List of allowed & disallowed exploits & strategies.

This will be a fluid list. If you come across anything you consider to be an exploit, please check here to see if its allowed / disallowed. If it is not listed here, please contact one of the GOTM staff for a ruling before you use it.

Whilst we really don't want to ban strategies / exploits AFTER they have been used, we do reserve the right to do so.

Allowed strategies / exploits.

The following items are considered valid strategies / tactics, and are allowed.

Forest Chop / Production Switch: ALLOWED: It is possible to change city production between settlers / workers and units / buildings to ensure that the production from forest chops is diverted preferentially to the worker / settler; allowing the worker / settler to be built virtually solely from forest chops. The benefit of this is that you can produce workers / settlers whilst the city is still growing.

Pop-Rushing bug: ALLOWED: You can get extra shields over what you 'should' by timing your pop-rushes. At this stage, it is considered a game mechanic 'bug', but its very difficult (and somewhat pointless) to try and ban / work-around it. Instead, its better to simply make all people aware of it to level the playing field. Read more here.
Note - this bug was fixed in the HOF mod.

Disallowed strategies / exploits.

The following items are considered exploits, and are not allowed.

Perpetual Anarchy: DISALLOWED: It is possible to operate in a near-perpetual state of anarchy to prevent losing units due to going broke with high maintenance costs. By revolting to anarchy, and ensuring that the anachy is a minimum of four turns, no units will be disbanded due to lack of maintenance funds during the anarchy period. On exiting anarchy, there is a one-turn grace period in which no units will be disbanded - long enough to produce more units from forest chops (that get stored-up in the production box during anarchy) and then revolt again. This is considered exploitive.

Playing Guideline: You are allowed to revolt however frequently you like, provided you can pay for your units! If you cannot afford your unit upkeep, you may not revolt until at least four turns* after then end of the last anarchy period.

*This period may be reviewed.

Unit Gifting Bug: DISALLOWED: When CivA is at war with CivB, it is possible to gift a unit in a transport to CivA, and then sail the transport to a city of CivB. This results in the units in the city being destroyed, and the city control going to CivA. This is an exploit / bug, and is prohibited.

Infinite Great Persons Bug: DISALLOWED: By astute use of the keyboard it is possible to clone a Great Person. Some, but not all, of this bug has been covered by the latest HoF Mod. This is an exploit / bug and is prohibited.

Diplomatic Bonus Exploit: DISALLOWED: Liberating / gifting a city to a Civ you are at war with other than in a peace deal is banned as an Exploit. Repeated use of this tactic can result in diplomatic bonuses that are unbalanced.

Exceeding the Hammer overflow cap: DISALLOWED. It is possible to to this by purposely building units that can't be completed. It allows completion of space race parts in a single turn once the research is complete, for example.

 

Jan. 8th: Updated with note about pop-rushing 'bug'.

 

Discussion thread for exploits and strategies is here.

 

Updated to ban the Infinite Great Person Bug.

 

It shouldn't need saying, but I will anyway.

The recently uncovered bug that makes it possible to gain free techs by mouse button manipulation is BANNED. Any xOTM submission found to have exploited it will be excluded from the competition.

 

The GOTM Staff strongly recommend that anyone making a significant number of tech trades in a single turn at those points in the game should make saves in between trades to help to verify that they were above board.

 

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=332072

 

"Those points in the game" = when you build the Oracle or are the first to research liberalism. Immediately before and immediately after you do those (if you do them in your game) would be ideal. The exploit is available at the point where you get the free tech from the Oracle/liberalism.

 

@da_Vinci: My post talks about tech trades. I don't see how that applies to the other cases you are describing.

We know of the Oracle and Liberalism examples. I don't know whether there are other free tech opportunities in the game. If there are, then my recommendation applies to all such game events.

 

I have added the Diplomatic Bonus Exploit to the list of disallowed tactics.

 

I have added the "Exceeding the Hammer overflow cap" exploit to the disallowed list.