News: WOTM 04 Pre-Game Discussion

[Gyathaar]

WOTM 04: Octavian (Augustus Caesar), The First Roman Emperor

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/wotm04civ.jpg[/img]

This game MUST be played in Warlords patch version 2.08. We will NOT accept any games played under any other patch versions, and you can't play it in vanilla (plain) Civilization4!

Further, it MUST be played using the latest version of HOF mod for Warlords. This is currently version 2.08.002, but there will most likely be a new version out before the game opens.



Game settings:
Civilization: Rome (Leader: Octavian (Augustus Caesar); Traits: Creative & Organized)
Rivals: 6
Difficulty: Emperor (Augustus was the first Emperor after all..)
Map: Fractal (pangea-like)
Mapsize: Standard, cylindrical
Climate: Temperate
Water level: Low
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: marathon
Victory Conditions: all enabled
Other settings: all standard settings (unchecked)


Augustus Caesar:
Augustus is Creative and Organized; starting with fishing and mining. Creative gives +2 culture in all cities without any improvements, and gives double production on libraries, theatres and collosseums. Organized reduces civic upkeeps to half, and gives double production on lighthouses, courthouses and factories. The two bolded buildings received the double production with 2.08 patch.

Unique unit: Praetorian (iron working)
The Praetorian replaces the swordsman. The Praetorian looses the +10% city attack bonus swordsmen has, and they cost more (90 hammers instead of 80 hammers on marathon speed), however their strength is 8 instead of the 6 of swordsmen, and you can keep building praetorians untill you discover rifling (instead of civil service for normal swordsmen)

Unique building: Forum (currency)
The Forum replaces the normal market. It has same effects as the normal market, but in addition gives +25% great people points in the city where it has been constructed.

The starting screenshot is here (Click for larger version)


Adventurer Class bonuses:

1. Start with a worker and an archer.
2. Start with knowledge of The Wheel.

Challenger Class Equalizers:

1. Start without the starting warrior

Since this game will go over the holiday season, you will have 6 weeks to complete the game, and it is on marathon speed.
(WOTM5 will still start on Jan. 15th 2007)

 

[asabahi]

I do not understand the reason why we keep getting fractal maps for wotm. Anyway, I think my first 2-3 builds will be fishing boats and a beeline to writing to build the cheap libs and run a couple of scientists. I would not move the settler.

 

[Civicide]

What is it with GOTM/WOTM opening city spots and clams? Seriously, it seems like 3 of the past four have had clams as a resource. Not that I have anything against clams, just saying...

In any case, if ever there was a city spot born for early warfare, this is it. Four food resources and four plains hills ... too bad its potential for commerce is pretty much nil, apart from the sea.

I don't think I've ever played a game on Marathon, nor a game on Emperor difficulty unless I was just messing around, so I don't expect to come out of this with a victory, but I will sure enjoy the challenge!

(...until my wars fail, my rivals are 20 techs ahead of me, and my poor citizens are begging me to capitulate to the vastly superior surrounding cultures...)

 

[Airny]

I won't complain, course this looks like much fun to me.
I sucked last game WOTM, so I doubt I can do it at emperor.
Augustus rocks, perhaps I'll try a culture victory; depends on the map.
Fractal is ok, but why do you give us a hint (pangea-like)? Then better use a pangea map.
I don't like epic, so I guess I'll hate marathon.
I'll have enough time over christmas, but will I have enough patience?

This looks like a perfect starting position:
We got river, plain-hills, 3clam, 1wheat and a lot 3h-tiles which can be 4h+chopping bonus.
We cannot settle into the wrong position, so I am quite sure we will have iron.
We can choose to between ealy attack with Praetorian or culture/science with cheaper libraries and a great market-bonus

 

[Ribannah]

Looks like happiness is scarce, i.e. we won't be able to use all those good tiles.

 

[Gyathaar]

What is it with GOTM/WOTM opening city spots and clams? Seriously, it seems like 3 of the past four have had clams as a resource. Not that I have anything against clams, just saying...

