Slow GOTM?

[ltccone]

I downloaded the start save this morning before work and played a few turns. One thing I noticed is that it takes FOREVER between turns. Between turn 1 and turn 2 there had to have been at least a 15 second wait. I'm really concerned about how long the delay will be the further I get into the game.

I have a P3 700 with 512 MBs of RAM and 32 MBs of VRAM for my video card.

 

[Yndy]

Oh dear not again

I hope my answer is not treated as a spoiler but last time we had that problem it was due to the large amount of FOG on the map.

I said that this could be a spoiler because I just realised the reason of the odd ship movement cost for the predator class.

Anyway, it will go away by 10AD and even sooner if you actively kill the Fog/or the other non-moving units.

My comp is worst than yours Celeron 633 with 256Mb RAM, if that helps you.

On second thoughs you should have e-mailed cracker and not post this here. Maybe a mod will erase it.

 

[Moonsinger]

You are giving out too many clues. ...cough...GOTM17...cough...

 

[cracker]

Forever is not equal to 15 seconds. Don't be a wimp or a whiner.

 

[ltccone]

Originally posted by cracker
Forever is not equal to 15 seconds. Don't be a wimp or a whiner.

I wasn't being a "whimp or whiner." I was concerned how long the game is going to take to play. It is my experience that the wait between turns is longer the further the game goes along. I don't want the 15 seconds or so between turns at the beginning of the game to expand to several minutes in the industrial age.

 

[cracker]

Don't fret too much, but try not to exaggerate. 15 seconds is not FOREVER.

Remember that I have already played this game about 7 times on PTW and Civ3v1.29 and on all three difficulty levels. So I know that the opening has more than just a few seconds lag but significantly less the FOREVER.

Use that 15 seconds to make a quick note about what you are doing or to think about which city you need to check next to keep it from going into disorder or to think about the last time you contacted a neighbor or asked your military advisor where the nearest barbarian threat might be. You will be grateful for that few extra seconds of "Let's see, now what should I be doing next?" time.

I proise you that the turn transition time will have little to do with game progress compared to the shear volume of decisions that you will have to make based on the "Melee" scope of the game.

 

[Bamspeedy]

With 16 civs on a large-huge map, expect the time to get longer. Exactly how long, I don't know. With so many civs, there is going to be many more units, cities, and calculations the game has to do (like culture, etc.).

 

[ltccone]

Originally posted by Bamspeedy
With 16 civs on a large-huge map, expect the time to get longer. Exactly how long, I don't know. With so many civs, there is going to be many more units, cities, and calculations the game has to do (like culture, etc.).

GOTM 18 (which I didn't finish) also had a bunch of civs and didn't take that long between turns. How many calculations could be taking place on the first turn?

 

[Moonsinger]

Originally posted by ltccone
I wasn't being a "whimp or whiner." I was concerned how long the game is going to take to play. It is my experience that the wait between turns is longer the further the game goes along. I don't want the 15 seconds or so between turns at the beginning of the game to expand to several minutes in the industrial age.

My guess is that it will speed up just like the GOTM17. I think I know why it's slow, but my speculation would spoil your game; therefore, I will keep my mouth shut.

PS: Have this thread spoiled my game yet? Not really! Because I will notice those things after the first turn anyway.

 

[cracker]

Originally posted by ltccone
... How many calculations could be taking place on the first turn?

Billions, and Billions, and Billions!!! There could be armies of the Children of the Hydra's Teeth coming over the hills to disrupt you and your Argonauts. You never really know!!!

 

[LKendter]

I must admit I am confused about the speed posts. It is taking about 2 or 3 seconds between turns at the start.

My computer isn't that must better then those described hear.
I don't understand the difference.

 

[RufRydyr]

Originally posted by cracker
I have already played this game about 7 times on PTW and Civ3v1.29 and on all three difficulty levels.

Dying to know how you did the first time!

 

[NewDestroyer]

is the game supposed to take 2 minutes between turns or is it my slow comp ?

 

[Stone Wolf]

It's a large map with 15 other civs and active barbarians, so it'll take some time between turns. Do what I do and use that time to work on your timeline, plan moves, eat dinner, sleep for the night...

 

[solodar]

It's a big map with lots of opposition, so yeah, it'll take a little time between turns.

That said, it goes away fairly quickly and ain't anywhere near as bad as GOTM17. And there's plenty to think about.

Question:

Originally posted by cracker
asked your military advisor where the nearest barbarian threat might be.

How do we do this? Is this a feature I just haven't noticed (and would certainly find useful)? Or is Cracker just indicating another way to take advantage of the slight lag?

solodar

 

[Borealis]

solodar, if you click on your military advisor repeatedly in the military screen, he will say "There are ____ tribes near ____!" where the first blank is the name of the barbarian tribe, and the second blank is your city.

As far as turn load time... I haven't started my GOTM (hoping to start tonight or tomorrow), but I bet it will be better than K8.
As I'm going to try once again to keep a log beyond my QSC, the turns will pass quickly while I'm alt-tabbed into Notepad recording what trouble I've managed to get into.

Edit because I'm happy about getting my video card working and can play Civ: Example of where to look- keep clicking on 'More' or wait for it to cycle and he'll grumpily remind you of the barbarian threat.

 

[hotrod0823]

From the QSC submittal list it appear Borealis did get started last night. I did as well and was a bit concerned at the start but it does actually get a bit faster as the game goes on and I am not that far into it. It is a bit slower but no where near as long as GOTM17. My machine is a AMD K6 and large maps are usually only a problem late in the game but as long as it doesn't get any worse I think I will be able to live with the slight lag ~45 seconds at my current spot.

Hotrod

 

[rabies]

P2 -450 MHz laptop with 64Meg of RAM.....delays are maybe 15-30 seconds between turns. Not really a big deal. I spend more time writing up my QSC stuff and planning out city layout than I spend waiting for the computer to do its thing.

 

[Peanut]

Delay between turns - Think of it as an opportunity not a burden !

I used that time in Game17 to fill in the QSC log entries, and to think about what I was doing. I am doing the same here in Game21.

The delay (1-2 mins) is long enough to hit Enter in Civ, AltTab to that handy spreadsheet, fill in a description of what happened and what I am planning, hit AltTab again and then ponder strategy while waiting for the Civ session to pop up again.

It also slows things down enough for that commonsense thought of "Give it a break Peanut - time for bed" to sink in. If the game was always demanding attention then it would be midnight before I knew it.

 

[RufRydyr]

Originally posted by Peanut
If the game was always demanding attention then it would be midnight before I knew it.

If you're stopping at midnight then you're not addicted enough!!!