GOTM: Highly Effective Habits

[bRr]

So I've been following the GOTM for a while and decided to clear some time this month and try it out. This site has always had good strategy guides and discussions and I've enjoyed reading them through, more than once. So I guess it's time to play along.

I got off to a pretty good start, but soon I realize that I'm losing my advantage, and probably in trouble of posting a fairly abysmal game. There comes a time, I'm sure, when all GOTM newbies realize that they suck big time. I'm sitting at 1500BC in GOTM4 and it dawns on me that I'm in bad shape, and that it takes more than a little extra effort to do well in a GOTM. It requires not only changes to your strategy, but changes to how you actually go about playing the game. I save the game and decide I need to take a break before it's too late.

After a little reflection, I realized that I know the strategies, but my big problems are habits and concentration -- I have lots of bad ones, and my concentration is atrocious. It doesn't take long before I've started clicking through a couple turns and next thing I know I'm reacting and not making real decisions. Not my Civ's leader any more, I'm just the Civ Manager who puts out fires and can't make any long term progress. Furthermore, I've lost site of any objectives after founding my first few cities; my Civ is adrift, running on auto-pilot.

So I'd like to send out a humble request to anyone out there who's feeling generous. Not looking for strategy here, we all know this site is filled with good suggestions for maximizing your rate of return on almost every aspect of the game. No, I'd really like to hear if anyone has some really good habits they've developed for playing GOTM. A list, if you will, of the Highly Effective Habits of GOTM players. Tips for managing the game so that you don't get caught in the trap of reacting but instead stay on top of your Civ and successfully initiate and execute your plans.

 

[ainwood]

Interesting idea!

I get like you at times - maybe not to the same extent (I try to have a 'strategy' that I am following, but I do get a bit distracted). One "highly effective habit" that I have found very useful is keeping a turnlog. In your log you can note down what happens, what you did and why you did it. In that way, you are forced to concentrate on what you are doing. Match this up with some good strategies too! The Quick-start challenge is a good way to enforce these habits - everyone plays to 1000 BC, and then submits their save as well as a turnlog. You can then compare how you went against everyone else in the early (most critical) part of the game.

And "welcome" BTW. Are you a serial lurker who has finally joined-up with a forum account?

 

[Sabre]

I was also going to mention keeping a game log. I used to have the same problem too (and still do occasionally, though I've been getting quicker at recognizing it.) Another tip is to try targetting a win condition early and trying to stick with it. If you know you are trying for a military victory and keep this in mind, you may find your city management becomes more focused. Your taking a break was a very good idea. Any time you start to feel the game slipping from you, step away from the game for awhile and come back when you feel more focused. There have been times where I felt I was in a bad spot, but as I was laying in bed thinking about my game (I do NOT have a CivIII addiction - honest!) a solution would just pop into my head. And get into the habit of hitting F1 and F4 every turn. It forces you to slow down and keep track of your civ and the rest of the world.

 

[Peglegasus]

Something that's helping me improve is to set a goal and when I reach it... STOP. Save the game. Then figure out what I need to do next. Maybe not goals per se, more like a waypoint.

An example: In my latest game my first goal was Republic. As soon as I researched Republic I stopped, saved the game, took a little break. Came back and looked at each and every city. Which unimproved tiles am I working that I really need to complete next? Which unconnected cities need to get hooked up next? Are the build orders in each city appropriate? Is there anything being built that will be done soon that should really be completed before I revolt? Is there anything worth pop rushing real quick before changing governments? Are there any cities that could really benefit from a granary?

Next waypoint was preparing for war. I assembled all my forces and stopped, saved the game. Checked all my cities like before (I'm not the kind of player that can micromanage every city, every turn. I can manage any settler or worker factory towns and that's about it). Are the builds appropriate for each city? Are my barracks cities building units as they should be? Do I need more barracks anywhere? Do I need more galleys? Do I have any spare units to defend border towns that may be threatened by the other civs? Are there any cities that may need a culture boost? Do I have any cities that are reaching their max population and should push out a settler or worker?

