[BNW] Enjoyable Deity Games

[Nizef]

Here is a short recap of the games in the Enjoyable Deity Games Experience (EDGE) series (formerly only EDG) so far:

1. Korea (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded)
2. the Shoshone (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
3. America (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded)
4. Denmark (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded)
5. Byzantium (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
6. Germany (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded)
7. Polynesia (Small Continents Plus, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded)
8. Brazil (Continents, Standard speed, Large size, Modded with RAS)
9. Mongolia (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded)
10. Spain (Terra, Standard speed, Large size, Modded with RAS)
11. Carthage (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
12. the Aztecs (Lakes, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded)
13. England (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
14. Korea 2 (Small Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
15. Venice (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
16. Egypt (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
17. the Huns (Oval, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS)
18. Japan (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script).

Is there a specific civilization and setup that you would like me to upload? I am open to suggestions.

 

[beetle]

Appreciate the work you put into these @Nizef. I got VI on a Switch, so I will be off V for a while.

 

[mbbcam]

Appreciate the work you put into these @Nizef. I got VI on a Switch, so I will be off V for a while.

I hope you enjoy it more than I did. I allowed myself to get sucked in by the hype at first release of Civ6 and regretted it. I think the thing I enjoyed most was the opening video. The rest I didn't like much at all, which is why I went back to Civ5. I note that Acken has been fairly critical of Civ6, which is a kind of benchmark for me. No doubt the latest releases have changed the game a lot, but my initial impressions were so bad I'm not going to spend money to find out. But as I say, I hope you like it better than I did.

 

[Nizef]

Appreciate the work you put into these @Nizef. I got VI on a Switch, so I will be off V for a while.

I have come to appriciate our online relationship and I understand that it sometimes is required to move forward. I wish you all the best with Civ VI and hope to see you back here at some point in time. I have not tried Civ VI myself so I should not say too much, but from the LPs I have watched on Youtube, I am no fan of the graphics. It would be interesting to learn about your experiences, especially regarding the game mechanics.

Last but not least, fyi, I am working on a coastal start with Babylon on HellBlazers Pangaea, where the task would be to settle only 1-2 cities on the mainland and the rest on nearby islands. Just as a teaser.

 

[mbbcam]

I am no fan of the graphics. It would be interesting to learn about your experiences, especially regarding the game mechanics

I hated the graphics, too. Contrary to what was apparently intended by the developers, I found the map much harder to read than Civ5. However, there is a mod that changes the terrain to look more like Civ5, which is a blessing. As for the cartoony Civ leaders, I felt that was a considerable step back from Civ5. No doubt lots of people like their leaders to look like something from Disney or Marvel comics. As for the game mechanics (on vanilla Civ6) apparently you just settle as many cities as you can ... Barbs are a real pain in the early stages and make it absolutely necessary to get a slinger asap. I gave up after a few games as I couldn't be bothered to grapple with the oddities.

 

[beetle]

I am agnostic on the VI graphics. I have played exactly one game through, Tiny map size (four AIs, I think) at Prince. Won by late (WWI style) Dom VC. Seems alright. Does not feel like a PC game at all. So funny, since I cannot imagine the mechanics of playing V without a keyboard and mouse. Seems like so much less control than I am used to having with V. But I was never one to set citizen focus, so that bit is good with me. Mostly I have only read about the V folks gripping about what a miss VI is. But, OTOH, where did they all go? This thread has been a breath of fresh air. I think VI hit the mark it was aiming for: Tablets and casual gamers. It is so much better than Civ Revolution, which I found unplayable.

I hope you enjoy it more than I did. I allowed myself to get sucked in by the hype at first release of Civ6 and regretted it.

Yeah, I am not an early adopter! Not since I was burned so hard by cIV. I no longer trust Sid.

 

[Nizef]

Here comes EDGE19. The task is to play as China on a standard sized Pangaea map with Epic speed. The starting location has been modded with Really Advanced Setup as you can see for yourself. My idea for this game was to wait for Chu-Ko-Nus, spam them and win a DomV early. With that I failed spectacularly, but my core cities were growing nicely and I could take to the warpath again with Cannons. And this time I got the snowball rolling. At the end I used a couple of nukes and Paratroopers to finish the game with DomV on t411. But the core cities are so nice that you can probably go for any VC. Try it out, and I am sure you will enjoy it!

