[BTS] News: BOTM161 - Pacal II

[kcd_swede]

Hi y'all,
I got suckered back into a one-off substitution to keep these games coming as we all love to see them coming. You who do not know me from before, I should caution to never trust a mapmaker. The only exception to that rule is the promise you should be challenged and have fun. You will need to be flexible in adapting your strategies to the conditions on the ground, which for me is the greatest thing about all the CIV games (and I got hooked on the first one, and will sell my CD's on E-Bay one day...) So here's the deal for this Game of the Month:
--------------------------

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm161civ.jpg[/img]

Here is a one-off comeback mapmaking effort by me. A kind of mystery map that started as an inland sea, and Vikings appear prominently. The rest you'll have to figure out as you go along.




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



Game settings:
Playing as: Pacal II of Maya
Rivals: 6 AI
Difficulty: Monarch

Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: no huts, no events, barbs with Noble level techs
Victory Conditions: All enabled


Map settings:
Map: In-Land Sea, High Seas
World Wrap: Flat
Mapsize: Standard

Your traits: Financial & Expansive

Expansive: +2 health per city.
Double production speed of Granary and Harbor.
25% faster production of Workers.

Financial: +1 commerce on plots with at least 2 commerce.

and you start with knowledge of Mysticim & Mining




Unique unit Holkan
Unique unit for Mayans; Replaces Spearman
Immune to first strikes
+100% vs. Mounted Units



Unique building Ball Court; for the Maya; Replaces Colosseum
+3

+1

per 20%

rate



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 1 October 2018, 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=70161

Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 1 November 2018.

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.

 

[lymond]

Oh no..a swede special!

You who do not know me from before, I should caution to never trust a mapmaker.

or a Saints fan

 

[krikav]

Looking forward to thi, inland sea is one of my favourite scripts and here I will imagine it as Östersjön!

 

[mscellaneous]

Just finished BOTM 158, looking forward to play this one!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

The evil swede is already living up to his reputation with that start... What a decision!

• Settle in place and orphan the deer (not that that's an especially good tile anyway). Not too bad for production if you want to go for quick domination/conquest, but pretty rubbish as a long-term science capital. And in the long run you half-waste loads of riverside tiles coz you can't build a levee there.
• Settle NE and you do get all the food, but lose a turn. Capital still looks OK for production and wastes fewer river tiles, but would need to move the capital later if playing for science.
• SW/SE are the only places you can go to without losing a turn. But both lose a flood-plains and neither has enough food for my liking.
• S is probably the least bad option for a commerce capital but still looks a bit short of food. Could eventually make a pretty decent production city, especially later on with levees, but probably will be too slow to grow in the early game.

Looks unlikely that the scout will be able to reveal much on the first turn either.

I think I may end up going for NE, on the grassland-forest, but I don't feel very certain.

 

[kcd_swede]

Baa baa little lamb....

...or silence of the lambs?

 

[kcd_swede]

Oh no..a swede special!


or a Saints fan

Still smarting from the OT Bree's?

 

[lymond]

Still smarting from the OT Bree's?

ha..yep, that one smarted, but we shall get revenge in Nawlins!!!

 

[kcd_swede]

ha..yep, that one smarted, but we shall get revenge in Nawlins!!!

We shall see. Ragnar Lothbruk says not, but what does he know?

 

[WastinTime]

The evil swede is already living up to his reputation with that start... What a decision!

• Settle in place and orphan the deer (not that that's an especially good tile anyway). Not too bad for production if you want to go for quick domination/conquest, but pretty rubbish as a long-term science capital. And in the long run you half-waste loads of riverside tiles coz you can't build a levee there.
• Settle NE and you do get all the food, but lose a turn. Capital still looks OK for production and wastes fewer river tiles, but would need to move the capital later if playing for science.
• SW/SE are the only places you can go to without losing a turn. But both lose a flood-plains and neither has enough food for my liking.
• S is probably the least bad option for a commerce capital but still looks a bit short of food. Could eventually make a pretty decent production city, especially later on with levees, but probably will be too slow to grow in the early game.

Looks unlikely that the scout will be able to reveal much on the first turn either.

I think I may end up going for NE, on the grassland-forest, but I don't feel very certain.

That's a lot of options, but I don't see my current top pick. Settle E. On the ph/sheep. But I haven't scouted yet, so it might not be a good idea.

 

[WastinTime]

Vikings:
Will trade extra happy resources: Friendly
Will trade extra health resources: Cautious
Fav civic: Hereditary Rule

 

[krikav]

That's a lot of options, but I don't see my current top pick. Settle E. On the ph/sheep. But I haven't scouted yet, so it might not be a good idea.

That gives an extra hammer, but no extra food, right?
Why is that option tempting?
I haven't opened up the game yet, and it hard to see from the screenshot, but isn't that more floodplains 2W and 2W1S of the settler? Moving the warrior SE would reveal if settle on PH-Sheep could be a good option.

 

[lymond]

It is always "what you see is what you get".....if you settle on 3F tiles you get 3 food. If you settle on 2H tiles you get 2 hammers.

probably only tempting based on what warrior reveals, but SIP looks like best option to me not knowing anything else. (sometimes we can overthink the starting move)

 

[krikav]

"What you see is what you get", very nice! Have been suprised before when settliing some calendar resource with the hope of gaining an extra commerce, now I understand that it's only when riverside you get that bonus.

This opening in mind, could be that Wastin is after the total of 4 hammers for the exp-bonus. Oh well, SiP gives us that after border pop.
I'm going silent here now since:
"Once you have opened the start file, you MAY NOT post in the pre-game discussion or game release threads!"
Good luck everyone!

 

[WastinTime]

That gives an extra hammer, but no extra food, right?
Why is that option tempting?

you'd still get one sheep and 2 FPs. But you're right, not a great move. It's only tempting if the warrior reveals there's something worth moving for.

 

[WastinTime]

could be that Wastin is after the total of 4 hammers for the exp-bonus

exactly. I hate playing EXP leader and not starting with 4h.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

exactly. I hate playing EXP leader and not starting with 4h.

Go for one of my suggestions: Settle 1NE: You can still work 4h from the start because of the 3H forest-plains-hill next to that tile. But you get miles more food!

EDIT. Oh hang on, you're right. 1E is better. 1NE gives you 4h to benefit from being expansive, but no additional bonuses. 1E gives you the extra hammer in the capital AS WELL As the chance to work 4h

 

[DynamicSpirit]

It is always "what you see is what you get".....if you settle on 3F tiles you get 3 food. If you settle on 2H tiles you get 2 hammers.

"what you see is what you get" - oh, is that how it works? I have to admit I've always wondered what the rule is. And I guess ditto, if the tile gives 2C, then you get 2C if you settle on it.

Thinking through all the combinations of tiles that give an extra food, hammer, or commerce on the city-centre tile, I think you're right. Everything I can think of conforms to your rule.

In case there are any newbies reading this, I guess we should clarify that what counts is how much food/hammers/commerce the tile would give after removing any forest/jungle/flood-plains, and without any improvements on the tile.

 

[lymond]

Yep, city is going to remove those features so it is what's underneath that counts. The city tile does not "enhance" any terrain or resource, being another way to look at it.

 

[WastinTime]

The city tile does not "enhance" any terrain

desert