Planning games in advance?

[SirPleb]

I'll add another vote for information in advance, five days or a bit more or less seems good to me. I'm another one who's not wild about the drip-feeding approach though. I generally wait till all advance information has been revealed before thinking about the game.

 

[AlanH]

Interesting. My first submission was 20/deity, also only having played a few solo games. I lost only because I didn't understand the voting rules and ran out of time, but I didn't feel it was harder than 21. For me the map, with its AI proximity, food and resource availabilities, seems to make at least as big a difference to my chances of a good game as the difficulty level.

 

[Sandman2003]

Regent-Monarch-Emperor game are the levels majority of the players are comfortable with....
Very few would enjoy to play a game below regent, much more players will enjoy playing above Emperor even not feeling comfortable with the level but simply to try their skills out.
I suggest we never play GOTMs/COTMs below regent.

I would echo these thoughts 100%.

 

[ainwood]

In terms of games below regent, is the feeling that players wouldn't enjoy them actually right? This used to be my feeling, although I did find it quite enjoyable w few months back to set up a chieftan pangea game as the iroquois and watch how easily I could over-run everyone else with mounted warriors - it would be more of a challenge if (for example) if steps could be made to force more research (maybe set a space-race victory condition??)

 

[Shigella]

In terms of games below regent, is the feeling that players wouldn't enjoy them actually right? This used to be my feeling, although I did find it quite enjoyable w few months back to set up a chieftan pangea game as the iroquois and watch how easily I could over-run everyone else with mounted warriors - it would be more of a challenge if (for example) if steps could be made to force more research (maybe set a space-race victory condition??)

I would vote against having the difficulty any lower than Regent. The AI civs in GOTM34 couldn't study their way out of a paper bag, so I think I would get really frustrated if I had to conduct essentially all of my own research.

As for the overall approach to the pre-game discussion, I'm fine with the current setup.

Thank you for all of your hard work!

 

[t.neo]

Anyone seriously annoyed with Ainwood could voluteer to row the boat instead of rocking it.

I don't know if this was a general comment or aiming at my previous post. I don't have anything against Ainwood personally and I think he is doing a great work. It is only the teasers in the pregame discussion that I sometimes feel I could live without.

This isn’t my mother tongue so different “shades” of the language/expressions are difficult for me and the Internet forum doesn’t make it any easier. Only wanted to make myself clear.

Besides, the phrase "ainwood annoys me with it, and I like it!" was used in the alternative I chose.

 

[Mistfit]

I answered let us know everything (size,difficulty,map size, start map, and civ)

I get no pleasure out of all of the guessing and mis-information given out in the pregame thread. What I enjoy is the informed starting information we get from our elite players. With knowing what their plans are for their starting moves boslters a newbies confidence on a new type of game. This is the reason that I am playing COTM04 this month (my first try at GOTM). I wouldn't mind the teasing if it were done for a limited time. But 10 days before the competition started I would like to know all of the information I've listed above.

I do not really care about the climate/age of earth/arch -vs- continent info. On these I would agree with MB that these should be kept secret and we can find out on our own.

Anyway these are the ramblings of a half sane clown so take them with a very large grain of salt.

 

[ainwood]

I don't know if this was a general comment or aiming at my previous post.

I don't think it was aimed at you.

I answered let us know everything (size,difficulty,map size, start map, and civ)

I get no pleasure out of all of the guessing and mis-information given out in the pregame thread. What I enjoy is the informed starting information we get from our elite players. With knowing what their plans are for their starting moves boslters a newbies confidence on a new type of game. This is the reason that I am playing COTM04 this month (my first try at GOTM). I wouldn't mind the teasing if it were done for a limited time. But 10 days before the competition started I would like to know all of the information I've listed above.

I have just started a succession game based on GOTM 20, and it was quite interesting to see the quality of the pre-game discussions for that one. I agree that the whole idea is to try and get informed starting information from our elite players, but I think that the new players really contribute a lot too - they ask the questions that draw the reasoning out from the other players (from elite to regulars). So they contribute a lot in a different way. I've learned quite a bit by reading the responses to these questions.

I must stress that if I have been guilty of providing misinformation, then this is not intentional. I won't post factually incorrect stuff - maybe people read a bit much into some of the comments, so I'll try to be careful with that aspect.

I think 10 days is a bit early, but perhaps all the info up-front could be a better option.

 

[Mistfit]

Actually ainwood - The mis-info I do not think is coming from you. I have seen in some of the previous discussion threads people guessing wrong about your pic and I got all excited about playing the wrong civ. And once you did anounce the actual civ I lost interest because I had wasted my time researching the wrong civ. Is this your fault...Absolutely not. It is more my fault than anybody.

This isn’t my mother tongue so different “shades” of the language/expressions are difficult for me and the Internet forum doesn’t make it any easier.

Well this is my native tongue and I still have'nt learned not to offend people when I do not mean to.
I have seriously enjoyed the COTM - If nothing changes from the way it is now I will still enjoy it? Yes, definitely. I was asked my opinion. If anyone has been around me in the forum they know one thing for certain. I AM opinionated. Right or wrong.
So do not take offense to anything I say unless I actually tell you to.
I think you are doing a splendid job.

 

[killerloop]

predator

I'm on the same thought line with Mad-bax. I'll find it more interesting to know nothing: start with a save and find out.....

Although, I guess I'll miss the pre-game discussions. Maybe giving us the tribe and the start location could facilitate some pre-game discussion.... I guess that doesn't give away a lot, and newbies or less experienced players (like me) can learn from discussions on tribe's UU usage etc..

Of course there's still the F10 button to find out about your opponents, the worldmap, to know where you are relatively, and the Culture limits, who can tell you about the map size. Although we learned this month, that this can be manipulated as well, right, Ainwood?

I don't know where that leaves us.....

I still would have the open/conquest/predator game versions! I think they're great for newcomers to play and have changes for winning.

BTW, Ainwood, you don't annoy me (yet)

 

[Firecrack]

I learn a lot from the pre game discussion and think they must remain. The spoiler threads are nice but contain more results of players than discussion about strategy. In the pre game discussion, people talk about the things they will do, why they will and share it with other. This makes me think of many things that I haven't considered before and makes me learn a lot.

I believe the pre game discussion should begin at the same moment as now. Planning all the games a year in advance would kill the fun and the chat.

It would be nice if the first post of the pregame discussion contain all the known information about the game. When ainwood feeds us with info, he could edit the first post to also add the info there. I do not like reading the first three pages of people trying to guess the civ only to learn at the end that they were wrong. Same thing for the difficulty.

Why change a winning formula ?

 

[King Alexander]

I'd like to know how big the map is(I don't know if I'll have the time to play huge maps), and the type of map(continents, etc.. - maybe I'd want a specific wonder depending on the map).

I think it'll be good to change the difficulty and not playing all the time in Monarh or Emperor:
I'd say, go all the way from Chieftain(only for fun) to Deity(new players would be more willing to participate in lower levels and they'll gain valuable experience for higher levels, when they'll see what strategy advanced players in their team suggest each time).

As for the civ, I'd like to be surprised and learn which civ I'm going to play, when the team-threads are open!!!

 

[Randy]

I like it the way it is for the following reasons:

1) with the release of a little info at a time, we get alot of if this then do that.
I get a lot of info for the other games I start. If we know everything at first all we would get is do this.

2) the updates give me something to do while I'm waiting for the game to start.

 

[akots]

So far, ainwood has proven an excellent mapmaker who can create very challenging and intriguing games with non-standard setups.