Do you play turns by year or semester?

[Ita Bear]

Hello folks,

Curious to see what setting people play. I've only played years so far but find my characters age rather quickly. I'm wondering if playing by semesters allows me to level them further and get more use from them. What's your favourite and why?

Kind regards,
Ita Bear

 

[PiR]

I only played by semesters in Carthage scenarii. I didn't feel much difference, not even in the aging, but I find the aging is "blocked" in the 4th scenario? No one died of old age for me.

 

[nolegskitten]

Hello folks,

Curious to see what setting people play. I've only played years so far but find my characters age rather quickly. I'm wondering if playing by semesters allows me to level them further and get more use from them. What's your favourite and why?

Kind regards,
Ita Bear

doubling characters life on average is indeed the main effect of semesters turn.

I've only played one game with it outside of the Carthage campaign which enforces this style.

 

[Forster]

So, with semesters you get two turns to a year? What does that do to unit movement or construction?

 

[Solver]

Most things stay the same. Construction remains the same, just the "3 years" text changes to "3 semesters". The difference is that characters age slower, which means your leaders are on average going to rule for twice as many turns.

 

[Forster]

I'll have to try that. Thanks.

 

[Dale]

I have on my list to make "quick" and "marathon" modes too, which would impact yields/costs. Semesters don't change yields/costs really.

 

[ThrivesInChaos]

I always use "Semesters", but purely for immersion reasons. It just feels better for building/training times (though, I guess, not as good for research times).

 

[nolegskitten]

I always use "Semesters", but purely for immersion reasons. It just feels better for building/training times (though, I guess, not as good for research times).

it doesn't change research or production time, only character lifespans

 

[ThrivesInChaos]

it doesn't change research or production time, only character lifespans

It does, story-wise. It now takes 3 semesters to build a farm, rather than 3 years ;-)

 

[pholkhero]

I have on my list to make "quick" and "marathon" modes too, which would impact yields/costs. Semesters don't change yields/costs really.

do you out-tech the game then? i'm not sure i've ever gotten to teh end of the tree before anyway, but just wondering.

i just noticed the semester mode yesterday, so i'm interested to see its effects on ambition fulfillment, and techs now that i know its not merely an 'epic' speed w all things tuned accordingly.

 

[Mesix]

I have on my list to make "quick" and "marathon" modes too, which would impact yields/costs. Semesters don't change yields/costs really.

Perhaps a seasons (quarters) setting could be an option?

 

[Pfeffersack]

Perhaps a seasons (quarters) setting could be an option?

That scale is used in the 3rd scenario of the Heroes of Aegean campaign, so it is probably already somewhere in the code and just needs to be allowed for sandbox.

 

[Pfeffersack]

While I'm still experiementing with the settings (currently trying the merciless variant of short lifes coupled with years) to find my personal sweetspot, I realized that the year/semester setting and the three choices for life expectancy go beyong giving you 6 variants together - aside from that probably the doubling of turns by changing the timescale has the greatest impact, it also has a more subtile benefit: While prolonging lifespan means your character will live longer (and turns get added on the end of their lifes), semesters means that they also spend more turns in their youth - and that, assuming that tutoring is measured like construction in turns, gives you more attempts to do it.

 

[PiR]

Not really, because tutoring lasts longer.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Not really, because tutoring lasts longer.

Ok, thank you for clearing that up - I had played with semesters already, but probably didn't pay enough attention then. However, a tiny advantage in that context may still be there - you have potentially more turns where you can start tutoring. That doesn't help a lot if you play quite optimized or center your attention around tutoring, but I often encounter situations, where I lack ressources (mainly orders) or work-free characters to start it...so more turns appear like more chances to get it rolling at all.

 

[PiR]

Yes, true!
More chances not to forget also.