News: GOTM59 - Starts 1 October

[leif erikson]

GOTM 59: Greece

This month you will be playing as Alexander the Great of Greece. Will your great Phalanx trample the powers that surround you, or shall you awe them with your cultural achievements?

Game settings:

Civilization: Greece (Leader: Alexander; Traits: Philosophical, Aggressive)
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Prince
Map: Fractal
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: Note that most Goody Huts have been removed.
Victory Conditions: all enabled

Alexander:

Alexander is Philosophical and Aggressive; starting with Fishing and Hunting. As you are Philosophical, you get +100% Great People birth rate and you also get double production speed of University. Being Aggressive you get free promotion to CBT1 for melee and gunpowder units and you also get double production speed of Barracks and Drydock.

Unique unit: Phalanx (replaces Spearman)

It has a strength of 5 with +25% defense on hills and +100% versus mounted units. The Phalanx requires copper or iron.

Starting screenshot

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




Adventurer Class bonuses:

Noble: You play the game at Noble difficulty, AI will receive Prince starting units.


Challenger Class Equalisers:

Monarch: You play the game at Monarch difficulty, AI will receive Prince starting units and you will score as if playing on Prince.



To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open on 1 October 2010. 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 November 2010.


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. Please 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.

 

[Deckhand]

Move scout NW,SW to plains hill and settle on plains hill to E if that doesn't change our mind?

 

[Conquistador 63]

^Depends on your intended victory type, I guess. Going for the eastern PH means adding a lot of ocean tiles, losing at least 1 FP and the western PH. I think I'll settle in place and go for a peaceful culture victory this time.

p.s. I got Civ5 but still not sure if I like it more than Civ4 - the level of participation in the future Civ4 GOTMs might play a role on my decision to stick with 4, go for 5 or look elsewhere for my gaming time.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Move scout NW,SW to plains hill and settle on plains hill to E if that doesn't change our mind?

Another option might be to send the Scout NW + NE or NW + N.

If you don't see that much beyond a bunch more Forests, you can move 1S. That way, we'll keep all visible Resources and Hills, while picking up a Grassland Hills square.

 

[Holy Cheese]

Just for the sake of good order, note that the write up in original post has the leader title as Asoka, not Alexander - not important, as the description is for Alexander...but as I said, just for the sake of good order

Cheers
Jack

 

[WelshGandalf]

Hmmm, since we start with fishing & we have clam, could be a case for an early fishing boat, especially if we get the extra shield on the PH.

I'm favouring scout NW then SW, and moving the settler E from where a good view can be had of the surrounding area. Probably settle on the PH on turn 2 but if the scout finds good stuff, could move the settler back to starting position to settle. Just worried about medium/long-term shield production for this city if I settle 1E.

Think I'm gonna try for a military-based campaign, whether or not the victory ends up that way too I don't know. *goes to read up on Phalanx strategies*

 

[Dhoomstriker]

Hmmm, since we start with fishing & we have clam, could be a case for an early fishing boat, especially if we get the extra shield on the PH.

I'm favouring scout NW then SE, and moving the settler E from where a good view can be had of the surrounding area. Probably settle on the PH on turn 2

Instead of moving the Scout back and forth from its starting square (I assume that SE was supposed to be a different direction), why not move the Scout 1NE onto the Plains Hills square?

If you are strongly favouring a Coastal capital, then you have the means available to you to see whether or not there will be more Seafood to the east, without wasting the Settler's movement points. That is what the Scout is there for, afterall.

That way, if more Seafood appears to the east, you'll be quite justified in sending the Settler 1E, but if there isn't any more Seafood, you can save a turn of the Settler's movement. Isn't that approach to potentially save you time in settling worth the loss of initial exploration in a different direction with the Scout?

*goes to read up on Phalanx strategies*

Note that the Phalanx unit changed between game versions, so ensure that you aren't reading BTS strategies and getting yourself confused.

 

[WelshGandalf]

Instead of moving the Scout back and forth from its starting square (I assume that SE was supposed to be a different direction), why not move the Scout 1NE onto the Plains Hills square?

Oops! I've edited my initial post, I meant SW.

Moving the scout that way means I can see a lot inland. The scout can't go there and to the PH coastal spot at the same time.

