My two last games before I move up to IV/V

[superslug]

I really thought I was done with this game, and I know the HOF is on life support, but I honestly can't shake off III until I get one last wish off my chest.

And I don't know if I can actually pull it off, but I have to finally face my fears and try.

I initially came to the Hall of Fame because I wanted my name up there with the best. That passion for this game did translate into running the HOF for a while with Dianthus and a handful of dedicated staff who carried the torch on to HOF IV and V, but I never really got to be one of the best.

Simply put, I want my name up there on the Huge/Sid/Histographic table.

So why two games? I really think I should milk run Deity first...

 

[superslug]

Okay. Tried a few deity starts and was a little over my head. I'm moving down to Demigod. I know there's still quite a jump from Demigod up to Sid, but Demigod is still far and above what I usually have played.

 

[superslug]

Well, this has been an exercise in humility so far. When I used to be a serious milker a decade or so ago, I was far less disciplined or mentally sharp as I am now in life. But, that doesn't seem to be translating to being a better Civilization player. Yet, anyway.

So, I'm going to try going from the ground up and see if I can gradually improve. I noticed that the Warlord/Huge/Histographic table shockingly has an open slot.

I'm currently working on a game to fill it using the Mayans on a Pangaea. I know real milking would be Archipelago, but all in good time. This is a practice run to bring back my memory about the game. Would you believe I forgot you could plant forests?

 

[superslug]

Simply put, I want my name up there on the Huge/Sid/Histographic table.

It's been four days since I typed this, and the more I look at it, the more I think two things:

1) Man, that is some serious arrogance for a player of my track record.
2) You can't meet a goal you don't set.

Getting up to that level is going to take longer than I thought, but hey, I have time and am apparently seriously interested. Best case scenario, I make it happen! Worst case scenario, I embarrass myself in a thread that no one's probably reading anyway.

I guess milking Huge/Sid is my 2014 resolution.

 

[Calis]

It's been four days since I typed this, and the more I look at it, the more I think two things:

1) Man, that is some serious arrogance for a player of my track record.
2) You can't meet a goal you don't set.

Getting up to that level is going to take longer than I thought, but hey, I have time and am apparently seriously interested. Best case scenario, I make it happen! Worst case scenario, I embarrass myself in a thread that no one's probably reading anyway.

I guess milking Huge/Sid is my 2014 resolution.

I am reading it.

 

[superslug]

Thanks Calis!

Warlord/Huge/Pang/Histo update:

It's about 1000ad. I've met all the AI civs and committed total genocide against one, although I did keep one of their cities for faster luxury access. The Zulu have kindly placed one city on an island off the coast, so I'm free to raze the continent without fear of triggering a conquest win.

Tech pace is about 5 turns, and I got coal for Christmas! I'm already at railroads and have a mean stack of cavalry and settlers ready to burn and resettle.

I have learned something crucial about my playstyle. While 200 towns and cities seems impressive in total, their placement is far from it. I have two cities that are actually developed fully and have enough room. The rest I have packed in too tight, and many of my core cities are a tile away from fresh water.

I used to be a real perfectionist and very impatient, so I would rush settle an arbitrary grid pattern that doesn't make sense to me now. Going forward, I need to actually know the optimal number of cities for a map and actually settle a core of cities that can provide me the armies I need. So, this game has already pointed out a glaring weakness in my strategy (or lack thereof).

Since the slot is free and this game is going to be won and milked, I'm going to finish it.

 

[Rialus]

Yeah don't give up, that's a good goal to aim for and I'm following you in this thread. Like you said, you have to (re)start somewhere. Your goal is the same one I was working on many years ago but simply lost the time to learn how to move from Deity to Sid after my first failed attempt due to killer AI running away with the game. That's probably one of the biggest things to get a handle on that won't be a big issue in any practices lower than Deity or Sid.

I'm pulling for you.

 

[superslug]

Thanks Rialus!

 

[superslug]

Warlord/Huge/Pang/Histo update:

1405 ad. The Mongols are exterminated, along with everyone else aside from a solitary Zulu city on an island quarantined by Galleons. My cities are almost 61% of the planet, with about two-thirds of the tiles railed and irrigated.

I'm picking up a few last techs to make milking easier (communism for production, stock exchanges, etc). I anticipate jacking up the luxury slider in about 7 turns and letting the game practically run itself.

Most of my workers are shift-automated because I'm feeling lazy and it's an empty slot, not a serious milk run. I left about a dozen on manual to irrigate mines and chop trees.

No prediction on score yet.

 

[superslug]

I ran SirPleb's score calculator. Current estimate is mid 12000 range. That actually surprised me a little and inspired a little change in heart.

I was going to just blaze through this one and fill the empty slot, but it appears I've got a shot at a decent score and position on that table. Number one is out of the question, but there are a slew of games in the 16000 range. Given that most of my cities are still building aqueducts and hospitals, combined with finishing irrigation and some very verdant terrain not built on, I think I am going to try and milk every point I can out of this one.

 

[superslug]

Late 1700s. Score estimate is just over 14000, which seems accurate given that population growth is now stagnant. Most cities are building Mass Transits and Recycle Centers to minimize pollution. I'm on a 4 turn tech pace, but that's just off randomly assigned specialists, as most of my budget is going into the luxury slider. I might have this wrapped up in a few days, but I'm not sure.

I think I might actually try jumping up to Deity from here. There's empty slots, so I'd only have to focus on winning to get on the table. I've done some conquest on Deity before, and now that I know what to look for in terms of OCN, core development and city placement, I should be able to use the Iroquois to overwhelm a resource starved AI early enough to hang in there until Cavalry.

I will probably need an SGL for the GLib...

 

[Calis]

Maybe you shoul try to capture the GLib later in the game.

 

[Rialus]

If you select opponents that do not start with Alphabet and you are the Iroquois, I see no reason why you can't handbuild the GL. It's not guaranteed to work but getting a good map and building the GL is a lot more likely than getting that good map and a SGL. I seem to recall this is what SirPleb did for Sid in his old game.

Of course trying to get the trading sequence right without having to rely on any wonders or luck is probably better for learning purposes. It's pretty nice to just focus on REX and then quick domination.

Good luck!

 

[Calis]

I just think that a late GLib might be much more rewarding than an early that will be obsolete quite quick.

 

[superslug]

I might actually pass on GLib for Deity. I use the Iroquois and Sir Pleb's AI set for most of my huge map runs for the slingshot potential, although I won't be going Republic anymore. I need Monarchy for the unit support, since I plan on warring and happiness is going to be an issue.

On Sid, I think the most effective use of GLib is to have it early to keep up with techs until just before someone gets Education. Then gift the city to a weak AI, and sack it later to get another tech boost.

 

[superslug]

Should have the milking done tomorrow. If the game is approved, the #8 slot is mine.

 

[superslug]

I seem to have come up with over 300 ICBMs, so submission will not happen today. I don't let a stockpile like that go to waste, even if it does trash my last turn's score potential.

 

[CommandoBob]

How many hours does such a game require? I haven't tried such a game because it seems to such a long and tedious process.

 

[superslug]

How many hours does such a game require?

I'd guess I've got 40 or 50 hours into this particular game. A serious milk run with everything done right can range from 200 to 500 hours based on what I've seen over the years.

 

[Calis]

How many hours does such a game require? I haven't tried such a game because it seems to such a long and tedious process.

Look at the HoF tables. There you can see the playing times.