CIMB, or Civ Induced Mental Breakdown

[Raijer]

One of the dangers inherent in Civ play is what IÕve termed CIMB, or Civ Induced Mental Breakdown. The causes of CIMB are numerous, but have one factor in common: the AI pulls a move that defies all logic and/or the most basic tenets of common sense. For example, imagine if you will, Warlord X . Through sly and skillful play, he has advanced scientifically well ahead of his AI opponents. As he rolls his shiny new tank up to an enemy city guarded by a single pikeman, he canÕt help but chuckle in malicious, bloodthirsty glee. He hits the direction key, and rumbles to the attack... but, whatÕs this? The pikeman stabs his puny spear into the armor of Warlord XÕs tank, and kills it dead!

Warlord X, in a state somewhere between shock and rage, choking on his nacho cheese Doritos, has just experienced CIMB.

I think it would be entertaining to hear other tales of CIMB from Civ players. In the short time IÕve been visiting this site, IÕve already heard a few good ones. IÕm sure thereÕs more out there. Have you experienced CIMB? WhatÕs your story?

 

[Arrian]

CIMB for me usually involves losing out on a Wonder by 1 turn, or a bad string of combat rolls. Most recently, it was a sneak attack by Egypt that destroyed me (I was playing a strange variant where I couldn't build ANY military units) 4 turns before I would have won via building the UN.

-Arrian

 

[DaDoo]

Losing out a wonder by 1 turn is definitely a big CIMB for me. What's more, once I miss out on that ONE and all other civ switch their wonder production and then end up missing *ALL* wonder that I can build

get my blood boiling just typing this..haha

 

[Higher Game]

Arrian, can't turn away from the dark side? True, that variant would be very difficult to play.

Losing a wonder like the Great Library, Sun Tzu, or the Sistene Chapel by 1 turn would definitely send me over the edge. By the way, Raijer, what is up with your commas?

 

[Zur]

yah, I attacked, using a rifleman, a stack of longbowmen guarded by a single pikeman. My rifle died without even causing a single point of damage. That totally pissed the crap out of me. I eventually lost the city with my only ivory, causing my democracy to go into overheat and forcing me to disband all my cities to submit GOTM on time.

 

[Sim_One]

My CIMB- "We see that you have very little knowledege of the world. We will give you our territory map if you give us your territory map and Chivalry and Invention and 300 gold."

 

[SirJethro]

Barbarian uprisings send me over the edge. Especially when I've been in gold hoarding mode and see it disappear one horsey at a time.

 

[Tiamat]

A single Barbarian warrior defeating my fortified in a city (size 6) on a hill elite Spearman and pillaging my nearly completed Wonder production. Now that sucks.

 

[Arrian]

Tiamat, that's awful. Absolutely awful. I don't think I've ever had a combat roll that bad (hmm, attack 1, 2hp vs. defense 3.75 (hill/fortified) 5 hp. Yikes).

Higher Game,

I was actually surprised at how easily I was winning that game, right up until 1560 AD when the Egyptian horde took me out. I was very good as a *totally* peaceful builder. I enjoyed the hell out of it too, as did many others over at 'poly. If you're interested, the thread is "AU 102, Give Peace a Chance!" in the strategy forum.

-Arrian

 

[gugalpm]

OK, mine is similar to the first:
One day I was invading Germany's continent. My marines made short work of the rifleman defenders. I unloaded my 24 tanks to take on 12 (at max) cities. As the germans were still in the rifleman and cavalry, I thought it would be easy...
I captured THREE cities, razed one and struggled to hold that three. One of my tanks were destroyed by one fortified pikeman and one elite, destroyed by a SPEARMAN... (the elite was w/1hp, but it's still a tank)

 

[Higher Game]

Tiamat had the most horrible example of CIMB. What difficulty was this on? Arrian, could you get away with making artillery? I mean, it isn't technically a unit, it's a tool. And the AI retreats when their soldiers are at 1 hp!

How about an all artillery game?