That way, if more Seafood appears to the east, you'll be quite justified in sending the Settler 1E, but if there isn't any more Seafood, you can save a turn of the Settler's movement.

Looking at it again again I think I will do what you suggest. It doesn't look like the PH on the coast is on a river anyway whereas the current spot is. So I'll sacrifice the extra shield for the long-term bonuses of being on a river plus the possibility of more interesting land tiles/resources, unless the scout spies interesting stuff from the hill.

Note that the Phalanx unit changed between game versions, so ensure that you aren't reading BTS strategies and getting yourself confused.

Yes I found this out in last month's BTS game when I came up against Alexander with my axemen. "This'll be easy" I thought...

 

[leif erikson]

Just for the sake of good order, note that the write up in original post has the leader title as Asoka, not Alexander - not important, as the description is for Alexander...but as I said, just for the sake of good order

Cheers
Jack

We have that leader name in there too many times...

for the kind heads-up.

 

[Deckhand]

We have that leader name in there too many times...

The Old Ways are Best.

 

[Meister Maggi]

I am wondering why there is no fresh water (no commerce from the river) on the plain hill E of the settler...

in any case scouting NW, SW and then move the settler there or settle in place seems reasonable...

 

[Deckhand]

I am wondering why there is no fresh water (no commerce from the river) on the plain hill E of the settler...

iirc, the river hill commerce was a BtS improvement. When we get the save, we can confirm that the hill has fresh water.

 

[Meister Maggi]

iirc, the river hill commerce was a BtS improvement. When we get the save, we can confirm that the hill has fresh water.

sure?

the plains hill E SE from the settler has commerce...I would guess (blindly) that the map was altered there creating this strange occurrence...

 

[Deckhand]

sure?

not when I posted
and much less so now

the plains hill E SE from the settler has commerce...I would guess (blindly) that the map was altered there creating this strange occurrence...

I don't know why a map alteration whould change the tile yields. So, it seems the hill 1E doesn't have fresh water.
We will see when we open the save. And I'm reasonably sure we mustn't post in this thread after we've opened the save.

and you meant W, SW

Spoiler :

so, I'm not the only one that makes directional mistakes about the opening save...

 

[leif erikson]

I don't know why a map alteration whould change the tile yields. So, it seems the hill 1E doesn't have fresh water.
We will see when we open the save. And I'm reasonably sure we mustn't post in this thread after we've opened the save.

The hill to the east is not bordered by a river, so no additional commerce.

You are correct, once you open the save, you should post only in the spoiler threads.

 

[Meister Maggi]

thanks for the info

 

[magicgunnar]

Instead of moving the Scout back and forth from its starting square (I assume that SE was supposed to be a different direction), why not move the Scout 1NE onto the Plains Hills square?

If you are moving the Scout in that direction wouldn't it be better to move it N-NE to the coastal forest? The only tile you would be missing (SE-SE from the plainhills) is not reachable from this side of the coast anyway. And the scout can continue north if that looks interesting.

To me it looks like it is desert further west, so I will probably settle in place if the scout doesn't find anything, not sure where I am going to move him yet.

 

[srad]

BOTM already finished so I will try a vanilla GOTM. Motto: "Greeks go space"

Plan: Rex like crazy (if necessary by war ) and then switch to SIM City mode and launch the ship.

 

[WelshGandalf]

I lost the BOTM in record time! GOTM is looking better though.

 

[Dhoomstriker]

If you are moving the Scout in that direction wouldn't it be better to move it N-NE to the coastal forest? The only tile you would be missing (SE-SE from the plainhills) is not reachable from this side of the coast anyway. And the scout can continue north if that looks interesting.

That's a very good point! It also helps to allieve the mental anguish of those with sensitivity towards not wanting to move a 2-movement-point unit only 1 square on the first turn.

In fact, moving the Scout where you suggested is almost as good as moving the Scout NW + N to check if sending the Settler 1S will miss anything, so I am now very tempted to move the Scout N + NE, as you suggested, and if no Seafood or additional Resources are revealed, will likely move the Settler 1S.

To me it looks like it is desert further west

Not only that, but due to the fact that the River seems to trickle away to nothingness, the Desert area to the west has a smaller chance of being useful Flood Plains squares.