How much attention do you pay to the score?

[ironic_lettuce]

Hi everyone

Just wondered how much weight people here lend to the score on the right of the screen as a measure of how well you're doing in the game? Do you more or less ignore it, or does it give a fair indication of whether or not you are falling miles behind? I check the demographics screen a lot to make sure I'm not falling behind in GNP or soldiers, so is score really that important?

Ta!

 

[swimrr]

I hardly pay much attention to the score. The power chart is more important to me. I've had MP games where i was at like 1800, top guy was 3000 and I still whomped him. I was building military while he was tech whoring. He may have had better units but I outnumbered him 5:1. Same thing with AI, though I don't like to let them get too far ahead, being 300-600 points behind isn't always a bad thing. Besides, sometimes the top dog is gunned for in SP and MP games. Sometimes having the top score only makes you a prime target.

 

[Naismith]

I am also more concerned with the power graph, and the GNP graph as well. Especially in the early game, the score doesn't mean that much. Usually, I aim to acquire the cities of a neighboring Civ or two while closely managing my economy and tech rate. If I'm successful, I always end up at the top score-wise eventually.

I wouldn't say the score is completely unimportant. It can indicate a large problem. If it's mid game and Mansa Musa has twice your score, it's likely you have a problem. Of course, that fact will show up plainly on the GNP graph, and also on the diplo screen when you see he has a 5 tech lead on you, along with 3 more cities. Of course, that's when you consult the power graph...

 

[Thedrin]

I pay no attention to it.

 

[lilnev]

I use it to compare the AIs against each other. The score leader is almost always the biggest threat to complete the spaceship. But I don't worry too much about my score.

peace,
lilnev

 

[InvisibleStalke]

I find it a pretty useful gauge of who are long term rivals and where I stand. I play Monarch / Emperor and by the time you claw your way to the top, then you are at a point where you know that you ought to win the game.

It only gives you part of the picture - but its often more useful than other measures.

GNP doesn't tell you much because it doesn't take into account specialists. I've generated the most science with negative GNP at times. If you are #1 in GNP, then you are probably going to win - but the same applies if you are #1 in power.

The power graph is useful to know who is suddenly building up and who might think you are a tasty morsel. But if you are choosing victims you need to be careful here too. The AIs like to build walls which increases their apparent power but once you have catapults become ineffective. And the AI will keep a lot more units on defense than you will - so you don't need a power lead to attack them.

The best sources of information in my opinion are the diplomancy screen - you can get hints on whether they are preparing for war, what wonders they are working on and what techs they have. And the other best source is open boarders - nothing like scouting out their cities and defenses first.

 

[NKVD]

I just check power at the beginning of a game so I get no war during my expansion phase. After I get Knights I dont look at it...I usually keep 2-3 units per cities. If a civ attack me i'll switch to building units and it will be enough to stop them.

After that I usually check the crops (food) graph...it take in account the population you can have. I think the more population you have the more production, votes at the UN, more worked tiles and units you can draft in the event of a war. So basicly i've never seen a game where the leader of that category didnt win...coincidence ? maybe

 

[asabahi]

Usually I don't pay attention unless it is a builder AI (Ghandi, Peter, etc.) that is ahead. If one of these builders are ahead, and it is late in the game I would worry about losing the space race. Also if I have a larger civ, as far as land and pop goes, and another civ is pretty far ahead than that could be indicitive of being far behind in the tech race. It is situation driven as everything in civ is.

 

[oyzar]

I allways fall behind on the power graph myself but it realy doesnt matter as you can often just whip some def that are much more advanced than the AI. Verry different playstyles i guess. I guess i am a builder . I used to have problem with barbs since i didnt build enough units. I almost never have a warrior as escort for my first setler etc.

 

[automator]

I only pay attention if I'm in last place.

For those who are relying on Power graph: population counts in your power graph.

 

[svv]

I'll generally seek to trade techs first with the lowest guys on the list, moving up.

 

[bovinespy]

I'll generally seek to trade techs first with the lowest guys on the list, moving up.

I do the same thing (excluding arch-rivals, of course). I also use it to judge who's due to make a bribe, er... uh... "Irregularly Scheduled Mandatory Contribution to the Imperial Bovine Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere"...

 

[Nilmerf]

I try to keep myself LOW on the power graph, and make arrogant demands to a particular AI. Hopefully they declare war on me, and this way I can take them out without worrying about -1 declared war on my friend modifiers, or war weariness at home.

 

[OceansEleven]

I am forced to pay attention to it. When United Nations comes around, I hate how they force in ******** civics.

Envirioantamosilm over State Property. Come on...

 

[Antilogic]

That is the most evil thing anyone can do in the game--force the Environmentalism civic on your hapless civilization. I can and often do run Free Speech, Free Religion, Universal Suffrage...but never Environmentalism.

Personally, I always keep an eye on it just because I always see it sitting in the corner--hard to ignore all the pretty colors. However, I don't weight it that heavily when making decisions. I focus on the power graph and foreign advisor when determing which war I'm going to instigate, who I'm going to bribe to attack whom, etc.

 

[aelf]

Environmentalism is not so bad. That late in the game, you should have big cities that could do with extra health and happiness (if you have some forests left). However, the catch is you aren't benefiting from another economic civic (which can have huge benefits like in the case of SP).

 

[Antilogic]

Precisely why I tend to use State Property and not Environmentalism...also, if you build your cities closer together like I do, you don't lose anything in the early game because you can't work all the tiles anyway. Later in the game, it limits your cities to a smaller size except in a few cases where you intentionally build a huge population center. Using that strategy, your cities will be smaller anyway and the rather large number of your cities will not need that extra health/happiness from Environmentalism, especially because there are so many ways to increase your cities health and happiness.

 

[mice]

Score becomes really interesting if you play Sevo's Mastery mod, which I highly recommend.
You always play to 2050 and win by having the highest score as set by Sevo.
It requires wonders, soldiers, land, populaton, legendary cities, a space ship, and a few other things. Generally speaking, the cites/land that you take in the early game contribute more to the victory.The late game is much more interesting. There must be a balance between war and building, tech and culture. Just war wont do it.

you can find the mod in 'mod components'

 

[Stephanus]

I pay attention to the score of the surrounding civs, and based on that I'll choose whom I'm going to attack.
The biggest threat that I am able to defeat is attacked first, and I'll go on until I have erased every other civ, or if I am erased myself...

 

[cabert]

Score becomes really interesting if you play Sevo's Mastery mod, which I highly recommend.
You always play to 2050 and win by having the highest score as set by Sevo.
It requires wonders, soldiers, land, populaton, legendary cities, a space ship, and a few other things. Generally speaking, the cites/land that you take in the early game contribute more to the victory.The late game is much more interesting. There must be a balance between war and building, tech and culture. Just war wont do it.

you can find the mod in 'mod components'

if you kill everyone you're n°1 in score

And about score, I disregard it until 1000 AD.
After that, the n°1 in score is likely the biggest dog out there = either a runaway AI or myself .
Runaway AIs get their a$$ kicked.