Tell us why you rarely or never Submit GOTMs

[Gwyddelig]

Also Gwyddeligs response also applies to me:


On games above Monarch If I don't get trounced from the start, I end up in the middle of the score pack and can't be bothered finishing the game as I don't think I have a high chance of winning.

OR I do very well early mid game, get complacent then really mess up later (usually by ignoring an AI civ going for Culture win/or space race). Only to realise I needed to do something about the threat they pose about 5 turns too ago

I'd encourage you to stick with it as a few canny tech trades can make a huge difference. Sid's Sushi can really rocket you forward. The Internet is your friend too. Don't bother too much with the score. As for not keeping a close enough I on the AI (as it were), I empathise entirely because it's quite tricky. I think I'm getting there though. Slowly.

 

[kcd_swede]

On games above Monarch If I don't get trounced from the start, I end up in the middle of the score pack and can't be bothered finishing the game as I don't think I have a high chance of winning.

Interesting... I play just about every game to completion (not just xOTM's), even the losers. Maybe I'm a masochist by nature. But honestly, I think I learn a lot more about how AI behave in late game by doing so. It's a lot more interesting than routing them all on too low a level, imo.

I always submit my XOTM games, good or bad. Maybe I'm an exhibitionist by nature.

 

[Unconquered Sun]

Why don't you play for fast finish awards then?

Not as shiny as gold medals.

 

[BSmith1068]

I used to play the xOTM games a while back, but it has probably been more than a year now since I have played CIV at all. If/When I start to play again – I will definitely start to play the BOTM games. I have no problems with the way the competition is set up, and really did enjoy the challenge of harder difficulty levels than I was used to and seeing how others play the same map – even if I didn’t ultimately submit my games. The reality is that I just don’t have the time in RL right now to play.

I am also not concerned with rankings or scores. I mainly played for the shared experience of playing the same game as everyone else and seeing how they did compared to me.

 

[Jasonc]

I cannot finish a game within a month, without cutting corners or having absolutely no RL at all. I enjoy playing the games to learn new strategies, play the customized maps and to see how my eventual finish compares to the people who did submit.

 

[Ronnie1]

I tend to submit almost all games ( so I know this is NOT what you are really looking for). If I don't have time to finish, which I don't sometimes, I usually retire and submit that result. Sometimes I play poorly, (especially late game which can get tedious) and don't get the result I was hoping for, and submit those results also.

My point here is that I really like the format, and will SUPPORT it by submitting results no matter what those results may be. The xOTM's and SxOTM's have probably impacted my skill level more than any other factor, and I will continue to support them, at least until my wife destroys my discs, which she threatens to do from time to time!

 

[da_Vinci]

and I will continue to support them, at least until my wife destroys my discs, which she threatens to do from time to time!

Solution: Just trade her shopping for your CIV !

dV

 

[oyzar]

I don't play much sp... Heck i don't play that much MP either..

 

[da_Vinci]

at least until my wife destroys my discs, which she threatens to do from time to time!

I don't play much sp... Heck i don't play that much MP either..

Ahh, the joys of matrimony ...

Munro, you're next!

dV

 

[dalamb]

Do y'all really want people who do badly to retire and submit their games, or would you rather only see games played all the way through?

 

[da_Vinci]

@dalamb: Do y'all really say "y'all" in Ontario?

Seems a bit north for Southern Drawl ...

dV

 

[dalamb]

I went to grad school in Pittsburgh, where a prof from Texas said modern English needed a 2nd person pronoun that was clearly plural, and that y'all was the obvious choice ("you" historically was plural; we lost the singular "thou" hundreds of years ago).

 

[da_Vinci]

@dalamb: Do y'all really say "y'all" in Ontario?

Seems a bit north for Southern Drawl ...

dV

I went to grad school in Pittsburgh, where a prof from Texas said modern English needed a 2nd person pronoun that was clearly plural, and that y'all was the obvious choice ("you" historically was plural; we lost the singular "thou" hundreds of years ago).

Ahh ... so its is only thou that says "y'all" in Ontario?

Wouldn't bringing back thou be more faithful to the roots of the language?

But "Hey! Thou!" just doesn't sound the same, (nor does "F or S thou!")

dV

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Do y'all really want people who do badly to retire and submit their games, or would you rather only see games played all the way through?

