CDG Series Discussion Thread

[Knoxbanedoodle]

This is meant to be a discussion thread for the Community Deity Game series, so that individual threads can focus on their respective games. As there is already a map thread (for multiple series), this thread should cover all other CDG discussion that does not belong in an individual game thread, including but not limited to:

*Achievements
-dealing with meaning and ambiguity in the wording, keeping in mind we have people who speak different languages or are from different countries, and we want the achievements to be as clear and easily understood as possible
-developing, as Grendeldef suggested, "a CFC challenge phrase book where all/most common concepts are defined," which could be included in the OP of future games
-feedback on achievements: are they fitting well with the UU/UA/UB, are they making the game a fun challenge or perhaps too tedious?

*General Series Feedback
-similar to what consentient sought out before starting the new series: are people enjoying the easy/medium/hard rotation? And are the games truly easy/medium/hard? Is there good variety or is every 2nd game essentially the same?

*Hosting
-discussion on rotating hosts and community members contributing to the continuation of the series
-discussion on the finishers spreadsheet
-community members thanking the host(s) for the time they put in to this series

I will suggest that the current host makes a 'teaser' post in this thread 2-3 days before a new game is to be posted, hinting at what the AI and theme of the game will be (to get us excited to play!) and posting a rough copy of the achievements to refine so that, when the map is posted, there is less confusion.

What DLC do I have to have to load these games?

 

[phryxolydian]

G$K and BNW., as well as all the civs, of course.

Rather than persist with CDG and achievements, I'm personally more up for a return to a DCL-style open game, but with a mix of Deity and Immortal on Large and Huge maps.

I'd be up for that. Haven't played a large map in quite some time. Huge maps, imo, would be more of a drag than anything else if going for DomVs. I imagine most would conquer a few civs and then switch to some other VC?

I've only played a huge map once and it was a CV (not on Deity) so, why not? it'd be an interesting challenge, in any case!

 

[consentient]

Advantages of bigger maps, as far as I can tell from having played a few, are:-

1. They're harder, which means everyone will have to improve their game. No more easy wins.
2. They encourage wide play, in fact they make it more or less compulsory. If on T200 you still only have 4-5 cities and the runaways have 50+, you'll find it hard to compete.
3. They make diplomacy much more interesting, since the alliances and so on are far more important. On Standard, once your army is decent you can ignore diplomacy and still win (even though its not optimal to do so). On Large maps, let alone Huge, you have to be a lot more careful with the promises you make.
4. War is practically guaranteed to reach the later eras. My last Large map game went to GDRs, and I think I played really well. I can't see it being that easy to wrap it up before Modern any more.

But if, as was suggested by Phryx, a lot of games involve conquest in the early and midgames and then settle into another VC, I think that's fine and natural, too. If you think about it, that's kinda how it worked in real life!

 

[beetle]

I am not having any success editing the game file headers, so I will not be trying to share a Small Continents Plus map.

But if, as was suggested by Phryx, a lot of games involve conquest in the early and midgames and then settle into another VC, I think that's fine and natural, too.

I have only tried for dom on large maps, that is probably why I am prejudiced against them.

I do not think things scale right on large maps, perhaps the most obvious being the fixed number of trade routes. But if we are not trying to force dom VC, then I would be all for trying large or huge maps.

The CDGs should not include Immortal maps, obviously.

We have not much experimented with mods, but frankly I do not think there can be interesting mods without DLLs, and it is a great thing that this series has stayed Mac/Linux friendly.

 

[consentient]

The point about Immortal is that the remaining player base for this series seems to be mostly people that, in all honesty, are not that great at Deity.

Not to single anyone out, but if a player reloads a bunch of times in order to beat a map, then it's obviously no longer fit to call it a challenge, really, is it?

And I don't understand the fixation on the CDG as a reified thing. It's barely been kept going, and has so few posted finishes for the last few maps. Isn't it time to do something else?

 

[beetle]

I think @Sclb summed up my own feelings pretty well (except that I would still score folks getting any VC) a year ago. And is not the Immortal Alphabet series still going?

Why are we going back to immortal? I thought the whole point of CDG was for challenge of doing difficult achievements on deity. Immortal is too easy IMO and I think the way the maps are rolled with NQ Pangea does give AI significant advantage that makes it difficult. However side effect would be a bigger map, but I think it can be fixed by adding in 1 additional AI and/or more CS. The fact that nobody has won CDG #4 with all achievement just shows how difficult/time consuming it is. Myself I'm not even halfway done with that map but it's also because of Christmas. Also on all future maps, all VC MUST be enabled or else the AI does weird stuff. The map maker should specify a recommended VC and try to tie achievements to that VC in addition to UA/UB/UU/map etc. The participant doesn't have to follow that VC if they don't feel comfortable with it, just like how doing achievement are optional, but to get scored, I think they HAVE to win the specified VC like how GoTM and HoF does it, and depending on how many achievements are done.

