[news] BOTM 19 - Pre-Game Discussion

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 19: Mali

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm19civ.jpg[/img]

NOTE: This game is to be played under BTS v3.17, NOT v3.19! You'll have to wait until we get the 3.19 version of the HOF mod.


Game Details:

A game from Ainwood this month - that's a rare treat these days. This is what he says about it:
This map was actually generated from map-finder. As you can see, its a dream start, especially for a financial civ! Of course, it wouldn't be a BOTM without it being edited somewhat, but they're pretty minor edits. Anyway - I think its an interesting game. Hope you do, too.

Game settings:
Civilization: Mali (Leader: Mansa Musa; Traits: Financial, spiritual)
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Monarch
Map: Fractal.
Mapsize: Standard
World wrap: Cylinderical
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: None.
Victory Conditions: all enabled

Mansa Musa:
Mansa Musa is Financial and Spiritual and starts with The Wheel and Mining. The Spiritual trait allows you to change civics or religion without anarchy, as well as double production speed of temples. Financial gives you an additional +1 gold on any plot already producing 2 or more.

Unique unit: Skirmisher (replaces archer)
The skirmisher has a strength of 4 (compared to the archers' strength of 3) movement of 1, and costs 25 hammers to build. It also gets a second first-strike chance (ie it has 1-2 first strikes)

Unique building: Mint (replaces forge)
The mint is identical to the forge (costs 125 hammers, causes 1 "unhealth", adds +25% hammer production), but it also adds 10% to commerce.

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


Adventurer Class bonuses:

1. Financial means you have lots of clams! You start with a workboat, immediately east of the settler.
2. D-Fence: Warrior upgraded to skirmisher.

Challenger Class Equalizers:

1. Not quite as happy: The gold in the starting screenshot is replaced with gems.
2. Poisoned outfall: The southernmost clams are poisoned and inedible (removed).
3. Its a jungle out there: All forest surrounding the lake is replaced with jungle.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:00:01 on 15 June2009, 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 15 July 2009.

PLEASE NOTE that there will be no separate "Saves Available" thread for this game.

Civ version

This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Warlords or vanilla Civ), patched to version 3.17, NOT 3.19. It must also be played with the HOF mod version 3.17.001. Note that for game security reasons this HOF mod version requires you to be logged in with an account that has admin privileges when you are playing for your game to be a valid entry to the GOTM competition. You'll see a warning dialog if you attempt to start a session without appropriate privileges.

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.

 

[JungleIII]

Looks like WOTM 24 is missing also...

Looks like a FUN game!

I'll look for WOTM 24 in another week then - thanks AlanH

 

[LowtherCastle]

Game settings:
Civilization: Male

Does this mean All-Male?




Screenshot?

 

[Simon_c]

Looks like a nice start, and a nice combination of traits.

Of the top of my head, I think I'll settle in place Scrub that, I think 1S is the way to go. Riverside for later dikes.
Techs: fishing, hunting, mysticism, archery, bronze working.
Builds will be warior, then WB, scout, WB, skirmisher, worker, skirishere, then either settlers to rex or skirmishers to rush.

If a suitable target presents it self, then try a skirmisher rush. otherwise, it will be REX. Either way, slotting stone henge in there will be a priority to get the border pops.

If anyone posts a test game, I might revise those.

 

[AlanH]

Looks like WOTM 24 is missing also...

Patience! WOTMs come out around 23rd of the month.

 

[Deckhand]

Patience? - OK (I'm happy now that this thread has been started)
Dream Start? - where are the Fish?
Settle 1S? - looks better in some respects. But I'm settling in place for the capital hammers.
Tech agriculture to farm the bananas? No hurry for sailing. When hunting/archery?
Build worker first for mines & roads, then warrior.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

For reasons that I'll explain in the next post, if you do encounter any issues while playing this game, please contact AlanH about them.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Just to clarify - this game comes courtesy of Ainwood. I have no time to prepare one last week, so Ainwood has kindly stepped in with a game that he's been playing and thought would make a good BOTM. So he's supplied the game and the text for the game announcement in the first post of this thread, and Alan's done all the uploading stuff. A consequence of this is that, despite the thread being ostensibly in my name, I actually know basically nothing about the map other than that what I've read in this thread - and I'm determined to keep it that way just in case I can find time to play this game later in the month.


