News: GOTM 30 Pre-Game Discussion

[ainwood]

GOTM 30: France

[img=right]http://civfanatics.com/civ4/info/leaders/leaders0014.jpg[/img]
I couldn't decide between a quick game (small map) or a long game (epic) this month, so I decided to mash the two together....

Game will open 1 May 2008, entries must be submitted by 1 June 2008, download and submit game at http://gotm.civfanatics.net once the game is open

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

Further, it MUST be played using HOF mod version 1.74.002. - Mac players can download their version of the 1.74.002 mod from this thread.



Game settings:
Civilization: France (Leader: Louis XIV; Traits: Industrious, Creative)
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Emperor
Map: Fractal
Mapsize: Small
Climate: Tropical
Water level: High
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Epic
Options: No Barbarians
Victory Conditions: all enabled

Louis XIV:
Louis XIV is Industrious and Creative; starting with The Wheel and agriculture. Industrious allows +50% wonder production, and double production speed for forges. Creative allows +2 culture per turn in each city, as well as double production speed of theatres & Colosseums.

Unique unit: Musketeer
The Musketeer replaces the standard musketman. It is identical to the musketman in strength (9) and cost (120), but has an extra movement point.

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




Adventurer Class bonuses:

1. Start with a worker (on plot with settler)
2. Warrior is upgraded to a swordsman.
3. Start with an archer (on plot with settler)

Challenger Class Equalisers:

1. The 4 forest plots that surround the settler (including the plot the settler is on) are changed to jungle.

 

[greatbeyond]

Adventurer gets a Swordsman? With some luck he could conquer the world on his own!

 

[Vynd]

Is it just me or is the screenshot too dark to see clearly?

 

[Markus5]

Is it just me or is the screenshot too dark to see clearly?

Looks OK to me.

 

[jadex]

I think the southern hill looks so dark because it is "world build"...

 

[JerichoHill]

Clearly the Warrior goes NE. Looks like a penisula to our South, so that's 2-3 cities before the AI encroaches us. There is a case to be made for settling on the jungle hill 2 NE of the settler to get in a few more cities

 

[Markus5]

I think moving the capitol inland might be a good idea, too. Expand the empire in that direction and then fill in a couple of cities on the visible coast.

I like creative because you can make city placement somewhat more optimal. Industrious give you a reasonable chance for wonders that you find useful.

 

[Bugg123]

Obviously move warrior NE. And probably Settler 2xNE. Then decide.

Why does adventurer get a Swordsman, though? Someone too close that you'd rather deal with and then have a larger landmass for yourself?

 

[Affirmative]

Obviously move warrior NE. And probably Settler 2xNE. Then decide.

Why does adventurer get a Swordsman, though? Someone too close that you'd rather deal with and then have a larger landmass for yourself?

Must be something like that, as there aren't any barbarians. However, I don't really see what can be done with one swordsman against an emperor AI.

 

[toller pretzl]

Must be something like that, as there aren't any barbarians. However, I don't really see what can be done with one swordsman against an emperor AI.

You would need some luck against his capital. But it wouldn't be so hard to take out a secondary city as soon as it is founded on your doorstep. That must have been the reasoning.

 

[ainwood]

Or it could be just to get rid of a unit that is rather useless full-stop when there are zero barbs around, and give you one that might be useful later.

 

[Lexad]

Oh no, not France again.

 

[Affirmative]

Or it could be just to get rid of a unit that is rather useless full-stop when there are zero barbs around, and give you one that might be useful later.

And the plot thickens!

 

[blastoidstalker]

Oh no, not France again.

I agree, two co-current GOTM's with the same leader is a bit repetitive. And I just hate the wig!

 

[Cactus Pete]

Looks interesting . . . Hope someone will post a test game.

 

[JerichoHill]

Oh no, not France again.

No worries,in our games France actually wins

 

[dalamb]

Obviously move warrior NE. And probably Settler 2xNE. Then decide.

I'm still on Adventurer so I'd obviously move the worker 2NE to that hill to look around. I hate abandoning the fish, oops, shouldn't have said that.
Settling on hills, even non-plains hills, has its merits when the AI is so much tougher than I'm used to.

I doubt I'll live long enough to build a musketeer, but maybe I should take that as an "I'm doing really well if..." goal.

I don't see Fractal in the Map Scripts Guide; what kind of map does it give you?

 

[DaviddesJ]

on GOTM29 I learned ....

That's a spoiler when GOTM29 is still running.

 

[dalamb]

Spoiler fixed. Jumped the gun by a day or so; sorry!

 

[Vynd]

I don't see Fractal in the Map Scripts Guide; what kind of map does it give you?

It's a rather unpredictable map type. It'll almost certainly give several landmasses and islands, which may or may not be separated by ocean. Isolated starts are possible. The land itself tends to be kind of stretched out, snaky. Penninsulas, bays, isthmuses (isthumi?) aren't uncommon.

Given the map type and the other settings I'm expecting that we'll be sharing a landmass with at least one opponent. I'd be kind of surprised if we can reach everywhere without Astronomy. Good land to settle and develop will probably be in short supply early in the game.