NO HOF SUBMISSIONS THIS WEEKEND

[aafritz17]

The Hall of Fame is currently not accepting submissions as we are migrating the Server to new hardware - this should be complete by 0900 BST Monday 1st August *. For most of the weekend the site will be up just not accepting new entries, but there will be a short outage at some stage.

(* For the time in other time zones please see here)

 

[zenmaster]

Thanks for the heads up!

Does this mean the gauntlets are extended for a few days at least, so we can get any last minute games in?

 

[aafritz17]

Thanks for the heads up!

Does this mean the gauntlets are extended for a few days at least, so we can get any last minute games in?

Totally meant to do this, spaced out on it.

Keep playing games. Let's figure to extend them to next weekend, so until Friday, the 8th, 2359 hours. Not sure when I'll be able to get into the gauntlet editor, but that will be the reset time.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Apologies but we are still trying to fix a bug that stops user submissions, 100% focussed on it at the moment.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

I have re-enabled submissions, however we are still on the old server - I know what the problem is but will take a few days to update the code. We will be down again this weekend for a short time to make the final swap over.

 

[aafritz17]

FYI, still trying to get the changeover completed. Hopefully today. (Having trouble with the GOTM, too.)

 

[aafritz17]

OK, looks like we're getting there. Everything seems to work properly, at least as far as we have tested. I'm still waiting on one more process, then we can start thinking about an update (which will be its OWN test!) But you can now submit games, that seems to be working just fine.

I have extended both gauntlets through August 20th, which is Saturday. I'll probably (almost certainly) do an update Sunday, and I will post a couple new gauntlets, which I'll set to run through September 30. (Any ideas on what you'd like to play?)

 

[rickyvaughn]

When’s the last time we did a culture game we couldn’t win w/ SS?

 

[zenmaster]

When’s the last time we did a culture game we couldn’t win w/ SS?

The only settings where a GreatWorks/Hotels etc. Tourism accrual will be faster than or at least competitive with a Sacred Sites are Deity level games (NOT one city challenge) OR One city challenge games on a level other than Deity. OR a non-OCC higher level Continents map game would be a bit of a challenge. You could still go Sacred Sites with that last option, but you would need science to explore and find the other continents to get Tourism going with the far off civs.

 

[zenmaster]

OK, looks like we're getting there. Everything seems to work properly, at least as far as we have tested. I'm still waiting on one more process, then we can start thinking about an update (which will be its OWN test!) But you can now submit games, that seems to be working just fine.

I have extended both gauntlets through August 20th, which is Saturday. I'll probably (almost certainly) do an update Sunday, and I will post a couple new gauntlets, which I'll set to run through September 30. (Any ideas on what you'd like to play?)

Time games are always interesting, especially with more than a month. Small, Tiny, or Duel map sizes and Quick or Normal game speed keep things reasonable. Choosing a smallish map area size map helps a lot. Islands are bad because you can space cities 3 apart rather than 4 apart, leading to more cities which equals more slowing of the computer. The Prince Tiny Lakes AnyCiv gauntlet was one of the most successful gauntlets ever by entry numbers and conversation generated, I feel. Something along those lines would be nice.

If not an AnyCiv Time gauntlet, at least make it an interesting Time game Civ with beliefs/growth/culture/happiness perks, like Byzantium (extra belief), Celts (religion/Ceilidh Hall), Aztecs (Culture/FloatingGardens), India (Number of Cities/Size change), Mayans (Great People-- though I think Mayans were the last Time game civ...), Egyptians (wonders/burial tombs), Shoshone (pathfinders/instantcitysprawl), Inca (terrace farms) ...

I have submitted two time games over the last month. Working on a 3rd. But NO Huge or Large maps please; Standard is not great either. People will not even be able to finish. I am in the midst of the Settler Huge Large Islands England game that has 7 entries in the HoF. Dinanipedro has the highest score, and according to his Link in the listing he had 140something cities. I am at turn 189 of 330 and I have 271 cities with room for a couple more. Every mouse click engenders a lag. I had stayed away for this reason, but with newer computers and chips, thought I would give it a whirl. Things were smooth up until city 210 or so. Once past 250, the serious lag began. The good news is that conquest is done. Only the 3 Maritime City-States are left on the map, and I will just leave them be . Maxing out production queues, almost all tiles have been worked, and almost all work boats have been built, so no more units to move around soon. Will stay with it for now...

That being said, for Time Games, Tiny and Duel Sizes are fine for any map; no lag danger whatsoever- and Small maps are OK without an island-type map as that will still possibly fit 100+ cities. On Tiny Maps, city count will max out from 30-50ish, and on Duel even lower of course. Small (non-Island) would run 50ish to 80ish depending on the map type chosen for more of a logistical challenge.

