[BTS] News: BOTM 198 - Hammurabi, Prince - Starts 1 Aug

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 198: Hammurabi of Babylon.

After all the excitement of the 'unusual' games the last couple months, I figured it was time to give you a completely normal, as-the-map-generator-did-it, game. So here you are, playing Hammurabi of the Babylonians, on a standard continents map. My plan to do this as an entirely unedited map didn't quite work out because when I test-played I realised the land around you was pretty crap, so I ended up adding a few resources to compensate. And then I felt morally obliged to give some of the AIs extra resources to compensate them! I've also revealed a bit more of the starting area than your units would be able to see - because what they should be able to see amounts to almost nothing! (But I didn't feel morally obliged to do the same for the AI. The AIs probably wouldn't know what to do with the extra info and would just all settle in place anyway!) Good luck!

Game settings:
Playing as: Hammurabi of Babylon
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Prince
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No goody huts, no random events
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Continents
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -90°S to 90°N

Hammurabi is Organized and Aggressive, and you start with The Wheel and Agriculture.
The Organized trait gives -50% civic upkeep and double production speed of Courthouse, Factory and Lighthouse
The Aggressive trait gives free Combat I promotion for melee and gunpowder units and double production speed of Barracks and Drydock

Unique unit: Bowman (replaces Archer)
The Bowman benefits from: 50% combat bonus against melee units. This compares with the Archer which has: no directly comparable benefits.

Unique Building: Garden (replaces Colosseum)
Maybe not the most useful of unique buildings... the garden is basically the same as the colosseum, except it gives +2 health.

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.

Challenger Class Equalizers:
Immortal-light! You play on immortal level, but I haven't changed the starting units, so the AI only starts with prince level units.

To Enter the Competition:
This competition will open at 00:01 am on 1 Aug 2020, 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 1 Sep 2020.
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 3.19.005 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.

 

[kcd_swede]

Thread title is wrong about start date (I hope). All time is relative during quarantine, though.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Thread title is wrong about start date (I hope). All time is relative during quarantine, though.

Ah, thanks yes, I've fixed it now. Starts 1 Aug. I think you're right about the pandemic and the quarantine - making me forget which month it is.

 

[Fine_Distinction]

New BOTM, yay! I messed up the #197 ans will not be able to submit and submitted #195 long time ago and was beginning to feel withdrawal symptoms Playing NC helped a bit, but BOTM is BOTM

After all the excitement of the 'unusual' games the last couple months, I figured it was time to give you a completely normal, as-the-map-generator-did-it, game.

What is wrong with "unusual" games? I for one really like them, imho every BOTM can be unusual If I want a "normal" game, I can always play on my own. Also unusual game make us abandon, to some extend, an usual "recipe" for winning, which spices things up

 

[MarleysGh0st]

Excellent!

You've added enough to make me want to settle in place. Maybe go SSE to settle on the PH, if you've also been generous with some seafood. But if not, the extra hammer would be offset by fewer chops and fewer good squares to work long-term. I doubt the warrior could reveal anything to make me want to go north or west, so settling in place it will be. A later settler could still go to the PH on the far south of our starting view to grab the seafood, if it is there.

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Excellent!

You've added enough to make me want to settle in place. Maybe go SSE to settle on the PH, if you've also been generous with some seafood. But if not, the extra hammer would be offset by fewer chops and fewer good squares to work long-term. I doubt the warrior could reveal anything to make me want to go north or west, so settling in place it will be. A later settler could still go to the PH on the far south of our starting view to grab the seafood, if it is there.

Yeah, I was also thinking SIP seems straightforward here. Just in case, I was thinking warrior NW to see if settling on silk makes any sense? But we lose corn & river, not likely something worth the move will be revealed.

Does anybody know what max health we will get with settling on all these flood plains?

and what does it mean “standard continents map”? 2? 3 continents? Or could be both 2 or 3? Is Astro always needed to reach other continents?

 

[Deckhand]

Does anybody know what max health we will get with settling on all these flood plains?

Each flood plain is .4 unhealth. So for most settling locations, 1.6 rounded down to 1.
There are four settling spots that access all 5 FPs for 2.0

 

[kcd_swede]

Y

and what does it mean “standard continents map”? 2? 3 continents? Or could be both 2 or 3? Is Astro always needed to reach other continents?

The number of continents can be selected by the mapmaker, and if they don't say, you don't know. Astro is only not needed with low seas (sometimes). Medium seas is set so you will need it to reach at least some opponents.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

and what does it mean “standard continents map”? 2? 3 continents? Or could be both 2 or 3? Is Astro always needed to reach other continents?

Try starting Civ and generating a couple of 'continents' maps - you'll soon see what it looks like. You get two large continents, one in the East, one in the West, pretty much always need astronomy to get from one to the other (I'm not giving anything away by saying that, since that info is pretty freely available and I'm sure a fair few players will already know it)

The number of continents can be selected by the mapmaker, and if they don't say, you don't know. Astro is only not needed with low seas (sometimes). Medium seas is set so you will need it to reach at least some opponents.

You're correctly describing the 'custom continents' map script, not the 'continents' one

 

[Fine_Distinction]

The number of continents can be selected by the mapmaker, and if they don't say, you don't know. Astro is only not needed with low seas (sometimes). Medium seas is set so you will need it to reach at least some opponents.