My next waypoint was entering the Middle Ages. Saved the game. Took a break. Came back. Again, looked over all my cities. Which cities need libraries? Which would benefit more from a marketplace first? What will my research path be?

Maybe it's silly but it's sure helping me. Whenever you find yourself just blasting through turns by hitting enter, stop for a while. save the game and come back to it with a fresh look. Think about what you are going to do next.

 

[EMan]

I'm sitting at 1500BC in GOTM4.....

Did you REALLY mean GOTM4?!........Brings back fond memories..............My FIRST GOTM!

Congrats on taking the first step!

 

[Randy]

I found the turn log is the best thing you can do.

In GOTM34 I keep a turn log and did very well (for me). 980AD win.

In COTM04 I started my turn log, but I got caught up in an early war I started with the Americans. Then the next thing I new I'd missed 3 turns in the log so I stopped the log. I would have done alot better with a log. I think I had a 1380AD win.

 

[civ_steve]

Here's a couple general suggestions:

1.) Worker actions: make sure your Worker(s) develop the most useful, most critical squares first; and make sure that every tile in your core cities where a citizen is working is developed, that means roads, and mines/irrigation. I believe Qitai suggested that a city where an unimproved tile was being used should build a Worker next, so that more development could be done.

2.) Use the AI, and make their use part of your plan. I think too many new players just play along, and respond to whatever happens, whatever the AI throws at them. The other civs are a resource for you to use, just like the map and whatever other resources you gain control of; they all have their characteristics, and their strengths and weaknesses. Diplomacy is a vital part of a good game.

And one more, don't get caught up building a lot of Wonders. Wonders are nice-to-haves, but aren't usually a critical part of a game. If it is a critical element of your game, be sure to focus your civ on building it AND degrading other civs' ability to build it.

 

[bRr]

I see people are definitely mentioning turn logs. I've started them before, but never used them successfully. Thanks for your suggestions so far. And yes, I've been lurking and this is my first GOTM. And yes that was a typo -- COTM4, of course.

I'm back at it -- going to assess my surroundings again, try to set some short term goals and push forward.

 

[Justus II]

Since you mentined the Effective Habits, don't forget the many roles you play. Several people have mentioned taking a break at waypoints, I like to call them Decision Points. For me, it's usually whenever I enter a new era, hit a government tech, begin or end a major war, and when I'm going to work on specific wonders (like planning for the FP, or ToE/Hoovers). When I get to one of these points, I'll stop and go through each of the 'roles' of my government. I don't trust the in-game advisors, but it is helpful to focus on each of them in turn. (I also usually write a lot of this down, especially if it will be a day or two before I'm going to play again.)

I'll usually start and finish with the Domestic Advisor (F1). What's my economy look like? How is my lux tax, can it be adjusted? What's my research time remaining? (I'll look at the individual cities later).

Then hit F2, and look at resources. If I were the trade advisor, what would I recommend? Do we need to road or colony to some resources? Is there any luxuries available in trade? Do I have surpluses? Is there anything I'm short of that I can claim quickly?

OK, Military. How much am I paying in unit support? What obsolete units should I either upgrade, or disband. (Personally, I'll rarely upgrade regulars, I usually disband if I can get away with it). How many workers do I have? (I want 1.5-2 per city, if I can) How do I stack up with my neighbors, do I need more or can I afford to focus on infrastructure?

Foreign Advisor. What deals do I have currently? Do I have any big payments getting ready to run out? Any lux deals that need renewed soon? I generally check techs every turn anyway, but it doesn't hurt to write down the tech situation every so often, so you can see if a previous also-ran is catching up, or if someone has some cash to buy one of your older techs. Also, I try to note which of the AI's have been at war with one another, as that can help deciding who to line up as allies later.

F5- Culture advisor. Admittedly, unless I'm going for a culture victory, I don't spend a lot of time at this screen, but I do take a few minutes to look around the map with my Culture Advisor hat on. What cities would most benefit from an expansion? Where do I see cultural pressure from the AI? Are there any opportunities to squeeze one of their cities?

