LK Planning Thread

[LKendter]

Another major problem for me is the removal of abandon city. Without it, it is very easy to get totally hosed cities on the map and no way to recover. You grab a city and realize it was an economic killer, yet you can't do a thing.

 

[Zhahz]

As a lurker I have noticed that many SGs feature players who seem to take the game in a different direction with every turn set. I can see how this would be frustrating as a participant because it's often frustrating just to read about it.

Perhaps a solution would be to reduce the number of players. The infamous hydra game by Sirian and Sulla featured only 2 players and it managed to be a good read, informative, and seemed to be entertaining to them too.

Maybe just going with 2-3 players would help alleviate the deviations/distractions while still providing the SG oomph.

A lot of SGs seem to involve a lot of swaps, skips, and delays too - which is frustrating as a reader. Perhaps a lower number of players would help smooth the pace of the game/thread as well.

 

[Greebley]

I suffered the same problem until I learned to play in windowed mode.

Don't you run into the problem that you can't scroll the window by moving to the edges? Or is there a solution for that?

A lot of SGs seem to involve a lot of swaps, skips, and delays too - which is frustrating as a reader. Perhaps a lower number of players would help smooth the pace of the game/thread as well.

This happens when there are a lot of new players - some who do not realize the time commitment. It will likely be less of an issue as time goes on (and then probably get worse again when there is an expansion pack).

The net result of new ppl interested in the game is worth it in the long run though.

 

[Atlas]

Don't you run into the problem that you can't scroll the window by moving to the edges? Or is there a solution for that?

I get rid of that by clicking the maximize.

 

[DementedAvenger]

I think there is an edgescrolling =0 or =1 in an XML file somewhere.


I just click the left and right mouse buttons down at the same time and hold to scroll, or use the arrow keys.

 

[Kylearan]

Hi,

Don't you run into the problem that you can't scroll the window by moving to the edges? Or is there a solution for that?

There's the following entry in the .ini file:

; Allow Mouse Scrolling in Windowed mode
MouseScrolling = 0

Set it to 1.



Regarding the subject of SG play, I must say I enjoy that you have to communicate and act as a team more. I enjoyed the first half of LotR22 exactly for that reason: We had differences about how to play, and discussed. You end up having to play the game differently than you normally would in some areas, but that's exactly what I like about SGs, to get to see different playstyles. But that works only with a team of players who are willing 1) to voice their opinion and plans and not just post "got it" and play, and 2) to accept that they sometimes get voted down and have to play differently. That makes finding a good team harder.

-Kylearan

 

[Rowain deWolf]

Sad to see you go Lee

Ironic that the same thing(one clear path to victory) that made Civ3 so boring in the end(for me) is the thing that made it good for SG. And that what makes CIV so interesting(many different equal good ways to play) hurts it in the SG because it demands a lot more communication as usually happens.

 

[Zavior]

Sad to see you go, your games were always worth lurking.

 

[Sirian]

Now that the patch is out, how are things going? Lee? Have you started any of the open RB events?

- Sirian

 

[LKendter]

Now that the patch is out, how are things going? Lee?

Not sure what you are looking for with this question. It is so generic I don't know what type of answer to give.

Have you started any of the open RB events?

Made decent progress on gems trading. Hope I can finish next week.

 

[Sirian]

I was wondering if you were playing Civ4 post-patch. You are, at least one Epic, so that answered the question. Thanks.

- Sirian

 

[LKendter]

I have no intentions to even consider restarting the series until after June 30 when my current work assignment ends. That assumes I don't get lucky and the client realizes that can't finish things by the end of year if the kick out contractors then. They really need help at least a couple more months of contractors.


However, I want to throw out my first thought on fixing SGs. Would you play an SG with the rule below? I really feel that in Civ4 having a player declare the wrong war can destroy the team goals. The rule is a bit extreme, but I don't know what else to do to prevent a player from going rogue.


5) War may not be declared without a team consensus. Declaring war without this nulls your moves and is considered your resignation from the game.

 

[Jabah]

I find this rule OK in theory, but it might slow SG a bit as you will have to stop your turn to explain why you want to declare right now in case of (good) opportunity, which in fact is good for discussion.

It is good also in the fact that it push discussion before playing while setting the condition for war declaration (ex Someone put a city next to us, should we declare on raze if it is lightly defended and/or the civ is leader/backward...).

I would say, if there are people you haven't played with a lots in the SG, it could be good. If everyone is (your) regular SG player, and you know their play style, just set some limits at the beginning and trust them

Jabah

 

[ChrTh]

Might be too extreme -- I mean, how long do you wait until everyone chimes in? I see it as slowing the game down too much.

You might just want to drop "Just Win" and try for more concrete variant rules to sorta "force" the team to do certain things. Focusing on a Diplomatic win keeps warfare down and encourages discussion (I'm really proud of how we did in CTIV-7), for example ... Just don't go overboard (like I did in my Health game) or you may spend more time cleaning up after variant rules violations than it's worth.

 

[Strauss]

A good rule LKendter. Big decisions should always be discussed with the rest of the team. I'm only hosting my first SG right now, but we're already having some discussion about the placement of our second city after another civ took our spot. I'm quite happy with this and I hope we can keep it up like that through the rest of the game. Although this doesn't have to be done with every single city, the first few cities are crucial; therefore they should be discussed, just like war declarations or other big decisions. Although of course not all players have to agree on it, just a majority.

This doesn't have to slow down the game much as most people visit these forums or their SG at least once a day and can then give their opinion.

 

[·Imhotep·]

If I would be a part of an upcoming LK SG, I would accept that rule. After all, the team captain decides the frameset of the game. But I have a suggestion: If you are more of a builder type of player - as I am too, playing Gandhi most of the time - you may want to try out the Always Peace / Always War Variant you can set in the Custom Game screen. Maybe a peaceful Archipelago or Continents with a nice landmass for your own is all what you desire...

·Imhotep·

 

[Tatran]

you may want to try out the Always Peace / Always War Variant you can set in the Custom Game screen.

I don't know if it's a bug,but I've tried this option at least 25 times,
maybe more,and I always did get always peace as a result.

 

[Atlas]

I find that rule acceptable, in fact generally that is how I think SGs should be played.

-Atlas

 

[Methos]

I'd agree to it LK. At first I didn't like the ultimatum about being forced out of the game if the player fails to comply, but than I realized that without it players may simply ignore the rule. I've seen many games where players (myself included) forget the variant rules so please continue as you did in Civ3 by listing your rules in each of your posts.

 

[Conroe]

I really feel that in Civ4 having a player declare the wrong war can destroy the team goals.

Declared the "wrong war"? As in the team agreed to attack civ A and the player attacked civ B instead? Or did the player accidently do the ALT-click on a civ name and start a war accidently?

As for your rule, it would not be a factor in my decision to play an LK game. I would accept it. Having said that, though, I do think it is sad that a rule like this should be necessary. Basically, it is saying that teammates are required to talk to each other. This should be a no-brainer, not requiring a rule.