Let's Play Civ4: Quest to be Emperor

[Mafro]

Calling all Civ masters! Please share your insights on how best to prevail in the following game, which is being published as it is played (lots of screen shots):http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=508940. So far the decisions have been the result of input from a dozen different individuals - perhaps your brilliance could be the deciding factor!

Here's a quick overview:

Difficulty: Emperor
Number of Civs: 18
Map: Shuffle
Size: Large
Climate: Temperate
Sealevel: Medium
Era: Ancient
Speed: Marathon
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Resources: Standard

The game has been going on for 4 days and we're at 370 B.C. A key strategic decision must now be made regarding whether to keep or raze a city that we just captured. Do we expand and suffer the economic challenge? Or do we limit ourselves and our production in the hopes of avoiding technological obsolescence? Please help!

Thanks in advance!

Mafro

P.S. In hindsight I probably should've published the game here, not at RPG.net. However, when I play Civ I never reload, so wistful hindsight is nothing new....

 

[Isikien]

Post ze game here dude. Makes it a little easy to access for all of us

 

[Mafro]

Post ze game here dude. Makes it a little easy to access for all of us

I'd love to, I really would, but there are already over 200 screen shots and lots of detailed analyses, thoughts from behind the scenes, and so on that would take way too long to duplicate and maintain. It's only 280 B.C., so I'm guessing in the end there will be some multiple of 200 screen shots...unless it doesn't last that long....

However, if you want to post comments, critiques, and suggestions for the game here, that would be awesome. For example, this has been a no-whip game so far, which on Emperor has made it challenging to say the least...and yet we're surviving. That should've been done earlier, and yet now I'm wondering if we can win without it.

Anyway, I'll be watching this thread and responding to it, and I'll post links from the original thread back to the comments that you make here. I just don't have the time to post and re-post everything in two places.

Thanks for considering helping out!

 

[Mafro]

Well, my Quest to be Emperor, begun some four weeks ago, came to an end today, in the year 1420 A.D. The entire effort is chronicled in great detail, including some 576 screen shots as well as all the analyses, strategies, and predicted outcomes of the game, recorded as they occurred. Over a dozen players helped with advice and insights along the way, and it was a HUGE learning experience for me, and apparently for others as well.

Here's a link to the post for those that care to review the endeavor and to see how it ended...: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=508940.

As this was originally started in an attempt to improve my skills, any insights or opinions from viewing the chronicle would be welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Every time I see the thread title I think that someone else made a video! We need moar civ videos!

 

[amanbe]

Every time I see the thread title I think that someone else made a video! We need moar civ videos!

yes, you should make another one!

 

[TheMeInTeam]

yes, you should make another one!

I probably will, but that doesn't stop others...

 

[Negator_UK]

We need moar civ videos!

Yeah - and in that other thread you said you'd played 10 games - you didn't vid them ?? Arrgghh!

Last weekend I got home from work and there was no new vid on the utube, so I had to play a game myself - and lost.

It was all your fault...

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Yeah - and in that other thread you said you'd played 10 games - you didn't vid them ?? Arrgghh!

Last weekend I got home from work and there was no new vid on the utube, so I had to play a game myself - and lost.

It was all your fault...

There is more to putting up LPs than just recording them. I also have to convert their format and physically upload them. Recording itself IS a tad annoying though, because of noobtoob's (wait, no, that's MW2) *youtube's* 10 (actually 11) minute time limit.

That, and I've been working on an LP of a different game or three. For anyone that actually cares, my near-future LP run schedule (order indefinite)

- Pokemon emerald (cheesing run) (or cheesy full LP with x2 speed post commentary).
- Rematch: Civ IV Terra
- Civ IV Archipelago (heavily requested in my channel, and they want ragnar because apparently it's fun to watch super easy games )
- Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Grey Wolf (probably in x2 or x4 speed with post commentary)
- ToeJam & Earl (dual commentary with my sister, god this one is going to be awesome...!)

My route planning for emerald is just about done, so that is the LIKELY candidate for next LP. Civ will probably come next because my sis can't really do it before then. And yes, she's good at it, ALMOST as good as me, although unfortunately she does not play civ.

 

[QuixotesGhost]

Do you have the 4000 B.C. save, Mafro? I perused the first page and you have the rare Early Religion start. A civilization that starts with mysticism and a worker tech that can be exploited until other worker techs come online. The easy access to stone (most nice religious wonders require stone, plus OR might be exploited for the Pyramids), the spirtual trait, and a courthouse UB (CoL through priesthood) make it that much more attractive.

I want to load it up and try worker first, found Hinduism, then tech fishing while working the camps.

 

[Dagenham Dave]

Post ze game here dude. Makes it a little easy to access for all of us

Thanks for the quote in your sig I really did mean it.

Speaking of LPs I started recording a bit yesterday just for fun, but in the end it turned out to be.. not so fun. Not recording in itself but I was isolated and had no real plans for the game, so just going "yeah I'ma gonna farm the corn over here" every two minutes didn't seem very worthwhile. But I have a lot of spare time so it's something that I might do soon.