S

Try starting Civ and generating a couple of 'continents' maps - you'll soon see what it looks like. You get two large continents, one in the East, one in the West, pretty much always need astronomy to get from one to the other (I'm not giving anything away by saying that, since that info is pretty freely available and I'm sure a fair few players will already know it)



You're correctly describing the 'custom continents' map script, not the 'continents' one

Thanks! I wanted to be safe, some of the things related to maps seem slightly different on Mac, I do not have "latitudes" option at all, neither "rising seas", used in another BOTM

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Thanks! I wanted to be safe, some of the things related to maps seem slightly different on Mac, I do not have "latitudes" option at all, neither "rising seas", used in another BOTM

Ah OK. Latitudes isn't an option on Windows either: It's set automatically by the mapscript (although theoretically, GOTM mapmakers could change it manually in the WB after generating the map). I only list it in the game announcements because of a minor flaw in Civ whereby there's (as far as I know) no way to discover the latitudes of the map within the game - and you need to know the latitudes in order to know which cities you can build the space elevator in (in the rare event that you want to build it).

I didn't realise rising seas isn't an option on the mac. That's interesting.

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Ah OK. Latitudes isn't an option on Windows either: It's set automatically by the mapscript (although theoretically, GOTM mapmakers could change it manually in the WB after generating the map). I only list it in the game announcements because of a minor flaw in Civ whereby there's (as far as I know) no way to discover the latitudes of the map within the game - and you need to know the latitudes in order to know which cities you can build the space elevator in (in the rare event that you want to build it).

I didn't realise rising seas isn't an option on the mac. That's interesting.

Thanks, "latitude" was another thing I was not sure what it means, now I know

@AlanH explained why "rising seas" does not work on Mac, iirc it is coded in a way that is not transferable from Win to Mac, unlike other options. But it did not seem to be a big deal in anybody's game and I am not even sure if I played with this option ('cause of the above) ?

Mac also seems to have slightly different combinations of map types and climate, couple of times, when I was setting up a test game for BotM, the map/climate combo given in the description was not allowed on Mac (i.e. for a given map certain climate was fixed). Again, not a big deal.

 

[Mitchum]

Each flood plain is .4 unhealth. So for most settling locations, 1.6 rounded down to 1.
There are four settling spots that access all 5 FPs for 2.0

Keep in mind that with all of the forests around, from the flood plains will not be an issue in the early game.

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Starting saves are up! including Mac Thank you @DynamicSpirit & @AlanH

 

[kcd_swede]

@DynamicSpirit I hate to be the annoying one... in the release page it says the leader is Cyrus. Yet the picture is Hamarabi as it should be in a "usual" type of game. Either you made a manual error or the GOTMHelper has a mistake (either way, YOUR fault).

Scope of the Game:

• Civilization: Babylon - Unique Unit: Bowman (replaces Archer),
• Unique Building: Garden (replaces Colosseum)
• Leader: Cyrus
• Difficulty: Prince
• Map size: Standard
• Map Script: Continents

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Oh yes, thanks @kcd_swede, I need to get that fixed. It is really Hammurabi. There seems to be something weird in my Civ setup - at the moment when I generate a new game, it always names the leader Cyrus, no matter who it actually is! I'd evidently picked that up and fixed it for this thread announcement but not for the GOTM server announcement.

(I therefore count it as Civ's fault not mine )

 

[stefanos85]

I'm on the Original released unsupported version on Steam, I can load BUFFY 5 just fine but when I try to load the save file for Botm 198 I get "the save file you have selected is protected..."

I haven't installed any other mods so what can I do?

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Oh yes, thanks @kcd_swede, I need to get that fixed. It is really Hammurabi. There seems to be something weird in my Civ setup - at the moment when I generate a new game, it always names the leader Cyrus, no matter who it actually is! I'd evidently picked that up and fixed it for this thread announcement but not for the GOTM server announcement.

(I therefore count it as Civ's fault not mine )

maybe you should just stop fight it and prepar a Cyrus game next

 

[LowtherCastle]

BOTM 198: Hammurabi of Babylon.

After all the excitement of the 'unusual' games the last couple months, I figured it was time to give you a completely normal, as-the-map-generator-did-it, game. So here you are, playing Hammurabi of the Babylonians, on a standard continents map. My plan to do this as an entirely unedited map didn't quite work out because when I test-played I realised the land around you was pretty crap, so I ended up adding a few resources to compensate. And then I felt morally obliged to give some of the AIs extra resources to compensate them! I've also revealed a bit more of the starting area than your units would be able to see - because what they should be able to see amounts to almost nothing! (But I didn't feel morally obliged to do the same for the AI. The AIs probably wouldn't know what to do with the extra info and would just all settle in place anyway!) Good luck!

Game settings:
Playing as: Hammurabi of Babylon
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Prince
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No goody huts, no random events
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Continents
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -90°S to 90°N

Hammurabi is Organized and Aggressive, and you start with The Wheel and Agriculture.
The Organized trait gives -50% civic upkeep and double production speed of Courthouse, Factory and Lighthouse
The Aggressive trait gives free Combat I promotion for melee and gunpowder units and double production speed of Barracks and Drydock

Unique unit: Bowman (replaces Archer)
The Bowman benefits from: 50% combat bonus against melee units. This compares with the Archer which has: no directly comparable benefits.

Unique Building: Garden (replaces Colosseum)
Maybe not the most useful of unique buildings... the garden is basically the same as the colosseum, except it gives +2 health.

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.

Challenger Class Equalizers:
Immortal-light! You play on immortal level, but I haven't changed the starting units, so the AI only starts with prince level units.

To Enter the Competition:
This competition will open at 00:01 am on 1 Aug 2020, 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 1 Sep 2020.
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 3.19.005 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.

Name one moral when playing CIV…

 

[LowtherCastle]

Oh yes, thanks @kcd_swede, I need to get that fixed. It is really Hammurabi. There seems to be something weird in my Civ setup - at the moment when I generate a new game, it always names the leader Cyrus, no matter who it actually is! I'd evidently picked that up and fixed it for this thread announcement but not for the GOTM server announcement.

(I therefore count it as Civ's fault not mine )

Take a wrecking ball to it...