EDIT: Immortal game is up at GotM, see TSG146 Announcement!

 

[consentient]

Ok well I think I'm done with this series then. Good luck to the handful of people who want to keep it going

 

[beetle]

OK I have a Poland continents map for a total domination/Science game. I can either post it before or after this Rome game.

Please share that one?

 

[beetle]

Election Day tomorrow in the USA! I have two maps ready to go, and Friday off. If Clinton wins, I will post a game for Dido. If Trump wins, I will post a game for Nebby.

 

[Blatc]

beetle, could you please post the Babylon map regardless

 

[DanQuayle]

beetle, could you please post the Dido map regardless

 

[beetle]

LOL. Yes, I will post both maps … eventually. I am hoping that will be after @Maxattack posts Rome and @consentient posts Poland.

EDIT1: Babylon map is up.
EDIT2: Dibs on Polynesia. I will be looking for a Terra type map, suitable for CV.

 

[consentient]

I won't be posting any more. I'm done with Civ. Good luck to all!

 

[Redaxe]

I won't be posting any more. I'm done with Civ. Good luck to all!

You're done with Civ 5 or with Civilization for good???

 

[beetle]

Wonder of wonders, I have posted a new CDG game, Arabia. Somewhere on my hard drive is that Dido game from 14 months ago. I still call dibs on Polynesia, which will probably be next (now that I have figured out the Rotate Start Position mod). I will not be bothering with achievements unless the conversations magically come back to life.

 

[Grendeldef]

Bloody hot downstairs - it's been a while. I prolly need some practise before tackling this one but welcome the reboot, even a modest one, of the series.
Now all I need is to get back to home, kick start the game & heavy dose of L2P.

 

[beetle]

I want to say @Grendeldef, that I appreciate your appreciation!

I have a nice (i.e., Moai-friendly) Polynesia map ready to share, but I think I will wait another week. I am still working on getting a DV from the Arabian game I posted last week.

 

[Grendeldef]

I started the consentient's new Spain challenge today and after 20 odd turns started wondering the setting only to notice it was on Immortal but I think I'll still finish that one first as a learning experience and to have some fun. Spain is like that mad uncle one meets occasionally to have really good time but at the same time thinking that I'm glad I don't have to deal with him everyday.

After that will be Harun's time but I'm taking these in a relaxed pace so I'm not worried what's about to come next I just hope something will eventually come up.

 

[beetle]

I just posted CDG #26 Polynesia.

A Polynesia culture game sounds great. I've never played a full game as Polynesia so it will be exciting to see how their UA and UI helps achieve victory. Do you still remember how you achieved victory? It is always fun reading write ups.

I have some notes, but my game was actually pretty straightforward. Good luck!

For a future CDG I was thinking Korea could be interesting. I've always wanted to try a wide science victory with them.

Thanks for the suggestion! It will be a bit before I get around to it.

beetle, I'd be happy if you, or someone else kind enough to roll maps for the community, chose to offer a civ that was previously used in the CDG. If it's a fun, interesting, and/or challenging map, the fact some of us may have played a game with that civ say 12 months ago doesn't really matter to me.

It is kind of ridiculous for me to be pretending to be continuing the CDG series when, (1) the previous game was more than a year ago; and (2) I cannot be bothered with “achievement points” even though that was kind the whole basis for that series. But absent any other kind of structure, I am falling back on the only organizational formatting that I have used before.

 

[Grendeldef]

I wouldn't be too worried about the achi points, numbering of the future games or much of anything else for that matter. The concept changed few times over the course but with the current player base being diminished from the high times I think those participating will be quite happy to see at least a map & few comments later on - I for one surely will. Hosting a series was never supposed to be even a part time job and sometimes rolling a suitable map seems like one.

Continue from the #26 onwards seems fine to as it is unlikely to have to pay royalties for using an existing series or you can name the new series as B(eetle)xx or something. I think the main point here is that by finding one game in the series it'll be easy to find the others and so on. Also, it'd be helpful if new games aren't released too close to each other etc - nothing new but a matter of some coordination for everyone's convenience.

I can also volunteer myself for rolling a map(s) once in a while - preferably with a selected leader well in advance as I am notoriously bad for rolling good ones.