GOTM - 01: A New Beginning. Pre-Game Discussion

[eldar]

Reminds me, I should reset my autosaves to 1 before starting 4otMs.

And what's the official acronym, Ainwood? C4GOTM? 4OTM? IVOTM? C4OTM?

 

[Amao]

GOTM - 01: Pre Game Discussion

Welcome to the first pre-game discussion thread for the Civ4 GOTM.

This starting save was generated by Aeson.

Game settings:
Civilization: Rome (Leader: Caesar; Traits: Expansionist & organised)
Rivals: 6 (Random)
Difficulty: Noble ("even" level - the AI gets no bonuses, but neither do you!)
Map: Continents
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Waterlevel: Medium
Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal

Victory Conditions: all enabled
Other options: all disabled (Raging barbs would be fun... but not the first game. )
...

I was misled by this all disabled. First, there are animals out there. Secod, my warrior was destroyed when collecting the hut ended up popping out 3 barbs.

 

[jayeffaar]

I was misled by this all disabled. First, there are animals out there.

I guess he meant all special options were disabled (meaning everything at default values). But I can certainly see how you could read it the way you did.

Secod, my warrior was destroyed when...

This is venturing into spoiler territory. We didn't need to know that in advance...

 

[Isildurs Heir]

Well, I hope that just because the saves are out doesn't mean that we won't get any more poems from BJag....his material is just too good!!!

Must have been Karma that started that catfight!

 

[Amao]

I guess he meant all special options were disabled (meaning everything at default values). But I can certainly see how you could read it the way you did.

This is venturing into spoiler territory. We didn't need to know that in advance...

OK, I'm waiting for the spoiler.

 

[DaviddesJ]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet: In Civ IV, cities spread irrigation, even without Civil Service, but not if they are on hills. And, you can build farms on resources that need farms, even without irrigation, but you don't get the +1 food for the farm until you irrigate the tile.

So, if you settle on the hill, then a farm on the corn SE will only be +2 food, until Civil Service. But, if you settle 1E or 1S, then a farm on the corn will be +3 food as soon as you build it. Right?

 

[Willburn]

Woot nice tip David
You should post this in the strategy forum imho

 

[DaviddesJ]

So, if you settle on the hill, then a farm on the corn SE will only be +2 food, until Civil Service. But, if you settle 1E or 1S, then a farm on the corn will be +3 food as soon as you build it. Right?

Maybe this isn't true. I tried some test games and irrigation through cities doesn't seem to be working. But I'm sure I saw it working before. Now I'm very confused.

(I still haven't started the GOTM so I am not posting any spoilers.)

 

[jesusin]

Hi ainwood. I have a proposal to make.

I would like to see the starting screenshot with the options "see resources" and "see yield" turned on.

I can't really see anything without them. What I do is to open the game just to look it all, save, close, and then come here to give my ideas on the pre-game discussion. But that make feel anxious:
- am I breaking the rules by talking here when I have already opened the save?
- am I damaging my saves count, or my sessions count?

If people are happy with the current starting screenshot, may I suggest including a link to a second screenshot that have the options turned on?

Thank you very much.

 

[AlanH]

Hi. Since Ainwood is credited with one of the tips that ship with the game, concerning "see resources", maybe he'll be sympathetic to your suggestions.

Short answers to your questions are 'Yes, it's against the rules', and 'Yes, you are adding (unnecessarily) to your reload/sessions count'.

1. You should not post in the pre-game and Saves Available threads at all once you have opened the starting save. This game has been difficult to police from that point of view because of the problems players have had in getting the game to play and the sheer numbers of players new to the GOTM. But you should only discuss the starting situation using information that was provided in the pre-game thread. Once you have opened the save you can clearly have more information. Please keep it to yourself until the first spoiler thread is opened.

2, I see no reason to save the game before you have made any moves. That will simply put your reload level up by one notch, but otherwise the new save will be identical to the starting save.

 

[jesusin]

Thank you, AlanH.

Regarding point 1, in fact I don't have more information, since I haven't moved units at all. I won´t comment anything anyway.

