[BTS] BOTM 237: Bismarck the Bully, Emperor, starts 17th June

[Noble Zarkon]

Bismarck - your people have been cruelly separated with a fake King taking half off them off into exile in the East, can you you re-unite your people and lead West Germany to glory on the World stage? Of course you are a bully so none of this namby pamny "Culture" or "Diplomacy" nonsense, you'll crush them under your heel and if that doesn't work out there's always other worlds to conquer.

Settings:

• Civilization: West Germany
• Unique Unit: Panzer (replaces Tank),
• Unique Building: Assembly Plant (replaces Factory)
• Leader: Bismarck the Bully
• Difficulty: Emperor
• Map size: Standard
• Map Script: Fractal
• Starting Era: Ancient
• Speed: Normal
• Options: Aggressive AI, no tech brokering, no goody huts, no random events
• Rivals: 6
• Victory conditions: Conquest, Domination, Spaceship, Time
• World wrap Cylindrical
• Schedule: Game opens 17th June 2022, Submissions due by July 18, 2022

Please note that the HOF mod is compulsory. See Software Versions for details.

Starting screenshot

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



To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 17th Jun 2022, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.

Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 18th Jul 2022.

New Players

If you have not played a Civ4 GOTM before then please visit the Introduction Page to ensure you are familiar with the rules and requirements of the competition.

Software Versions

Windows players require version 3.19 of Civilization IV BtS, as well as Hof Mod version BUFFY-3.19.005, available here.

Mac players will require version 3.19 of Civilization IV BtS, plus HoF Mod version MacBUFFY-3.19.003, available here.

Entries played under any other patch, or not using the Hof Mod will not be accepted!

There is a post here detailing the game-play differences between vanilla, Warlords and BtS. Thanks go to psparky for compiling it.

All Spoilers Prohibited

Do not post any messages or questions about this game in any forum until after about June 22, 2022 when we open the first spoiler thread. Please do not discuss any aspect of this game prior to that date, and then only post in the official spoiler threads. Once you have opened the start file, you MAY NOT post in the pre-game discussion or game release threads!

As always, have fun playing the GOTM and we hope you join us in the postgame discussions!

 

[LowtherCastle]

What do you get when you cross Christmas with April 1?

Spoiler Answer :

 

[Noble Zarkon]

I meant to say - as there are no huts I gave you a warrior instead of a scout.

 

[Xcalibrator]

Dude, that is a harsh start! Settle SW so you're coastal to pick up the crab and be able to build workboats and a lighthouse? Or burn turns exploring before settling (and grab land towards the AIs earlier)? I think the latter (for which a scout would have been handy). Bad mapmaker, bad!

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Bad mapmaker, bad!

Thank you

 

[MarleysGh0st]

I almost always settle in place, or within one turn of the starting position, but my settler's taking a walk.

With a starting map like that, I'd almost wager on some ice off-screen to the west, that would block any WB heading towards the crabs. But no mapmaker would be that evil, would they?

 

[nocho]

Yeah, pretty rough starting position, but maybe that can be fun for a change lol. Maybe I'd settle 1N on the wine and pray for something else in the fog. At least that gives room for another stellar city at the crab, in case everything else is brown, tundra and/or mountainous as well.

 

[Fippy]

I really like such different starts, might put my Civ break on hold for that game

 

[krikav]

@Fippy Wasn't it a Biz game you played last too..? I remember getting pummeld in the early game that time around.

Yeah, this start looks quite intriguing... One wild option I considered was settling on the marble. That gives some early wonder possibilities (with IND), and a second city by the coast can provide workboats.
No lighthouse.. but you can't have everything.

 

[Fippy]

Yup i think it was Deity Biz (difficult one).

I dismissed settling on marble already in my mind
With no workable tiles around then, 3h city doesn't give much advantage over a 5h mine.

Did anyone mention yet how replacing our scout with a warrior was really evil, for city radius scouting

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Did anyone mention yet how replacing our scout with a warrior was really evil, for city radius scouting

Never trust a mapmaker

 

[WastinTime]

Suspicious new template that doesn't show leader traits and starting techs, etc. Are we assuming too much?