A question for TMIT or anyone else with any experience: how big do your video files turn out? How do you compress them and so on? I used Xfire to record since it was so easy but the files were massive. I'm a bit new to these shenanigans.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Xfire records HUGE files for 10 minute segments (many gigs), but comes with a compressor (xfencoder IIRC) that will drop it well under a gig, usually less than 30-40 MB tops even with full sized recordings. 40 MB is quite reasonable for a high quality mp4, so I roll with xfire. The only video in my series that has used it to date is boudica's, but the quality difference is obvious. If you run that on HD on youtube, it is pretty crisp...you can easily read all text and make everything out. Xfire remains the only free software with which I've managed to achieve such results, and it's convenient while recording also.

 

[Negator_UK]

That, and I've been working on an LP of a different game or three. For anyone that actually cares, my near-future LP run schedule (order indefinite)

- Pokemon emerald (cheesing run) (or cheesy full LP with x2 speed post commentary).
- Rematch: Civ IV Terra
- Civ IV Archipelago (heavily requested in my channel, and they want ragnar because apparently it's fun to watch super easy games )
- Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Grey Wolf (probably in x2 or x4 speed with post commentary)
- ToeJam & Earl (dual commentary with my sister, god this one is going to be awesome...!)

My route planning for emerald is just about done, so that is the LIKELY candidate for next LP. Civ will probably come next because my sis can't really do it before then. And yes, she's good at it, ALMOST as good as me, although unfortunately she does not play civ.

I'm afraid it looks like my TMITV jokes are going to your head, but maybe there's money in it if you can attact some sponsors

 

[TCMIV]

I played ToeJam and Earl for countless hours on my old Sega Genesis. I was seriously tempted to buy a Wii just to play it again

One of my favorite games ever.

 

[Mafro]

Do you have the 4000 B.C. save, Mafro? I perused the first page and you have the rare Early Religion start. A civilization that starts with mysticism and a worker tech that can be exploited until other worker techs come online. The easy access to stone (most nice religious wonders require stone, plus OR might be exploited for the Pyramids), the spirtual trait, and a courthouse UB (CoL through priesthood) make it that much more attractive.

I want to load it up and try worker first, found Hinduism, then tech fishing while working the camps.

Sure. I also have numerous other saves along the way, so if you have a particular point in the game you'd like to try and play from, lemme know the year and I'll upload the closest one I have.

EDIT: BTW, I was sorely tempted to go for an early religion, but chickened out....

 

[i_imperator]

There is more to putting up LPs than just recording them. I also have to convert their format and physically upload them. Recording itself IS a tad annoying though, because of noobtoob's (wait, no, that's MW2) *youtube's* 10 (actually 11) minute time limit.

That, and I've been working on an LP of a different game or three. For anyone that actually cares, my near-future LP run schedule (order indefinite)

- Pokemon emerald (cheesing run) (or cheesy full LP with x2 speed post commentary).
- Rematch: Civ IV Terra
- Civ IV Archipelago (heavily requested in my channel, and they want ragnar because apparently it's fun to watch super easy games )
- Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Grey Wolf (probably in x2 or x4 speed with post commentary)
- ToeJam & Earl (dual commentary with my sister, god this one is going to be awesome...!)

My route planning for emerald is just about done, so that is the LIKELY candidate for next LP. Civ will probably come next because my sis can't really do it before then. And yes, she's good at it, ALMOST as good as me, although unfortunately she does not play civ.

I'd love to see a Ragnar LP (Or Dutch!!) I know you hear this alot but thanks a million for making these... i learnt a lot and i got my first conquest victory three months ago using your common nukes tatic. You should do the rematch terra game as the Mongols or the portuguese. When will you be uploading the new videos?

 

[Ramesses-Rules]

Xfire records HUGE files for 10 minute segments (many gigs), but comes with a compressor (xfencoder IIRC) that will drop it well under a gig, usually less than 30-40 MB tops even with full sized recordings. 40 MB is quite reasonable for a high quality mp4, so I roll with xfire. The only video in my series that has used it to date is boudica's, but the quality difference is obvious. If you run that on HD on youtube, it is pretty crisp...you can easily read all text and make everything out. Xfire remains the only free software with which I've managed to achieve such results, and it's convenient while recording also.

Why not just upload it as one file to a bittorrent tracker like...

http://btjunkie.org/

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Why not just upload it as one file to a bittorrent tracker like...

http://btjunkie.org/

You still don't upload 10 gig torrents...

 

[Ramesses-Rules]

You still don't upload 10 gig torrents...

Okay, but if you upload it as, say, an .avi file, 1 hour = 620Mb. So you could get a 5-hr. game into about 3 files, which is still better than all those little segments of your games I watch on YouTube. That is not a complaint, BTW. I enjoy your games and have learned a ton of useful info from you.