Mediterranean Resources Tips & Discussion

[Xerol]

its obvious with the +2 food on hills for a lot of these bonuses that getting to a new gov't would be extremely important in the early game...depending on what extra civ traits(if any) are given, i might actually shoot for republic for once(monarchy is usually my first tech target after lit) It all depends on what starting techs you get, and what the neighbors are willing to trade...if i can get ceremonial burial and warrior code real early, monarchy's probably my best bet...otherwise, its' gonna be republic

 

[Brewster]

Since the demise of the tournament, I will attempt to download and install everything I need to be able to play the next GOTM. The new resources look interesting and I am looking forward to trying them out. Just a few questions:

1) Does anyone know what the difficulty level will be?

2) Does all the bonus features of the GOTM have an effect on the normal game (I don't want lambs popping up in my other games)?

If I could figure out the install process for all the special features, I would have joined the GOTM community a few months ago.

 

[Txurce]

Brewster, the difficulty level is Monarch, and the civ is Greece, so you start with alphabet and bronze working.

Lambs may pop up in non-GOTM games, if you don't switch graphics files. This is pretty simple, and explained in the readme file.

If you have problems with the install process, pm or email gotm@civfanatics.net (or most staff members) for assistance.

 

[maqabee]

My second gotm--- hoping to finish and submit with Greece. Some questions--thx for the help in advance-- what is greece's prefferred gov.? how important is it to move to that gov? In the early game do you build the mine or irrigate before or after buiding the road or does it not matter??
Victory-- I keep reading of Space race victory-- is this the only victory condition or just the easiest and most logical given the game setup?
Research-- ok we get alpha and bronze-- thinking given naval import that the path is pott. writing to map as fast as possible-- your thoughts Civforum??
Diplomacy-- in increasing contact with civs-- and there is no play-- does "never mind" comment cost you or is it best to always give something to end on a good note with the blowhards.

 

[Renata]

Lots of questions in one post, maq. And to be honest, they really don't have much to do with the thread topic; you're probably better off asking such questions in the 'newbie thread' in the General Discussions forum. But here we go anyway ---

- I'd guess the preferred gov would be democracy, but it has no effect on your game whether you're in it or not. [Other civs' attitudes do depend to some extent on which government you're in, but that has nothing to do with your own preferred gov.] So choose whichever government is right for what you're doing.

- I build roads first in most situations for two reasons: 1) if a barbarian shows up, the worker has a better chance to be able to get well away if the road's built first, 2) later on in the game, once the road's built, other workers can join in to complete the mine/road without wasting movement.

- I have no idea what the most logical victory will be with this game. The consensus does seem to be that space race is usually easiest, for several reasons: 1) You don't have to take as much care with your reputation as with diplomatic, 2) the human advantage vs. the AI tends to increase as the game goes on, so later victories can often be obtained even with relatively weak starts, 3) Often, little to no offensive warfare is required.

- I will probably use that exact research order. Mileage will surely differ, though.

- 'Never mind' never hurts. (Nor does opening the diplomacy just to check out how much money a civ has, or some such, for that matter.) But frequent trade (at least once every 20 turns) does help attitudes.

Hope that helps,
Renata

 

[Boyd]

This is going to be brilliant!

Dry, rough terrain... hoplites to defend with, new resources to commercially exploit!

Thanks to the math guys for their charts/tables.

FWIW, a map of Greece shows that most of it is dry and rough (Thessalian plain being the exception) and because of this Greek settlement was coastal, based in littoral zones and dependent on sea travel (a quick examination of these patterns and a climatic requirement for olive production matches the patterns of historical Greek settlement away from the peninsula, too).

The Greeks were not big on roads and the expected terrain would mitigate against that if it were not for the commerce.

Limited rivers for irrigation and mountain obstacles were/are a problem in Greece so I am not too confident that we will have many opportunities to irrigate.

Given, too, that the resources will be clustered as they are linked (Where one has sheep one has lambs and wool) it should make poor traditional starting sites acceptable. It also probably means that searching the next hill over for the cows and wheat will only show more hills!

Harbours will be very important to link to other resources and luxuries, and the probable archepleago and littoral nature of the map re settlement sites will make a dash to mapmaking critical.

Finally, given the name of the game - Mediterranean Melee - fighting for (and defending) limited city sites is going to be a definitive part of the early game.

[edit: missing word]

 

[Jove]

Arrrr, my impression is that this mod will be tilted toward shields. It depends on just how many coastal rocks there are- it is said that the gods sifted the continents of the world through a gigantic seive, and when they were done and only the rocks remained, they dumped it into the Meditteranean, forming the Greek Isles. So that, plus food on hills=lots of shields. It may behoove one to go haywire on the workers, workers from Athens and Sparta can travel to and join the smaller struggling cities to build up the whole empire, while leaving enough surplus to road all those hills...
And if this is the Meditteranean, suicide galleys south should discover African civs real quick.

 

[Karasu]

Nice work, Bamspeedy and ControlFreak!

This thread surely makes me wish the 1st of July were today! Still, I feel a bit troubled when I try to imagine a "mined olive tree in a desert"...

 

[CruddyLeper]

Originally posted by Brewster
....(all answered anyway)

If I could figure out the install process for all the special features, I would have joined the GOTM community a few months ago.

Ah, but now we have the new "smart" install. Browse for your Civ3 folder and that should be it.

I say should be because it's the first time it's been used - but I for one think it's a great leap forward.

 

[Snaproll]

Is it just as easy to uninstall it for all your other games?

