[BNW] Deity Versus Series - The Shoshone

[beetle]

Deity Versus Series – Pocatello

I am posting a series of six games, all using the same eight civs and the same map script, and taking notes on which civs the computer plays the best. This is the forth game in the series, and with this map, you play Pocatello of the Shoshone.

Please be encouraged to share your experience playing this map, but if you post in the first page of this thread, please use the SPOILER tag if you attach a picture, make a comment about your neighbors, nearby natural wonders, locations of ancient ruins, terrain features, luxes, resources, etc.

Before you download and start playing the map, please take a moment to speculate on your initial thoughts and plans for the game. Will you settle in place? Will you try to found a religion? What are your plans for getting the most from the UA and UU? What Victory Condition will you be aiming for?

After you play the map, please post about which civs lost their capitals to, or were eliminated by, other civs. Which AI thrived and which struggled? Did you feel any pressure from any of the AIs from their winning by SV, CV, or Diplo?

Please post the AI scores at your turn of victory (or defeat). I will be compiling those, to see if any obvious trends emerge.

The suggested VC is Domination, but play as you like, and all VC are enabled.

Spoiler for starting screen shot :

Spoiler for UA and UU :

Great Expanse: Founded cities start with additional territory. Units receive a combat bonus when fighting within their own territory.

You can train the Pathfinder, which replaces the Scout. The Pathfinder has the same Strength (8, Scout is 5) as a Warrior and a similar hammer cost (45, Warrior is 40 and Scout is 25). The Pathfinder allows the player to choose the benefit when uncovering an ancient ruin. You start the game with a Pathfinder instead of a Warrior.

You can also build the Comanche Rider which replaces the Cavalry. The Comanche Rider is fewer hammers (200 vs 225) and comes with the Full Moon Striker unique promotion which gives +1 movement. The promotion is retained when upgraded.

Spoiler for the map type and other settings :

Standard size, standard speed, standard number of civs and CS, etc. Map type is Continents Plus, so expect the City States to be on the periphery of the continents and on islands. I used Rotate Start Position to pick the best spot and IGE to remove some blocking ice at the poles.

Spoiler for exactly which civs are in the game :

Civs have been chosen because the computer plays them well. Your opponents are Alexander, Attila, Augustus, Bismarck, Dido, Montezuma, and Sejong.

Please note that there are two save files attached to this post. The AI civs in the file with “lite” in its name have each had a settler and worker deleted. As compared to the player, they still start off with an extra warrior, scout, and worker.

This map requires having the DLC map packs.

 

[Grendeldef]

The mountainside tile looks tempting. One thing is clear and that is not to SIP.

 

[beetle]

The mountainside tile looks tempting.

I think that is what I did. Mountain and river is pretty sweet. The UA helps quite a lot with Liberty.

 

[raider980]

I think I'll move the Pathfinder to the furs and see what's over there. Or maybe move to the hill south and just settle the furs regardless. Or maybe settle what I'm assuming is Silver. This is a tough one.

 

[Grendeldef]

The UA helps quite a lot with Liberty.

Oh yes. The UA gives a nice kick start to anyone but is extremely beneficial for Liberty for giving a proper early Settler, significantly reducing the need to buy tiles and top of that no need for fitting a pantheon in already tight build queue.

I still have issues with the map script though so I'll prolly do the proper Korea one next but I'm seriously planning to finally finish my lapsing write-ups from the past 3 games tomorrow as I should have some free time.

 

[mbbcam]

This is not strictly relevant to the series, but I just found the link, and found it interesting in that it gives some sort of insight into the AI capabilities, so I thought I would post it for those who may not know of it (it's a series of videos of AI versus AI play with no human player):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6oT1a9Kqfor47HA3_ItCjQ

I'm not sure how to analyse what is going on, but I get the vague impression that the time when a unique unit becomes available may be important -- too late, and you're already stuffed. Certainly conquest seems to be the order of the day.

 

[beetle]

This is not strictly relevant to the series…

Sure it is relevant, or at least the general idea is, I have to believe someone has set up autoplays to methodically discern the same thing I am curious about: Aside from the obvious picks, are there any other standouts? (In terms of which civs the AI does well with.)

I'm not sure how to analyse what is going on…

Yeah, those just seem like a mess. I would love to see some after-the-fact commentary.

Certainly conquest seems to be the order of the day.

I got bored pretty quick, but I think I saw that everything but DOM VC was disabled.

 

[beetle]

Of the four games in the series so far, this is one that gave me the most trouble in the early game. It took me three or four tries to get through that, as both neighbors were very aggressive. I am now four-for-four with early worker stealing, so that is quite the change of pace for me. I still cannot get a DOM VC though.

The rating for the play of the AI that I have been using so far is as follows:

1. each civ dominated (and eliminated, hopefully)
2. having tourism influence over all but one civ (or winning by CV)
3. having five SS parts (or winning by SV)
4. being within four votes of WL (or winning by Diplo)
5. being ahead in score by a wide margin (i.e., a few thousand points, maybe twice the score of next highest civ)

Attila rocked his continent, eliminating Rome and Korea. Then he came our way and took Athens, but I am not giving him a point for that, because it was really Montezuma giving Greece such a hard time which made that possible. Still, two points for Attila and a for finally doing well, since his performance was anemic in my first three games of this series. He was also handily leading the scoreboard, but maybe not quite enough to earn a point?

Monty gets a point for being an SV threat, but per my criteria above, that would be it. Mostly this highlights the weakness of my rating system! Montezuma had all but eliminated Greece (but Attila beat him to Athens), and marginalized both Bismarck and Dido (but left Berlin, and I snipped Carthage).

I gave up on DOM andI started building parts when Montezuma launched his first SS Booster (T308). I had my last part on T337 but I stretched out my SV for as long as possible (T379). I was never ready to war against Monty; but I had pushed Attila off our continent, razed the majority of his junk 1-tile island cities, liberated Athens and most of his CS conquests, but I had only just taken my first bite out his continent.

 

[penguin74]

Taking my 3rd and final shot at this. Gone liberty all 3 times, just so many good locations not to. Worker steals from Dido is pretty easy (and im usually terrible at it) but can't seem to take Carthage as early as I'd like. It seems in a very easily conquerable place, but those dang elephants tear through ranged units. Ive gotten it eventually both previous times, but cant make any headway into Monty's lands, let alone go to the other continent.

I see an England game up, and they are my fav to play, so if this goes south that's the next game.