May 2016 - Riverworld!

Autumn Leaf

Since 1992
Joined
May 9, 2016
Messages
297
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I'm new on here so I feel a little presumptuous in doing this, but it's been a while since anyone posted a GOTM and I have a scenario that I thought might be intereresting.

This scenario is built on the Riverworld, from the books by Philip Jose Farmer. The world is a single enormous river valley, looping back and forth across the map. In Civ 1 terms, the riverbanks (left and right) are two separate continents, and the River is the ocean. The river is continuous: it is possible to circumnavigate the Riverworld by boat and return to your point of origin. Riverworld is very fertile, with Oases representing the Grailstones. It is easy to build enormous empires on this map, if you can overcome the opposition.

You are Alice Liddell. You and a few like-minded souls have been exploring the Riverworld using the industrial state of Parolando as your home base, but when you return to Parolando, you find that things have changed for the worse! Eric Bloodaxe has taken over and commenced a bloody expansion of his territory by annexing the neighbouring territory of Soul City. Narrowly escaping Bloodaxe's minions, you have stolen a small boat and fled to the far side of the river.

There is dissension in your group. Some people have refused to go any further and have founded a small town on the riverbank, Oxford, hoping to defy Bloodaxe and build up a new base from which they can return and retake Parolando. Others feel that Oxford is too close to Parolando and that there won't be time to build up before Bloodaxe sends his armies against you. Also, you hear rumours that Bloodaxe has made peace with the Zulus, founders of Soul City, who have relocated their capital across the river and begun their own expansion, and also that there is another expansionist empire in your vicinity. Parolando on its own you might defy, but defeating all three of these aggressive neighbours may prove too much for your fledgling state.

You still have your boat. You could board it and sail up or down the river looking for a place to build, away from these looming threats. You have also heard of a nearby pass that provides a way to cross the otherwise impassable mountains that separate the great loops of the River. If the pass exists, and if you can find it, you may be able to fortify it behind you and build up in relative safety on the far side.

Finally, someone brings a rumour that the Ethicals, who built the Riverworld, maintain a powerful base somewhere. If you can find it, and defeat its guardians, it would be a major asset for your cause. But where is it? Upriver? Downriver? And how far away is it? Perhaps it's not worth the effort to find it when your very survival is at stake.

Thus the scene is set. Your goal is to win, by either conquering the Riverworld yourself or by building a spaceship to escape from it.

Game Conditions

1. You must not make peace with the Vikings, the Zulus or the Aztecs. You may make war or peace with any of the other civs (including the successors to any of the above three). (If you are a Republic or Democracy, refuse to talk to the Vikings, the Zulus or the Aztecs because otherwise your Senate may sign a treaty.) You are free to destroy or capture any civ's cities and units.

2. The game map holds a number of important surprises. Therefore, please do not use Terraform, JCivED or other such tools to view or change the map prior to or during play.

3. The impassable mountains are represented by long mountain ranges separated by a strip of ocean one square wide. Please don't build cities on the impassable mountains that might allow you to build ferries to subvert this restriction. Any such mountaintop city is proof of cheating, even if you claim not to have actually built a ferry. However you may build cities on mountaintops that do NOT give you the ability to cross the uncrossable mountains. Sailing on the River itself is always legitimate, and if you can sail a boat from the River into some other place, that's OK too.

4. If you use the save game, fast Settlers or waterbridge cheats, please mention it. I don't see the point of forbidding these hard-to-prove cheats, but obviously a win using them is lower value than a win without using them. Just be honest about it.

5. You may use the save game cheat to prevent your opponents being awarded cheap early Wonders, but you must not use the save game cheat to prevent them building Apollo Program or Manhattan Project. Deal with it.

Victory conditions:

1. Conquer the world. Best score from the conquerors. Or ...

2. Colonise Alpha Centauri. Best score from the astronauts. Or ...

3. If nobody manages (1) or (2), best score in 0 AD (or whenever you're destroyed).

Notes

1. Your opponents have a military edge on you at the start of the game. Your territory is circumscribed and hostile contact will probably come sooner rather than later. Your nearest opponents are all conducting vendetta against you and won't want to make peace (and you are forbidden to make peace with the Vikings, Zulus and Aztecs in any case).