 

[TriviAl]

Not sure if I'm in the right forum, but does anyone know if there is a graphics test save available - had a couple of graphics resource crash issues with GOTM-20 and don't want to do that again.

I like the look of the new resources. Adds a very mediterrainian touch to things.

 

[RowAndLive]

Follow-up thoughts:
- The rush to map making seems a must, pottery first.
- The space victory is only required for the tournament, not for GOTM, but given the terrain issues it may be much more feasible than conquest or domination. Besides, per GOTM 19 results, those have already been perfected. ;-)
- Whereas in most games, navies are minor as compared to land troops, I would expect them to be even in all but the end game. Plan on building many galleys, etc. if you expect to survive.
- I'm expecting little to no irrigation. It helps to break the mindset of what you need in order to do well. Depending on how common the new resources are, this may become a new form of 5CC.

 

[jeffelammar]

I just wanted to add that these resources look great. As someone who has expressed concern over the level of mod in GOTM, I have to say that I am really excited about this game.

I just hope I can find some Wool on a hill so I can take advantage of that bonus.

 

[CruddyLeper]

Originally posted by Snaproll
Is it just as easy to uninstall it for all your other games?

No - there isn't an uninstall as such. HOWEVER, all you have to do to play "normal" civ games is swap the resources files around (there's only 2 - just swap the GOTM ones for the originals).

If you play without swapping the 2 GOTM resource files for the 2 originals, everything is OK - except you can't see resources properly. Judging from previous GOTM, some of them show up as little "Open" and "Predator" symbols.

So if you end up in that position with a sweet start, just save, quit the game, swap them and reload, problem solved.

 

[conehead234]

How do you switch resoures and how do you tell you got them installed correctly

 

[cracker]

Here is the text taken from one of the "Readme - Swapping Resources.txt" instructions files so you can see that the recommended procedures would be to create a folder with a name that describes what the resource graphics files should be used for and then you can just swap them in and out by simply copying the two files.

This process really is easy once we get you to locate the correct /Art folder.

Text from the file:
The Civ3 and Civ3PTW executable programs will always look in your /Art folder to try and find a two files to install resource graphics in your game. The two files are named:

resources.pcx
resources_shadows.pcx

and they must be matched together for the resources to work properly. Many graphics mods for resources (including the out of the box PTW version) just ignore the shadows that can be used to increase the contrast and ease of visibility of the resources.)

Since these files always have to be named the same thing even if they contain lots of different graphics options, the easiest way to keep track of the files is to store them inside a folder that gives a clear indication of what type of resources graphics are inside the folder even though all the actual filename are the same.

We have provided these resource graphics files to you inside your "gotm21" scenario folder in a folder called "resources storage". This folder comes to you complete with three subfolders of resources graphics that are labeled:
"gotm21 plain"
"gotm21 w blips"
"gotm21 w smilies and blips"

each folder contains a copy of the resources.pcx and resources_shadows.pcx files that will install and run that type of graphics in your Gotm21 game. The gotm21 game folder comes to you with the resource graphics already setup to use the resources with the high visibility letter blocks and smilie faces similar to the "shankyburns" resource graphics mod.

If you would like to switch to the plain but contrast enhanced resource graphics, all you need to do is open the folder titled "resources storage" and then open the folder titled "gotm21 plain" and copy the two pcx file inside. Tab back up until you are inside the "gotm21" game folder and open the folder titled "Art". Inside this folder paste in a copy of the two files that you selected and they will replace the existing "resources.pcx" and "resources_shadows.pcx" files and now you will be ready to play Gotm21.

All three versions of the resources graphics are available for you to freely use in your game and you can switch around and try the three different versions as much as you like. All three versions have been fully tested in the Gotm21-Mediterranean Melee game. It's your GOTM game, you make the choice of which graphics are right for you.

You must use one of the three supplied version of the resource graphics to successfully play the game. The special resources for the Gotm21 game will not work with any other Civ3 or PTW game outside of Gotm21-Mediterranean Melee.

 

[conehead234]

k thanks
do you just leave the gotm21 folder in the scenerio folder

 

[cracker]

conehead,

Remember to ask you questions with the full understanding that there is a Civ3v1.29 answer and a PTW answer.

I would hold onto the the different resource graphics as you accumulate them over time. If you are in Civ3v1.29, you can just leave the "resources storage" folder in you "/Civilization III/Art" folder, but for PTW there will be a separate set of graphics in each game folder in the "/Civilization III/CIV3PTW/Scenarios/" folder.

The key thing is to make sure you make a storage folder and store a copy of your original graphics and shadows and then you really can't screw up too badly.

A few quick swaps and you will be a pro.

 

[maqabee]

After my first GOTM-- I am not worried at all about switching resources for the mere simple fact that the GOtm map lasts me almost a month-- albeit trying to win-- and learning all the way---with the Boards informing my learning. My hope is that I master this 21 map in a week with a space victory and then replay it for a cultural or domination victory-- and then a cultural victory--hey there you go-- a GOTM triple crown- you heard it here first :-} !
Of course I am a rookie so maybe in 6 months at GOTM 27-- cracker what a exciting creative layout-- can't wait to play-- hanging out in the Finger Lakes - Jack-- P.S. Renata -- thx so much for the great reply above-- sorry I missed the thread but your info filled in some nagging gap questions for me.

 

[maqabee]

One last thought-- cracker and whoever else you have put together a marvelous website-- inviting and supportive of us newbies who love the CIV and are discovering this fine online community of kindred spirits.