You forgot to swap the file extensions; the file is an excel not a pdf.
just put .xls
Renamed the file and it works... Now all I have to do is understand it, looks like A LOT of work, but as the benefit could be an even better / easier game, I'm gonna do it... Most problems will be the mass of abbreviations used, but I think I can get that by guessing, and will ask / search the forum if I encounter problems. Thx again.
BurN is not calling no one a noob or being acid. he just pointed that , if you put a lot of civs in a game, it is expectable that :
- A lot of civs will make demands, stupid or not
- That the chances of pleasing everyone are pretty close of zero
And that, by playing marathon in top of it , you will add:
- There are more turns for making demands by the AI
- That all the stuff that scales badly or does not scale at all with speed will happen more often.
Said in other words: the OP putted himself in this very situation. OFC that does not excuse Firaxis for the stupid demand code or by the ridiculous scaling, but it is not less true that the OP exarcebated heavily the issue by the game settings he used.
1. What does exarcebate mean? Didn't find any translation on leo.org.
2. You right, I put myself in that situation, and I took settings, which amplify the problematic, and I'm playing a style (HoF game for points, not just any game for any Victory) that even makes it more problematic, because I have to stay cautious with every AI, and am not allowed to do many things, I would be allowed in a normal game. I'm still very new to Civ, but not new to computer-games, I don't have any problems with something being "extremely hard or nearly impossible to accomplish", but I still am a human, and I have a strong problem with something being unfair.
What I find unfair or totally off the mark:
- AI demands monopoly techs and very expensive techs (both, the player will never succeed with, normally a player cannot even ask for such techs if it's not MM) .
- AI demands the complete money (again, as a player it's already hard to get 50g from an AI) .
- AI can ask to join their war, when one already is at war (AI itself would answer with WHEOOHRN to that, the player can't) .
I'm very happy with Civ4, it's the best turn-based strategy game and one of the best games I've ever played, I do not even have problems with AI getting bonuses instead of Fireaxis programming a better AI, I see that as a challenge like in chess and as a lack of programming ressources. Again though, those points make AI look very stupid, and that's the odd-side of a really beautiful game. If Fireaxis had thought that through, they would give the player the same means the AI has, i. e., the player having an attitude towards the AI, then the player can choose if he is a type like MM, or more a type like any other AI, if he chooses to be an MM, he gets bonuses in Diplomacy and AI can ask for monopoly techs, if he chooses to be normal, monopoly techs are blocked for a certain number of turns, the AI could not ask, also the player would have something like a WHEOORHN with which he can block the join-war demands, a. s. o.
And getting negative diplomacy for giving in to a demand, aswell as AI going to war for denied demands, I see that as a bug or very sick feature.
Assuming noble intent (no comment on his execution)...
You are clearly frustrated -- enough to vent with rant of decent length and exasperation -- and sometimes the right answer to an obstacle really is to question whether it's worth surmounting it.
It really is worth giving it fair consideration. If the answer is no, then realizing it now will be far less bitter than chugging on and either being unsatisfied at victory or giving up due to being overwhelmed by the frustrations. And if the answer is yes, it gives you a chance to reaffirm to yourself that it's really something you still want to do, rather than just plodding forth due to stubbornness.
I know, that I can always do what I want, and I can have fun whenever I want. I do follow a strong policy of never giving up though, that's something I got from my childhood, something I don't wanna talk about. It has nothing to do with stubbornness, I'm just the type that always goes for the hardest challenge there is, i. e. I play Violine and study Medicine, and the frustration caused on that way, I always transform into anger with which I get new energy and there is not one thing in my life, that I wanted and didn't get. I do what you suppose me to at many times, questioning myself if it is worth it, but I've never come to the conclusion that I made a wrong decision in my life when I knew the circumstances. Things happen like they happen, and everything equals out, frustration turns to anger, anger turns to energy and energy turns to success, success turns to relief, relief creates happiness, happiness fades with time, and like that, everything begins new
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Wow, ouch.
I think you took my post much more serious and personal then it was intended. Tbh I`m rather surprised by your post and I can assure you that I get no malicious joy out of forum posts.
I assumed that you would handpick maptype/size, AI`s, startpos/resources, speed & whatever is allowed by the hof rules (which I have no clue about tbh). This all to enhance your hof approach.
Now I don`t think it`s unreasonable for me to think that you
want to play with many AI`s, a big map and marathon. Obviously the gain must be bigger then the loss, else you are doing it wrong.
I did read the whole of your post and afaik gaining 1500 gold from selling cheap techs, seems to me like a clear advantage. The same goes for holding a monopoly tech. So if this set-up is strictly better, I see no reason to complain. Now please don`t take this the wrong way again but `my experience was/is` that your OP is more of a rant then it is an actual cry for advice.
I apologize to you, as I'm now sure that I musjudged you. You're right, that I picked lots of things to my advantage, what you don't know or knew though, is / were, that I still don't know a lot of things, so I made wrong decisions there, and playing a Huge map is regarded as a disadvantage by top-most players, as diplomacy is horrible and one cannot finish the game so soon and many other things, like for example, one can Quechua rush 3-6 Civs, now if one is playing against 17, this is only 1/6 - 1/3, now if one would play a smaller map, one could conquer the 50% to stay below domination at till 2000 BC, and after that have 3000y to just let population grow, on Huge, one will achieve the 50% at an earliest of 500 BC (Kovacsflo best game) , and that would mean whipping away all pop, which one cannot do, so 500 AD is more realistic, leaving only 500y for Growth.