There are two other comments Ainwood made in the staff forum, and I'm reposting those here in order to ensure everyone starts with exactly the same information (since I've seen them and any of the other GOTM staff who may play might also have read them):

Ok - its a bit of a dream monarch start, especially for a financial civ....

Anyway I'm sure warmongers will do exceptionally well, but the way it plays out, it does give options for others.

and

Its a standard monarch game. Just plays quite well.

I believe both of those statements were made before the minor edits mentioned in the first post.

Right that's it. You guys now know exactly what I know

A consequence of all this, as mentioned in the last post, is that if you have any problems you should contact AlanH about them. Ainwood isn't really responsible for games, he's kindly donated this one, and I imagine it would not be polite if as a result he had participants badgering him with PMs of crash reports and 'why does the game do X on turn Y' and such like. I on the other hand am supposedly responsible for the game so should in theory be badgerable but I'd quite like to leave myself free of accidental spoiler info, just in case that 1% chance happens and I get more than 5 minutes free time before this game ends... Which leaves Alan!

 

[AlanH]

Thanks, DS ... I think

I can't promise to answer detailed questions about how the game plays, as I haven't tested it and wouldn't know how to. However, please contact me as DS asks, and I'll do my best.

 

[haphazard1]

Wow...that is quite a start. And financial, too.

Not quite sure how to interpret those comments about "playing well"...with this kind of start on Monarch, certainly there must be something adding difficultly to the game? Or is this GOTM just a bit on the easier side? Even I might be able to win this one.

I will move the warrior to the gem hill to check those fogged tiles. If there is something nice, I will consider settling 1S; otherwise settle in place. The extra hammer in the capital is very useful for a faster start. Losing a future levee is unfortunate, but I do save a forest and can later cottage that tile.

"Warmongers will do exceptionally well"...someone nearby for a skirm rush, perhaps? After a couple basic techs (fishing, etc.) I will push for Hunting and Archery to get my skirms under production. We shall see what the neighborhood is like. Longer term...early Metal Casting seems obvious. With all the goodies at the capital, early CS push will be vital as well.

 

[azzaman333]

Ok, what's the catch?

 

[Niklas]

I guess someone thought you needed a break after BOTM 18...

I consider settling on the banana. Lots of water isn't all that bad as Financial, and it keeps all the resources, plus enables a faster worker and faster early growth. And you can settle on turn 1 too.

 

[Capt Buttkick]

At least scout the banana first, in case you're thinking of moving S. Could be more sea resources out there, or am I being a touch greedy now?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Wow...that is quite a start. And financial, too.

Not quite sure how to interpret those comments about "playing well"...with this kind of start on Monarch, certainly there must be something adding difficultly to the game? Or is this GOTM just a bit on the easier side? Even I might be able to win this one.

I wouldn't read too much into the comments, I doubt they're too significant and I'm only putting them here to make sure everything is completely above board. Remember, this game wasn't originally even intended as a GOTM, it was, as far as I'm aware, a random game that Ainwood started playing.

 

[ainwood]

"Warmongers will do exceptionally well"...someone nearby for a skirm rush, perhaps?

This was my other comment when the GOTM staff suggested I'd let spoiler out:

Heh!

They're just the starting screenshots. I really don't think I've given anything away; just made a comment that warmongers seem to dominate the BOTMs.

 

[AlanH]

Please Note:

This game will start on Monday, 15 June - that's tomorrow for over half the planet at the time of this post.

 

[JungleIII]

If you want to practice your early rush , you can try this Test game

There are a lot of options open with Mansa Musa and Mali - should be a FUN game... looking forward to the real thing!

 

[fizikis]

If you want to practice your early rush , you can try this Test game

Thanks,

Greatly appreciated

 

[JungleIII]

If the test game is 'remotely' like the real game... I'm glad I played the first 100 turns.
I really screwed up on my tech and build direction... I had workers not doing anything, didn't grow fast enough before building wonders which stopped all growth, researched MUCH faster than expected, etc, etc, etc.
I might try the first 100 turns over to try out different strategies!

 

[chopster]

I'm going to try something different, and see if I can win a OCC in the test game.
If so, I'll try the same in the real deal, just for a giggle.