Is GOTM improving your game?

[stormerne]

Here's an interesting piece of evidence.

Take a look at the CivII Hall of Fame and you find the following entries for King Level:
1st 1086%
2nd 851%
3rd 586%
4th 456%
5th 172%

Now take a look at the GOTM #2 results played at King Level and you will find that:
2 people beat the HOF 2nd place score,
3 people beat the HOF 3rd place score,
6 people beat the HOF 4th place score,
15 people beat the HOF 5th place score!

Only one person - Shadowdale - listed in that HOF also entered GOTM #2. His GOTM score would go in 2nd place in the HOF, behind his own HOF score in 1st place!

What does this tell us? Here are five suggestions...
(1) GOTM is helping to improve scores all round.
(2) People can't be bothered submitting games to the HOF.
(3) GOTM is attracting new people to the CF site faster than the HOF.
(4) People playing GOTM don't have time to play other games.
(5) GOTM is encouraging people to gain confidence by playing on higher levels than they're used to.

What do you think?
(I think this is my 600th post. Now I'm a Knight.

)

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[Jabah]

I think that it shows both that
- people probably don't try to much to enter the HOF in King level (either you want to have a very high score in lower level OR you want a very high % and you have to play at a higher level). If you are good enough to go for a very high score, i think that there is no competition (from the AI) except sometime at the deity level so if you want a easy enough game and high %, you can probably go for emperor. (in other words, King is not fun)
- probably the time factor (the 7 factor) is not strong enough to prevent players from going optimizing (partly) the end of game... but this is discussed in another topic...

Jabah

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

I think it's a couple things:

1) People aren't going to try for, or send in, a HOF game on king. It's kind of like being the winner of the XFL...Yeah that's great, but you still probably couldn't beat Florida State, let alone any NFL teams. Anyone who thinks they're good enough will play at a higher level.

2) The competetive nature of the GOTM (however friendly) has probably encouraged some people to build up impressive civilizations that they otherwise might not bother to do.

3) More and more people are coming to the site. That helps.

I know playing GOTM has given me more confidence at higher levels. Before it started, I had never played above King. Now, with GOTM 1 & 3 I am on my 2nd emperor game and still doing ok.

I have learned a little by reading others' accounts, but not any sort of quantum leap.

Personal note: 200th post!!! <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/smile.gif" border=0>

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DEATH awaits you all...with nasty, big, pointy teeth.

[This message has been edited by TimTheEnchanter (edited April 11, 2001).]

 

[Marko Polo]

Originally posted by stormerne:
(3) GOTM is attracting new people to the CF site faster than the HOF.

I'm one those.

I simply couldn't resist the screenshot of those two blue settlers standing on a nice city site with that inviting hut just two steps away.. I like the casual nature of GOTM concept. Winning isn't important - participating and sharing the game experience is the catch for me!

 

[engineer]

Yep, I'm a newbie for GOTM too, but I think it will be useful for me to see how other people are tackling the same game.
I'm not very experienced on the higher levels, my civs tend to be smaller and my patience wears thin with them. However the GOTM inspires me to at the very least finish the game!
Hopefully, it will encourage me to step up to the bigger challenges!

 

[BigWheel]

Originally posted by Marko Polo:
I simply couldn't resist the screenshot of those two blue settlers standing on a nice city site with that inviting hut just two steps away....

I'm with you Marko. I was going to skip this GOTM and do something useful instead. But when I saw the screenshot, I just had to know what was inside the hut.

To get back on topic:

1. It looks like some of us should be submitting our GOTM score to HOF.

2. My game has definitely improved since last I played King/Emporer. And I've also improved since starting GOTM because I used to rely on reloading to bail myself out of jambs.

 

[vladmir_illych_lenin]

I got a question that I won't bother posting a new thread about. Do a hundred years make that much of a difference? I've noticed Kev's game has a higher % than Shadowdale, but shadowdale finished about 150 years before Kev. However, their GOTM score really confuses me. Shadowdale has nearly double the score of Kev!!!!!!

 

[goodbye_mr_bond]

Since Matrix manages both the GOTM and HOF, maybe he could just automatically enter any high GOTM scores into the HOF?

On a side note, I know that GOTM has motivated me to play on no matter what, whereas I might have given up on a slow game before. Actually I'm not doing very well at all right now in GOTM III, but I'll slug on.

Should've built that G. Wall first instead of the Pyramids, I'm thinking...

 

[stormerne]

Side issue...

Originally posted by vladmir_illych_lenin:
I got a question that I won't bother posting a new thread about. Do a hundred years make that much of a difference? I've noticed Kev's game has a higher % than Shadowdale, but shadowdale finished about 150 years before Kev. However, their GOTM score really confuses me. Shadowdale has nearly double the score of Kev!!!!!!

Yes those 100 years make a big difference! Here's why. GOTM #2 was potentially a 520 turn game. Shadowdale finished around turn 300, Kev finished around turn 400, so you would therefore expect their early finish bonuses to be very different. In fact Shadowdale's is around 4.0 and Kev's is around 2.6.

What I've just noticed is that we were all penalised for Thunderfall's starting the game for us.

Matrix attributed those starting turns to each of us so that we all started on turn 43. Even if the Civ Fairy had allowed us to finish immediately we would only have got a x7.42 bonus factor and not the x8 factor that's designed in to the formula. I thought that we were going to take that into account, but apparently not. (Which is why I expected to get over 170 GOTM score and only got 166.)

Anyway, back to the thread...


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[Matrix]

Good point, stormerne. But I just think this is better anyway. I just thought the bonus <u>per turn</u> should be the same as in every (King) game. I mean, imagine he played on till 2000 and we'd only have 20 turns left (silly situation ofcourse); if it's possible to end before 2020, I shouldn't make the multiplication 8/20=0.4 <u>per turn</u>, but keep it the same as normal. See my point?

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<FONT size="1">Studying chemistry means: having fun, drinking beer, having more fun, drinking more beer, hang above the toilet and have a good night sleep!

And each time Pedro says: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrggh", I feel so good!!!</FONT s>

 

[Leowind]

First of all, Stormerne and TimtheEnchanter, congrats on your promotions!

Secondly, I am one of those who has been encouraged to play at a higher level due to GOTM. GOTM#2 was my first ever game at King, and I finished with my earliest Spaceship launch ever, so I think I've definitely improved my game!! I've started GOTM3, and although I'm taking myself out of the GOTM competition (my personal life cannot handle the stress of *having* to finish a game in one month), I am continuing the game, and doing fairly well, I think. I look forward to trying a Deity game after this.

 

[goodbye_mr_bond]

Yeah, yeah! Let's do a Deity game soon, just to see how it goes. If too many don't like it, we can just not do it again. It could be no barbs, with a good starting location so as not too make it too harsh on the less experienced.