Personally I wouldn't want anyone to force themselves to finish if they're seriously not enjoying the game. I think it's nicer if people who don't finish for (almost) whatever reason, eg. lack of time or got bored with that particular game do submit their retired game. (And I would guess all the staff well aware that Civ games tend to be less interesting mid and late game than they are in the early game).

The only thing I would personally prefer people not to do as far as submitting retired games is concerned is retire specifically in order to avoid having your score go down because you're being invaded and heading for a conquest defeat; I view that as not being within the spirit of the game and also not fair to people who play to the end even when they are going to be defeated. But I think very few retire for that reason anyway. In any other situation that I can think of, I'd prefer it if people who are not going to complete did submit their retired games (and participated in the spoilers).

 

[Mundungu]

DS :

Agree with you in principle, but when you are middle of the pack in score, and suddenly AI DOWs on you with Infantry while only having Maces for defense (happened to me in higher level Xotm), just quite right away, what is the fun to keep on plyaing ?

In this case however I did not submit ....

 

[Harok]

When I don't submit it is because of 1 of 3 reasons.

1) I didn't have time to finish.
2) I tried something really risky early on and it failed so miserably that finishing would be nearly pointless.
3) I have played poorly a few games in a row and need a few months break to get over my frustration. To borrow a poker term, I need to take a break so I'm not playing on tilt anymore.

It is usually number 1. When my kids are involved in sports (spring and fall) I have significantly less time but I don't think there is anything that can be done to help that unless I can get some volunteers to run them to practice and/or do the honey do list my wife gives me.

 

[Skade]

I too am a player that downloads gotms regularly but never finishes and submits. Currently I would only consider playing Botm's as I haven't played the other variants since i got bts. I can't really give any suggestions as to how the format could be changed to help me submit more. I love playing the games, I just struggle to finish a game that I have no chance of winning. i don't mind losing, as such, but when i see no possible course to victory i just lose interest.

Please let me reiterate, I do love the gotm idea and every month i'm counting down the days to the next botm. Currently already checking daily (even though it's too early) in the hope that the next pregame discussion is available so i can start dreaming into the fog.

I also have learned a lot from pregame discussions and trying to implement different ideas i have picked up from them that are not concepts i have played with before.

(sorry for not providing any useful info for increasing the 'sumbits' but i just wanted reinforce the common theme here that us 'quitters' still love playing the games even if we don't finish.)



ps: omg botm13! i was way out of my league in a game as difficult as that, but it was so much fun. even though i eventually started losing horribly, it was fun while it lasted.

 

[PaulisKhan]

I regularly start the BotM's but very rarely finish them.
Usually I get myself into a position from which the game is easily winnable and then get bored and abandon the game.

It's hard to give an objective analysis of such a subjective topic but if I can take a guess it's due to the conflicting philosphies of the format.

There's the desire to win the game, which means playing a strong reliable strategy because you only get one shot but then there's also the desire to win the awards/medals which usually requires playing with an element of risk.
While for most people that is the whole point of the "OTM's" for me it just pulls my mind in one too many directions.
When I want the challenge of winning against other people, I go and play a HoF or Gauntlet game, where a failed gambit simply means regenerating a new map and trying again.
If I want the challenge of winning a game against the AI in difficult circumstances I look to something more like an SG or "cookbook" scenario.

I don't think it has anything to do with a flaw in the OTM format, so much as the format just appeals to a different type of personality.

 

[MacBalt]

I think I submit fairly often, but when I don't it is because there simply isn't time. The only Civ I play is the XOTM, but I'm not fast and, difficult though it may be to believe, there are still some people who think I spend too much time playing this game.

 

[dalamb]

I think it's nicer if people who don't finish for (almost) whatever reason, eg. lack of time or got bored with that particular game do submit their retired game. ... The only thing I would personally prefer people not to do ... is retire specifically in order to avoid having your score go down because you're being invaded and heading for a conquest defeat;

I guess I can start submitting more retirements -- and starting more games I expect I'll eventually retire from (ie everything above Noble!).

With respect to being conquered -- I doubt I'd ever be particularly motivated by score, but I can easily see not wanting to play out being conquered just because it was unfun. If it looks like I'd lose soon, I could probably play it out just to stick within the spirit of the GOTM system, but I'm not so sure about what I'd want to do if it looked like I was facing a long, slow defeat. Is it better to just not submit in that case?