Favorite game play settings?

[civplay]

I'm going to be honest, I actually I hate the game on the normal settings. The beginnings too slow, the decisions aren't really meaningful, then you gain a slight advantage, and click your way to victory.

But, I love messing around with the settings. MY favorite way to play is small Continents with an extra player on Immortal difficulty, epic speed, using a Medieval Era start date (or classical if I know I want to play with an earlier civ) with all victories disabled except domination. I find at these settings, the game just hits the ground running and never really slows up.

What are your guys favorite settings?

 

[DizzKneeLand33]

Immortal or Deity, Epic, Large, Fractal, Ran/Ran/Standard (start)/Ran/Ran/Low (sea level) 12/18 (this due to the low sea level makes a good game), start when the world began, 4000BC (or something like that).

I find the beginning to be one of the best parts. I'm not sure about the difficulty level if you don't have to survive the 4 (or 5) warrior rush by one to three rushing AI's -- is it easier that way? Surviving this part is the hardest part many times. In my most recent game I was declared war on by three different civs before turn 70. That hit the ground running, too!

But of course, to each their own, that's what makes Civ fun.

 

[Canadian Bluebeer]

Huge map, variety of difficulties, shuffle usually, but will change (islands if england), abundant resources, dom/sci/scor for victory, although, I will to a dom only one, if doing stupid huge maps.
Ancient start (I've done the others, I like the ancient one).

 

[Magma_Dragoon]

Russia
difficulty: emperor or immortal
map: continents, terra if it existed
size: large
players: 8
sea level: low
climate: cold
mods: tundra farms

 

[Disgustipated]

Lately been playing the Greatest Earth map mod, but it gets a bit slow in the late game for my computer. So I won't play it too much more. I'm an Earth map fanatic. Call me an Earth patriot. Epic speed on this map, and standard resources and default settings. Religious victory off. As for barbarians sometimes I have them on, sometimes I turn them off. My current game I have them on, but I'm disappointed at the lack of AI settling the many empty areas of the map.

If I'm not playing some type of Earth map I prefer continents or fractal, low or medium sea level, standard or small size, I usually increase AI players by one or two, Epic speed, Ancient start, barbarians off about 50% of the time, arid rainfall, and warm climate, religious victory off.

As an add-on question if the original poster doesn't mind, does anyone play modern age or information age starts? Seems to me this would offer a more challenging game. I just prefer playing the whole way through.

 

[MisterBoomBoom]

Wish we had a European like map to play on. That was my favorite as it had each terraforms well represented and thus could suit a good variety of chosen Civs. I would cram in more Civs and remove a few of the City States. I personally like many natural wonders- EPIC speed- standard resources is actually sparse enough I have found.

I have been playing Hotseat standard 'New' Island maps with Low Water levels Legendary starts- Cram more Civs in (remove a few CS's) and I assign the AI war like Civs to act as my Barbarians while turning them off on the toggle. A better way to play!

 

[stinkubus]

Small continents on Emperor difficulty. 90% of my games are Dom games, with the other 10% being science wins if a Dom V would be too difficult or take too long. I'm of the opinion that the game is actually balanced for small maps, and that most games should end either in the Industrial Era or early in the Modern era.

 

[Haig]

I play Fractal 80% of my games, love that map. The Firaxis Earth map with true start is second fave.

I also like to play Medieval start from time to time, helps to kickstart the empire-building.

King or Emperor diff.

 

[civplay]

As an add-on question if the original poster doesn't mind, does anyone play modern age or information age starts? Seems to me this would offer a more challenging game. I just prefer playing the whole way through.

Yeah np. I actually used to do modern quite often. Good way to get a game in a short amount of time, but on a small map with less players b/c otherwise the AI doesn't do anything with their settlers (they may have fixed that bug in the last update; I haven't really played much since then). But its fun, and you really get to use your navy and air force. idk if its more challenging... but its certainly different. Also, if you play on different eras, it kinda messes with your game play on normal settings.

 

[TurboJ]

Deity/epic/fractal/small with one extra AI civ added; all other settings standard.

