News: GOTM 22 Pre-Game Discussion

[ainwood]

GOTM 22: Rome

Monarch again - and its time for Rome!

This game MUST be played in patch version 1.74. We will NOT accept any games played under any other patch versions, and you can't play it in warlords!

Further, it MUST be played using HOF mod version 1.74.001.
Mac players can download their version of the 1.61.011 mod from this thread.



Game settings:
Civilization: Rome (Leader: Julius Caesar; Traits: Expansive, organised)
Rivals: 8
Difficulty: monarch
Map: Pangea
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Rocky
Water level: Low
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Epic
Options: Raging barbs, always war.
Victory Conditions: all enabled

Julius Caesar:
Julius Caesar is Organised and Expansive; starting with fishing and mining. Organised allows -50% civic maintenance, as well as double production speed of lighthouses & courthouses. Expansive allows +3 health in every city, as well as double production speed of granaries and harbors.

Unique unit: Praetorian
The Praetorian replaces the swordsman. Whilst it costs slightly more (67 hammers vs 60), this is more than compensated by the increase in base strength - 8 vs 6. It does lose the swordsman's +10% vs cities bonus though.

The starting screenshot is here (click for a bigger version!)


Adventurer Class bonuses:

1. 
   Adventurer:
2. Free Archer (on plot with settler)
3. Free worker (on plot with warrior)

Challenger Class Equalisers:

1. Start without mining.

 

[Markus5]

Screenshot?

Always war, ugh. Not my favorite.
Epic, Pangea, Low sea-level: I hope real-life doesn't intrude much.

This will be a slog.

 

[ainwood]

Screenshot?

Always war, ugh. Not my favorite.
Epic, Pangea, Low sea-level: I hope real-life doesn't intrude much.

This will be a slog.

I'll fix the link tonight....

 

[caeru71]

Looking forward to this game, get praetorians quickly and kick AI ass.

 

[Shono Mercy]

As much as I want to compete with the GOTMs, I can't because when I submitted my GOTM 21 save, it still states that I have a 1.61 version of Civ4 although I already updated it as shown on the following image...

Game: C-IV GOTM 21
Date submitted: 2007-08-16
Reference number: 15245
Your name: Shono Mercy
Your email: *****
Software Version: C4 1.61 for Windows
Mod: Mods/HOF-1.74.001/
Entry class: Contender
Game status: ******
Game date: ******
Base score: ****
Final score: *****
Submitted save: *******.Civ4SavedGame
Renamed file: Shono_Mercy_C4021_C4161_01.Civ4SavedGame
Replay file: *******.Civ4Replay
Renamed file: Shono_Mercy_C4021_C4161_01.Civ4Replay

 

[Mad Professor]

Screenshot?

Always war, ugh. Not my favorite.
Epic, Pangea, Low sea-level: I hope real-life doesn't intrude much.

This will be a slog.

Ya. And rocky, just in case anyone wanted to speed it up with horse archers or chariots.

I've never played an always war game. That would change things quite a bit. WW would become a problem wouldn't it? It would also open up early oppertunities and dangers as well. Does it mean you, the human player are at war with all other civs, but they are not at war with each other? Or are they at war with each other too? the former would be a lot more difficult, would it not?

 

[JungleIII]

Hi all... here is a test game to try and hone your skills for this much more interesting challenge than the last WOTM... I just suck at playing Japan...

I'm hoping this game will be much more interesting and fun... although not a fan of "always war"

Give it a try...

 

[Harbourboy]

I can't see how I will get time for this. Not because of RL, but because I'm still doing G-Minor 25, there is G-Major 15 and G-Minor 26 out now, plus BTS-Beta 2. Not to mention that I haven't started WOTM12 yet, and it's my turn in SGOTM5 in a day or so.

Something will have to give, and it may have to be this vanilla GOTM......

 

[ainwood]

Link updated to show the picture correctly.

 

[magpie_robert]

Does it mean you, the human player are at war with all other civs, but they are not at war with each other? Or are they at war with each other too? the former would be a lot more difficult, would it not?

