Explain me the use of Marathon speed

[Esteban]

Explain me how does marathon and epic slow down the pace when everything takes more time to build. If it takes 8 turn to build a unit and 8 turn to research a tech, it is the same exact thing as 30 turns for a unit and 30 turns for a tech. You just skip more turns while your workers work the soil... I don't get it please explain.

 

[King Flevance]

Well, first on marathon unit costs are cheaper than any other speed in comparing the hammer ratio. The rest is pretty much as you describe, but units can move further. As you get 5 turns in 100 years instead of 1. So a unit with 1 movement is like having a unit with 5 movement on marathon. Because less time goes by as they move. In addition to having slower time, you dont run into the situation where you just researched a tech, to have that unit be obsoleted by the time you just built some. ON any game speed other than marathon (and even some units in marathon) I end up having most of my military being obsolete units because it is a waste to upgrade them every time they become obsolete. Because their upgrade goes obsolete in 12 more turns.

Also, to me it seems that if you focus on micro managing, you can get a little more "bang for your buck" on slower speed.

 

[Defiant47]

To make a small addition onto what Flevance said, hammer overflow no longer matters negatively. In normal and even more quick speed, you could reach the point where your HE city and your IW city create more hammers than the units cost. In this case, the overflow starts building up and gets to the maximum point. On marathon, you'd have another unit instead of the overflow.

I love marathon because it allows for deeper and more precise strategizing (a lot of things happen in-between turns, especially in late-game... slower game-play allows you to deal with fewer things in more turns, and kind of be more precise), and the main reason being that units don't obsolete as they are marching towards the enemy.

 

[SewerStarFish]

I like them because epic and marathon games provide a longer span of use to each unit. It's no fun to play, say Japan, if you don't have time to play with Samurai. A normal game may have you advance past Samurai before you get a good chance to utilize them.

 

[GenocideBringer]

Also, a standing army becomes more important. On Marathon, you can't just pull an army out of your ass when you get hit with war. Even on my highest production city in my game, it takes 3-4 turns to build an axeman.

 

[Defiant47]

Also, a standing army becomes more important. On Marathon, you can't just pull an army out of your ass when you get hit with war. Even on my highest production city in my game, it takes 3-4 turns to build an axeman.

 

[AThousandYoung]

Even on Marathon late in the game you can have your units obsolete quickly. I was America, about to win the Space Race, but I wanted to drop a horde of SEALs on my rival before I won. By the time I had 4 SEALs they were obsolete.

 

[Thanny]

Even on Marathon late in the game you can have your units obsolete quickly. I was America, about to win the Space Race, but I wanted to drop a horde of SEALs on my rival before I won. By the time I had 4 SEALs they were obsolete.

Properly upgraded and bomber-supported SEALs are never obsolete.

 

[MrCynical]

Unit costs don't scale as much with game speed as everything else. In your example it would only take 20 turns, not 30 to build the unit at marathon.

There are also other subtle but significant ways the game is speeded up. You don't hit as many hard caps where units are taking one turn to build, and similarly for research. Your units effectively move three times as fast, allowing you to get far more use out of them. No more units going obsolete in the time it takes them to reach the front line.

 

[Spiceweasel]

Another nice benefit is that you don't have to deal with as much all at one time. Instead of 3 workers and 4 production queues all needing your attention at once, they're spread out across a few different turns. That makes it easier to manage stuff and still keep your focus where you want it.

 

[Garand]

I usually play epic because I found marathon somewhat annoying, like running in place. It takes like 40-50 turns just to build something as simple as a granary, which while perhaps it may be balanced for gameplay purposes, it makes me feel like I'm not making any progress with my empire.

Another problem with marathon is that if you are beset by barbarians early in the game, you are in deep trouble. I started a marathon game and within a short while I was being attacked by 2-3 unit stacks of barbarians every 5-10 turns, far faster than I could build units to defend my cities. I was wiped out before I had even discovered two techs. Who knows, maybe I'll give it another shot and see if I can find a new liking for it.

 

[Izipo]

I never enjoyed marathon, IMO it gets you to focus more on war, as you get better use out of your units (as it's been pointed out). While you build something for 50 turns, it is very tempting to do something with your units in the meantime, hence the emphasis on war.
This is why I always play normal speed, because it's the game speed around which the game was designed, other speeds are just multipliers of normal.

Still, this is just my opinion based on my limited experience with marathon.

 

[GenocideBringer]

I don't know...it's always seemed to me like Epic or Marathon fit better with the game's design.

 

[LlamaCat]

epic and marathon in theory are supposed to make an easier game for you. surprisingly, the more I have played and gotten better, I don't really find that my units are obsolete that much at normal speed. don't get me wrong, I do think it sometimes becomes a problem. just not as much as I thought since I have had more experience. maybe it's really a matter of learning to use your units more efficiently and quickly before they need to be upgraded or become obsolete. better use of promotions and not spamming as many units to cut down on maintenance.
so I play mostly on normal speed, sometimes on epic. I am scared to try marathon as my games already take so long...

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

Epic is my speed of choice. I've tried to finish three different marathon games, but just havn't been able too. I blame it on TV and shoddy public education >.<