New version out on Sunday 23rd - testers needed

[Rhye]

I need a couple of you, if available this week, to beta test the new version of RFC RAND - especially regarding the new additions. Especially regarding "very low" likeness, as I decided to do it the hard way and dismantle the basics.
Reply here if interested.

 

[KaiserBenjamin]

I'd be happy to do some beta testing.

 

[Arkaeyn]

This is the only week out of the last year that I can't. Sigh.

 

[PinkPallin]

I'm not sure I can complete a game in these five days (I'm working), but if there isn't anybody else available, well, I'll try and do my best.
So, up to now your Beta Test Team has one player and a reserve.

 

[Rhye]

KaiserBenjamin, please tell me your email in a PM
PinkPallin, you too if tomorrow there isn't anybody else

 

[flaming_iles]

Rhye, I would be available to test the new version this week.

 

[Rhye]

great, tell me your mail

 

[KaiserBenjamin]

I will probably edit this post so I don't have a string of short updates, but I think I may have found a bug already.

I started a game as Turkey on "Very low" likeliness. I went to the map as soon as I spawned and noticed that America had already appeared. They don't seem to be as I high as I am on the technology tree, so I'm not sure what their starting technologies were, but unless the spawning times have been completely reworked, I think they're way too early. I'm attached my saved file.

*EDIT*
Wait, I just went to retire and saw that the three starting civilizations are Mongolia, Rome and Persia. And upon examination, that it says starting times are random. I didn't realize that civ spawn times had been completely reworked. Does this mean historical goals are now irrelevant? Wait, they're not even included in the game. Okay, so these games will play with the normal Civ IV goals.

*EDIT 2* So far the starting locations and approximate technology levels seem pretty decent. Have the worker speeds been adjusted to the appropriate levels depending on which each civilization spawns?

*EDIT 3* I really like the way the game tells you what stability level each area has. Does that correspond with the chance of another civilization spawning there as well?

*EDIT 4* Gameplay seems to be going pretty well. Barbarians not overwhelming, could even afford to be turned up a bit, I think. I've noticed that the empires that stay small tend to pull ahead in the technology tree while those that expand become quite large and high in score, but are far behind their smaller peers in technology. There seems to be a pretty wide range in that regard.

 

[Rhye]

I've sent another mail to both of you. Make sure you read it

 

[flaming_iles]

I have played 2 games on very high likeness so far.

- Barbarians are slightly too strong IMO. In my first game, they razed every city in India and Persia. In my second, I noticed that there was not one single city in all of Africa because the barbarians had razed them all!

- Connected to this, in my first game, as soon as the barbarians took one city of a civ, they collapsed on the next turn (but I haven't seen that in the second game)

- One bug noticed so far - as China, a gallic swordsman appeared on my borders, and I tried to move a chariot onto the same square as them. I got a message asking if this meant war against the Mali (I'm sure that the celtic unit was the only one in the plot at the time.)

 

[Zagoroth]

Is it by any chance not too late to request beta testing?

 

[Rhye]

if you think you can fit in some tests in just the next couple of days, tell me your mail

 

[flaming_iles]

I'm having some trouble with the very low likeliness map. I have no trouble with civs starting out at 3000BC, but when it tries to autoplay for a while, the game either stopped counting back turns and left me with a catapult in Antarctica when I pressed escape, or crashed altogether.

 

[Rhye]

it's working for me, and for KaiserBenjamin too. Is there anything you changed?

 

[flaming_iles]

I haven't changed anything, but I'll have another go

edit:

I've had another try, and it seems that there was just something wrong with my computer the last time.

I really like what you've done with the start times, but sometimes, this leads to massive tech imbalances. Often, when a new civ spawns, I've found that they are 4 or 5 techs ahead of everyone else (I think that this must be really hard to get right because the map and starting circumstances of each civ are so varied)

One general observation: the AI seems to have different personalities in all versions of RAND than in normal civ, or RFC. Normally on RAND, Tokugawa wants so sign open borders as soon as I've met him, but traditionally friendlier civs like Mansa Musa don't want to trade or open borders at all!

 

[tyredstar]

i can do some beta testing if its not too late

 

[Rhye]

I really like what you've done with the start times, but sometimes, this leads to massive tech imbalances. Often, when a new civ spawns, I've found that they are 4 or 5 techs ahead of everyone else (I think that this must be really hard to get right because the map and starting circumstances of each civ are so varied)

Please tell which civ, in which year spawned

One general observation: the AI seems to have different personalities in all versions of RAND than in normal civ, or RFC. Normally on RAND, Tokugawa wants so sign open borders as soon as I've met him, but traditionally friendlier civs like Mansa Musa don't want to trade or open borders at all!

strange, I haven't modified anything at all

 

[Rhye]

i can do some beta testing if its not too late

I guess 3 are enough. Thanks anyway, you'll get it very soon!

 

[Zagoroth]

I played a Spanish game on very low likeness. I had never played that type of game in RAND and was surprised to spawn in 225 B.C.E. I spawned on the same continent as Persia and China, and later Turkey (who spawned just south of me), Japan, and The Netherlands spawned.

The New World civilizations were the Mayans, The Incans, Egypt, and England. One issue I have found with the New World was that all the civilizations had the same tech level of the Old World. So even though I received massive armies of knights, crossbowmen, pikemen, and catapults, they were no match for well defended Longbowmen. The Incans themselves created an empire which seemed only a bit smaller than standard South America.

My starting techs were Bronze Age and I had relatively the same techs as the other AI. The majority of them were only ahead in the early Religion techs.

Besides that I started to lag a bit behind in tech, however that might be because I only had two cities in my core area for the game. I also was gunning for Optics though so I had to research expensive techs. I was able to research Monarchy by 860 C.E., which is later than when they start in standard RFC. I then got Guilds by 1180, and Optics by 1320.

The Barbarian pressure was relatively low, though I will have to play a game as a civilization like Mali to prove that. The entire New World was swamped by barbarians, and the places that looked like they could be Africa did not seem too have as much.

One last note. I also found that civilizations were capturing cities in bizarre locations, I posted a screenshot of Japan capturing a Dutch city.

 

[flaming_iles]

Please tell which civ, in which year spawned

I've found that almost all civs have an advantage in techs when they spawn, (in one game Confucianism was founded on turn 39!) But here's a screenshot from about 10 turns into spawning as the indians in 1778.