RB8 - Multiplayer Madness

[Snaproll]

Ok guys, try to play this sat or I think it'll be skip time. I know that the logistics are difficult, but we do have to keep this game moving.

Alternatively, we can start a new map with "no cheating" disabled. This would get Atlas back into the game. Everyone weigh in - if enough want a new start Drasca and I will regenerate a start tomorrow night.

What do you guys think of a new scheme - instead of set teams, we put all 8 people in the roster, and when it's your turn, ANY available player can jump in with you and play? I.E: Roster is:

Snaproll
Drasca
Chriseay
Thunderbunny
Uniqueuponhim
Atlas
Morred
Thormdor

And when it's your turn any any of the other 7 can jump in with you. This would really speed the game up, but obviously some players would play more than others. You would be guaranteed to play AT LEAST once every 8 rounds, and could play plenty more if you have time. What do you think?

Please, weigh in on these ideas and Drasca and I will make a decision tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone for your patience.

 

[chriseay]

I'm ok with that new plan, though we'll have to come up with a good way to contact each other so we can make sure we can get ahold of each other when it comes time to play.

 

[Thormodr]

It's an excellent idea. Morred and I just played. I will post the results after I go to the gym. I will leave the save here though.

 

[Thormodr]

Reserved for my report. Morred and Thormodr (2000 BC to 1400 BC)

For this report, Morred is playing the glorious Empire of Japan and Thormodr is playing the Spectacular Empire of Germany.

Turn 0 (2000 BC)
Everything looks AOK

Turn 1 (1960 BC)
Germany is the least powerful civilization and Japan is 2nd last. Not so good.
but we do now have priesthood. We start on Archery. It will take 3 turns. (Combined) I am a little concerned about Germany's lack of a miltary.

Turn 2 (1920 BC)
Not much to report. Japan shows me their uber warrior. Combat 2 IIRC. Deutchland has Uber Allies.

Turn 3 (1880 BC)
Pretty tame. I got a scout from a hut. I was hoping for tech but I'll take it.

Turn 4 (1840 BC)
We now know how to fire pointy sticks at people. I feel more secure. We decide to investigate this newfangled technique called farming. Agriculture in 4 (Combined)
We are building a road to facilitate trade and better relations with our glorious Empires.

Turn 5 (1800 BC)
Stonehenge is built in Berlin. The German people decide that knowledge of the future is vital so they immediately start on a Mega project called the Oracle.
This will take 15 turns. Hopefully less if my Japanese ally will trade me his Marble.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Thormodr/Civ4ScreenShot0025.jpg

Turn 6 (1760 BC)
Steady as she goes. Build that road, hook up that Marble.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Thormodr/Civ4ScreenShot0024.jpg

Turn 7 (1720 BC)
Barbarian Bears eat my newly discovered Scout. Sometimes you get the bear. Sometimes the bear gets you. Catherine asks for Open Borders. Nothing good will come of that so I tell her to stuff it.

Turn 8 (1680 BC)
Not much. Germany is playing hide and seek with Barbs.
Agriculture in. Look to get Masonry as this will enable us to use Marble.

Turn 9 (1640 BC)
Oracle will finish in 7 turns after Micromanagement. Road is almost connected between our two Empires. Sweet!

Turn 10 (1600 BC)
Road connected. Oracle in 6 turns. We are unable to trade the Marble as we first need the secret of Masonry.
We debate the next place for a Copper city.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Thormodr/Civ4ScreenShot0026.jpg
Turn 11 (1560 BC)
Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Turn 12 (1520 BC)
Not much...German defeats a Barbarian warrior after a long campaign.

Turn 13 (1480 BC)
The secrets of Masonry are ours! Berlin will build the Oracle in 3 turns. Unfortunately I can't seem to figure out how my friends the Japanese can lend me some Marble to speed up the process. Perhaps I am missing something here.

Turn 14 (1440 BC)
Not much again. Maybe we need Writing to enable Resource trading.