2. Early technology is expensive. It's not terribly expensive, and once you have a decent economy going this handicap will soon be overcome, but early on you may prefer to concentrate on tax and luxuries.

3. Although you are surrended by militaristic civs, some of the other civs in the game are likely to go for peaceful development. remember, you aren't allowed to deny them Apollo Program or Manhattan project. If you're trying for Conquest, be careful they don't build spaceships. You can sail right to their capitals via the river, if you know where they are.

The files

Two versions are attached: CIVIL3 is KING level, for the standard GOTM conditions. CIVIL4 is EMPEROR level, for those who want more of a challenge. :king:

Edit: during testing, it felt a little too easy. Eric Bloodaxe stupidly lost the frigate I gave him, which kept him out of my hair while I dealt with the other enemies! So I gave him Mapmaking and tweaked a couple of other items to make life a little tougher for Alice.
 

Attachments

  • CIVIL4.MAP
    13.9 KB · Views: 303
  • CIVIL4.SVE
    37 KB · Views: 284
  • CIVIL3.MAP
    13.9 KB · Views: 361
  • CIVIL3.SVE
    37 KB · Views: 347
...

Edit: during testing, it felt a little too easy. ...


Last edited by Autumn Leaf; May 16, 2016 at 09:15 AM.
Reason: Made it a little harder
Heck...
"too easy" ??? :confused:
Who are you? "Mr. Evil Genius"??
Do you want to torture your collagues at forum here? ;)

.
.

Tried out CIVIL3.SVE (King)
Why are the aztecs mad at me although i'm newly born?
Why are the russian/romans equipped with railroaded mines and a city-walled city while i start with an arrow and a bow, attacked by frigates, chariots and barbarians from the very first minute on?

I don't want to use 474.01 map cheat (or terraform, i don't want to beg Dack for his code over and over again and don't want to install MS Windblows anymore, too) to take a closer look at what seems-to-be a killing joke or simply messed-up scenario-situation here.


To me, as a lazy-ass "no king no empereor" player (AI is simply too unfair cheating everything in that stages of civDos) this is simply a terror-torture civDos scenario.

Don't get me wrong: thanks for your efforts to revive GotM tradition here. :cheers:
Suggestion: An easy-to-play walkthrough rookie version would be nice,
to take a look at your map work, yes.
 
Last edited:
Lol. :evil: This is my revenge on Dack for his nasty GOTMs. The AIs do not actually have Railroad. Their core cities were designed to prevent a too-early win from a suicidal raid, and to give them enough early production to make them a credible threat, but otherwise they don't have much in the way of tech that you don't. Hence the city walls, and the railroads on key squares. You can't simply run these opponents through, you must strangle them!

The game is winnable, but you will need to think on your feet. Take the challenges one at a time. Blunt the Aztec rush. Block the Zulus when they come. Hope the Russians vegetate on their side of the river, or at least be glad the need for boats limits their threat. Meanwhile, look for a way across the mountains. Once you find your haven, build up until you can defeat your nearest military threats, then worry about the space race (it's easier than conquering this map). City walls will be useful since it means you should be able to capture some useful cities. The Aztecs are the easiest target (and the one most likely to threaten your safe haven), but the Zulu and Russian capitals are more valuable in the late game when the more distant civs start to strut their scientific stuff. ICS is probably the easiest tactic, but the initial strength of the nearest AI civs makes that risky. So you also need to think about improving and growing your cities a bit, because you don't (initially) have enough room or time for the infinite sprawl strategy to work its magic.

I used JCivEd to build this map. The ability to have the map editor recalculate land values for the AI is a key feature. I played one GOTM map built with Terraform where the land values were not reset, so the AI kept founding cities on Arctic squares - and dying.
 
I tried it 4 times and got killed 4 times around 3000 BC or earlier.

I think the key to survive the early game is pure luck. I mean if you lose the mountain block of Zulus you have to fight 2 fronts and you die very soon. My phalanx on that mountain was even bribed by the Zulus!

But don't get me wrong, I think it is an excellent scenario. You must have put some thoughts on it.
 
...
... I think it is an excellent scenario.
You must have put some thoughts on it.
Oh yes, indeed.

