[BTS] BOTM 284 - Weihnachtsmann, Monarch - Starts Dec 26

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 284: Weihnachtsmann of das Magische Koenigreich.

[img=right]https://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm284civ.jpg[/img]

Yes! The Great DynamicSpirit has temporarily returned just to make sure you have a (2nd) Christmas game to play with. Just try not to get killed by the barbarians...

Game settings:
Playing as: Weihnachtsmann of das Magische Koenigreich
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Monarch
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No goody huts, no random events
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Earth2 (modified)
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Cold
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -90°S to 90°N


Weihnachtsmann (played by Bismarck) is Expansive and Industrious, and you start with Hunting and Mining.

The Expansive trait gives +2 health/city and +25% hammers for worker production and double production speed of Granary and Harbor

The Industrious trait gives +50% wonder production and double production speed of Forge

Unique unit: Panzer (replaces Tank)
This could be the unit to use if you get into a really late game war. It has the same abilities as the tank, but also boasts +50% strength against armored units.

Unique Building: Assembly Plant (replaces Factory)
You might be able to build the assembly plant quicker than a factory: It costs the same number of hammers to build, but unlike the factory, it gets a +50% production boost if you have access to coal. Once you've built it, the assembly plant lets you turn 4 citizens into engineers, against just 2 for the factory.

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 26 Dec 2024, 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 3 Feb 2025.

Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.

Software Versions

Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.005 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.


Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.

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.

@Blake00 @The_J

 

[MarleysGh0st]

Thanks for the surprise Christmas gift!

 

[kcd_swede]

Thanks DS, I finally get to play a game! A very merry christmas for me!

 

[High King J.J.]

Earth 2. I hope it's better than the sci-fi series. Although that wouldn't take much. (I love this smilie [in a platonic way].)
I'm not a fan of ice maps but when life gives you ice you have to make ice cream. I just hope there are some woods somewhere...
Barbarians? I dare not hope there's a Humbaba somewhere but some barbarian islands would be a nice Christmas gift.
I should go to sleep but instead I'll open the save file. and !

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Spoiler threads are up

 

[LowtherCastle]

The Dynamic Spirit of Christmas is alive and well!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Hmmph! I give you an extra unit, units carefully spaced out to give you a great view of a map with a wide choice of settling positions that have different benefits, and NOONE engages in any discussion about starting strategies or where to settle. Methinks next time I shouldn't be so nice!

 

[Conquistador 63]

Hmmph! I give you an extra unit, units carefully spaced out to give you a great view of a map with a wide choice of settling positions that have different benefits, and NOONE engages in any discussion about starting strategies or where to settle. Methinks next time I shouldn't be so nice!

Very generous starting area with really good options to settle, indeed.
I won’t be able to elaborate as I have already started to play. I’ll add my thoughts on the first spoiler thread shortly.

 

[kcd_swede]

Hmmph! I give you an extra unit, units carefully spaced out to give you a great view of a map with a wide choice of settling positions that have different benefits, and NOONE engages in any discussion about starting strategies or where to settle. Methinks next time I shouldn't be so nice!

Oh heck, you know we can never wait to open our Christmas presents! And we hope to avoid the "naughty" list for next year.

 

[Xcalibrator]

Hmmph! I give you an extra unit, units carefully spaced out to give you a great view of a map with a wide choice of settling positions that have different benefits, and NOONE engages in any discussion about starting strategies or where to settle. Methinks next time I shouldn't be so nice!

The two sites that caught my eye were 1) the northern pig and 2) to the east of the warrior. #1 gives a lot more food, even before a workboat and AH, while #2 gives good (but not as great) food plus two gems. Both sites have two hills for mines/hammers. Of course, more floodplains means more unhealthiness, but we have four health resources visible. More cottages (longer-term) vs gems (immediately accessible). Gems site takes one more turn to get there than option #1. Coastal seems like a must, to try for GLH and/or Colossus, although one could settle inland and then aim to build those Wonders in a later coastal city. In between the sites (on the left deer) doesn't appeal as much because there are no hills for hammers, although there are very likely even more river tiles for cottages (and more unhealthiness from floodplains, but you get an immediate health bonus from deer via Hunting) and you can settle on the beginning turn. Of course, the scout and warrior might reveal new relevant info when they move--maybe DS put a goody-filled site in the fog! There, did I clear things up so it's obvious what to do?