Turn 15 (1400 BC)
Well here we are. Oracle will be completed in Berlin in one turn. Metalcasting looks like a good thing. Forges and the Collosus sound good. The German nation is in dire need of expansion though too.
From failing hands I pass the torch to the next team....

 

[thunderbunny]

Alternatively, we can start a new map with "no cheating" disabled. This would get Atlas back into the game. Everyone weigh in - if enough want a new start Drasca and I will regenerate a start tomorrow night.

I don't mind doing a restart, we really haven't gotten far enough in this.

What do you guys think of a new scheme - instead of set teams, we put all 8 people in the roster, and when it's your turn, ANY available player can jump in with you and play?

I'm not sure how well this will work with 8 people, and I think it'll probably require everyone to have everyone else's contact info. Willing to try it, though I'm guessing with my schedule I probably won't be playing as much as others.

 

[Drasca]

The new system is more flexible, but will require more talking between players. Thunder, unique, do you use instant messengers? Either MSN, Yahoo, or AIM? My IM info is in my profile here, and I think I have everyone else's.

I think what will result is people will pair up and people will end up play on the days they are free. I am not convinced anyone will play signifigantly more than anyone else. Two people will play, and within a day, we'll see who can honestly play within the next few days. Getting two people together even for an hour or two's time takes more logistics than one player at a time. We'll not likely soon see a play session per day. I expect one session per two to four days this way, under good conditions.

Of course, I assume people don't play consecutive turns. Two people play, then we can draw from a pool of 6 for the next set of turns. I expect it'll take a full day or two to just get the next two people to confirm they can play within the next few days after that.

If possible, list days and times that are preferred for you.

 

[Thormodr]

It sounds cool to me. A restart is ok if it is deemed neccessary. We really haven't doen too much yet. So I am cool with whatever.

 

[Snaproll]

OK, Drasca and I are starting a new map today. I will leave "no cheating" off, so everyone can play. Once Drasca posts (It's his turn to report), the roster will look like this:

Snaproll (JUST PLAYED)
Drasca (JUST PLAYED)
Chriseay (UP! + Partner choices are Unique, Atlas, Morred, Thormdor)
Thunderbunny
Uniqueuponhim
Thormdor
Atlas
Morred


The partner choices are determined by the simple rule that you can't play twice in a row. So, since thunderbunney is up next he can't play now, and Drasca and I are out because we just played. I switched around the order somewhat so Morred and Thormdor can jump in on games with each other.

The new save is coming soon!

 

[Snaproll]

Drasca and I are finished. Here is the save. We ended up playing 40 turns *shrug*. Next team can take 30 if they like.

Snaproll (JUST PLAYED)
Drasca (JUST PLAYED)
Chriseay (UP! + Partner choices are Unique, Atlas, Morred, Thormdor)
Thunderbunny
Uniqueuponhim
Thormdor
Atlas
Morred

Password is RB8 (case sensitive). Drasca is working on the report now.

Good luck Thunderbunny and whoever else wants to play!

The new RB8

 

[chriseay]

Ok guys, I got it, but I need someone to play with obviously. I don't know how much I'll be around tonight, but as of now it's looking wide open (subject to change at any time ). Anyway, get ahold of me by posting here, emailing at chriseay at gmail dot com, or instant messenging at chriseay (aim) or roundhere13 (yahoo) or chriseay at hotmail dot com (msn). The best way to get ahold of me is aim, but any way should work.

 

[Drasca]

Regular Continents Map
Standard size
Tropical
Medium sea levels
Prince difficulty

40 turns. Boy that went quickly. Feel free to take 30, 20, 15, 15, then 10 turns each. I hope that makes sense.

This was my starting point. I decided to move the setter one space north to scout, a mistake, I should've moved northeast, towards the coast to check for fish. However, that was a gamble. I decided to settle on the original position.

Snap's start. He decided to found where he began. Solid choice really.

We had fishing and the wheel as our free techs, those are japan's free techs. I'm rather surprised germany didn't get free mining and hunting. This is very odd indeed. Oh well. Since we were on lakes, we decided to gamble. Fish the lakes and gamble getting all religions early, since there were no spiritual civs, and only one financial Civ to worry about... oh how we were wrong. Bhuddism was FIDAL a few turns before we were done.

