Botm 15 Pregame Discussion

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 15: Khmer

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm15civ.jpg[/img]

Game Details:

Game settings:
Civilization: Khmer (Leader: Suryavarman; Traits: Expansive and Creative)
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Emperor
Map: Continents
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Epic
Options: No random events.
World wrap: Cylindrical
Victory Conditions: all enabled.

Suryavarman:
Suryavarrman is Expansive and Creative, and the Khmers start with the hunting and mining. Expansive +2 health per city, +25% production of workers, and double production speed of granaries and harbours. Creative gives +2 culture per city per turn, and double production speed of theatres, libraries and colosseums.

Unique unit: Ballista Elephant (replaces elephant)
The ballista elephant has all the same stats as the elephant: 8 strength, +50% versus mounted units, but doesn't get defensive bonuses. The difference is that when attacking outside cities, the ballista elephant specifically targets any mounted units in a stack before other units.

Unique building: Baray(replaces aquaduct)
Like the aquaduct, the Baray gives +2 health in the city. The extra bonus of the Baray is it also gives +1 food.

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



Challenger Class Equalisers:

1. No scout Gone.
2. No techs Yeah, I'm still in boring mode and giving you the same old equalizers as before.

Adventurer Class bonuses:

1. Worker You start a worker, sharing a tile with the settler
2. Archer You start an archer for defence, sharing a tile with the scout.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open on 15 February 2009. From that date, you'll be able to get the starting saves here. Use the same URL to submit your completed entry, which you must do by 15 March 2009.

Civ version

This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Warlords or vanilla Civ), patched to version 3.17. It must also be played with the HOF mod version 3.17.001. Note that for game security reasons this HOF mod version requires you to be logged in with an account that has admin privileges when you are playing for your game to be a valid entry to the GOTM competition. You'll see a warning dialog if you attempt to start a session without appropriate privileges.

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.

 

[smitsk00]

Since you havn't posted the screenshot yet, I am officially begging for easy Ivory.

 

[Gosha190]

Khmer again? We just played by Khmer...in SGOTM8.))

PS nice start... but can I help you improve start position?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Khmer again? We just played by Khmer...in SGOTM8.))

There's quite a few people who play either GOTM or SGOTM, and I would say rather fewer who regularly play both, so it wouldn't make too much sense to avoid running a certain leader in GOTM just because he's already been out in SGOTM or vice versa.

Of course the other side is that if you've been playing Suryavarnam in an SGOTM, then you should be very familiar with his rather unusual unique unit, and therefore able to pull off an even more stunning victory than normal

PS nice start... but can I help you improve start position?

Ummm - errr...

No.

 

[Adama]

Hmmmm... Emperor level. Do I ...

(a) put on my 'big girl' panties and tackle the contender save?

(b) make a reasonable decision and play adventurer ?

I can sure hear that extra archer & worker calling out to me in the fog... and all the forum friends yelling "woosie" or maybe something that rhymes with that ... I can't distinguish.


@ smitsk00 Can't see any ivory {yet}; maybe if you'd said you wanted to build some 'phants... DS loves it when you use his favorite ridiculous forum abbreviation for elephants... Ballista 'phants, at that !!

Luck to all,
Adama

 

[nokem]

I'll send the scout 1S and either SE or SW, but I'll settle in place unless something amazing turns up out of the fog. It's a nice cottage capital with good production. Either space or culture would be my default - depending on surrounding land.

No random events \o/

 

[Niklas]

Looks like a nice setup. Scout southish, the wines are nothing to care much for, and if there are more resources south then settler will go that way too.

 

[caeru71]

Looking forward to the game starting. The plains hill 2 west looks tempting to settle.

 

[kcd_swede]

What's going on? No medals being determine by max wonders per turn, no moderator action - don't discuss other in-progress games! - DS, no "always war", no Santa?

No strange twists, just a straightforward game this time? (I won't bet the farm on that, but this is change we can believe in).

I'll gamble sending scout east to the PH to see what the other river looks like--it might expose more interesting resources than going south (which is the obvious move... too obvious.)

We have the +2 health so river settling not needed. Financial would have been nice with all those rivers, but Creative is probably the most useless trait... or maybe I just don't know how to use it well.

@Adama: I believe the correct abbreviation for 'phants in this game is Balls. Use'em if ya got 'em.

 

[Gosha190]

then you should be very familiar with his rather unusual unique unit, and therefore able to pull off an even more stunning victory than normal

Khmer's unique unit looks like useless thing as all war elefants in BTS unlike Vanilla and Warlords.

 

[JerichoHill]

Creative really helps for initial city placement with fat crosses since you get the border expansion fast. I'm definitely sending the scout towards the plains hill to the east, where the two rivers are. If nothing else, there's alot more +1 commerce tiles there and that's HELPFUL on emp. I suspect I will settle turn 2. on that plains hill if our scout shows something good. Otherwise, Ill move the settler to the western plains hill, and settle there on turn 2


Ballista Phants are...umm...fun?

 

[Gosha190]

We have the +2 health so river settling not needed.

depended on your aims. I mean victory condition.

 

[cas]

emporer my favorite difficulty
no random events no game-changing destruction of early buildings
Suryavarman don't play him much but his traits are decent.

In agreement with the scout moving to the east plains hill and possible move of the settler.

unknown on the tech path...probably a food tech first (AH/AG) then BW with all the hills around. See if we have copper and a close neighbor for an early rush.

Creative can help block AI growth on some maps. Expansive assists making fresh water less necessary to city placement...but it looks like we have plenty of fresh water.

cas

 

[toller pretzl]

Khmer's unique unit looks like useless thing as all war elefants in BTS unlike Vanilla and Warlords.

Why are WE (that's the correct abbreviation ) useless in BTS ?

 

[Lexad]

Requires HBR?

 

[budweiser]

I think settle in place. AH first and a worker build. Then you will have pigs and mines to work on. Then maybe pottery to writing, then BW? Granaries and libraries are going to be half price here which is nice.

There's going to be a lot of health in this game. I would like to get early monarchy and grow some really big cities. Then work the upper branch of the tech tree for the UU and UB.

 

[Skurn]

I'd like 4 hammers ASAP to use the expansive bonus to worker production, so settling in place doesn't seem the best choice.
The time spent exploring can be compensated with the shortened first worker build already.
The 2 visible PH looks like the best candidates, though they're not riverside. Next to a PH with forest would work too. Wait & see..

 

[Gosha190]

Why are WE (that's the correct abbreviation ) useless in BTS ?

Requires HBR?

1. yes! Construction + HBR = too much bulbs

2. additionally: WE is not effective against spears.

3. final reason: I just do not like WEs

 

[Erkon]

The advantage with Ballista Elephants is that you can attack stacks containing knights. Once the knights are gone, you can continue with your crossbows/maces. This means that you can target non-military techs and still be able to put up a fight against aggressive AIs.

Gosha should know this - shame on you!

 

[Gosha190]

Gosha should know this - shame on you!

Gosha does know this and I'm really unlike WE anyway.

The best weapon is diplomacy. Keep animals in zoo!