News: GOTM 81 - Starts 1 August

[neilmeister]

GOTM 81: Builder or Warmonger

Are you a builder or a warmonger?, that is the choice you have to make this month. The ancient land bridge between Asia and North America has sunk beneath the waves, but which side are you on. The chinese made it across to the Americas, but the mongols didn't. You can choose to play either as Qin (contender save), or Kublai Khan (challenger save). So, are you going to build up the cities, or tear them down?

To help you along, there are no barbarians.


Game settings:

Civilization: China or Mongolia (Leaders: Qin; Traits: Financial, Industrious. OR Kublai Khan; Traits: Aggressive, Creative.)
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Prince
Map: Terra
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No barbs, Goody Huts NOT removed.
Victory Conditions: all enabled

Qin or KK:
Qin is Financial and Industrious; starting with Mining and Agriculture. Your Financial trait gives +1 commerce on plots with at least 2 commerce. Your Industrious trait gives you +50% wonder production and double production speed for forges.

Kublai Khan is Aggressive and Creative; starting with Hunting and The Wheel.
Your Creative trait gives +2 Culture per city, double production speed of Theatre and Colosseum. Your Aggressive trait gives free Combat 1 promotion for Melee & Gunpowder units, double production speed of Barracks and Drydock.

Unique unit: Cho-Ko-Nu (replaces Crossbowmen)
Cho-Ko-Nu receives 2 first strikes, causes collateral damage and +50% vs. Melee Units. It requires Iron, Archery & Machinery.

Unique unit: Keshik (replaces Horse Archer)
Keshik 1 receives first strike, doesn't receive defensive bonuses, ignores terrain movement costs, +50% attack vs. Catapult and Trebuchet, can withdraw from combat (20% chance), flank attack vs. Catapults and Trebuchets (phew, thats a lot). It requires Horse, Horseback Riding & Archery.

Starting screenshot

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




Adventurer Class Bonuses:

1. China at Noble: You play this game at Noble difficulty.

Contender Class:

1. China: You play this game as Qin.

Challenger Class:

1. Mongolia: You play this game as Kublai Khan
   Your victory will incorrectly display as a loss, please ignore and submit:

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open on 1 August 2012. From that date, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.
Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 1 September 2012.

Software Versions

Windows: This game MUST be played in Civilization 4 (NOT Warlords or BTS), patched to version 1.74, and with the HOF mod version 1.74.004 installed. You can download the HOF mod here. Players using Windows Vista are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.

Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Civilization 4 (NOT Warlords), patched to version 1.74, and with the Mac HOF mod version 1.74.002 installed. You can download the HOF 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 the game outside those threads while it is in progress.

Please write here or send me a Private Message for any technical queries, eg. if you have trouble opening the game. Do NOT post in this thread once you have successfully opened the starting save.

 

[matthew9890]

Nice idea. So the choice is between being by yourself on the new world or being on the crowded old continent? I suppose its better to be on the old continent if you're trying for a quick win (conquest, religious, domination), but it would be easier to expand if you're on the new one. Is the map modified at all? At Prince you can basically just self tech everything, so I guess being on the new continent would probably be fine for space colony. I might try that as the new world looks to have a better start to me. SIP looks good, Plains Hill next to a river, pigs and fish, 3 Flood Plains and gems, what more could you want? (Ok, maybe some marble or stone ) Then build second city somewhere near the gold. I suppose it would also be nice to settle where the warrior is instead. No fresh water or but still a plains hill and two food resources and you get the gold and gems together. Its a bit hard to fog gaze the south of the map though, which I might want to settle to get the fish if I settle on the warriors tile.

 

[cas]

Guess I will settle in the new world / Qin. move warrior towards the hut and hope for something nice on 2nd turn. SIP. fishing-wheel-pottery. worker-wb-warrior.

I wonder if barbs will become a nuisance all alone on the new world...only prince difficulty...maybe not.

My guess is old world is still faster for every VC...unless you're stuck next to Toku/Shaka/Monty. Even then...you have the chance of trading partners and the AI building cities/wonders for you to take easily on prince.

@matthew9890 - no religious VC in vanilla Civ.