At that point, Snap mentioned we should halt meditation and pursue Polytheism immediately if we wanted Hinduism. I thought we were going for early oracle from original city. Well, we decided to go with other worker techs instead, convincing snap to begin with agriculture for earlier cottages, since hunting only led to archery. Well, we missed Hinduism. definitely moves here on our part. Sorry! We miscoordinated techs and build priorities after the bhuddism gambit. I thought one way, he thought the other. If we grabbed an early oracle, it would justify missing hinduism, but since we didn't...

Let this be a lesson to you, communicate and coordinate! That's the end all goal of MP! If you can't do that... well, you're worse than an AI. Failed gambits are one thing. Misdirected intentions are quite another. Left hand should know what the right is doing!

The upshot of this is that we only had 50% chance of hinduism popping up in Germany anyways, and it wouldn't have spread on its own easily without some great prophet Holy Shrinage, and trade routes, which would've taken a long while. It may also be possible to grab judaism through organized religion, and possible theology via oracle.

We went for worker techs. Agriculture, then Animal husbandry, which turned out to be a great boon, because Japanese territory discovered horses next to our cow. As you'll see below, Germany discovered Marble to the north. Japenese territory is pure jungle. Pretty much cottageland while we explore other lands. We managed to grab pottery as well, to begin the great cottage nation.

Earlier pottery --> Earlier cottages --> Earlier commerce growth --> Financial and Research advantage. We've got a lot of grassland. Let's use it.

I chose a barracks to build, which to start with, is usually an OK move if you have enemies nearby. I didn't. Boo. Waste of time. Half time however, since Tokugawa is an aggressive civ gaining a production bonus to building barracks. Workboat made after barracks. Also take note once we get sailing, Tokugawa is organized and gets double speed lighthouses and courthouses. I do not understand why lighthouses are in there, but japanese will have an easy time building them. Japanese fishing villages are a viable option until those jungles are cleared.

For Bismark Germany, fast granaries, harbors, and most importantly, forges. Fast granaries will be a godsend if you find any high food "slave cities."

 

[Drasca]

Germany's northern expanse. Take note of the marble to the northwest. That is germany's objective for the next settler. Any comments on dot maps.

I personally think we should grab Iron working, Code of Laws, or Theology for our free oracle tech, and start building oracle very early. Stonehenge isn't a big deal on this map, as there's no enemies. I do not think we should wait for the settler to build the city, as it'd take at least 10-30 turns to develop the place and connect the marble to Germany's capital. In far less time, the oracle can be built. That marble will be great for bigger later wonders, like parthenon, sistine chapel, or great library, but the oracle is so cheap it is better built without the resource.

As for Japanese territory...

Horses ahoy! And cottages. My governer is turned off, so the next japanese player should manually work that cottage. The cows aren't connected yet, because there's no immediate need, but see to it cows become connected eventually. Roads aren't really an immediate concern when all you travel through is grassland, and you're stuck on an island.

I want comments for a dotmap on japan. Solid Red Dot is probably the stronger commerce zone, river bonus and with more grassland territory to use obviously, but red circle has useable production. Up to the next player to decide that bit.

We'll make dotmaps when Bronzeworking and Ironworking come in. Prioritize those techs!

One last thing.

Workboat-scout. Try to look for a passage westward, so Germany/Japan may trade. It may or may not be possible. Another option would be to explore the southeast. There's still time for both, but try to get a second scout up asap.

 

[Atlas]

Iron working is a must for Japan, looks like Japan can get 2-3 cities only, before it will need an army of workers, Might even be better to clear the jungle (with archer guards) and then found the city, no point in foundiing city-increasing upkeep just so that city can work one jungle tile. It is a thought any way, I could play today/tonite, hopefully. No Promises on the game loading though

 

[chriseay]

Atlas and I played with little to no trouble getting into the game, so here it is. Atlas was Japan, and I was Germany.

