News: BOTM 13 Pre-game Discussion

[Jbourne]

The last one was only a level above this, Monarch. I felt that that game was more difficult than a normal Deity one.

I hope that DS has pity of us and the map shape is designed to help the player, so the difficulty should be aproximately that of a normal Immortal game.

How would this rate if you are going for culture?

 

[jesusin]

How would this rate if you are going for culture?

If I were going for culture then it would be like a settler difficulty game.




how humble of me!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

If I were going for culture then it would be like a settler difficulty game.

Most excellent! I shall expect to see your BOTM 13 1000AD culture victory in our results list on 15 January, shall I?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

The last one was only a level above this, Monarch. I felt that that game was more difficult than a normal Deity one.

To be fair, I think that last one, GOTM22 (monarch, pangea, always war, playing as Caesar) was exceptionally difficult partly because we started in a location that was very exposed to barbarians - I've tried replaying that game several times but always found it's very hard to develop because of the amount of resources you have to throw into anti-barb defences even before the AI start seriously attacking. In BOTM 13 I've switched barbs off (but the game hasn't opened yet, I could always turn them back on if you prefer )

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Great wall > barbs, but i can think of another reason one might want it in a game like this...

 

[Lehm]

Only thing that I see could hinder this idea is if you are on a small custom continent (alone) and that the proximity allow AI contacts to take place. So they may go on a unit building frenzy by the time your units are ready to land and take the main continant. Other than that.....?

Alone on an island/continent? Horrible imagination! I already fear I am suffering nightmares now. Lonely,... so lonely...

 

[Skurn]

Barbs wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing..
Woods II warriors would be very effective in the early stages of the game : hard to dislodge, and ideal for surprise worker stealing

 

[vra379971]

I think I'm actually going to go for a religious victory here...don't laugh, I really am serious.

 

[kcd_swede]

Some random thoughts...
If you liberate a colony with "Always War" on, does your colony revolt and go to war on you immediately, or do you get a trading/diplo partner? Or has the colony option been removed?

How can you steal workers even with a 2 movement unit? If you see the worker they see you too, and run away, right?

The best thing that could happen is we are alone (or together with one or two AI) on our continent, only contactable by Optics. AI can't launch a decent naval landing... and we can even run a Piracy Economy (with Frigates)! Of course... this asumes the remaining AI aren't in a love-fest trading up to Industrialism while we are still chewing on Astro...

But its Prince... how hard can it be? (Answer... it CAN be too hard, but I doubt that is DS's intent). Tough to plan with no knowledge of the type of map we got, though.

Anybody know if spies make good sentries, or do they get detected too easily? Does espionage work like in normal BtS game (I think so)? Then the GW gives extra XP AND a GSpy or three, making it a very juicy wonder. Barbs would only make it better.

@DS: sure... put raging barbs on please (and take away one of the AI). And make sure to put some stone resource near the start location. It is the season for giving, you know.

 

[Erkon]

The warrior hill looks like a nice city site, but I wonder if the tile 1N of corn is better? The fish is not easily pillaged, and you can start with a 3-hammer tile at once (I am in desparate need for a replacement to the warrior who deserted to DS-the-evil).

Tech path would be Mining (challenger), BW, then archery, fishing, agri, AH. Initial build would be warriors, then a worker and a few archers. Then settler and WB. Settle on Copper may be a good idea!

The previous AW allowed Pretarians. This allows Fast Workers. So if the map is pangea like, it will not be easy at all.

 

[PutCashIn]

Playing the test game I find Agriculture, Masonry then Bronze Working, after moving 2W onto the hill allows for the Great Wall.

I am then unsure about Animal Husbandry for the Pigs/possible horsies or Hunting - Archery, because a close Protective or Early Unique Unit AI will be trouble.

Of course the real game will have Ramesses with stone and horsies as one of the AI, then all bets are off...

 

[srad]

After playing the testgame I'm thinking about the following tech path: Hunting -> AH (horses in the FC? ->Wheel) -> BW -> (no copper or horses in the FC -> Archery) .

Building the worker first seems really risky. The test AI didn't attack me early but if Monte is the neighbour?

 

[PutCashIn]

In the test game I had Wankers sending warrior stacks pretty much initially.

Whilst I was trying to build the wall certainly.

 

[Meister Maggi]

I think I'm actually going to go for a religious victory here...don't laugh, I really am serious.

but how are you going to achieve that: for winning you need somebody else to vote for you and that will not happen, since you will not achieve peace at any circumstances...

 

[karlis]

I just tried the test game.
Initially it seems quite fine. But then everybody just sends loads and loads of all kinds of armies until its over. So this is going to be a real pain. At least for me I foresee a shameful defeat.

 

[Erkon]

I just tried the test game.
Initially it seems quite fine. But then everybody just sends loads and loads of all kinds of armies until its over. So this is going to be a real pain. At least for me I foresee a shameful defeat.

You will need an enemy magnet i.e. a place you can defend and attracts attention. You will probably notice quite a gathering of enemy units, which suddenly attack on cue. Just add defensive units while expanding the other way. Easier said than done though. The really tricky part is to balance the offensive military campaign with the defensive part.

 

[LowtherCastle]

If we are in the middle, we may need two magnets.

 

[Adama]

I've never won an AW game, either. The worst part is not the rain of units, but the ability of the AIs to tech-trade between them, while you can't.

Hmmm.... sounds like a lot of fun for a demented fellow like me! Actually, I've never even played an AW game... [I thought A&W was a 'root beer' soda drink]. But, after reading all of the excellent pre-game suggestions here, I am certainly going to try and find time to give it a try.


I haven't seen anyone discuss settling "on" the corn or "on" the dye - I am guessing that those are just bad moves altogether because of the long-run loss of resources? [I was thinking that settling on the dye would add a coin to the capital's beginning $$$ production, and on the corn would add 1F ... just not a very good consideration, I guess?]


Similarly, while settling on the first turn might be my first thought {I am a 'newb' after all...}, wouldn't settling a coastal capital result in later ships full of SOD's from the AIs-- i.e., more so than land based capital?


The tile 2W on the hill seems to be a very good spot - my thoughts are to see if two good cities can be made though instead of only one great city- since I suspect it would be a while before I could make use of all those resources in my capital.


Doesn't seem like the placement allows us to tell much before we'll have to make a decision though.


Adama

 

[Htadus]

If I were going for culture then it would be like a settler difficulty game.




how humble of me!

Very nice

 

[Erkon]

If we are in the middle, we may need two magnets.

Of course! I forgot that possibility given that it's a Cylindrical map!

...I haven't seen anyone discuss settling "on" the corn or "on" the dye - I am guessing that those are just bad moves altogether because of the long-run loss of resources? [I was thinking that settling on the dye would add a coin to the capital's beginning $$$ production, and on the corn would add 1F ... just not a very good consideration, I guess?]


Similarly, while settling on the first turn might be my first thought ...

The corn will provide +6 food since it will be irrigated from the lake. The extra food in the city will not be enough to compensate that. It's not a critical resource so the harm from getting it pillaged is not that big. The dye would be attractive on another map. Not on this due to the Fat Cross for a city on that tile.

Delaying settlement on turn on Epic is not a big deal.