Challenge-XVI-09

[Noble Zarkon]

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: Space Colony (though all victory conditions must be enabled)
• Difficulty: Warlord
• Starting Era: Ancient
• Map Size: Large
• Speed: Normal
• Map Type: Terra
• Must Not Be Checked: No Tribal Villages, No Random Events
• Civ: Portugal (Joao)
• Opponents: Must include America (Lincoln), Celt (Brennus), England (Victoria), Ethiopia (Zara Yaqob), India (Gandhi), Japan (Tokugawa), Maya (Pacal), Zulu (Shaka)
• Version: 3.19.003 or 3.19.003s
• Date: 30th May to 25th November 2015

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

 

[neilmeister]

1620ad

Conquered 3 rivals completely, vassaled Brennus as he had a last city somewhere I couldn't find and peace vassaled Gandhi.

Trying to balance conquest, expansion & science was a little tricky. I feel I probably over expanded too early and this slowed my research down too much, but at this level it is hard to tell. The AI were hopeless of course. Took Education from Oracle and Industrialism from Liberalism. Sushi & Mining Inc abuse really powered my empire along.

Timed my golden ages badly, had 11 turns left on launch. Should be able to knock at least 100-200 years off the date of this one.

Left the game to put the kids to bed and forgot about it, so I come back from a work trip to NZ 3 days later and find it is still running and I am in the 1500's.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Does going to the new world help at all? Terra maps seem huge to me, with plenty of space to expand to.

 

[elitetroops]

Does going to the new world help at all? Terra maps seem huge to me, with plenty of space to expand to.

Usually you go there for corp resources. You can also find a lot of unchopped forests to put into space parts.

Apparently this game must be played with huts. In that case, you can pop astronomy from a hut in the new world. Send some scouts over as soon as you have optics and there's a pretty good chance you get it.

 

[neilmeister]

I didnt go to the new world, the map size and speed meant I didnt have to. My late expansion was to SE asia/Australia where i got lots of resources.

Will definitely try this again and play it differently

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I had a 1580 AD game... then I realized I didn't remember meeting Zara. I had put Genghis in instead...

 

[enKage]

I had a 1580 AD game... then I realized I didn't remember meeting Zara. I had put Genghis in instead...

I did sth similar in time game on large map 2 challanges ago. Your case is not painful at all

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I found this to be a very interesting game, though. my normal procedure for a space game is to get to the dom limit as soon as possible, but there is so much land here...

I found myself torn between wanting to have lots of AI (so they'll create lots of cities for me to conquer) and few AI (so I can get free settlers/workers).

 

[Thlypsis]

Oh, I see why my game isn't published... You can't NOT have goody huts/REs.

 

[neilmeister]

Ouch, this caught me out on my first efforts at game 1.

I feel for you guys as this wasnt a super quick game

 

[Seraiel]

When I create a game, I always check what I chose for about half an our, again and again. I know, that's nerdy, but failing at the map-creation is the worst that can happen, therefore you got my condolences.

 

[aitkensam]

My ways to feel better about picking the wrong settings:
1. Almost everyone has done it.
2. It's a really good motivator to check in the future.
3. It gives you more reason to play the map again and set a better date.
4. With already having a test run under your belt, you will probably smash your first date to pieces.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I got a 1540 AD this time. I think that's beatable by a considerable margin, but it's a fair amount of work - I think sub 1400 AD is possible - I was unable to run 100% science the entire game, though it was pretty close - and I didn't efficiently time civic switches, plus had multiple turns of GA left at the end.

 

[Pangaea]

1540AD is a really good date, the third best ever on these settings. The best recorded date is 1370AD. Very well done

 

[neilmeister]

1540 ad is a very good date!

Did you max the AI and conquer 4-5 early?
Did you go to the new world?

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I added one AI (Mansa), but relied mainly on a hut-popping strategy. I played quite a few maps for some time.

Mapfinder looked for sites with a lot of forests and rivers, food and a mining resource.

I threw out a map if:

I didn't pop a settler, worker or scout in the first couple of huts
I didn't pop a settler or worker in the first 5 or so huts
I had a start that was poor on rivers near my capitol.
I couldn't find stone or marble nearby (nearby is a flexible term - stone was something like 15 tiles away in my 1540 AD game.

