Simple Advice: Take a Break

[toug]

Civ IV is the first turn-based game I have ever enjoyed. They were never that entertaining to me. But when the addiction hit, it hit hard. Last summer I was staying up until 5 AM playing and I was terrible, absolutely atrocious. I couldn't even win on chieften settings. Then I started reading these boards a lot and picked up some great advice. So first off, kudos to all of you for that.

I think my relationship with Civ IV is still in the addiction phase, because I sort of just want to rush through things and win real fast. I never, ever want to stop or be interrupted. I do well managing my cities and workers in the beginning, but after a while I find myself hitting the end turn button much too quickly.

After 10 months or so I think I finally have a semi-quality game going. I was playing last night like normal but I was keeping my eye on the clock because I wanted to catch the southpark season premiere at 10. Before I knew it it was about 9:45, and in game it was probably 800-1000AD or so. This is when fatigue normally starts to set in for me. Against my civ addiction, I saved the game and went upstairs to watch the show.

When I came back down to play again it was as if the game was brand new. I had a lot of motivation to manage my forces and micromanage my cities. I played better than I ever had before. It was amazing what this half hour break did for me. I figure it is a really obvious and simple piece of advice but once that can be easily overlooked. It is also important to make sure the break is not too long because after too much time I completely forget my gameplan.

Anyway, just wanted to post my $0.02. Sorry if it is has already been mentioned many times before.

 

[Norvin_Green]

i have the same problem. each game i swear i'm going to play for an hour or two and then stop, take a break and re-assess my plans. it never happens. plus i'm addicted to the opening stages of the game so i usually never finish games. good luck in your current game!

 

[mrt144]

Thats actually one of the best pieces of advice here. Take some time out to walk around, call a friend, drink a mocha, and come back a little bit later. I know that there are times where Ive played 100 turns through in an hour and I am no longer playing a concious game, im reacting and like football, a game of reaction isnt one youll win.

 

[JackRules]

I went though my addiction stage with CIV III when I was single. Now I'm married and my wife sees to it that I never abuse my CIV privileges.

 

[peter grimes]

Great point. This should be added to the 'advice for beginner' thread (hint, hint )

 

[nullspace]

I think this is good advice just for playing the game well. When I play a long session, I get bogged down in the mechanical process of playing the game: micromanaging my cities and units. I lose sight of the big picture. I need time away from the game to stop and think about my long-term plans for my civ, what my position is relative to the AIs, what advantages I have that I could capitalize on, and what could go wrong. I play better when I take breaks.

 

[Sisiutil]

Fortunately, I have both a wife and a dog, who frequently oblige me to stop playing and take breaks (though for entirely different reasons, ahem).

 

[Priah]

hmm, i dont really find civ to be a very addictive game. At least compared to games like wow, theres no comparison. Thats a true drug.

 

[mice]

Yes this advice is really valuable. It applies especially during war. I've trained myself to keep my finger off the enter key during war, to stop it turning into an RTS game.

During war I often go around each city on the strat map with the home key. This helps to see enemy units that may have sneaked up, what units are in the city, what the current build is.

Then , as the OP said, save game and do somethng else. When you come back, hit F3. I check my civics every time I open a save. Then check diplo relations, think about the overall strat,and back into it.

 

[Dagenham Dave]

Fortunately, I have both a wife and a dog, who frequently oblige me to stop playing and take breaks (though for entirely different reasons, ahem).

Yeah my wife enjoys a walk as well.

 

[Lord Parkin]

I think this is good advice just for playing the game well. When I play a long session, I get bogged down in the mechanical process of playing the game: micromanaging my cities and units. I lose sight of the big picture. I need time away from the game to stop and think about my long-term plans for my civ, what my position is relative to the AIs, what advantages I have that I could capitalize on, and what could go wrong. I play better when I take breaks.

This is exactly why I find that playing in multiplayer can bring out the best in your gaming ability. With reasonably reliable players (such that turns can be moving around once a day on average), a Play By EMail (PBEM) game is not only a lot of fun, but it makes you think carefully about your moves each and every turn, and re-evaluate your situation regularly. And as long as the players are reliable (so that you're not getting regular week-long delays, for instance) you'll still remember your overall game plan so won't be looking at each turn as if you'd never seen the game before either.