@myself - remember no math needed for CS sling on vanilla this time.

cas

 

[justjohn]

I wonder if barbs will become a nuisance all alone on the new world...only prince difficulty...maybe not.

No barbs whatsoever - according to the options.

 

[cas]

No barbs whatsoever - according to the options.

ah, well...that makes things easier. no fogbusting needed.

cas

 

[matthew9890]

@matthew9890 - no religious VC in vanilla Civ.

Oh thanks, that could have been awkward. I always forget that not all the GOTMs are BtS. I should refresh my knowledge of the differences.

 

[Greeder]

Well, where are saves????

 

[Jouzou]

To me, the Qin start has "Culture" written all over it. The guy's got solid traits for it and the land looks very good. Add that to the fact that you probably don't have to deal with AIs before they get astro. Isolation means no religious spread, but considering the difficulty, it's a pretty safe bet that you're able to found your own. As for opening, I think I'll send warrior SW. If there's seafood 3W of the settler (or a very good resource 3W1S), I'll go 1W. Otherwise, in place.

In the Kublai game, I see no reason not to settle 1NW for the fish.

 

[wwassme]

Someone remind me how a culture bridge works in Vanilla. If we place a city properly, will we be able to get a galley across the Bering Strait (assuming that it is not excessively wide)?

 

[Cactus Pete]

Innovative concept; interesting choice; no save and getting late down under.

Don't believe the keshik has flank attack, certainly not against trebs in Vanilla.

Would like to understand how the juxtaposed screen shot was created.

 

[Htadus]

Innovative concept; interesting choice; no save and getting late down under.

Don't believe the keshik has flank attack, certainly not against trebs in Vanilla.

Ha ha CP nice try. No trebs in Vanilla.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Someone remind me how a culture bridge works in Vanilla. If we place a city properly, will we be able to get a galley across the Bering Strait (assuming that it is not excessively wide)?

Galleys and workboats can go into ocean tiles as long as they are within your cultural boundaries, or (in vanilla) the cultural boundaries of an AI that you have open borders with (Important: but not one you're at war with!) Culture will only ever stretch onto a coastal tile and one tile beyond that into the ocean - never further than that over ocean. This means that if there are only three tiles between the two land masses, or four tiles and an AI has a city in the right place on the other side, a well placed city will enable your workboats to get to the the other continent.

The snag is that you can't see whether it's possible without actually founding the city, so personally I wouldn't do it unless the site is a reasonable place for a city anyway - too much risk of a dud city draining your economy without having actually given you anything.

 

[lymond]

Hey Neil - Isn't it Aug 2 down there. Still no game

 

[JungleIII]

Maybe they will extend the submission deadline since it is now 2 days late getting the game up as promised...

 

[neilmeister]

Sorry guys, I have fixed the problem. Its amazing how much one has to do to get these games going. No extension of deadline though

Starting screenies were taken as normal, then I opened one in paint, made it twice as wide and pasted in the other screenshot.

Just a word of advice for those that may not have picked it up:
Qin is in the new world, even if you play as KK.

 

[lymond]

Qin is in the new world, even if you play as KK.

I'm really glad you mentioned this, as I did want to start in the new world, but had the Mongols on my mind I think because I assumed staring in the Old World would be considered the easier or "Contender" option. Not sure what your thinking was in making them reversed.

 

[ZPV]

Looking at the Qin screenie, the stars are calling me. If there are enough resources, the map could be a fast one. I just need to remember not to revolt during a golden age

 

[cas]

I think because I assumed staring in the Old World would be considered the easier or "Contender" option. Not sure what your thinking was in making them reversed.

Might be easier for some players with skill level at prince or lower to survive and win the game. Of course, isolated starts have their own challenges...but no barbs helps too.

Just a guess.

cas

 

[Conquistador 63]

Depending on last month GOTM results, there is a slight chance I might try for a big fat cow this time.

If that is the case, I wonder which start is better suited to that goal. Possibly the old world save - dominate that landmass and raze almost all the new world cities and cruise to a Time victory?

In any case, a very creative and intriguing game setup, kudos to neilmeister for bringing it up!

 

[MeowZeDung]

Isolated start on the new world, Prince difficulty, a Fin/Ind leader, and no barbs? Yeah. Me likey.