I couldn't resist and did use civDOS Version 474.01 " % + ^ + t + t + t " mapview
to take a look at Autumn's work.

It's fantastic. :thumbsup:
And it ...works (in many ways).

Maybe THE new standard scenario
for those who always complain "civDos empereor level scenarios are still too easy to win".
Guys, here's your private ldaho.

.
.

Well, I'm not one of 'em. :
Beggin' for a chieftain level 'arcade' version.


.
 
Last edited:
Lol. :evil: This is my revenge on Dack for his nasty GOTMs. The AIs do not actually have Railroad. Their core cities were designed to prevent a too-early win from a suicidal raid, and to give them enough early production to make them a credible threat, but otherwise they don't have much in the way of tech that you don't.
Yes, i finally did check this is ...balanced. :worship:
Maybe with enough hints from scenario players - will you do some additional fine balancing for ...a version #2?

I'm really impressed how you did play with 'dateline' map border connection, continents' seperation & mass balancing, seperation/positioning of the different 'minded' tribes and many other typical civDos game mechanics here.
Close to perfect.

.
.

...
The game is winnable, but you will need to think on your feet.
I'm more a 'just for fun player', a map terraformer and caravan route builder - no strategos -
so i wouldn't be able to win a scenario like this. Clearly: no.


Instead i did cheat the f*** out of it
with the testing mode cheat engine of 474.01 -
and still had a very long and hard time (8 hours).

It still took me some hundred save & reloads to win the fights in need to win
to slow down those danger situations, caused by oh-so-many events. :twitch:
 
Last edited:
Bit of a spoiler here but this is my game to 3000 BC, bearing in mind I have the significant advantage of knowing the map. I'm thinking of starting a spoiler thread (inspired by the CivII GOTM spoiler threads) so people can discuss the game without spoiling it for newcomers.

3980: Cavalry from hut. Settler boards ship. Ship crosses river, sees hut.
3960: Tech > Horseback Riding. Settler lands: NONE Cavalry from hut.
3940: Cambridge from hut. Settler & Cavalry on ship. Ship to Oxford, unloads. Units disembark and go south.
3920: Oxford Cavalry goes north. Trireme goes north.
3900: Coventry from hut.
3860: S Cavalry finds a pass across mountains.
3840: N Cavalry kills Aztec Militia. Trireme sees a stacked Aztec Legion.
3820: N Cavalry kills 2x Aztec Legions. Viking Frigate attacks Oxford - loses to fortified Phalanx.
3740: N Cavalry kills Aztec Militia. Settler rushed in Cambridge.
3720: Cambridge becomes Settler, moves 1 square E.
3700: Dover founded.
3680: Oxford builds Settler. S Cavalry kills Zulu Legion, bumps Zulu Militia.
3660: S Cavalry kills Zulu Militia, moves E,
3640: N Cavalry moves N, finds walled Chiauhtia. Trade The Wheel and Iron Working for Mapmaking and Masonry. No treaty. Oxford switches production to Chariot. N Cavalry moves away from walls.
3620: S Cavalry finds walled New Zimbabwe. Moves away.
3600: N Cavalry spots Aztec Militia and Chariot. Moves to mountains. Trireme exploring upriver (now moving south having rounded the bend) finds exploring Aztec Legion on far side of river loop. Need to watch that, it threatens my hinterland.
3520: Oxford builds Chariot. Sent N.
3480: S Cavalry kills 2 Zulu Chariots. Chariot kills Aztec Chariot & Militia.
3460: Nottingham founded beyond the pass.
3420: Horseback Riding > Ceremonial Burial. English capture Aztec Chiauhtia, acquire Pottery!
3400: Chariot and Cavalry manouver near Tenochtitlan, awaiting reinforcement.
3280: York built on mountain E of Coventry. S Cavalry fortifies in new city.
3260: Chariot reinforcements arrive outside Tenochtitlan. Assault commences.
3240: English capture Aztec Tenochtitlan!
3220: Alphabet from hut. Zulu Militia seen near York.
3200: First Chariot reinforcement arrives in York.
3180: Vikings build Lighthouse in Soul City. Liverpool from hut.
3120: Chariot finds Coatepec.
3100: Zulu Chariot killed near York. Aztec Coatepec destroyed. Aztec civilization destroyed by English!
3080: York builds Phalanx. English army moves east.
3040: English army at the walls of New Zimbabwe. Settler rushed in Liverpool.
3020: Luverpool becomes a Settler. English capture Zulu New Zimbabwe, acquire Currency. English found Brighton.
3000: English: Despotism, 9 cities, pop 600k (1st). Units 20 (5 Settlers, 6 Phalanx, 2 Cavalry, 6 Chariots, 1 Trireme). Techs 10 (researching Writing). Aztecs destroyed, at war with Zulus and Vikings, no contact otherwise.
 