 

[Nizef]

As already mentioned to beetle, here comes EDGE20. I have tried to copy some of the features from MP games in the NQ group. You will play Babylon on a standard sized HellBlazers Pangaea map with standard speed. All VCs are enabled and Quick Combat and Quick Movemnt are on. The starting location ensures you access to Aluminium, Coal and Iron (HellBlazers strategic balance with Coal and Aluminium). I also used Really Advanced Setup to ensure a coastal start, a nearby NW and two fish tiles. When you have scouted around you will laugh at my two extra fish tiles. There are so many nearby workable sea tiles that this just has to be a cornerstone of your play. The mainland is quite crowded so the game plan is designed for settling the nearby islands. And since this is Babylon, you can go for any VC you want. Many of the AIs are less prone to wage (early) war and thus it will be one of your challenges to keep them busy during the early days and through the midgame. In the late game there will be many wars, and in one of my games I got a triple DoW, all from AIs with whom I had DoFs. Triple backstab, that was a first one! However, except for a lot of pillaged sea tiles I could stand my ground and win the game on t298. It would be a shame if you do not try this one. It is outright fun!

 

[Nizef]

My new favourite map is HellBlazers Pangaea, and there will probably be several games with it in this series. Here comes EDGE21, with the task to play Polynesia on a standard sized map with standard speed. As usual, all VCs are enabled and Quick Movement and Quick Combat are both on. The starting location includes strategic resources (HellBlazers strategic balance) and a nearby NW (added with Really Advanced Setup). The option for plentiful island spawn is turned on (hey, we are Polynesia after all!) There are several interesting islands nearby, check it out and decide for yourself if you want to settle them or not. Here you have a real shot at an enjoyable CV. It took me until t300 to win, but maybe you can do it faster. Have fun!

 

[Nizef]

As numbers 18, 20 and 21, also EDGE22 is a coastal start on a Hellblazers Pangaea map with standard size and standard speed. I know this is already my third contribution with Korea but as we all know, this civ will ensure a smooth experience in almost all games. This game is no exception. All VCs are enabled and both QM and QC are turned on. The starting location includes strategic resources (HellBlazers strategic balance) and there are two NW at a reasonable distance (one added with Really Advanced Setup and one that just wanted to spawn close by itself). Create your own wonderful coastal imperium and go for any VC you would like to achieve! It rarely gets any smoother than this, even if you obviously need to tech for Optics early. Enjoy!

 

[Nizef]

EDGE23 is also on a HellBlazers Pangaea map with standard size and standard speed. This game is my latest favourite and the task is to play Russia. All VCs are enabled and both QM and QC are turned on. The starting location includes strategic resources (HellBlazers strategic balance with Coal and Aluminium) and Sri Pada is added nearby with RAS. My game plan was to go for a peaceful CV with a "normal" civ. WIth that I succeeded in the end but it took me until t318 to achieve it, mostly because of the southern neighbour. But I liked the map so much that I ended up playing it several times to achieve both SV and DomV as well. There is space enough to settle "many" (6-9) cities if you want to and your eastern neighbour is so close that an early trade route is a no brainer, or conquer him early if you want to! Several of the AIs play to their strengths on this map, so it is not as smooth as some of the games above, but I ended up liking the fact that this was more of a challenge. I am sure you will like this one!

 

[Nizef]

Back in business, this time with EDGE24. You will take on the task to play as Portugal on a standard sized Pangaea map with standard speed. The map has been slightly modded with RAS, but there are no helpful NWs nearby this time. Instead there is one friendly and one aggressive neighbour. QM and QC are enabled. What will you do? Will you expand through conquest or go for a CV? In my game I went for peaceful solutions and managed a strong religion, the Oracle, the Borobudur and the Sistine Chapel during the catch up phase. You can do it too and probably do it better, but you have it all to do. Enjoy!

 

[Nizef]

EDGE25 is tough. The task is to play as France on an unmodded and standard sized Lakes map with Epic speed. QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled. You are short on space and have to carve it out, probably by conquest. So choose your alliances with care. Most of the AIs are culturally capable civilizations and a CV is definitely not easy. As a benchmark, I won my own game by CV but it took me until t478 to do so. The culture scores I needed to overcome were 75.000, 61.000 and 55.000, just to mentioned the best ones. Wonders I built were: CN Tower, Eiffel Tower, Great Firewall, HST, Louvre, Oracle, Porcelain Tower, Sistine Chapel, SoL and Uffizi. I also conquered Alhambra, HG, LToP, Notre Dame, Red Fort and Terracotta Army. Create your own cultural powerhouse or, if you prefer, launch a classical napoleanic war campaign. This one is besides tough also very interesting and challenges your strategic skills. Enjoy!

 

[mbbcam]

I'm sorry you have not had much response to the effort you have put into these recent games. I'm afraid they are not challenges that interest me (I'm an oddity, probably, in that I only play England) but I hope you get a bit more interest from others.

 

[Nizef]

I'm sorry you have not had much response to the effort you have put into these recent games. I'm afraid they are not challenges that interest me (I'm an oddity, probably, in that I only play England) but I hope you get a bit more interest from others.

