Challenge-XX-10

[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 - "Rise of the English". Standard Hall of Fame rules (*) still apply, but your best submission 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 3.19.005 <<
(*) Games to be submitted via the >> Civ IV Hall of Fame Website <<
(*) New players, please >> register << using your CFC forum name

Settings:

• Victory Condition: Time (though all victory conditions must be enabled)
• Difficulty: Noble
• Starting Era: Any
• Map Size: Large
• Speed: Any
• Map Type: Archipelago
• Civ: England
• Opponents: Must include Babylon (Hammurabi), Egypt (Hatshepsut), France (Napoleon), Germany (Frederick), India (Gandhi), Mali (Mansa Musa), Maya (Pacal), Ottoman (Mehmed II)
• Version: 3.19.005
• Date: 25th June 2018 to 24th January 2019

The highest score wins.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

We traditionally include a Time game in the Challenge with the Starting Era open as it's not everyone's cup of tea.

None of the scores at Noble Large are particularly strong and the Marathon slot is held by the Inca so one to target!

Liz is very strong in a Time game with Financial underpinning your economy and Philosophical enabling you to bulb your way to early corporations.

 

[Tonny]

I would like to play this game without starting in the ancient era, but I can't find any tips how to play games starting from e.g. a modern or future era (going for EQM in the far future). Are there any general ways into playing these late era games?
In fact even better to start a discussion about all era's but ancient.

 

[lymond]

I would like to play this game without starting in the ancient era, but I can't find any tips how to play games starting from e.g. a modern or future era (going for EQM in the far future). Are there any general ways into playing these late era games?
In fact even better to start a discussion about all era's but ancient.

Well, later era starts don't get played as often, so there's really not a definitive strategy laid out for each era. What I will say is that with each later era the AI tends to get nerfed a bit, i.e., they don't adjust to things as well and it is easier for the human to take advantage of it. With the real late era...say...Renaissance and above...my one advice is the the Serfdom civic actually has value initially. Allows you to get get up improvements asap since you have access to all the techs first thing. So do mass civic switch first thing - depending on era and what you have access, but run Serfdom first thing. Chop a couple more workers or so out first thing and then get your empire improved asap. Then probably setup to take out an AI quickly nearby.

Also, note that settlers get quite a bit more expensive with each era. Probably wait to get up a strong production base and infra before building, but also makes taking cities quick more valuable.

In other words, your first focus is on your core three cities and worker management to take advantage of their size and free infra.

On modern and higher, you will have access to corps initially I believe, so running Caste early may be good to get quick great people for corps, if corp is the right way to go. Your cities though start with infra like forges so a GE should be easy to get, especially Lizzy for Mining. I forget if you have free markets. Ofc, you can't go wrong with State Prop either. But for Time game, corp is generally the way to go to max score, and Archi should be very good for Sushi. Keep in mind that AIs are likely to start corps as well in this era, so it is a bit of a race to the corps. Lizzy probably best here. Vicky good too though for the IMP trait has some value on settler cost. I forget but I think settlers are like 200h or more.

The one thing you don't get is research buildings, so tech will be very slow until you establish the research modifiers and stuff. That will likely be a priority. But the AIs will be slow to research for a while too. You will be fighting at par military for some time, but can take advantage of numbers while AI still developing.

Lastly, each era gives you more free stuff and starting tech base, dependent on era. Classical starts are the most bare bones..you don't get much. Medieval I think is where you get a second settler, and then Ren and above you get 3 settlers.

Bottom line is that I'd say the human advantage goes up with each era, if you know what you are doing. An early rush or two on neighbors is recommended with the best units/siege of the era.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

I think I might win this game -

Spoiler :

This was my start location, reasonably OK lol :-

Spoiler Where would you have settled? :

 

[lymond]

I don't know...Hammy has a tireme on the way..watch out! In 69 turns you may be in trouble.

What is your land %?

Why are your running 70% research? mah gawd that is a lot of cash on hand!

 

[Noble Zarkon]

I don't know...Hammy has a tireme on the way..watch out! In 69 turns you may be in trouble.

The sad thing is he will probably spend the next 800 turns building triremes and sending them out to be sunk by my Privateers!

What is your land %?

30% - got room to double it, might have miscalculated how many cities I needed to raze!

Why are your running 70% research? mah gawd that is a lot of cash on hand!

I tend to ignore the balance and just try and keep a positive cash flow, probably not very efficient but I find 70% is a bit of a sweet spot - you still get value from your Banks, Markets etc.

 

[Tonny]

Go sushi and let the food banking begin!

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Go sushi and let the food banking begin!

Yes indeed, got my GM ready! Arch plays so different to Big & Small it's been fun.

 

[lymond]

30% - got room to double it, might have miscalculated how many cities I needed to raze!

I tend to ignore the balance and just try and keep a positive cash flow, probably not very efficient but I find 70% is a bit of a sweet spot - you still get value from your Banks, Markets etc.

Well, you will change your game if you get away from that line of thinking (and markets - ugh). Your priority one way or another is to always run 100% research. Running at 70% with 45K in the bank is extremely sub-optimal. Markets/Banks? Who needs them? Although with a Time game you'll want corps and Wall Street. But otherwise keep research at 100% and tech to Future Tech 1000 and max your score.

just sayin'...

Sushi and Mining should already be in place long before now.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Markets/Banks? Who needs them? Although with a Time game you'll want corps and Wall Street.

Interesting - how do you pay for the Corps and run #Research at 100% without Markets, Banks etc??

 

[lymond]

Interesting - how do you pay for the Corps and run #Research at 100% without Markets, Banks etc??

Trade missions, Building wealth (late game hammer economy), trading for gold, conquest....

Banks/Wall Street (Corp City) may be in play, but just depends on factors - (Space only). But a Time game I would certainly build them, as ..you know...you have the Time.

A large bulk of money/beakers comes from late game hammer economy - corp or State Property. But the point is that 100% research is always the priority. No you can't always run it depending on the situation, but it is the priority

You have 1771 beakers at 70% which is not a bad rate.. Probably well over 2000 at 100%. You should be breezing through our techs. Probably ways to maximize all that as well.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Thanks for the feedback, will try another Time game after this one with those points in mind, see how it compares!

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Running at 70% with 45K in the bank is extremely sub-optimal.

Well my play may have been sub-optimal but nevertheless it doubled the previous high score

 

[lymond]

Well my play may have been sub-optimal but nevertheless it doubled the previous high score

Now double it again Really with Time games obviously maximizing score is key, but by a certain date (circa 1500 AD) one starts to see diminishing returns and gradually to rapidly declining score. The key is to maximize your score as much as possible as soon as possible. The higher the score by 1000AD or so, the more score to decline from. Yeah, you continue to grow pop, # of cities, land and tech over time, but that is sort of to maintain as much score as possible as it declines. But still, you want to max score (200K,, 300K ..whatever depending on size/difficulty) asap. So holding out on Sushi so long does harm. It should be your number priority on this map..Lib Medicine. Same with holding back on teching and expansion.