POLL: Which game options are you using? (part 1)

[45°38'N-13°47'E]

I think we must reflect about some serious considerations.

All you agree that the multiplayer mode is a vastly superior experience than single player mode. It is incomparable to challenge the human intelligence and the AI. The first one is infinitely superior and unpredictable.

Said that, we can reflect about the multiplayer mode options:

LAN Games
Internet Games
Direct IP Connection Games
Hot Seat Games
Play by Email Games (PBEM)

Among them all, I think the PBEM is the multiplayer option that is closest of the immersion on the civilization spirit. You can play with players around the world. Each of them can play in their best time. We have time to think and plane etc. I like to play as if I would be playing chess, making notes, naming the units and the geographical elements (rivers, mountains, gulfs, seas etc.).

There is space for diplomacy and interaction, and you must control your anxiety and wait your turn come again.

Well, let’s reflect about the most important consideration. I think the most number of options should be available when we start the game. The Bug, is not so compatible with pbem.

I am playing a multiplayer game with the older version of A New Dawn (http://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/a-new-dawn-on-earth-and-the-space-adventure-ii.548102/) and it is was not easy to set the options to the game. When I set the options on Bug menus, it can be changed by the next players on their respective turns, that is, the Bug don't fix the options and it is possible that each player have your own options, different from other ones.

The ideal solution would be we could set the options at the beginning, when we started the game.

Look at my advices in the multiplayer section of the forum: it's meant to avoid OOS issues but also to avoid cheating (because having different options under BUG menu is cheating). You should all share the same XML, Config, Python and UserSettings folder, which should be pre-set by the first player before the game begins. Then you play with Lock Modified Assets; it looks like almost nobody is using that option but if I'm not mistaken it prevents the game from being loaded if you do ANY change to mod files. So no way to cheat by changing options or anything. True, you can't update the mod either while the game lasts, but I think it's a good solution nonetheless.

 

[jsk119]

I'm surprised so little people play with tech diffusion off. It takes a lot of the fun away from the game if everyone has similar techs and units on the field.

I like games where there are a few powerful AI and a bunch of weaker ones. Science beakers and techs need to be earned through conquest, espionage or diplomacy.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I'm surprised so little people play with tech diffusion off. It takes a lot of the fun away from the game if everyone has similar techs and units on the field.

I like games where there are a few powerful AI and a bunch of weaker ones. Science beakers and techs need to be earned through conquest, espionage or diplomacy.

My experience is that the player will always get ahead on tech by the end of the Renaissance Era, so tech diffusion is necessary to extend the timeframe in which the AI is relevant.

Admittedly, I also have the exact opposite presence re: everyone having similar techs. I'm still waiting for a version of Civ IV that will let me have an actual modern war outside of multiplayer, with meaningful combatants across the board.

 

[45°38'N-13°47'E]

My experience is that the player will always get ahead on tech by the end of the Renaissance Era, so tech diffusion is necessary to extend the timeframe in which the AI is relevant.

Admittedly, I also have the exact opposite presence re: everyone having similar techs. I'm still waiting for a version of Civ IV that will let me have an actual modern war outside of multiplayer, with meaningful combatants across the board.

This depends on your settings. You can ask other people on the forum but for example in my games it's really hard to be tech leader. Most of the time I have other civs ahead of me. Probably because I use Flexible Difficulty and Flexible AI. So on the contrary I use Tech Diffusion to get some help and not to fall to far behind.

 

[Rezca]

This depends on your settings. You can ask other people on the forum but for example in my games it's really hard to be tech leader. Most of the time I have other civs ahead of me. Probably because I use Flexible Difficulty and Flexible AI. So on the contrary I use Tech Diffusion to get some help and not to fall to far behind.

Ditto. Current two games I'd been at least 5 ~ 10 techs behind for much of the game. I'm in the Modern era now in the first game, and I'm STILL not even in the Top 5 tech leaders. I'm in the top 3 powers, but I'm behind in tech and only JUST got my first World Wonder built since Stonehenge.

Current game? Still losing almost every wonder, lost every religion, and am only just barely in the Top 10 tech leaders, but am leading in power at least. The constant AI warring with each other probably isn't helping that any (Highlands map, so borders filled up pretty quick)

 

[Phylhom]

Look at my advices in the multiplayer section of the forum: it's meant to avoid OOS issues but also to avoid cheating (because having different options under BUG menu is cheating). You should all share the same XML, Config, Python and UserSettings folder, which should be pre-set by the first player before the game begins. Then you play with Lock Modified Assets; it looks like almost nobody is using that option but if I'm not mistaken it prevents the game from being loaded if you do ANY change to mod files. So no way to cheat by changing options or anything. True, you can't update the mod either while the game lasts, but I think it's a good solution nonetheless.

Thank you, 45°38'N-13°47'E. I didn't realize that the mentioned thread clarified about this subject. Sorry about that! .