This is actually the first WOTM with any kind of water food resource..

 

[DaviddesJ]

Yuck. I was really looking forward to WOTM reaching the emperor level, so I could play an interesting game. But marathon? I certainly don't have time or interest for that. Why does the first (and perhaps only for a while?) WOTM at a significant difficulty level have to be at a pace that clearly most people don't prefer? Just to knock it back down to the equivalent of Monarch?

 

[strollen]

I've almost finished a Warlords game as Augustus, at Monarch with the latest Blake AI. This was a tough game, that I was forced to reload and go back several hundred years, which wouldn't have been particularly unusual for me..
Except this was around 1300 AD and I was leading!. The much improved AI makes the game challenging through most of game not just the beginning.

Emperor and Monarch, I'll give the game a shot, but this will be a serious time commitment.

 

[Bally]

What's up with the refresh on the HOF mod? Can you elaborate a little on the fixes targeted for HOF mod 2.08.00X?

You're scaring me with the penisula in this game (as well as the level and speed - will be quite a challenge). I can just imagine being stuck on a small island off the main continent and having to swim to the competition!

 

[Gyathaar]

What's up with the refresh on the HOF mod? Can you elaborate a little on the fixes targeted for HOF mod 2.08.00X?

2.08.003 will mostly be more bugfixes..
like fix the bug with using great people multiple times, fix the bug that prevents spawning of barbarian galleys and spears, fixing a bug with domestic advisor and some other minor bugfixes.
Also includes italian translations of HOF mod spesific stuff I believe

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

Plains/Hill - my favorite starting square. I can't imaging finding anything with the warrior that would cause me to change that. Only debate is worker or workboat first.

EDIT: Almost definately workboat first. It takes a long time to make the worker valuable with Bronze Working, which with a quick look will take 41-47 turns to get.

 

[Ribannah]

Beware of barb galleys though, now that the spawning bug is going to be fixed. I would not do to build 3 Workboats only to see them destroyed.

 

[Lexad]

Hills and food, no commerce, marathon and pangea, romans... Well, hello there, Mr. Praetorian Rush! Unless evil viking has removed Iron from the vicinity

 

[Snetsinger]

That's so much food resources for one city. I don't know how I'll handle that.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Why does the first (and perhaps only for a while?) WOTM at a significant difficulty level have to be at a pace that clearly most people don't prefer?

The last WOTM wasn't at a significant difficulty level????? Have you read the spoilers from it?

I am with you on being a bit apprehensive about marathon though, especially as I normally go spacerace and the map is low water level (so triple whammy for me on time the game will take). I can see why Gyathaar has chosen this month to do it though.

 

[DaviddesJ]

The last WOTM wasn't at a significant difficulty level????? Have you read the spoilers from it?

No. I guess I could read the spoilers, now, since there's no time left for me to play the game myself.

I don't object to Monarch games. I just would rather play Emperor. I was looking forward to this one---until I saw it.

Maybe we'll have Immortal next month. But I fear I'll be disappointed again.

Maybe I'll just go back and play WOTM3, while everyone else is playing WOTM4.

 

[Ribannah]

Two questions: is it possible that all AI's become your vassals and if so, what happens - is the game won? What happens if an AI becomes your vassal and it has a vassal of its own? Does that become your vassal, too?

 

[Erkon]

Two questions: is it possible that all AI's become your vassals and if so, what happens - is the game won? What happens if an AI becomes your vassal and it has a vassal of its own? Does that become your vassal, too?

One answer: I won a conquest victory in WOTM1 when the final AI became a vasal state to me, so in the first case you describe, you would win a conquest victory as far as I understand the rules.

 

[siggboy]

That's so much food resources for one city. I don't know how I'll handle that.

How about using the crabs to run the four plains hills and the wheat to run a scientist from the cheap library?

--Sigi

 

[a space oddity]

Maybe I'll just go back and play WOTM3, while everyone else is playing WOTM4.

Start it now. You never know, you might be in time to submit. You wont regret it.