Anyway, those are my two cents.

 

[aafritz17]

When’s the last time we did a culture game we couldn’t win w/ SS?

The only settings where a Great/Works/Hotels etc. Tourism accrual will be faster than or at least competitive with a Sacred Sites are Deity level games (NOT one city challenge) OR One city challenge games on a level other than Deity. OR a non-OCC higher level Continents map game would be a bit of a challenge. You could still go Sacred Sites with that last option, but you would need science to explore and find the other continents to get Tourism going with the far off civs.

Actually, a design consideration for pretty much all the culture gauntlets in recent month was to hopefully prevent an SS game, especially including the Deity OCC WOAT (worst of all time) game. But, as @zenmaster points out, it is difficult to get settings that rule SS out. I've tried using water (Continents, Terra, Tiny Islands, Archipelago) and terrain (Arborea twice). But "Alas! - to no avail!" he sobbed, burying his face in his hands.

So help me with some settings for a higher-level Continents game.

• Is Immortal OK? Or drop it to Emperor? (I am paranoid about scaring-off any participants...)
• Let's not do an "any civ" (I know I would try either Poly or Maya, which would sort'a defeat the purpose).
  • Maybe England? Doesn't get Astronomy any quicker, but a small buff of movement when you do get there.
  • A science-civ, just to speed up the process? (like Neb or Sej)
  • Pedro or Rameses, for culture/tourism?

(It occurs to me - this would be easier in the GOTM, with a late-era start. Hmm...)

 

[vadalaz]

Preventing Sacred Sites on Emperor is tricky. I think a mandatory opponent list could help. Playing against AIs that focus on religion and/or expansion would make it more difficult to go for SS. Perhaps something like this: Celts, Ethiopia, Poland, Indonesia, Russia, Iroquois, Aztecs.

It also prevents players from adding Greece for liberations or Polynesia for peace deal cities on the other continent. But with Low sea level chances are you don't need Astronomy to meet everyone on Continents anyway.

 

[aafritz17]

Time games are always interesting, especially with more than a month...

I am in the midst of the Settler Huge Large Islands England game that has 7 entries in the HoF. Dinanipedro has the highest score, and according to his Link in the listing he had 140something cities. I am at turn 189 of 330 and I have 271 cities with room for a couple more. Every mouse click engenders a lag. I had stayed away for this reason, but with newer computers and chips, thought I would give it a whirl. Things were smooth up until city 210 or so. Once past 250, the serious lag began. The good news is that conquest is done. Only the 3 Maritime City-States are left on the map, and I will just leave them be . Maxing out production queues, almost all tiles have been worked, and almost all work boats have been built, so no more units to move around soon. Will stay with it for now...

I put an entry in that table a year ago, didn't know much about time games then. I just pulled it up - I had 201 cities, 4,226 pop. But I see quite a few places I could have had another city, and there were still 16 city-states on the map. And 8 cities didn't have hospital or a med lab, and I had plenty of gold to have bought them.

Submitted another one a month or so ago, Assyria, Settler, Large, Epic, Terra. Ended with 230 cities, couldn't find another place for one. Population 5,737. Had 77 great works, panel said there were 4 more "Hidden Sites", but they were for sure hidden. Could not find them. (I wonder if they don't display if a city gets planted on them?) The last half of that game, every mouse-click, actually, if I as much as rolled my mouse-cursor across a city banner, the lag was 19 seconds. Played that game off and on from 3/06 to 6/24, nearly two months.

EDIT: No, wait, nearly 3 months. (And I call myself an accountant...)

 

[aafritz17]

But with Low sea level chances are you don't need Astronomy to meet everyone on Continents anyway.

Seems to me an island map would be more limiting, do you think? Meaning, somewhat harder to explore?

 

[rickyvaughn]

Yeah, I was thinking an Imm, Standard or bigger Continents map, but even that may not prevent it. But…I understand wanting to keep more people involved, so I’m good for anything really. I don’t enjoy Time games, but I would definitely give a Duel or Tiny map a go.

 

[vadalaz]

Seems to me an island map would be more limiting, do you think? Meaning, somewhat harder to explore?

Well, my first thought on an Islands/Emperor map would still be to go for Sacred Sites. Island maps have lots of uncontested city spots, and in my experience 3-4 triremes will unfog an island map fairly quickly. You may find that there's an unreachable AI or two, and at that point you either reroll or find a way to spawn a Great Admiral to salvage the game.