Challenge-XV-08

[lymond]

[IMG=right]http://hof.civfanatics.net/civ4/images/greatgeneral.jpg[/IMG]While the general Hall of Fame is an ongoing competition, we are running a series of ten games called the Hall of Fame Challenge Series. Standard Hall of Fame rules (*) still apply, but any games meeting the settings of one of the games will be counted towards the Challenge.

(*) Please read the >> HOF rules << BEFORE playing!
(*) Games must be played using the >> BUFFY MOD 3.19.003 <<
(*) Games to be submitted via the >> Civ IV Hall of Fame Website <<
(*) New players, please >> register << using your CFC forum name​

Settings:

• Victory Condition: Diplomatic (though all victory conditions must be enabled)
• Difficulty: Deity
• Starting Era: Ancient
• Map Size: Standard
• Speed: Epic
• Map Type: Pangaea
• Civ: France
• Opponents: Any
• Version: 3.19.003 or 3.19.003s
• Date: 15th December 2014 to 15th May 2015

Must not play as Inca.
The earliest finish date wins, with score as a tiebreaker.

 

[Seraiel]

Just leaving a short notice, that I'm playing this one with Louis!

Chose opponents I can share favourite Civics with, or opponents that won't be too hard to eleminate and that won't give me diplomatic maluses for "you've declared war on one of our friends" .

Chose a map-setup of minimum opponents and low sealevel, no idea if "crippled AI-setup" (maximum opponents on as little land as possible) would work better, I'm guessing no, because one will want strong research partners to fasten up the way to Mass Media. Also chose "no Vassal states" without knowing if it's better.

Too bad, that we cannot choose a PHI leader for this one, GPs and half-price Universities would make a major difference, but at least Louis will allow for easy Mids and a lot of half price Libraries + Forges which will help a little at least.

Thankfully, the challenge is at least on epic speed, giving a little more time to conquer the map.

 

[elitetroops]

I'll have to play this at some point, but I don't expect to be able to reach a competitive date. So far my only deity win was an OCC diplo game, haven't managed to succesfully wage war and win (though I only seriously tried that once so far...).

What would you say is the best way for a deity noob to have a chance at winning this game (=reach victory, not win the challenge)? Keep it peaceful and just race to Mass Media, or take out a couple of neighbors on the way?

I suppose I'm not the only non-deity player who will want to give this a shot.

 

[Seraiel]

Peaceful an OOC is definately easier than going the war-route, because wars need luck, unless one builds so many troops that one neglects other important things.

If you go the first route, I advise you to watch the OOC-diplomatic game in my youtube-channel, because it shows all tactics needed and is only 4h long, though watching the first 2 hours and then switching to the end is probably enough.

Great part of making it easy is the choice of opponents, so take peaceful ones that you can share Civics with in the end. Good choices are Frederick, Hammurabi, Washington, Elizabeth, Asoka and Mansa, and in addition to the video, try to get the Mids, even if you don't have Stone. Oracle however is often not a good choice, because it pollutes the GP-pool, and in OOC, most of your later research comes from bulbing.

One important tip: Don't trade for Gunpowder, like that you can bulb Electricity after Physics! That's the mistake I made most often in my early diplomatic games.

 

[Seraiel]

And another important tip: Leave some Forrests for the , in OOC you don't have many resources to trade and you'll have a very big city, so is gonna be an issue.
I think you also need 4 Forrests to chop into the UN if you GE-rushed it in order to complete it.

 

[elitetroops]

Thanks for the tips!

I was actually thinking of not going OCC this time. Are you saying that a non-OCC game pretty much requires war?

 

[Seraiel]

OOC-games have the great advantage, that it's possible to build 5 National Wonders in the Capital, so you can build the Globe, the NE and Oxford, all in one city. Also, you're gonna be able to keep the slider at 100% for the whole game, because you have no maintenance.

To make up for the maintenance, non-OOC-games need very good cities, and hopefully a lot of them.

As a comparison: There was a Gauntlet for Small or Tiny Epic speed diplo once: WastinTime finished only 4 turns faster than me, and he conquered the complete map, I played OOC and Oracled Civil Service.

You'll be amazed, how much is possible, if you actually save out on doing so much, so only 2 Workers for the whole game, no Barracks, no other unnecessary buildings, just 1 epic city that generates 400 while creating GPs simultaniously.

 

[Seraiel]

I forgot: The biggest advantage of OOC is of course, that you can build all the National Wonders with just having 1 Theater or 1 University!

 

[Seraiel]

Gave up my first try. Was a beatifull start where I could settle on a Stone Hill, + I had Gold, an Oasis and 2 FPs and 2nd city also had gold. Started really well, stole 3 Workers from De Gaulle and an additional one from Asoka, Oracled Currency 2100 BC, but then came the war...