As soon as you meet someone, war is declared. You have to eliminate them to end that war. And you're right - the AIs are not at war with each other. They can declare on each other but their "mutual military struggle" against you helps keep them on friendly terms.

This game is going to require a lot of time.

 

[zafyro]

i´m thinking on moving warrior to Sw and depending on scouting results settle in place or move one SW with the settlers

 

[Grampaw]

Ya. And rocky, just in case anyone wanted to speed it up with horse archers or chariots.

Does it mean you, the human player are at war with all other civs, but they are not at war with each other? Or are they at war with each other too? the former would be a lot more difficult, would it not?

It means they are always at war with YOU! But they become good buddies with EACH OTHER, due to fighting a common enemy. It is not easy, and Pangea means they all come at you from any direction.

 

[Vynd]

The folks who are skilled at super-fast military victories will probably do OK at this one. Unfortunately for me, that's precisely the kind of strategy I'm terrible at.

 

[Conquistador 63]

@ Vynd: we're on the same boat.

WOTM11 was also AW. It was Warlord level but it turned out to be a much harder game. The quick game speed and the map itself made warmongering much harder. This is going to be the contrary - epic speed and packed pangaea map. I am not sure if this will make the game easier or harder. Test games are mandatory, at least for me.

On the starting area, there is jungle in the fog to the north. Warrior will climb the pighills. But I can't see a reason not to settle 1SW. Agri (or Hunting?) for AH, BW, IW, Wheel are the techs I'll go after.

I suspect worker stealing will be harder on AW, so worker first might make sense.

 

[Kennigit]

Gotta watch out for warriors coming for capital. If start worker first then a warrior could come around, meet us, and go straight in for the kill. Founding on the plains hill and working the floodplains makes it even IIRC, so that Rome grows to size 2 the same turn it builds a warrior for some security.

I'm smelling iron in the fat cross

 

[Fold]

Cool, more new things to try

Have I totally missed a final spoiler thread for GOTM 21? How do I submit my game?

 

[Tosti11]

Gotta watch out for warriors coming for capital. If start worker first then a warrior could come around, meet us, and go straight in for the kill. Founding on the plains hill and working the floodplains makes it even IIRC, so that Rome grows to size 2 the same turn it builds a warrior for some security.

I'm smelling iron in the fat cross

I agree with the watching out for warriors coming to claim our capitol, so i will build warrior, worker, warrior, worker, settler, warrior, settler. The goal is to get three good cities (with barracks perhaps) with iron and build Praets early. We will need to get some military tech advantage early and maintain that throughout the game due to always war if we are to have a chance against the 8 AI. I will tech AH, BW, IW, Wheel as someone else suggested. Alphabet will be useless since no one will trade with us and we can't gift it to AI for peace, so i will most likely go for Praets, then head to construction ASAP. a CS slingshot would be nice, but is not likely with the AI not trading with us. Stonehenge would be nice for cultural defense, and saving hammers for Praets instead of obelisks.

I am inclined to settle 1SW, but am obviously not sure if iron will show up on that hill or not. the extra production, plus saving the forest on the starting hill, while still getting the defensive bonus are quite appealing. But, we might be giving up iron in the fat cross by moving. those two hills to our NE are both forest free which is a prereq for iron to show up. We would at least get them in the second border expansion. This smells of a very difficult game. i would love to have the time to play it and a test game, but I don't see RL letting that happen ... (I am getting married in less than two weeks ) Good luck all, as it is i may not be around much for a few weeks

 

[Tosti11]

Cool, more new things to try

Have I totally missed a final spoiler thread for GOTM 21? How do I submit my game?

You submit your game on the game of the month homepage, on the right side there is a Submit GOTM link. you need your final save and the replay file.

 

[MarkM]

Oh well, not much incentive to resume playing non-BTS games here! WOTM11 was the last one I played, and the always-war setting is what burned me out. Looks like my WOTM withdrawal will go into its third month

 

[Lexad]

Monarch = AI start with roaming archer... Well, Stalin challenger WOTM on Noble was a toughie, so this one is gonna be killa. I hardly see any peaceful victory, unless it's just an unfinished aggro one.