GOTM-05 Pre-Game Discussion

[ainwood]

GOTM-05: Pre Game Discussion

On the assumption that no patch will be released before April 1st, this game will have to be played in v1.52 (a final call will be made on March 31st). If a patch comes out during april, then this game must be completed in 1.52.

Game settings:
Civilization: Russia (Leader: Catherine; Traits: Creative & Financial)
Rivals: 6 (Random)
Difficulty: Warlord
Map: Great-Plains
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Water level: Medium
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Epic
Victory Conditions: all enabled

The starting screenshot is here:

Adventurer Class bonuses:
To be confirmed.


Challenger Class Equalisers:
To be confirmed.

 

[Drool]

Wouldn't think you would need any bonuses for a warlord game.

 

[jafink]

Wow looks like im the first here. I'm glad of the easier difficulty because although i won the gotm on monarch, i was crushed on emporer.

Unfortunately it looks like there are no resources visible!! could this have been done on purpose to even the difficulty out?

 

[DaveMcW]

I will definitely move the settler to the plains hill.

Scout goes SE,NE just to confirm I'm not missing any resources by moving.

 

[AU_Armageddon]

No fair. I thought this month was gonna be easy. Better be Tutorial level next month, or I'm done with GotM... I suggest Adventurer class gives us Classical Age headstart, or I'm done with GotM. And Epic! OMFGBBQ! What you think I have no life for nothing but Civ? Next one better be set to Blazing Quick, or I'm done with GotM. And Catherine? You picked the worst Civ! Next month better be a building map, with Industrial and Philosophical, or I'm done with GotM! You have been warned ainwood, if that's even your real name!

 

[Thrallia]

well, those hills look like desert hills, not plains hills to me.

I'll move my scout E/NE to see what resources might be there, I think there are flood plains on the W side of those hills, so I'll either save that for a second city, or use them for my capital...depending on what my scout uncovers.

Also, since it is warlord and russia(one of my favorite civs) I'll actually be able to win this time...I'll decide if I will run challenger depending on what the handicap is.

I'll probably either run fast tech until I get Cossacks then try to dominate everyone, or I'll run diplo/cultural/space victory out there. I'm not good at early wars.

As for great plains map...I've never played one of those before, could anyone tell me what they are generally like?

 

[DaviddesJ]

well, those hills look like desert hills, not plains hills to me.

The hill on the left is plains. The hill on the right is desert. You can tell by looking at the yield icons (2h1c on the left, 1h1c on the right).

 

[Thrallia]

ah yes, that's right...I didn't see the second hammer last time.

well, I'm definitely putting my settler there first turn, and depending on what is past those hills I will decide whether to plant there or move farther E.

 

[AU_Armageddon]

Just had a practice game and lolol, found 2 settlers in huts in first few turns! To be honest, it was every bit as boring as I could've imagined. The completely empty challenge exxagerated by the length.

I considered going for score but there are enough people with the patience and dedication to anally micromanage every piece of banal minutia for 20 hours. Result would be a boring 10 hours for a respectable and pointless score weighing in at position 23 or some such.

Hence, during the practice, decided why bother, will skip this one. Gaming is for fun and while the expert players who are Sim City fans should enjoy it (AI negligible in every sense), rest of us yawn at the thought.

But then it occurred to me, blazing through the turns, that there is one alternative to skipping this month that could salvage some fun yet. To see how fast it can be won. There is no medal for it I know, but I am going to have a crack as I have a feeling I could beat it in under an hour, something to do while the Mrs watches The OC.

If any other good players out there are yawning at the thought of this GotM and considering skipping it, I'd encourage you to consider engaging a sub-competition within this months GotM to go for the fastest victory in real time. Post if this is something that catches your attention. If a few are interested will be fun lookin to see who won and with what real-time taken vs victory type.

 

[Redbad]

The anally micromanagers only have to save directly after MMing, think for half an hour over what to do the new turn, load the save, MM and save again.

That way you'll end up place 23 in the speed competition

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

The anally micromanagers only have to save directly after MMing, think for half an hour over what to do the new turn, load the save, MM and save again.

That way you'll end up place 23 in the speed competition

Nah, just set a subcompetition rule of one session only. For me, I think I'll be moving the settler to the plains hill while I attempt a fastest finish (game year) in Diplomacy. Still need to do my write-up from COTM 04, so I won't be looking to hard till I'm done with that. My guess based upon the tiles shown is that we are located in the center-left with all the forest chops well to the west or east.

 

[Adonias]

Woohoo... Going for the quickest time victory...

 

[Drool]

Being warlord i might consider a conquest/domination, with macemen.

 

[Adonias]

BTW.. being warlord difficulty.... warlord... might say something about the ai's to encounter

And a little more investigation reveals that this start is probably in the middle, bare part of the map, so no forest chopping. There might be a chance of some horsies, of not, we'll have to learn to ride cows. Very few luxuries, exept maybe the odd furball, whine and precious stones, althought hapiness shouldn't be a limiting factor on this level.

Distances are considerably, so axeman rushing takes quite some time...better go for chariots or horse archers...

I myself might go the builder way and make it a personal challenge to build every single wonder... although that shouldn't be too hard either...

Archer rush maybe, or a no battle domination?

Would it be considered cheating if not moving any of your units during the whole game, entering through the ages, and loose a time victory, just to see if the AI can build a spaceship before 2050 (asuming there are no resources in the city radius that pop up while teching)?

 

[DaviddesJ]

Being warlord i might consider a conquest/domination, with macemen.

How about Horse Archers?

 

[DonaldKipper]

same logic as the games that are too difficult for some people

you are comnparing to how well you do compared to others, so the difficulty is not that important



i agree the plains hill is most logical building site from what we can see but will send scout east to check for anything particularly nice nearby

 

[Seraphinus]

Challenger class "bonus" could be no starting tech and no scout

 

[Ribannah]

For all we know, the AI's could start with 8 resources within capital range, and we are in a small oasis in the middle of a huge desert. It will be slightly less easy then.
I'm inclined to move the Settler first and the Scout second.

 

[whb]

Great, a lower difficulty game so the appropriate strategies are mostly different - no more expecting to get many techs from trading because the AI won't have many. And not so many resources - I have a feeling we won't have iron, copper, or horses.

It looks like there's a flood plain to the W which might be nice to kickstart some pop. Grassland to the E, desert to the S.

Not sure I want to move the settler onto that plains hill - could well just pick up southern desert squares.

 

[Yang The Cat]

Seems to me that moving the scout onto one of the hills is the obvious first move, then can decide whether to move the settler onto the hill.