Game Length (Marathon or Epic?)

[groobz]

Hey guys. Just wondering what speed level people usualy play the game on. I guess Epic and Marathon are the most popular. I`ve tried both and I feel like Marathon does drag a bit, but researching at a tech every two turns on Epic is pretty lame as well.

I`d guess I have the most fun on Marathon speed. How about you guys/gals?

 

[Shurdus]

I play normal. I do lose interest if a game drags and drags the way they do on epic and above.

 

[Jamuka]

I play normal. Marathon feels laughably easy to me. Even on high difficulties, you can build a large army and just go town with it. Your units have so much more survivability and effective lifespan that you barely even need to make reinforcements to conquer successive enemies. Marathon is a completely different game - one the AI isn't programmed for.

 

[Shurdus]

I play normal. Marathon feels laughably easy to me. Even on high difficulties, you can build a large army and just go town with it. Your units have so much more survivability and effective lifespan that you barely even need to make reinforcements to conquer successive enemies. Marathon is a completely different game - one the AI isn't programmed for.

Indeed I have heard this before. Since teching is way slower on marathon while units have actually become cheaper after scaling - that is techs become more expansive compared to how much more expensive units get - you are really encouraged to build more units, who happen to have a better reach because movement is the same on normal and marathon.

It is for this reason that marathon is seen as easier than normal. On normal, if you have an advantage there is only a very tight window of opportunity to make the most of it. On marathon you can conquer the world if you have a good advantage going.

The reason I dislike marathon however is that my goal is not to win games in general, but I want to become good in Civ. In order to do well, you must play a lot of games and make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. Normal speed requires less time to complete a game, resulting in more games. Once I am completely confident on immortal - and I am getting there - then maybe I will consider changing speeds.

 

[z0wb13]

i took a poll on this. it broke down as: epic>normal>marathon>quick.

 

[Shurdus]

and with 180ish voters it seems plausible enough that that would be about what we can expect from this thread.

 

[§L¥ Gµ¥]

I play normal. Marathon feels laughably easy to me. Even on high difficulties, you can build a large army and just go town with it. Your units have so much more survivability and effective lifespan that you barely even need to make reinforcements to conquer successive enemies. Marathon is a completely different game - one the AI isn't programmed for.

exactly. I've been playing normal speed so long even epic seems like marathon to me.

 

[Bleys]

I play normal. I do lose interest if a game drags and drags the way they do on epic and above.

Same for me. I used to be a devout Epic player, but as I move farther up the difficulty ladder, the games go longer and longer. On Epic, the years 1750-1950 take HOURS AND HOURS. Normal is much better in the late game IMHO.

That being said, I wish there was a way to change speeds during the game. I prefer a slower pace in the BCs, a medium pace in the early ADs, and a fast pace after 1600.

 

[DirkDivac]

I enjoy playing Epic the most. I have played most of my games at Epic and that speed seems to be just about right. Units don't go obsolete so quickly, but you aren't playing the early game with nothing to do but explore for the first 200 turns. (as you would in Marathon) I have only played one game all the way through on Marathon, I won a space race on Monarch and it took a ton of hours to finish. By the end of the game I just hit the enter key for what seemed like an eternity while my space ship was being built. I also suspect that Marathon is easier, because I can't beat monarch on epic yet, but on my first try I beat it on marathon.

 

[Crusher1]

I play normal. I do lose interest if a game drags and drags the way they do on epic and above.

Indeed. Marathon is abuse and even Epic is annoyingly slow. Both lead to the potential for suicide from the aggravation and pain they cause the user.

Definitely NORMAL.

 

[madscientist]

Indeed. Marathon is abuse and even Epic is annoyingly slow. Both lead to the potential for suicide from the aggravation and pain they cause the user.

Definitely NORMAL.

I gotta laugh at this. I have posted over 50 RPC games, all at marathon speed since BTS came out and the

Potential for Suicide
Aggravation
Pain

All seams to have entertained many on these forums!

By the way, I have not played anything except Marathon Speed since CIV first came out.

 

[Crusher1]

By the way, I have not played anything except Marathon Speed since CIV first came out.

Then I suggest pacing your comment rate to the appropriate speed.

I.E., forum post for the following:


Normal users: 6 post a day

Epic users: 3 post a day

Marathon users: less than 1 post a day

Conclusion: You have 5 post per day therefore you cannot possibly be a Marathon user.

Possibilities? 3.


1. Start a new account and post appropriately - if you so adamantly affirm to be a Marathon user take pride and do so accordingly.

2. You are lying to everyone and have never played Marathon.

3. In your heart you are a "Normal Speed" user and have been hiding in "The Closet" and are yet to reveal your true self to friends and family.

 

[Tiberius I]

Marathon is the only way to go

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Then I suggest pacing your comment rate to the appropriate speed.

I.E., forum post for the following:


Normal users: 6 post a day

Epic users: 3 post a day

Marathon users: less than 1 post a day

Conclusion: You have 5 post per day therefore you cannot possibly be a Marathon user.

Possibilities? 3.


1. Start a new account and post appropriately - if you so adamantly affirm to be a Marathon user take pride and do so accordingly.

2. You are lying to everyone and have never played Marathon.

3. In your heart you are a "Normal Speed" user and have been hiding in "The Closet" and are yet to reveal your true self to friends and family.

What happens when you have over 16 posts per day? "closet" "ultra-quick"? I used to be given the nickname "Turbo" but it's been a long time since anyone used that for me in real life (it came up in early high school gym because I always played/ran as if someone were holding the turbo button in a video game).

Your breakdown does not scale! But, if you scaled me based on normal...my games would be around 200 turns? Less?

 

[Crusher1]

@TMIT

Rehab and Intervention

 

[TheMeInTeam]

@TMIT

Rehab and Intervention

NEVER!!! (defy resolution)

You don't know where I live!!!!!

 

[Isikien]

never!!! (defy resolution)

the world considers you a villan!!!

 

[Combat Ingrid]

Marathon is the only way to go

Welcome to CFC

As my postcount might suggest, I almost exclusively play huge/marathon. I am also a proud buildaholic who suffers from intermittent micromanagementitis

 

[Fleme]

I play Marathon and large maps exclusively, and it's been this way ever since I started with this game. I somehow feel that it takes away from the game when eras just fly by and you get techs every other turn instead of havign to commit to your goals and plan ahead.

Sure, games may take up to 6 or even 9 hours when I micromanage, take part in actual 100 year wars (that actually take 100 turns instead of 10) and just enjoy the game, era by era. Seems to work, since I'm currently working on my third Deity win.

Marathon requires more commitment and the way I see it is that it requires a certain kind of person with a degree of patience to play it. With that said, I wouldn't consider playing on faster speeds since when I even try, I feel like a fish out of water getting my initial techs in 6 turns rather than 30.

I'll say it again, Marathon is about commitment and having to deal with each era instead of storming past the early eras. Furthermore, with Marathon it seems that each game is inherently different from each other since longer spans often mean more variance.

 

[Shurdus]

I gotta laugh at this. I have posted over 50 RPC games, all at marathon speed since BTS came out and the

Potential for Suicide
Aggravation
Pain

All seams to have entertained many on these forums!

By the way, I have not played anything except Marathon Speed since CIV first came out.

The RPCs are entertaining because we get to read the good bits, the drivel op pressing the end turn button again and again is spared to us. If you commented every end turn button then your crowd would vanish instantly.

@ TMIT: I had a friend who ran like that. We picked on him during dodgeball just to see it. Fun times!