I oracled CS - I found that trying to oracle education with starts that didn't have 3 or 4 gems meant I lost oracle while researching paper. And I'm not sure how important it is, anyway - unis are nice, but the real good thing about education is oxford, and you need a lot of cities with libs and unis, which takes a while.

One side effect of massive exploration (and I explored with workers and settlers for a long time and saw most of the map within, say, 30 tiles of my cap) is that when I founded a religion, it spread very quickly to the AI.

I expanded to a few islands nearby and plopped down some cities in australia for resources (incense and iron) and a couple of the new world very late for happy resources (gems and spices). I was hoping to pop astro and/or a settler or two, but all I ever got from huts in the new world was gold.

I did conquer 4.5 AI - Zara and Lincoln with HA, shaka with HA and then curaissers, Brennus with Curaissers->cavalry and half of toku - it got late and all the war was doing was giving me weariness. I used washington for the Glib and NE. I ended up raising Shaka's ca and settling 1 tile east for my IW city, which was just a better site. I didn't really need more corps resources - my IW city was able to build engine parts in 3 turns (fueled by my GA's)

I think I might change my tech strategy if I do this again - get bio with liberalism and pick up communism pretty fast for state property and, more importantly, Kremlin.

I didn't manage failgold well - I should have given the AI CoL (for chichen itza) and aesthetics (for SoZ and shwedegon paya) earlier. Also,I built the great lighthouse,which may or may not have been a great build.

I'd say that around 1 AD or so, I stopped building many cottages - cities after that got mainly farms and workshops. Hills got mines sometimes and windmills sometimes. Cities with rivers and other commerce bonuses got watermills and windmills. I think it i were to do it again, I'd build more cottages later, as they only take 30 turns to become villages and are food neutral.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

I threw out a map if:

I didn't pop a settler, worker or scout in the first couple of huts
I didn't pop a settler or worker in the first 5 or so huts

Did you wait to found your Capital to increase the odds or just found on Turn 0 because you're going to throw the game away if you don't pop what you are looking for?

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I believe I founded on turn 0 this game. I had games where I moved the init settler around to pop a few huts and I think that's a reasonable way to go, as well.

I also went with a flat map - flat is nice because it cuts down on maintenance, especially early. I don't think I got maintenance costs until my 3rd city and it was low for a long time. Combine that with a lot of gold from huts and you can run 100% for quite some time.

Other reasons I rejected maps:

1) too far north or south - if I found tundra nearby, I started to drop the game. Tundra isn't as good as plains or grass and takes a long time to improve, which makes for crappy nearby cities.
2) ran into an AI scout soon. Nothing more frustrating that losing a hut to a scout.
3) Cap has too many hills and/or plains tiles.
4) No early luxuries around. Ivory is nice - being able to get silver/fur is really good. Gems seem to be rare in the old world.
5) No 2 hammer tile to settle on. this wasn't a hard and fast rule - in fact, my 1540 game didn't settle a 2 hammer tile - but I'd abandon a map faster without one.

 

[enKage]

Circumnavigating the globe by teching Sattelites is what I like the most using such settings

 

[enKage]

Anyone will play this start? I am sure noone, because everyone likes food and commerce so much!. But I did :] 1510 AD.

I would say also: There is NO more food in BFC, south there are 2 forest riverside plains, north 1 riverside grass forest and horses on plains.

Surroundings? Food [poor, dry wheat mostly. 3 golds nearby, by 2 on desert hill. Luxuries? No except gold. Desert incense is definitely not a luxury useful early.

But Joao is a King of expansion, he need hammers, no food
Forget about beauro Oxford, and I used beauro hammer bonus to make enough HArchers. Further it went simple: conquest economy, get cold from taking cities to fund efforts to Lib--> Democracy and State Property. Leave 1 city vassals for happy bonus.

Play the map! Not choose the map :]

At least you can see that with such a horrible start 1500 AD is possible, with good one I am sure we will see some before 1300AD submissions.

I hope submission will be accepted, as I experienced a crash when my spaceship was heading to the stars.