my absolutely painful sid game

[archphoenix]

my absolutely painful sid game

I see the five minor gauntlet,and want to give a try.

just I want to win, not hope to be a Faster or even the Fastest victory.

but It's the extremely panic experience I suffered,

more than my first sid game.

In this game, I was luck enough to have a AA SGL,

let me not waste shields on Great Lib.

although this,I hardly handled the crazy AI.

All I want to say about this game is,

the only way I win AI due to such facts:

1.heavily restart.(find good map)

2.heavily acceptable utility Programs used.(such as mapstat,if not,more boring the game is)

3.subtle Allowed Green exploits used.(AI always cheating,why not use allowed exploits?)

4.not bad luck. (heavy luck is better.)

more detail see this thread:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=137442

these instances are the reason why I will not try Sid game later for a longlong time.

6.wisely choose AI, and choose island,80% water, seriously delay AI's trade pace.
more detail see this thread:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=137734

before I enter MT,I found a serious problem,
which I think AI will beat me by achieve 100K first before I socket my spaceship!

though, Lord superslug explained, I have changed to win a diplomatic game.

 

[Moonsinger]

I feel your pain. I really do!

 

[archphoenix]

thanks,
I am so admire you,
facing SID I retreat but you overcome it!

 

[Moonsinger]

thanks,
I am so admire you,
facing SID I retreat but you overcome it!

Thanks! Although the Great Library will help greatly, in order to beat Sid, you need to use a certain "green" tactic in the HoF rule book. It's very risky and sometimes can backfire on you. However, the pay off can be big enough for a chance to take over the world. Of course, if it doesn't work, just start another game and try again. It may take a lot of practice to learn how to use it effectively. Btw, I'm sending you the key to beating Sid via PM. Good luck!

 

[Marsden]

Is there a charge for learning to beat Sid, or is it "free to a good home"?

I'd really be interested, if you're willing to part with it.

Edit, now I notice this is almost a year late asking. Sorry.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Beating Sid isn't that hard, but I've only beat it in 20K games so far.

For me, the formula was:

Play on a small map (not tiny)
Arch map, lots' of water.
Be Byzantines.
If you start with a Sid AI on your island, restart immediately.
Bombard the hell out of any ships you see with your dromons.

First build is maybe a worker, maybe a curragh, but collosus as soon as you can. if you dont' get collosus (happens too often), restart.

Min writing, max Philo for either CoL or Lit, get used to a despotic GA from the GLib.

I probably played about 30-40 games before I got one where I had a decent start with no AI, I got collosus and no AI ran away with the game by the middle ages - it wasn't that uncommon to lose the GLib, if 2 AI started on teh same landmass. By decent start, I mean "a food bonus, enough workable tiles that I could get to size 12 and fresh water" I had 5 luxes, which was nice, but 1/2 my island start was tundra, which was less nice. But 2 of my opponents didn't have freshwater and there were no rivers anyway on the map

I played on a small map because on a tiny map, it was not uncommon for 1 AI to get way ahead, thus making the GLib pretty useless tome.

 

[Marsden]

Beating Sid isn't that hard, but I've only beat it in 20K games so far.

*Repeatedly beats AutomatedTeller over the head with a rubber chicken*
Thanks for nothing, "Oh it's not hard, only took me 40 times and I can only do it a certain way, on a certain size map, but it's not hard"

 

[AutomatedTeller]

well, the games I won weren't that hard it was mainly a matter of patience. Generally, I knew within 30 turns whether I was going to restart it, and in a 20K game, that's not usually that much work - in fact, in a game like this, you can just put the curragh on explore, and build collosus and improve land and it takes about 5-10 minutes.

it's just *slow* after that - research takes a long time on Sid and you get luxes slowly - you almost have to build the lighthouse to get a lot of luxes.

I had a harder time in the recent sid gauntlet (I think it was score?), but that's because I keep trying to invade sid homelands with 20 muskets... and that ain't gonna work. I did manage a 20K game where I wiped out the mongols, though - that was fun. I've never managed a successful invasion besides that one - seeing a stack of 20 riles taken down by archers was humbling... that's a lot of archers...

 

[Spoonwood]

I haven't seen Marsden for a while, but I know AT still comes around here. I also have wondered what Moonsinger meant by her "green tactic" reference for something like a year now. I think she meant this

GPT for Upfront (Civ/PtW/C3C)

Signing GPT for upfront compensation from the AI, and then using a declaration of war or disconnect of trade route to cancel the deal. Comes with a reputation hit in some cases, in others it is free.

For more details of how I think that works and how you might come to perfect it scroll down to the December 29, 2009 post here and read on. How else could you have a GA on Sid in 490 BC on a small map with China, and in 630 BC [SIC!] on a Huge map also with China? I guess I could have missed something, but that's probably it.