 

[craney1987]

because my laptop is antiquated I'm stuck on standard map size and number of players. Emperor/immortal difficulty, random map (although I'm beginning to enjoy continents) always ancient start (because tradition? I've never actually considered any other start date)

 

[Rosty K]

Marathon-huge-shuffle.

Maybe I should try something else for a change.

 

[VTMatt]

I usually play either Fractal or Islands (I'm a sucker for navy based domination, and/or random layouts). I vary the game-speed between quick and standard, with the time 2x mod for techs/civics.

Usually do most of the geographic settings standard, with legendary starts and abundant resources. Feels like it opens up a lot more areas to settle and provides for more trade options with AI.

I also usually turn off Religious victory, since I really don't like focusing on a religion, and don't want to worry about some AI beating me at the game I'm not playing. A little cheesy, sure, but I prefer it without that victory type!

 

[agonistes]

Marathon x2 or x5, giant earth map TSL, no victory conditions/goody huts/barbs (barbs too laggy on that big a map), no turn limit. Religious units respect borders. Everyone is an expansionist mod.

Wish settlers could enter all water terrain without techs. Australia is the only big colonizer early on.

edit: lemme just say... if you really want tech and civic choices to MATTER, play marathon x5. That's where you you really see decisions becoming culturally defining attributes - holy, naval, industrial, commercial, military... .

 

[lqwertyp]

Usually I play standard size, epic pace, shuffle map and random settings. I never restart because I like the challenge of adapting.

I just can't see Why the OP says the decisions in the beginning don't matter too much. Imho those are the most important ones because they shape your game.

 

[civplay]

Usually I play standard size, epic pace, shuffle map and random settings. I never restart because I like the challenge of adapting.

I just can't see Why the OP says the decisions in the beginning don't matter too much. Imho those are the most important ones because they shape your game.

I guess that really depends on what difficulty you're playing on. I mean on Prince you can basically do w.e. you want and find a way to win, so then you're actually making meaningful decisions and evaluating options. On higher difficulties the only decisions you make early game are superficial really. Units: you're going to get a scout and an slinger or two (well usually more). Techs: you're going to get archers out asap followed by campuses. Now here comes you're only really decision of the game do I go for techs that give me infrastructure early or do I go for units early? and thats it

Compare that to medieval start turn: Do I go for universities, harbors, crossbows or knights. build scout and archers, but then what? which district should I get harbor, commercial or campus? should i get early builders, early settlers, or neither? Which civic do I go for? you have the choice of like 4. All these choices are thrown at you at once, and at the same time you must be flexible with your decision making.

 

[Victoria]

I find small is small and large too large, I have no idea why the standard setting is not standard
I like continents because it's like little worlds apart with different luxes and that border just keeps thing separated niceLy (especially religion). I like the slow pace, the inception and growth.

Most of all I like that we are all different and that gives variety to what Firaxis delivers.

 

[DizzKneeLand33]

I just started my first x2 Deity game, and I must say, I'm already in love. It makes the early game decisions seem like they actually matter, and when Santa declared war on me after forward settling my capital, well, I mean, he had EIGHT archers along with some warriors (thank goodness for the hilly terrain) -- I'm only on turn 100 (epic) so I am still seeing how things progress (first of all, whether I can survive).

But let's put the above in perspective. Even on Deity, after beating the initial warrior rush I usually don't see the AI consistently build units. Probably because there isn't enough time (tech in relation to production). Well, there's plenty of time to build units in between on x2 epic apparently (this is x2 for GP, civics, and tech, production remains normal). We'll see if I still see units from different eras like I am now.

THIS IS WHAT THE GAME ON DEITY SHOULD BE!!

 

[agonistes]

Try marathon x5. Decisions become very important.

 

[Eliminator_Sr]

I really enjoy the unpredictable elements of Fractal maps with a random civ and random opponents so 75% of my games are at those settings generally on emperor, standard size map, standard speed and sometimes epic. Personally I feel that marathon makes the game significantly easier because you can just exploit the AI combat weaknesses more effectively (units move at the same pace yet remain effective for many more turns) and it's also just way too slow for me. I've played a few medieval starts and I also found those easier too but it does add a lot more possibilities for early strategy (I think this favors the human player).