up).

 

[LowtherCastle]

No techs: Yep. Call me unimaginative. I couldn't think of any new challenger class equalizers.

How about: a goody hut nearby that's guaranteed to spawn angry barbs, no matter who pops it...