Regarding point 2, I was more afraid of not saving, since it could be considered somehow "playing and going back" (how could I possibly prove that I didn't move any unit?). I won´t save in this situation in the future, thanks for the advice.

 

[AlanH]

Regarding point 1, in fact I don't have more information, since I haven't moved units at all. I won´t comment anything anyway.

If you don't have any more information then why open the save before posting in the pre-game thread? The pre-game thread should be a discussion on a level playing field. If the starting screenshot doesn't include resource details then you have to discuss what you can see.

Regarding point 2, I was more afraid of not saving, since it could be considered somehow "playing and going back" (how could I possibly prove that I didn't move any unit?). I won´t save in this situation in the future, thanks for the advice.

How could anyone prove anything else? It's just a game, mostly played on an honour basis

 

[Ribannah]

My first session of a comparison game typically consists of looking at the starting position and making calculations. I usually change the option settings, too, and I save the game to keep those settings as well as for archiving purposes. I normally don't start moving until the next day or so.

I know it will be counted as a session when I start playing from this save instead of again opening the downloaded file, but I also think that that is quite correct.

 

[Shillen]

With civ4 all optional settings are saved locally instead of as part of the save. It's great for succession games and gotm.

 

[ainwood]

Hi ainwood. I have a proposal to make.

I would like to see the starting screenshot with the options "see resources" and "see yield" turned on.

Certainly. It was generated by Aeson, and so I had exactly the same problem - rying to work out what the resources actually are. I am so used to playing with the resources flags on, that I actually struggle to work-out what the real graphics are without them - I wasn't sure whether it was silk or sugar in the starting screenie - and I'm not convinced that Aeson did either!

The resource view is also useful, for noting the difference between (say) desert & floodplains - floodplains do some strange things around river bends.

 

[DaviddesJ]

If you don't have any more information then why open the save before posting in the pre-game thread?

I did open the starting savefile as soon as it was available, even though I don't expect to start playing for a while yet, because I wanted to make sure that I would be able to load the game when it's time to start playing.

I see no reason to save the game before you have made any moves. That will simply put your reload level up by one notch, but otherwise the new save will be identical to the starting save.

In past GOTMs, I've usually wanted to open the save, view the starting position carefully, and then think for a while (perhaps a few days) before deciding what to do first. Strict compliance with the GOTM rules does imply that I should save after loading the game, and then load that save rather than the original one, even though it's basically equivalent. But you're saying that you think it's ok to do it the other way? Either way is fine for me.

 

[AlanH]

Agreed. If you have a session during which you learn something about the game that you didn't know before, even if that's simply as a result of opening the save, then that's another session. But frankly, one more or less session isn't going to appear on anyone's radar. Trust me, the problems that raise alarms don't relate to reloads of that kind.

I was simply answering the original questions. The OP said he learned nothing new. If so, why save a new copy ... and why even open it apart from testing that you can.

Opening the save to check, technically, that you can, particularly in the current startup situation on new software, is clearly an exception.

 

[mzprox]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet: In Civ IV, cities spread irrigation, even without Civil Service, but not if they are on hills. And, you can build farms on resources that need farms, even without irrigation, but you don't get the +1 food for the farm until you irrigate the tile.

So, if you settle on the hill, then a farm on the corn SE will only be +2 food, until Civil Service. But, if you settle 1E or 1S, then a farm on the corn will be +3 food as soon as you build it. Right?

I think it's wrong. Not worked for me...

 

[edobudim]

I am a newbie in gotm. I have a couple of questions. Sorry if they have already answered (and sorry for my bad english)

What if my game crashes and i have to load a save game?
I dont have enough time to finish the game for one day. I will play the game in a few days so i have to save game and the next day i have to load it and continue playing. Is this ok? Please explain me the rules.

Greetings to all...

 

[Shillen]

If your game crashes you can load the most recent autosave and play the same turn sequence that you played before until you're back to where it crashed.

There is no problem with saving your game at the end of a playing session and then loading that game at the start of a new playing session. That's normal. What is not allowed is going back to a previous save and replaying the same turns all over again to change something that happened in your game.