Pitboss is also an excellent method to play by, and similarly improves your playing skills.

 

[toug]

hmm, i dont really find civ to be a very addictive game. At least compared to games like wow, theres no comparison. Thats a true drug.

Two different forms of addiction. I got addicted to DAoC for a while, and it's very different.

This is exactly why I find that playing in multiplayer can bring out the best in your gaming ability. With reasonably reliable players (such that turns can be moving around once a day on average), a Play By EMail (PBEM) game is not only a lot of fun, but it makes you think carefully about your moves each and every turn, and re-evaluate your situation regularly. And as long as the players are reliable (so that you're not getting regular week-long delays, for instance) you'll still remember your overall game plan so won't be looking at each turn as if you'd never seen the game before either.

Pitboss is also an excellent method to play by, and similarly improves your playing skills.

Is there a thread discussing PBEM? Seems pretty interesting. Trying to finish a multiplayer game is almost impossible for my friend and I.

 

[Lord Parkin]

Is there a thread discussing PBEM? Seems pretty interesting. Trying to finish a multiplayer game is almost impossible for my friend and I.

I don't know of any threads discussing it, but it's possible that they're around. Basically, all that you need to have a successful PBEM is a nice group of committed and patient players. PBEM's take time, and you probably won't finish a game in less than a month (at least) unless you're working hard at it. But they're also a heap of fun once you start getting into them. The main thing is finding those reliable players in the beginning - it can sometimes be tricky around here, when you have random people who will sometimes join the forum, and immediately and enthusiastically sign up for a multiplayer game, only to disappear in the next two weeks and leave the rest of the players stuck. That's why it's good to get to know people, make a few reliable friends, and as a result be able to play PBEM's without the problems of players upping and leaving on you.

 

[OscarWildebeest]

I went though my addiction stage with CIV III when I was single. Now I'm married and my wife sees to it that I never abuse my CIV privileges.

Just play when she's out; that's what I do.

(Seriously, though, my partner and two-year-old son mean I never play at weekends, but actually devote some quality time to them. I'm only posting now because they're in bed.)

 

[bassist2119]

Taking breaks, isn't that what the forum is for?

 

[Harbourboy]

That is very good advice. To add to the suggestions about multiplayer, another good way to play and have forced breaks is to play a succession game. I am currently playing my first Succession Game of the Month, on CivFanatics, and it is is great fun. Knowing you only have 20 or 10 turns to play means that you make sure that every one of those counts. You can spend a lot of time over the small micromanagement decisions because you know that you will be handing the game over to someone else soon. Then you can just chat about it with the rest of the team for a few days until it is your turn to play again.

I have never just 'hit the enter key' while playing SGOTM because I don't want to let the rest of the team down by doing something dumb, whereas I don't care as much when playing by myself.

Oh yeah, having a family is also good for controlling Civ additions.

Thanks for the reminder of the simple good advice, toug.

 

[cabert]

Just play when she's out; that's what I do.

(Seriously, though, my partner and two-year-old son mean I never play at weekends, but actually devote some quality time to them. I'm only posting now because they're in bed.)

welcome to the club of those "waiting for the kids to be in bed" players
the drawback of this method is the total lack of sleep
Then you come to the office, and try to focus on something :

 

[OscarWildebeest]

Luckily (or unluckily) my Civ computer and my work computer are in the same room, about two seconds' walk from my bedroom...

 

[Harbourboy]

I play at 5am when I can guarantee that nobody else will want the computer, but it also means I have to stop playing to go to work, so I can't end up playing for too long. It seems to work well for me (so long as I don't spill breakfast or coffee on the computer )

 

[KMadCandy]

To add to the suggestions about multiplayer, another good way to play and have forced breaks is to play a succession game. I am currently playing my first Succession Game of the Month, on CivFanatics, and it is is great fun. Knowing you only have 20 or 10 turns to play means that you make sure that every one of those counts. You can spend a lot of time over the small micromanagement decisions because you know that you will be handing the game over to someone else soon.

one of these days i'd like to find one that i don't think i'd lose for the whole team. i learn a lot from reading them, and imagine i'd learn more from playing one, if i ever did get brave enough. but somehow i doubt that i'll ever be brave enough.