 

[Tassadar]

It is when into industral era, with hordes of worker , into war with lots of units to manage and then the damn program keep scroling from a soldier to a worker then come back to a defender then to a shipe then to a tanks, it keep scrolling from area to an another without logic. If at least it could activate unit within the same area, no to add confusion the program switch from unit to another one on the other side of the world then come back to a shipe then to a bird then to a duck arrrrg:suicide:

 

[Tiamat]

Higher Game, this was in my first game on Regent. I was luckky that I was in a war and just after this one of my elite units produced a leader that I then used to rush the Wonder. It balanced out in the end, but man was I pissed for a few minutes.

 

[MSGT John Drew]

Originally posted by Arrian
CIMB for me usually involves losing out on a Wonder by 1 turn, or a bad string of combat rolls. Most recently, it was a sneak attack by Egypt that destroyed me (I was playing a strange variant where I couldn't build ANY military units) 4 turns before I would have won via building the UN.

-Arrian

Yeah Arrian I read about you and the other's exploits at that amazing game you all played (1000 sh 'Hippy' Legionnary!). It was very entertaining. *snicker*

Though you did say that if you managed it better you would have won by UN 3-4 turns earlier so it was definitely close.


'CIMB' - very good term. This acro should be a staple here. My CIMB? Losing 3 of my early expansion cities to a relatively weak civ very early in a recent 'tight' game. I just consoled myself in the knowledge that I was in the very middle of 7 civs in a pangae type standard map. Border civs are definitely at a huge disadvantage.

 

[Luis G.]

After starting in a miserable starting location, and managed to fill every possible square in my "island" and trying to discover navigation before some other civ becomes more powerful than anything, I push F1 to change the science rate.... and what do I see? This woman that looks like my girlfriend sister telling me:

BUILD MORE CITIES!!!!

Sure!! Just let me build some submarine colonies, or perhaps I should drain the oceans so I can send my settlers to other continents!!

 

[MSGT John Drew]

come to think about it why does she say that? does it have anything to do with the OCN?

 

[Vorlin]

Okay, my worst one so far:

Regent difficulty, standard map, I'm Babylonia and currently fighting the Zulu. I take 5 of their cities and stop, one of the 5 is in the middle of the other 4, and has no border with what is left of the Zulu nation. The Zulu are, and remain, in awe of me (I have over 2 times their culture value). 80 (yes, 80, I had the initial conquer date written down for another reason) turns go by, that middle city culture flips. This was a fully developed city (massive cultural improvements, etc.), and had been for some time. But it didn't just flip and carry with it the surrounding 3x3 grid. Oh no. When it flipped a -huge- area all around those 5 cities went with it. It basically reduced the other 4 cities to 3x3 grids (and they were all max-developed as well). And this took place 8 squares from my capital (9-10 from the Zulu one). I was not a happy camper. Guess I should have had more than 2 units garrisoning it.

I used the formula for flipping that is posted in another thread, and I came up with about a 2% chance of that happening.

 

[Jimcat]

This happened in one of my early games, drove me nuts but also showed me that the AI was no dummy.

I was America, and Egypt had just invaded me across a narrow strait. I built a few cannons to knock down the Egyptian invasion force, and launched a counter-invasion at Egypt's closest city.

The Egyptians came in with a couple of cavalry, killed the musketmen defending my cannons, captured the cannons, loaded them into a galleon, and carried them back across the strait into their own city, where they began to fire at my invasion force!

Man, gotta hate that.

 

[Chieftess]

Losing 90 infantry attacking a city with 3 infantry, AND losing some to Immortals, cavalry and pikeman!!! Losing 30 cavs to immortals.

Losing 2 (BRAND NEW) elite knight armies to a size 5 city defended by 2 pikes, only to have a sole vet knight defeat BOTH pikes the very next turn!!!!

 

[sealman]

Originally posted by Arrian
CIMB for me usually involves losing out on a Wonder by 1 turn, or a bad string of combat rolls. Most recently, it was a sneak attack by Egypt that destroyed me (I was playing a strange variant where I couldn't build ANY military units) 4 turns before I would have won via building the UN.

-Arrian

how??? Wouldn't the AI just attack you because you are weak?