Science advisor. It helps to take some time and plan your research 2-3 techs in advance, if you can. Not only does that tell you what to research now, but it also helps to direct your tech trading. If your ultimate goal has 2 pre-requisites, try to decide which of the two the AI is most likely to research, and go for the other one. Look at how soon you need the tech. Iron Working is a great early tech, but if you know you won't be building any swords for a while, Pottery may be more important right now.

After I've answered these questions, and have a good idea of what direction I want my empire to go, and have made a 'to-do' list of what needs done (resources, techs, military), I go back to the F1 and start cycling through my cities. I love the sort feature, so I can see at a glance my most productive/ highest commerce cities, to decide who needs a market, or who should be building a barracks to crank out units. Here again, I do tend to micromanage my cities every turn, but this is a good time to review each and make sure I haven't forgotten who needs an aquaduct, or which city would be the best place to rush a courthouse, etc. I also plan out which (if any) cities will start prebuilding for wonders. Those that don't have anything more pressing to build, usually swap to workers. (It was Qitai that said that line about working unimproved tiles, and I think it was very true!)

I know it seems like a lot of time, and that's probably why I struggled to get my GOTM's in on time! For me, I would usually play long enough to get to one decision point a night, then take my notes (and screenshots, helps for spoiler threads!), and sleep on it. I could review my notes the next day or so until I could play again, and like someone else said, it would often trigger new ideas or things I'd forgotten. When I did sit down to play again, I had a list of what needed to be done, a whole series of production changes for my cities, and then I was off again, working toward my next objective.

Hope that helps!

 

[eldar]

Last two G/COTMs (this one and GOTM34), after I've come out of Anarchy into my chosen govt (Republic both times), I've done the following:
F1 - set Lux & Sci to 0%
Every city - get every citizen working a tile, and ignore unhappiness for now.
F1/Cities - adjust Lux appropriately so I can work a tile with every citizen.
F1 - finally get my Sci slider in place.

Neil.

 

[Roland Ehnström]

My own reflections after my limited experience of just four COTM's:

As has already been mentioned, keeping a log helps a lot in avoiding the tendency to "manage" rather than "lead" your civ. But you shouldn't just write down what you're doing and move on, but you should also go back and READ your log! I feel it helps a lot to have this "historic perspective" on your current leadership.

Also, like everyone sais (and no one actually does?) you need to take breaks. They don't have to be long ones - just a 30 minute break doing something else is enough. The more such breaks you take, the better you'll do. Well, at least that goes for me. When I come back to my civ, fresh after a little break, I always feel a lot more motivated to check through all of my advisors and all of my cities and what all of my opponents are doing (especially my neighbours). And perhaps more importantly, during the break I always come up with fresh ideas about what my civ should be doing rather than what it is doing. Perhaps this is the whole point of leadership rather than management: Ask what your civ SHOULD be doing, rather than what it IS doing.

-- Roland

 

[denyd]

I'll chip in a couple of new ideas to this thread:

1. Collect workers into teams to more effectively manage them. In the current game, 3 slave workers = 1 native workers and 2 native workers build a road in 1 turn. So collect them in to groups that get things done in even turns.

2. Save at the end of each turn. Then use Dianthus's CRPMapStat to check for cities that will riot and available trades. Every now and then visit each AI via the diplomacy screen to check what else is available (the version I have doesn't include resources/luxuries)

3. Unless you've got extra production, it's normally better during the ancient age to let you neighbors build all the wonders. I try to encourage it by making sure they get Bronze Working (Colossus), Masonry (Pyramids), Polytheism (TofA), Literature (The Great Library) and Map Making (Great Lighthouse) as early as possible.

4. If possible, I try to get my neighbors Golden Age to occur when they are at war with someone else. (Example: If Greece & Rome are your neighbors, getting into an early war with Greece with Rome as an ally will let them burn up their GA during despotism by beating on each other.

 

[EMan]

A Whole Bunch of good points made above.

Getting away from the game is BOTH a tough thing to do (especially, when you're kicking butt) and a good way to force yourself to think strategically (or globally).

I find the toughest part about the GOTM/COTM/HOF is that you're not trying to beat the computer............you're trying to beat the other competitors!

