News: BOTM 110 - Starts 7 July

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 110: Zara Yaqob of Ethiopia.

A standard noble level game. You start alone on your continent. Will you conquer all?

Game settings:
Playing as: Zara Yaqob of Ethiopia
Rivals: 4 AIs
Difficulty: Noble
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: None
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Custom continents
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Small
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium


Zara Yaqob is Creative and Organized, and you start with Hunting and Mining.

The Creative trait gives +2 culture/city each turn and double production speed of Colosseum, Library and Theatre

The Organized trait gives -50% civic upkeep and double production speed of Courthouse, Factory and Lighthouse

Unique unit: Oromo Warrior (replaces Musketman)
The Oromo Warrior benefits from: immune to first strikes, 1 first strike, and free promotions: drill1 and drill2. This compares with the Musketman which has: not immune to first strikes, and 0 first strikes.

Unique Building: Stele (replaces Monument)
In addition to the +1 culture/turn of the monument, the stele gives +25% culture.

Starting screenshot

This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):




Note that in this game, any espionage-culture victories will be counted as cultural victories.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 7 Jul 2016, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.

Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 7 Aug 2016.

Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.

Software Versions

Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.


Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.

While playing...

Remember - for your entry to be accepted, it MUST be your first attempt to play this game, and you MUST NOT replay any turns. If you make a mistake while playing, you have to live with it, learn from it, and carry on the game without replaying.

We will open 'spoiler' threads during the month for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.

 

[georgjorge]

Yay for a new BOTM!

No experience with Small maps so I hope to not trigger Domination on my way to Alpha Centauri.

Would it have been too much to ask for that river to extend one more tile ?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Yay for a new BOTM!

I should say, sorry, the schedule got a bit out of sync the last few weeks. I've been quite distracted myself owing to living in the UK and all the Brexit stuff that's been happening.

Would it have been too much to ask for that river to extend one more tile ?

Yes.

 

[Deckhand]

Yay for a new BOTM!

No experience with Small maps so I hope to not trigger Domination on my way to Alpha Centauri.

Would it have been too much to ask for that river to extend one more tile ?

If you are going to Space/Levees, might be worth settling on PH to SE. Get river, 3 food lake, coastal trade and health. Only lose one turn and 'phants. Maybe gain seafood. Move scout 2SE to see.

 

[Fippy]

Hmm isolated?
Or would that be a spoiler info

 

[Deckhand]

You start alone on your continent. Will you conquer all?

Hmm isolated?
Or would that be a spoiler info

Are you asking if other civs are reachable by galleys?
Yes, I think that would be spoiler info.
But Map Maker can certainly tell us if he wants to.

Spoiler :

I was gonna
but wouldn't that take the fun out of exploring?

 

[Fippy]

My thinking was that Iso are very special games, and i would probably announce them.
So my guess would be..not isolated (Astro needed for reaching any AI).

 

[Deckhand]

How do you even win a complete isolation game?
Domination - nope (unless you had enough area alone)
Conquest - impossible
UN/Religious - nope, need other's votes
Aha! - Space or Culture
answered my own question

 

[High King J.J.]

How do you even win a complete isolation game?
Domination - nope (unless you had enough area alone)
Conquest - impossible
UN/Religious - nope, need other's votes
Aha! - Space or Culture
answered my own question

@Deckhand: Dom and Con are both possible. All you need is enough of a tech lead to take another continent, and another...
Religious is unlikely unless religions really do spread across unexplored oceans. Can anyone verify they really do? However AP should give you contact with every civ that has the AP religion.
Building the UN should give you contact with all other civs. Right?

I'd say it's all about difficulty level.On anything approaching deity military options are impossible unless you are in league with or receive divine aid . Or unless you are way better in Civ4 than I am (which includes pretty much everyone )
With Noble difficulty even I may stand a chance.

@DS: Options: None means there are no selected options such as No Events, No Goody huts, or No Barbarians? All these are enabled by default?
Another Botm !

 

[DynamicSpirit]

@DS: Options: None means there are no selected options such as No Events, No Goody huts, or No Barbarians? All these are enabled by default?

That is correct

 

[Deckhand]

@Deckhand: Dom and Con are both possible. All you need is enough of a tech lead to take another continent, and another...
Religious is unlikely unless religions really do spread across unexplored oceans. Can anyone verify they really do? However AP should give you contact with every civ that has the AP religion.
Building the UN should give you contact with all other civs. Right?

HKJJ, Here we are defining Iso as total isolation. Other civs are blocked by ice or mountains.
Not sure about UN contact. May test it later.

 

[High King J.J.]

@Deckhand: My mistake. Yes military options are extremely unlikely, however once flight is discovered it may become possible to establish contact through recon flights. Then it's just a question of finding possible trade routes through frozen oceans or rivers flowing through mountain ranges. Also paratroopers may be able to drop behind mountains if they have enough range.
You could still maybe get someone to peace vassal to you if you are strong enough, making domination or even conquest only nearly impossible. Or you could attack someone and him into submission, then repeat the procedure until you have a collection of furious vassals in a global wasteland. Or maybe hurt a weak civ enough to make them give you a city. After that build an airfield and airlift your armies in

Maybe someone will eventually make a Botm where these strategies might be tried... ?

 

[Deckhand]

Maybe someone will eventually make a Botm where these strategies might be tried... ?

Maybe.