In case anyone wants to play this map, outside of the scenario I designed for the GOTM, here is a vanilla 4000 BC version that allows you to play Riverworld as any race, starting in random locations, at any level. :scan: Enjoy.

There are some special spots you may want to explore. For starters, at certain places there are passes that allow you to cut across huge loops of the River. There is an island in the north polar ocean that is the only place on the map where you can build the largest possible vanilla Civ1 city (17 Grassland, 4 Oasis squares). Halfway down the river is the only place on the map where you can find Coal and Horses. Whether you play smallpox or bigpox, then outside of these locations, which the AI will not use effectively anyway, it doesn't really matter where you start. It's a high-fertility map with a huge land area and baked-in distances that will give you plenty of room to grow. :king:

So far I have only found one minor bug with it. It doesn't affect the game play at all, but if you get far enough through a game, you may see odd effects with your Palace - such as floating walls. This is due to values in some Palace fields getting corrupted. If you have DarkPanda's JCivEd, open up the map and go into the Game Data tab and zero out the corrupted values in "level" to fix it.
 

Attachments

  • CIVIL4.SVE
    37 KB · Views: 241
  • CIVIL4.MAP
    14.1 KB · Views: 302
... I designed for the GOTM, here is a vanilla 4000 BC version that allows you to play Riverworld as any race, starting in random locations, at any level. ...
...
Great!
Thank you so much ! :worship:
 
This is cool too @Autumn Leaf ! So many out there probably have no idea that there was a Civ1 scenario making community, I sure as hell didn't until I first joined this forum a few years back lol! However it of course makes sense when there's excellent map & game editors out there like JCivED. I'm definitely gonna have to cover your work in my big HD Civ scenarios video series I'm working on!

I understand why you guys used CivDOS instead of CivWin (bad graphics & sound lol) however these days we have Honza's awesome DOS graphics CivWin mod and my Soundtrack Overhaul CivWin mod so I thought it would be fun to convert your excellent scenario to CivWin using the CivCracker map & game editor (which can convert save files from DOS to Win) and have attached the file to this post if others wish to play it. CivWin also supports custom save file names which makes scenario sharing and collection organising much easier!

Here's some screenshots comparing modded and default graphics. Map is revealed just for the pictures to show how cool your work is but kept the window small (instead of an HD one) to avoid big spoilers.

Converted scenario with DOS graphics mod:


Converted scenario with original graphics:


Attachment removed at 28 hits and moved to downloads area here:
https://forums.civfanatics.com/resources/riverworld-scenario-civdos-civwin.29030/
 
Last edited:
Quick update!

As promised I've showcased your work in my big new Playing Civilization 1 in HD with Mods & Scenarios video tour here:


I've also included your scenario in my big scenario preservation project I'm working on!
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/civ1-scenario-mod-preservation-project-log.672488/

I've removed my download from the above post (counter was at 28 downloads) and I've now added it (along with your original DOS save files and a info text file crediting you) in a 7zip file to the CFC Civ1 downloads area along with Moddb & Internet Archive to ensure your work is never lost. Should you wish to make any updates or changes to the files just let me know. :)
https://forums.civfanatics.com/resources/riverworld-scenario-civdos-civwin.29030/

As you'll see I got the admins to create a new Civ1 scenario downloads area to put them in! I also saw people posting here a while back this old GOTM sub forum should probably be renamed to a scenario creation forum since there hadn't been monthly activities in a long time so I got them to partially rename this forum too. :)

.
 
Top Bottom