 

[LowtherCastle]

Suspicious new template that doesn't show leader traits and starting techs, etc. Are we assuming too much?

Never trust a template maker.

 

[LowtherCastle]

Did anyone mention yet how replacing our scout with a warrior was really evil, for city radius scouting

I immediately took NZ‘s Warrior replacement logic as misdirection. But what if it’s double misdirection?

there is one fogged mystery tile for settling south west that could change everything. Could be fish or pigs. (I can’t tell if it’s water or not.) The warrior or scout for that matter couldn’t reveal that on turn zero.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

there is one fogged mystery tile for settling south west that could change everything. Could be fish or pigs. (I can’t tell if it’s water or not.) The warrior or scout for that matter couldn’t reveal that on turn zero.

That hidden square is Coast. Look at the bottom right of the square. There's too much water on that square for it to be land.


Maybe move the Settler 1SW and move the Warrior 2W.

If Seafood gets revealed SW + S of the Clam, you'll know to settle right there (1SW), without question.

If it is not Seafood, you could still settle there, as it will still be an acceptable spot.
Say: Clam, Crab, Mined Marble, Farmed Wine, and then 3 Cottaged Riverside squares:
Without a Lighthouse, at Size 7, that's 2 Food, 9 Hammers, 14 Commerce, with more Commerce to come as the Cottages mature

If it's not Seafood and you don't want to settle there, you'll have lost the opportunity for the Warrior to help with exploring. Thus, it's a 2-turn delay to settle on the Wine or a loss of exploring power for a further-away capital.

Thus, if you wouldn't consider settling 1SW without another Seafood Resource, then, go exploring! At least you'll be able to make an informed decision, later.

But, consider that the area to the north also looks like Coast. The River ends after the square 1E. What if we're on an island? Maybe there isn't a better spot to settle (it's unlikely, but, it's possible).

Let's look around the Crab and the Clam. Ocean squares. Thus, we won't be able to work either of the Crab or the Clam from another island.

Thus, one obvious conclusion is that settling in place stinks, as it kills the ability to work the Crab from any City.

Another conclusion is that if we settle 1N on the Wine, we'll almost certainly have to settle a City NE + E of the Crab, to get the Crab plus to share the Marble, and possibly get something else in the hidden squares.

There isn't enough information to know about the hidden square's potential Seafood Resource being workable form another island or not.


Did anyone notice that there won't be an Apostolic Palace?

You could have 7 Legendary Cities and Culture Flip AIs' Cities. The Spread Culture Espionage Mission suddenly starts to sound quite interesting.

Or, spam Cathedrals with Sid's Sushi and not worry about a lot of Cities becoming Legendary on your way to Domination.

You cannot broker a tech that you receive in trade. What about a tech that you steal using Espionage Points?

Remember the goofiness of selling techs... if an AI is halfway or more to learning the tech that you wanted to sell, you cannot sell your tech, as the AI won't want to incur the penalty of not being able to broker that tech... essentially, it's a way to plug a loophole of you otherwise selling techs 1 or 2 turns before an AI learns a tech so as to prevent the AI from trading away its hard-earned, nearly-self-researched techs.

 

[Pangaea]

Probably won't play as I haven't played the game in yonks, but that's one hell of a crappy map! For once I'd probably be tempted to spend several turns moving anywhere else. Otherwise, 1N could be decent. At least it gives an extra commerce. With luck (lol), there is more seafood north.

 

[krikav]

@Pangaea Nice to see you around anyway!
I'm back (sort of) after a few months (or half a year?) hiatus too.

 

[krikav]

What was the mechanics about aggressive AIs...?
Something about easier worker stealing, but other than that I don't know.

 

[lymond]

Never trust a template maker.

I don't know why but this made my day

 

[LowtherCastle]

@Dhoomstriker: Stolen techs cannot be brokered.