And sometimes, a rant is aswell a rant as it is a cry for advice, things can be more than just one thing, just see the lots of different reactions to the post.
I quoted `sick` because it is the word you used in your thread title and I don`t see how you could come to the point that it was meant to reflect your actual health status.
Just judging by the words you used in your post, it seemed to me that you are frustrated by the game. I suggest the most simple answer, change the game so that it becomes less of a drag. Either play some casual games or try some hof games on different settings. At this point I`d like to tell you that I am a pianist and that I do know what it is to try and achieve something (whatever that may be or what purpose it serves, I`ll leave that open). Repetition is the mother of learning... but also of utter frustration and boredom.
From experience I do know that it`s good to keep things interesting. Do something else for a while as long as it stays relevant. But tbh if you spend 200h on a single game and end up being frustrated or mad, it might be the right time for you to buy a piano! I think that could give you more joy and satisfaction than a bunch of whining AI`s.
You'll laugh, I have a piano, play it, and play the Violine too, and I'm a singer, all hobbies beside my studies of medicine. To make you understand me, I just have a problem with "Etudes", I played the "Devil's Trill" and "Praeludium and Allegro" from Kreisler with 19y, and I spend more than 1000h practicing for those, I refused though to spend only 1h on playing "Karl Flesch". That has changed though. Playing Huge Marathon for 3.2M points is as difficult as the first two, but for the next game, I will do my homework and analyze Tachys xls-file. I guess, time just gets more valuable with getting older, and I to reach to the top, one must always go back to the basics.
And since you are correct that I did not offer `game advice`... If you are about to get backstabbed by a pleased AI, beg money for 10t peace. Or Bribe people into closed borders with whoever is approaching. Orrr bribe someone to change religion/civics to cancel certain diplo bonusses with the relevant other AI, to then bribe them into war. Ok maybe that one is a bit farfetched, still it could be done.
Someone mentioned declining IW to Peter (I think it was), wheoohrn, accept the same demand... was not so smart. I agree BUT it would not be strictly wrong IF it would bump him back to pleased and then apply the trick above where you ask for gold. This would give you an extra 10t peace. Which then translates in 20+ turns where you can find a solution or prepare.
Edit: Afaik you don`t get negative diplo from giving in to demands. If you have negative diplo from trading with worst enemy, you probably gave the hated AI a nice deal in the past.
I declined Currency, my monopoly tech to Peter, he was in WHEOOHRN already before that, and then I gave into his demand for IW, as I saw that as a cheap option to gain Diplo points. It had nothing to do with me fearing him, I knew he wouldn't go for me, as he went to WHEOOHRN in 2500 BC and was sitting 1000 miles away from me. It were different things, me complaining about the stupid "go to war if denying a demand" routine, aswell as "getting negative diplomacy for giving into a demand" aswell as "AI demanding monopoly techs" and see the list above for AI stupidity. It would be really funny, if Fireaxis had made a "play as AI" mode
Wanna build a Worker? No, you cannot do that, you have to build a temple. Begged 50g from Sabrina and she declined? Doesn't matter if you have no troops, now you have to go to war. Wanna declare at MM? You can't, because he's friendly to you
. You're GK and 25T have passed, now you have to screw Diplomacy and demand something totally over the top from the #1 in Score
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Seraiel, have you tried giving cities away? With your vast empire, I'm sure you must have one or two worthless cities near each AI, right?
Giving a city away grants you a permanent +1 and up to +4 temporary diplo. Once the AI is pleased, it'll make "requests" instead of demands, which are much cheaper to ignore.
On a different note, could Cereal Mills be a better corp for you? It doesn't give you all that culture, so it won't put you over the limit. Ofc, it comes later and probably won't give you as much food. But maybe it's worth a try? Btw, I believe it's also far cheaper, if that matters to you.
Gifting cities for getting better Diplo is a good idea, especially, as the bonus is +1 +3 +4 +6, so for 2 cities, one already gets +3, 4 cities give +6. I do never find the Hammers in my games though, that I could do this really. If you'd see my actual starting location, you'd laugh, 4 riverside Gems, 5 green Hills double Food, next City had 18 FPs and again the next had tripple food. Do you think I could pump out enough Settlers though? No, it's 500 BC, and I'm still expanding, having "only 30 cities" (had 50 at that point in my best game) . Problem is, that I have to get at least 100 cities to have a chance at 3M points and I have to get them till 1 AD at latest to be competitive, could already give up in my current game, but think I'm gonna finish it just for fun. I even took most IMP leaders in that game, as they can found more cities for me, but Huge B&S is simply rediculous, going once around the World with a Galleon would take something like 500y, hf Sailors
And thx for trying to be helpful, but there is no discussion about Sushi or Cereals. There is at least twice that much Seafood as there are Grains, if not trebble or quadruple. If Cereals could use all food, i. e. also Animals or Bananas, it would have a chance to compete, but I guess the people just don't like "Kellogs Pork" or some yummy "Cow-Bars"
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It is exacerbate :