But if I do that ("You should all share the same XML, Config, Python and UserSettings folder, which should be pre-set by the first player before the game begins. Then you play with Lock Modified Assets;"), wouldn't am I causing problems to another players in their another pbem games?

By the way, congratulations for the great job!

 

[45°38'N-13°47'E]

Thank you, 45°38'N-13°47'E. I didn't realize that the mentioned thread clarified about this subject. Sorry about that! .

But if I do that ("You should all share the same XML, Config, Python and UserSettings folder, which should be pre-set by the first player before the game begins. Then you play with Lock Modified Assets;"), wouldn't am I causing problems to another players in their another pbem games?

By the way, congratulations for the great job!

This is why I suggest to backup those folders. You need to copy them again each time you have played another game between two sessions. It might not be necessary but I definitely suggest you do it. Same for other simultaneous games you play between sessions.

 

[jsk119]

This depends on your settings. You can ask other people on the forum but for example in my games it's really hard to be tech leader. Most of the time I have other civs ahead of me. Probably because I use Flexible Difficulty and Flexible AI. So on the contrary I use Tech Diffusion to get some help and not to fall to far behind.

In the vanilla 3.19 deity community games everyone accepts that they are always going to be far behind the AI and that's what made it more fun.

Actually I don't mind what people prefer to play I just wouldn't want to see you make tech diffusion the default. I wouldn't feel like I earned the win on a higher skill level if I get charity beakers in my games.

 

[45°38'N-13°47'E]

In the vanilla 3.19 deity community games everyone accepts that they are always going to be far behind the AI and that's what made it more fun.

Actually I don't mind what people prefer to play I just wouldn't want to see you make tech diffusion the default. I wouldn't feel like I earned the win on a higher skill level if I get charity beakers in my games.

believe me, you can fall behind with tech diffusion alone. I use it all the time and sometimes I still have problems not falling behind too much.
and there's no point in comparing default BTS and AND handicap levels, they're not related in any way, especially when using Flexible Difficulty and Flexible AI, which I always suggest.

 

[jsk119]

yeah I believe you I'm only playing Emperor for now. Gonna give immortal a try after my first emperor win.

 

[Rezca]

believe me, you can fall behind with tech diffusion alone. I use it all the time and sometimes I still have problems not falling behind too much.
and there's no point in comparing default BTS and AND handicap levels, they're not related in any way, especially when using Flexible Difficulty and Flexible AI, which I always suggest.

One thing though.... That still confuses me... Is how the flexible difficulty affects "in the background" things like Barbarian spawning, since that's tied to the difficulty you picked. So if you're doing bad just because there's some runaway AI out there, the world wide spawning of barbarians will plummet. And if there's a couple of OCC tundra-locked backwaters dragging along and causing your difficulty to inflate, that'd make barbarians start going out of control because suddenly the difficulty's being pushed up to Monarch and higher.

Or is all that still locked to what difficulty you start with?

 

[IPEX-731BA5DD06]

Personally I only play with Flexible difficulty for the AI. That way if it falls too far behind, it gets more bonuses. Too far in front, it gets slowed down.

Trouble is, I find by Engineering tech onwards, I'm starting to dominate. What I mean is I've built up an empire, I have an army and then I can pick and choose my victims to assimilate their cities into my empire.

Once I start to snow ball, with more and more cities, it then becomes a matter of managing my empire both Economically (Cash flow) and politically (Revolutions).

I use Tech Diffusion, as it will trickle down techs to the lower players. At the beginning I'm behind, but I find I can win with force of Arms, as its application of force at critical points that matters, ie the city being contested. Your overall power doesn't matter as much. Just have sufficient defenses to guard those border cities.

City flipping, I play with a flat 20% culture minimum AFTER music (Culture), and science it won through conquest and trade.

One suggestion I'd make, is you can't broker conquest techs, you have to research at least 75% as a figure. Too easy to research 1 turn, brokers off new tech for others/gold etc.

 

[45°38'N-13°47'E]

One thing though.... That still confuses me... Is how the flexible difficulty affects "in the background" things like Barbarian spawning, since that's tied to the difficulty you picked. So if you're doing bad just because there's some runaway AI out there, the world wide spawning of barbarians will plummet. And if there's a couple of OCC tundra-locked backwaters dragging along and causing your difficulty to inflate, that'd make barbarians start going out of control because suddenly the difficulty's being pushed up to Monarch and higher.

Or is all that still locked to what difficulty you start with?

I don't remember details, but not all factors are being scaled for handicap when Flexible Difficulty/Flexible AI are in use, IIRC.
Also, about one city civs, as I've already explained, they're not considered after Medieval Era (actually it might be a higher number of cities, not just one, but I can't check since I'm - sadly again - away from my modding pc for some days) and they're not considered at all if they're just rebels spawned from a revolution.

 

[Moth Bones]

I always use Unrestricted Leaders and would definitely not want it removed. I like my games to have completely random civs and leaders.