... and I lost 10 double promoted HAs + 4 double promoted Chariots to a 5 Archer non-hills-city . All the love I built up for HA-rushing since yesterday, again got destroyed. HAs are simply crappy units, and it's sad, that every speed apart from Marathon heavily favours them.

I don't understand people that say, that they're rushing with 8 HAs and win. My attack date was 1700 BC, that should be early enough for 10 HAs and 5 Chariots, but I now remember, why I like Elepult simply a lot more.

 

[Seraiel]

Played a really bad game. Didn't want to go for HA-rush, because all targets had metal, so I waited for Elepult. Elepult however is so slow, that I only managed to conquer 1 other Civ. When trying to conquer a 2nd Civ near the end, I even lost the war (!) , but I was able to get peace.
1T-built the UN with a GE + bought what was missing via US, 7 turns later, win.

Time to beat is 1050 AD.

 

[cseanny]

Man, I haven't played this stuff in forever and honestly, forget quite a bit. Doesn't an AP win fall under Diplomatic?

 

[elitetroops]

Nope, That's called "Religious".

 

[cseanny]

Lol. Ironic. The last HoF stuff I played I got my #1's in AP and UN victories. I guess it's been longer than I thought!

 

[Seraiel]

This challenge somehow made me ambitious. I'm currently trying to improve my date with a 2nd game. So far, all attempts have failed, because CIV just won't give me the odds that are shown in the combats. I even thought about playing the other challenges for normal Quattromaster, but I think I'll not play those, because some sounded extremely luck-dependant, and luck is something that I momentarily lack.
Maybe we should get WastinTime in the boat, he always has a lot of luck, if we convince him, we can all go home and enjoy the day ^^ .

 

[cseanny]

I even thought about playing the other challenges for normal Quattromaster, but I think I'll not play those, because some sounded extremely luck-dependant, and luck is something that I momentarily lack.

I notice that too. I wish they'd just give us all the same exact map and give you 2 or 3 tries per map. In playing this challenge I've rolled several maps, and completed probably 3 or 4. The best being just shy of 1400s and the worst in the 800s range. One little bad luck in battle or a new map with every AI on hills and there you go. Huge range and luck.

But I'm sure they'll keep things just how they are, which is a shame imo.

 

[elitetroops]

Yes, some of them are about luck, but not all. The space games or the Cultural high score game for example would be very little about luck. And even in a game like #1, which would appear to be very much about hut luck, I'd say finding the correct strategy is much more important. You can still easily grab 2nd place there with average hut luck. Even my no1 game was played with suboptimal strategy and not so spectacular hut luck. Have refined my strategy since then and now I know a T75 finish date is possible.

 

[cseanny]

.............!!!!!!! Damn my life.

Had a sweet a$$ 1720 victory coming but forgot about 1 warrior by one of my old cities. Had an Archer in Que to emergency whip too. Forgot to whip cause I wanted to Win! Ended up with a crappy 1560 50K +. Sigh =/. 1800 definitely doable seeing how I had 2 very far AIs and overcommitted 2 Immortals on two cities too.

1.5 days down the drain haha.

 

[Seraiel]

.............!!!!!!! Damn my life.

Had a sweet a$$ 1720 victory coming but forgot about 1 warrior by one of my old cities. Had an Archer in Que to emergency whip too. Forgot to whip cause I wanted to Win! Ended up with a crappy 1560 50K +. Sigh =/. 1800 definitely doable seeing how I had 2 very far AIs and overcommitted 2 Immortals on two cities too.

1.5 days down the drain haha.

I think you're posting in the wrong thread, this challenge is a UN-victory with one of the 3 french leaders, no Darius and no winning before the ADs ^^

 

[cseanny]

You're right! LoL. I need thread 9 ^. Still pisses me off though!

 

[Seraiel]

Amazing. First time I experience my own game giving me a hard time. Got a nice start with tripple Food, single Gold and BFC Horses. Interestingly enough, the map was a lot larger than the one in my previous game, so I decided against HAs and for Elepult. Got Math and Construction very early against Oracled Currency and HBR and bulbed Theology with a Great Prophet.

Still I couldn't reach Education as early as in my first game, and what was very unlucky was, that De Gaulle (my war-target) did not only decide for Longbows out of 6-10 techs he was missing, but he also was able to show up with a 30 units stack of Spears and Longbows after I had conquered 4 of his 15 cities!

Gave up the game because I got a 2nd Great Prophet and because there was no chance of conquering De Gaulle with my puny 10 Elephants + 8 Catapults stack. Seriously, how is that, a 30 units anti-mounted-stack in the BCs!

Was a good game, but without conquering at least one CIV, I see no chance of beating the 1050 AD game I already played. Stupidly strong Deity AIs .