 

[LowtherCastle]

Hmmph! I give you an extra unit, units carefully spaced out to give you a great view of a map with a wide choice of settling positions that have different benefits, and NOONE engages in any discussion about starting strategies or where to settle. Methinks next time I shouldn't be so nice!

Vent Party?!!! Oh yeah.

My vent is that I go on vacation and a mapmaker posts a game that we DO NOT have to wait three or more days to start…

But thanks for the idea, DS. Since I can’t play it for a couple weeks, maybe I’ll just post my daily rambles about what to do with this ice scream map.

 

[LowtherCastle]

The two sites that caught my eye were 1) the northern pig and 2) to the east of the warrior. #1 gives a lot more food, even before a workboat and AH, while #2 gives good (but not as great) food plus two gems. Both sites have two hills for mines/hammers. Of course, more floodplains means more unhealthiness, but we have four health resources visible. More cottages (longer-term) vs gems (immediately accessible). Gems site takes one more turn to get there than option #1. Coastal seems like a must, to try for GLH and/or Colossus, although one could settle inland and then aim to build those Wonders in a later coastal city. In between the sites (on the left deer) doesn't appeal as much because there are no hills for hammers, although there are very likely even more river tiles for cottages (and more unhealthiness from floodplains, but you get an immediate health bonus from deer via Hunting) and you can settle on the beginning turn. Of course, the scout and warrior might reveal new relevant info when they move--maybe DS put a goody-filled site in the fog! There, did I clear things up so it's obvious what to do?

1. On NPig doesn’t get +2 health for river, does it? There’s no coin on that tile. That’s potentially a huge unhealthy start, isn’t it? How much unhealthy is floodplain ice? Does ice add to unhealthiness or just slow down the workers? Those are floodplain, river, tundra tiles, right?

So my first research questions are the unhealthiness of various settling sites and how long to improve those tiles.

2. 1E Warrior is my second choice for settling. Not much to add. Closer to what looks a second possible island. Fewer mined hammers and eons to build wbs. Capital gets fish without added culture.

3. Settler-SW is initially my first settling option. Settled T0. On river. Gets 1 seafood, one 4f tile for t13 worker. Two hills, coastal. Allows second city to northwest to share some cottages and develop others.

 

[Jimmy Thunder]

I'm like @kcd_swede and @Conquistador 63 , already started. Was too impatient to just get into it and move those two lovely units. An intriguing map indeed with lovely FPs but no hammers.

 

[LowtherCastle]

The other quandary in my head is tech path. BW for whipping asap? Fishing for wb? Agri for farming? AH? Beeline cottages? Sailing for TRs and wonders?

Complicated optimization, especially with Slow Workers.

 

[neilmeister]

All food, no hammers.

Do it like Devo.

 

[LowtherCastle]

Back to settling choices. I’ll have to look at some cold earth2 maps but I assume there are greener pastures on the other side. Maybe risk walking north? Especially with the scout and warrior flanking the reconnaissance… On Monarch it might not be too big a risk. Plus earth2 plays like pangaea for the initial players, doesn’t it? If so, crowded map. Better to stake out turf to the north early?

Btw, those rivers look short-lived. Not necessarily headed northward.

 

[High King J.J.]

All food, no hammers.

Do it like Devo.

Who's Devo? Why not do it like Vyvyan?

 

[kcd_swede]

Who's Devo? Why not do it like Vyvyan?

Whip it! Whip it good! Vyvyan is less known to anyone outside the UK or Nordic zone, but I totally get you!

 

[LowtherCastle]

Traits
1. Expansive. 2whip maxOF wkrs at 22h. Extra wkrs will be helpful. +2 healthies useful too. 1/2 price granaries amazing as always but no agri resources to boost health.

2. Industrious. Great for GLH. MC excellent for 1/2 price forges and Colossus. Could even consider no-marble Oracle for MC. Challenging with minimal hammer tiles.

 

[LowtherCastle]

All food, no hammers.

Do it like Devo.

Early hammer production
1. Maxes out at 7hpt with 2 ice mines. 5hpt for gem mines. 1hpt elsewhere.
2. Anything but settlers/wkrs requires Vyvyan’s Whip. (Whoever that is…) Early BW. Scheduled, well-planned whips.
3. 7hpt*4t +1h = 2whip maxOF of lh into GLH.

Extra credit: Maybe whip an early and well-fed city to death, then gift-and-recapture to reset the whip counter. Could dovetail well with a worker steal. AI has to be willing to accept city.

Question: If we build a Great Wonder, gift-recapture city, does the wonder still produce culture for us?