So, at some point in the game, you're gonna decide what Victory type you're going to use to win the game. By taking a break, you get away from tactical decisions and start looking at the Big Picture.....a vision, if you like, of a major plan to achieve your victory in the least time. Even with a Milking Histographic Victory, you need to get through the "Military Phase" in a timely fashion.

The best time for me to take a break is when you get to exchange World Maps.......All of a sudden you see what's ahead of you!

Of course, the method that best suits your game-style is what will work best for you!

 

[RFHolloway]

Play slowly - forcing yourself to keep a turnlog helps.
Take breaks - review the situation away from the keyboard (so you are not tempted to see what happens next before you decide what you want to happen next).
Use the spoiler threads as benchmarks (and also try to find some people who play about the same as you and to the same level).

Set objectives - what are you trying to do at the moment, and when do you need it done by.

When you have a key decision to make (declaration of war, change in focus, major objective achieved) stop and consider how you will transition from the current structure to the new structure.

There is a reason why people play much better in a succession game than on their own.

Regular review
regular objectives set
More than one point of view
play in short sessions
Taking logs

of these 4 out of 5 can be replicated in GOTM (not that I have the self discipline to do it of course!)

 

[NeMeSiS_BE]

I always play at night after 10pm - when my kids are asleep and there's nothing on TV. (well - even if there is something on tv i guess )

Play some turns and when i am in a war with things going awry, or when there's a decision time, something unexpected happened, most of the times i just go to sleep.

because you are so immersed in the game - your brain actually contemplates new strategy's - other alliances - brings new focus and drive.

During the day - you reconsider your actions and in the evening you barely can wait to start up your current civ and start implementing all your new schemes...

This tends to be a lot more effective then just keep playing till you look up and realise it is like 02:45am and you need to get up around 06 / 06:15...

-------------------------

and they say cocain is addictive...

 

[Offa]

bRr: thanks for making a good point.

I have never found making a turn log to help me as I still drift along, just recording the fact in more detail. I think regular breaks are the key, not giving in to the overwhelming "one more turn" craving. If you could pretend you are playing a succession game, and re-evaluate every 10 turns or so I think that would be helpful. I am sure it would help me.

You probably don't have to spend long doing this: Drazek's games look pretty focused and apparently take him about as long as the qsc takes me.

 

[SirPleb]

I have never found making a turn log to help me as I still drift along, just recording the fact in more detail.

I think that writing about what I'm doing is good for my game when I write about "why", not "what". It might help you to write in your turn log what choices you have, then note the pros and cons of each, then choose one. It is then another way of slowing down to consider the situation.

 

[samildanach]

2. Save at the end of each turn. Then use Dianthus's CRPMapStat to check for cities that will riot and available trades. Every now and then visit each AI via the diplomacy screen to check what else is available (the version I have doesn't include resources/luxuries)

I was doing it this way until I managed to figure out how to configure CRPmapstat to read the autosaves . Go into preferences clck the box Auto-Monitor dirs and then click the PTW and/or C3C boxes for it to read the autosaves from these directories automatically.There is also an option to set which directory it reads from to somewhere else if you have the autosaves or saves written to another folder.

 

[Dianthus]

I was doing it this way until I managed to figure out how to configure CRPmapstat to read the autosaves . Go into preferences clck the box Auto-Monitor dirs and then click the PTW and/or C3C boxes for it to read the autosaves from these directories automatically.There is also an option to set which directory it reads from to somewhere else if you have the autosaves or saves written to another folder.

denyd might well be doing this deliberately. Using CRpMapStat at the end of the turn is much safer as the autosaves represent the start of the turn, and things can change quite a bit in one turn.

 

[stormbind]

Hi all,

I have no habits beyond playing for too long and not submitting the results

However, that boredom sometimes translates into a lengthy diary for the ruler with insane reasons for actions, and sticking to character behaviour instead of purely strategic action.

In GOTM34, I'm in the Industrial Age, and I'm booooored. I might not finish on time because I don't want to open the game!

I have about 50% the world's power. Moderately advanced. All but one Great Wonder.

Could plot an invasion, but the military needs expanding so that will take ages. Poor Chief Shaka is bored