(0) We both look around and I can't see anything that needs changing, our lands our pretty good, let's get going.

....

(4) Bronzeworking comes in, we start on priesthood for oracle.

(5) Settlers out in both Japan and Germany. Japan goes to marked spot.
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/192/oasaka8qz.jpg[\img]

Germany here.
[img]http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3141/hamburg6ti.jpg

....

(7) Judaism is FIDAL...it's a good thing that we decided not to go for it.

(8) Germany founds in north by rice, silk and fish, while japan founds in the marked spot, with copper and wheat. Priesthood comes in, Ironworking started.

(9) Start Oracle and decide that our next priority for tech has to be sailing.

(10) Gibbon calls us pathetically wealthy

....

(18) Ironworking in, sailing next.

....

(21) Uh oh, this was a turn of misadventure...see the title. Oracle finishes. That's good, right? Well normally. I decide to verify our Metal Casting choice with atlas, but apparently, you can't do that.

It chooses monarchy for me. Atlas, not expecting a civics choice, clicks to change to hereditary rule, netting him a turn of anarchy along with not switching to slavery like he wanted to.

Not a good turn for us. We also finish on sailing and start masonry.

....

(24) Tokyo is founded, and as Atlas called it, will be a slaveville.

Masonry comes in and we start on Metal Casting.

....

(27) Change from MC to hunting to camp some elephants, it'll only take one turn, then back.



This is the main thing atlas wanted me to note in the report:

Here's my thinking on some German cities:

Sorry everyone about messing up our Oracle choice, but as Atlas said it is only Prince, so hopefully we can make up for it. We should get some galleys up to explore and try to meet the ai's. Good luck everyone.

 

[chriseay]

And a roster:

Snaproll
Drasca
Chriseay (Just Played)
Thunderbunny (Up Now!!)
Uniqueuponhim (On Deck)
Thormdor
Atlas (Just Played)
Morred

 

[Snaproll]

Thunderbunny you can play with:

Snaproll, Drasca, Thormdor, or Morred. I won't be available as I'm going out of town on business in a few hours here. Good luck!

 

[Clovis]

Wouldn't it be better to expand west with Germany, hook up the marble as fast as possible?

 

[Drasca]

Yes it would've. I am partly at fault for not emphasizing marble enough... but I was very surprised to see germany expanding in the wrong direction. Maybe Snap and I should've made more signs. Oh well. Still room for error, maybe. We are facing one financial civ combined with another civ ... and that can get painful, especially when we can't reach them.

No wonder SG's don't take too many turns early on.

Next team can take 20 turns, but it is 10 from then on.

 

[thunderbunny]

Thunderbunny you can play with:

Snaproll, Drasca, Thormdor, or Morred. I won't be available as I'm going out of town on business in a few hours here. Good luck!

I'm going to have to skip; I had friends here this weekend and have different friends coming in early next week, as well as being busy at work. So:

Snaproll (out of town)
Drasca
Chriseay (Just Played)
Thunderbunny (Skip)
Uniqueuponhim (Up Now)
Thormdor (On Deck)
Atlas (Just Played)
Morred

So I guess Drasca or Morred is up with Unique given the play rules.

 

[chriseay]

On the new city, I feel that the marble is too far away and not important enough in this game to grab this soon. The land in the east is also arguably better, or at least better to settle sooner because of the jungle and calendar/monarchy resources in the north and west. I made the markings on the peninsula as a guide, not as a set in stone set up, and the next person is free to totally ignore them. I thought the point of SG's was for each person to run the game as they feel prudent, and provide suggestions, not commands, to the rest of the team. You will also see that I settled north, towards coveted marble. I am just wondering why that marble is so important, as we have already built the oracle (The misclick on that one is my mistake, and I take full and totally responsibility. Feel freel to beat me up for that all you want.) and I don't see any other marble wonders to be built immediately (unless the parthenon is indispensible). It is just my settlement strategy to not go further than I have to for a good city site, and try to settle the cities that will be useful with the least amount of work sooner rather than later.