Oh, I was unaware of your preferences. I think it is quite common to have preferences like that. I play all civs but I also have a few that are my favourites: Germany (very average (by no means OP) and requires an active style of play), Korea (for the science bonuses) and Russia (for the production capacity). Sometimes I also like to play the religious civs, like Byzantium or the Mayans. You do not have to feel bad about the lack of response, I enjoy uploading interesting games that I have played. Sometimes it attracts other players and sometimes it does not. That is no different from real life.

I have some ideas for an England game. Let´s see when I have something for you. Is Epic speed acceptable to you?

 

[Nizef]

Here comes EDGE26. The map is another unmodded standard sized Lakes map with Epic speed and the civ to play is Germany. QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled. I played this one according to HOF rules, but I made something wrong when I renamed the inital starting position file so it will probably not end up on the HOF table. However, I hope this one will attract your attention anyway. My idea is that you play both EDGE25 and this one for the variety that (also) the Lakes map can bring and also challenge yourself to play by (or at least close to) the HOF rules. The challenge would be to win one CV and one DomV in less than 900 turns combined. The benchmark is my DomV on t413 for this one and 891 turns combined (my CV for the France game was t478 as stated above). I could have won earlier but I was waiting for Atomic Bombs for a while until I realized that the fastest way to finish the game is to attack three capitals at once with Xcoms only (no Artillery, Rocket Artillery or Bombers as aid). I built the following Wonders myself: Big Ben, Brandenburg Gate (how fitting!), Eiffel Tower, HST, Kremlin, Neuschwanstein and the Porcelain Tower. I also made good use of a nearby NW and got myself a strong religion. In my game my eastern neighbour (one of the really peaceful AIs!) came dancing with 15 units very early. But here is one of the best things with Germany: I had cleared a few Barb camps and got some Archers to defend myself and it was enough to kill most of the intruding units before setting up a counter attack and taking their capital early-ish. This one is action all day long! Have fun!

 

[mbbcam]

@Nizef It's generous of you, but I'm just beginning a course and I probably won't have the time to play. I've never played anything other than Standard size and speed. I play very, very slowly, and I haven't played a game to the finish for years. I usually get bored or realise I am going to lose, so I stop.

 

[Nizef]

This one is for you, mbbcam. Don´t feel that you have to try it out, it would rather be a bonus if you find the time for it. So, here comes EDGE27, where the challenge is to play England on a standard sized Fractal map and the speed is Standard. QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled as usual. The starting position has been improved with Really Advanced Setup (RAS) to ensure Coal, Iron and a nearby NW. I finally managed a map with England, that I am happy with myself. Your closest neighbour is a peaceful one and you have room to expand to 4-6 cities without wars. The biggest challenge in the early game is to have your first settler ready around t22-25. This is necessary to block your neighbour from settling the nearby NW. I started with Scout-Monument-Settler and that went very well thanks to a timely pop-ruin. I also stole one worker (on t8 I think) from the closest neighbour and one or two from a CS. After this you can just expand at your own pace. You will not meet many AIs before Astronomy, so focus on growth and science will help you a lot. As a benchmark, I was first to pick Ideologies on t176 and at that time I was already number two in Techs, just one behind the leader. England is of course one of the best civs when you go to war (LBs are absolutely OP and SotLs also!) so if you get bored, you can always do as I did: beeline for Machinery and take out the closest neighbour. Albeit peaceful, she started converting my cities with her Profets, even if I had a religion of my own. My game ended in an extremely lazy SV on t298 and I had 9 cities, making about 350 cpt without trying, being the only civ with Atomic Bombs and XComs and of course I was running the United Nations. All in all, this is a friendly map that will give you a chance to go for any VC. I would go so far as to say that this one fulfills all the criterias stated in the opening posting at page 1 of this thread. England needs a steady captain in this era of political turmoil! Help your people and enjoy the ride.

 

[Nizef]

I have noticed that this thread is frequently visited (almost 11.000 times as I write this), so I would like to give you the tip of the week:

Classics: Venice (#15) and Babylon (#20)
Very entertaining: Byzantium (#5) and Russia (#23)
Smoothie: Korea2 (#14) and England2 (#27).

 

[Nizef]

Real neighbours. This is EDGE28, where the task is to play Sweden on an unmodded standard sized Fractal map with standard speed. As usually, QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled. I added some real neighbours from Gustav´s era manually, so at least you will face Denmark and Russia. Actually most AIs fit the theme extremely well. It is also a rarity, since you get to play a jungle start with Sweden. There is room for 4-6 decent cities and you have the possibility to get a religion. In my game I needed to hurry up, because many AIs went for a religion, but I managed a decent one. Still this is a more demanding map than many others in this series, you can¨t ignore sailing for example. However, you can start early to make the most of Gustav´s unique ability. War or peace? Go for whatever you like and enjoy this slightly surprising map!