Game duration and management load

[tu_79]

Hello everybody.

Since recent change limiting number of units, I'm curious if I am on the lower side that thinks that games were still too long, and total turns per game too low (at least before 2-27).

There are several ways of making a game longer:
- Engaging in wars more often (a must when going domination).
- Micromanaging everything (you puppet hater)
- Bigger maps (gimme more)
- Slower pace

I wish a standard game lasts no longer than ten hours, making use of some automatization, and that information era could be reached more often, so we get to see the big bad robot in action in standard pace. I know that several players just tire of a domination game and switch to any other victory condition to end the game sooner.

So, which is your prefered duration and what actions do you use to get it?

 

[ashendashin]

I don't actually have a standard preference. I'd say I'm on the longer side, but there's so much variety. Sometimes I'm so into a game that the length of individual turns is irrelevant because of the loads of activity in each one. Others I'm bored out of my mind while I wait for an all important point to be reached (pls units just amass on the border opposite to the new one. I haven't actually managed to get a decent game going since the new war rebalances. I dread not being able to build a new army straight after I finish someone off.)
I warmed up to playing with 43 civs because it feels so expansive, so considering that, I suppose that definitely puts me on the longer side. It really cracks down on repeated strategies and leaves an interesting world to look at (that's my observation on one lengthy game and several early quits anyhow). Generally, I don't consider the amount of hours, but instead how much is experienced and whether or not it's satisfying. Turn length can kill the satisfaction sometimes. Others, not so much, due to the absolutely incredible work done on both the AI and game concepts.

 

[Mad Madigan]

I voted for 15-20 hours, but that's really just more a by-product of how I like to play the game (Emperor diff, Epic speed, Huge Continents map, and 16-20 Civs in play). I never go for Domination victories because doing so on such a large map with so many Civs would be a grueling grind-fest, and I've never achieved a Science victory because leading in Techs has always allowed me to end up winning through Tourism or Diplomacy before I can even reach the Information era. That hasn't bothered me much though, because I just love seeing how the huge generated world develops and how all the different Civs get along (or don't as it often goes). Even though it's a game many steps removed from reality, I still like to set it up to as closely resemble the scale of reality as possible (a huge earth-like map with as many Civs and CSs that will fit inside it all struggling to survive).

So far I've been playing a 15+ hour Shoshone game with the 2-27 patch that has made it to the Medieval/Renaissance era thus far and it has been very eventful. With the new war and religion rebalancing the wars have come sooner and end quicker (rather than dragging out for "centuries" of in-game time), and the AI religious belief choices seem to have been made to actually synergize with each other so that they're not all wastes of Faith. I'm still seeing some weird, self-harming behavior occasionally (like Tradition Civs going wide and tanking their Science/Gold/Happiness, or Authority Civs never building more than 4-5 cities and never starting wars and then wondering why they're at the bottom of the Tech/Policy rankings), but for the most part the AI is acting like a mostly competent human player. Occasionally I also see real glints of brilliance in the AI that take me by surprise (clever bribes for DoW, tricky use of DPs to domino into foreign armies DoW-ing their pesky neighbor, long-game sneak attacks to ambush Civs from an unguarded position, etc.). Overall it's a great experience, even if it takes an eternity to actually finish a game.

 

[FoxOfWar]

Voted for the 15-20 bracket 'cause I tend to play Large or Huge, often with more civs in there and on Marathon. I do enjoy seeing the slow progress of - well - building a civilization that can indeed stand the test of time, heh.

Granted, often towards the end I start looking for more distractions as the game often turns towards just waiting to win (that last civ to influence, spaceship parts, waiting for world congress) unless going for domination, of course. And if going for domination, I tend to play nonstop war from beginning to end, damn the consequences. Although if I am planning for domination, I tend to pick at most a Large map. Trying to conquest 22 civ Huge map is an endeavor I occasionally get into my head and then fifteen hours in realize I am still only Renaissance and have about twelve huge civs left to kill...

I do tend to automate a lot - automated workers pick their priorities usually pretty well (though sometimes I feel they like building roads way too much if I'm already in the negative, gold-wise) - also if I conquer I tend to leave non-capitals puppeted. For good effectiveness I probably should micromanage cities more but that practice tends to wane for me as my empire grows.

Thinking about it, I probably should shift to permanently playing just Large. Huge maps towards the end, besides lasting forever if going Domination, also tend to put my computer to its' knees.

 

[peterw1987]

I usually want my games to finish in 2 or 3 days longest. I play around 5 hours per day. Because everytime i reload, i will forget some little thing where i left. Maybe i left some unit in sleep mode and forget that it is even there. I forget how the rest of the world is doing.

