[BTS] News: BOTM 123 - Starts January 15

[kcd_swede]

BOTM 123: Shaka Zulu

Emperor Shaka, can you build a Zulu civilization that will stand the test of time?

Barbarians start with Hunting and Archery.

AI start with 2 archers, 2 scouts, 1 worker and 1 settler. Coastal AI start with a galley as well, and land-locked AI start with an Explorer.

You also start the game with a galley, just to speed things along in the early game. Note, all civs begin on the Eurasian landmass.

Note: Espionage culture victories will count as normal culture victories for this game.



Game settings:
Playing as: Shaka - Zulu
Rivals: 6 AI
Difficulty: Emperor
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: no huts, no events
Victory Conditions: All enabled


Map settings:
Map: Earth2, Medium Seas
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard


Your traits are Aggressive and Expansive
and you start with knowledge of Agriculture, and Hunting

Expansive +2 health per city.
Double production speed of Granary and Harbor.
25% faster production of Workers.
.
Aggressive Free Combat I promotion for melee and gunpowder units.
Double production speed of Barracks and Drydock.



Unique unit Impi;
Unique unit for Zulus; Replaces Spearman
+100% vs. Mounted Units
Starts with Mobility

Unique building for the Zulu;
Ikhanda; Replaces Barracks
-20% maintenance
+2 with Nationhood
+3 EXP for new land units
Required to build Heroic Epic


Starting screenshot

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





Adventurer Class bonuses:

N/A


Challenger Class Equalizers:

N/A

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 15 January 2017, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save here: http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/index.php?month=70123

Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 15 February 2017.

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

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.[/h2]

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Oooh, that's tricky. Settle-in-place has more production than I can ever remember seeing in a starting position, but if my calculation is correct, there's simply not enough food there to use it all until biology. It'd be a slow start too because if you build a worker first, there won't be much for him to do after pasturing the cow. Add to that settling one tile from a river is going to be frustrating. And settle-in-place gives a lot of overlap with what looks like a likely city to pick up the corn to the East.

Moving inland is risky - could be even less food, so I wonder about 2S to at least start on a plains hill and pick up an extra cow. It still leaves too much overlap with the Eastern city site, but at least leaves more riverside tiles free to be settled by a future city actually on the river.

Perhaps move the scout SW, and the galley SE-SW and then decide.

 

[lymond]

wow..another BOTM already

Earth 2? That is "earth-like" right?

Starting spot does not appear to have long term cap potential, but GLH an option. Settling on PH would be preferred, but would basically kill the fish over there. Oh yeah, 2S has potential. Loses health but we are EXP anyway. Shaka starts with full bonus on AH.

 

[neilmeister]

I am tempted to get on the galley and settle east in between the corn/fish/clam (Korea??). 4 hills, 4 food resources. Not a great late game proposition... too much ocean, but with Maoi could be very nice! Otherwise 2S for me.

Oooh, that's tricky. Settle-in-place has more production than I can ever remember seeing in a starting position...

Maybe you have not seen WOTM 75 DS .... I back a city SIP on that game to have more hammers than this BOTM unless you found a food corporation

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Maybe you have not seen WOTM 75 DS .... I back a city SIP on that game to have more hammers than this BOTM unless you found a food corporation

He he. Perhaps I should've said, more than I've ever seen on a map that is clearly not heavily edited.

It's definitely a close one between your WOTM 75 (with it's extradinary start with a resource on every tile) and this game. BOTM 123 - as far as I can make out, features plains-cow, 5 plains-hills and 1 grassland-hill (before you think about the plains). Let's say, you consider highest possible production when the city is size 6 (in the early game, no-lighthouse). That would imply city tile + cows + 2 seafood + 3 plains-hills, so 16 hammers (with 1F to grow). With a lighthouse and at size 8 you could add the grassland-hill and one more plains-hill, making 23 hammers - impressive, but needs some happy resources to get that big. (This is all the improvements are done)

On your game, I think the best you can do to maximize production at size 6 (with settle in-place), is to work plains-hill, stone-plains-hill, 2xgrassland hill, plains-cow and floodplains-sugar. With 3H in the city tile that gives 20 hammers (and 1F to grow). At size 8, you could add the flood-plains-ivory and plains-hill-gold, bringing you up to 25 hammers. I think your start has fewer high-production tiles, but the greater amount of food makes it easier to use the ones that are there. In BOTM123, it's simply impossible to use more than 4 of the plains hills because there's not enough food (until biology gives you 3F plains)

That seems to imply your game gives better results in the very early game (especially because you don't need to build workboats) but BOTM 123 will catch up as the city grows.

 

[kcd_swede]

And don't neglect the hammers you would get from chopping... should make a few Impi's, if that what you like.

 

[kcd_swede]

Submissions closing soon - don't forget to submit!