 

[Enginseer]

"be me wishing the game never ends"
"encounter a bug, graphical or codewise"
"fix bug, have to restart game"
such is the life of a modder

 

[Asterix Rage]

Huge / Marathon + strictness management is much more than 20h

 

[emdash]

I usually quit my games. haha. I play huge/epic/emp as well, but usually with fewer civs. Like 8. I'd say they are over 15 hours, though, in multi. Maybe shorter in single player.

My favorite part in the game is early game. I would play marathon, but it seems kind of poorly balanced if you are active. I really like the feel of epic, though. I tend to reroll the game when I am satisfied I could win. I'm still honing my favorite playstyle in the mod. I used to be very inactive in vanilla, but in the mod, I like to farm and war w/ people. The only thing I'll automate is ships/explorers once I get dark ocean tiles.

Looking at the numbers, I'm probably going to move up to immortal on my next multi game, but emp suits the flavor game for me in a single 'just waste some time game.' Plus, there are so many civs and failed starting strategies I haven't tried. I kinda feel like I am crutching on having a pretty strong war strategy game; I still don't do a lot of things like manual specialists, etc. I probably should.

Feels like, to me, if I get Knights first, I win. But I still like rolling people for awhile, then I'm like ah ok restart.

 

[Strigvir]

I wish a standard game lasts no longer than ten hours, making use of some automatization, and that information era could be reached more often, so we get to see the big bad robot in action in standard pace. I know that several players just tire of a domination game and switch to any other victory condition to end the game sooner.

GDR have pretty short window to be relevant, since the techs, which unlock new units, are also required for spaceship parts.

 

[PapaRockett]

I would say that I like to play epic long games but after about 500 turns my games just decide to CTD and become impossible to load, which really pisses me off. Is it just me that experiences this?

 

[lunker]

I always wonder how people finish games so quickly. A standard game on communitas huge for me can take 300-400 turns, which takes me 40-50~ hours....

 

[Strigvir]

I always wonder how people finish games so quickly. A standard game on communitas huge for me can take 300-400 turns, which takes me 40-50~ hours....

Are you playing with vanilla interface?

 

[lunker]

Are you playing with vanilla interface?

Nope, using EUI.

 

[tu_79]

I always wonder how people finish games so quickly. A standard game on communitas huge for me can take 300-400 turns, which takes me 40-50~ hours....

Can't say for huge, but in standard when not fighting too much, I spent 12 to 15 hours, which is fine for me, but it goes over 25 when trying domination, and I still haven't managed to finish a single one.

 

[cshao06]

Agreed. I was about to post the same concern. The vanilla standard speed standard size game takes around 250 turns to finish. I think it is just the right pace. The current CBO takes a bit too long.

Should I try quick speed? Is it not as balanced as the other speeds?

 

[emdash]

It is interesting when I think about huge maps though... it is kind of fun to have epic marches across the continent. A buddy is getting warred by 2 ai and you're like... I'll be there in... 25 turns! Hold out!

I know it's not balanced and MAN the AI grows like a weed. That's probably why I initially didn't play much Immortal in vanilla. It's like 8 Civ, huge map... you might end up next to the top guy, but someone who is far away is going to be crushing you, even if you handle the threat. It's kind of like that w/ Emp for me as well because I tend to taper off and behave like a fat cat after I really get ahead in score. The AI catches up very often score-wise and you have to go in and dominate them. I mean, I have games where I build every wonder practically and the AI is still nipping at my heels until I go in and start warring with them, just because of the space they can grow.

But, on the other hand, while I don't mind early war, I don't want a game where I am limited by everyone else's borders. I wish the AI would stop growing at a certain point, then it would be perfect, because I like the settling the world feel of a huge map, but I'll never outsettle an AI in an epic game.

 

[tu_79]

It is interesting when I think about huge maps though... it is kind of fun to have epic marches across the continent. A buddy is getting warred by 2 ai and you're like... I'll be there in... 25 turns! Hold out!

I know it's not balanced and MAN the AI grows like a weed. That's probably why I initially didn't play much Immortal in vanilla. It's like 8 Civ, huge map... you might end up next to the top guy, but someone who is far away is going to be crushing you, even if you handle the threat. It's kind of like that w/ Emp for me as well because I tend to taper off and behave like a fat cat after I really get ahead in score. The AI catches up very often score-wise and you have to go in and dominate them. I mean, I have games where I build every wonder practically and the AI is still nipping at my heels until I go in and start warring with them, just because of the space they can grow.

But, on the other hand, while I don't mind early war, I don't want a game where I am limited by everyone else's borders. I wish the AI would stop growing at a certain point, then it would be perfect, because I like the settling the world feel of a huge map, but I'll never outsettle an AI in an epic game.

In vanilla, you couldn't settle more cities with happiness 0. In Vox Populi the threshold is 10 unhappiness. This allows a much faster expansion, but this is needed for Progress to work.