The Average Guy Thread

[opticaljim]

Because that's what I am. I'm a pretty average player.

I know there are guys who can play at the Double Deity Level and kick butt and I envy them, I really do. But that's not me. I play at the medium difficulty level and that's pretty much all I can handle without being severely traumatized.

I mean, c'mon. What am I doing at higher difficulty levels that causes every Civ out there to gang up on poor little me? Is that supposed to be challenging? Oh, and thanks for dropping me in the middle of a desert without any luxuries whatsoever. Don't think I'm just talking about Civ IV, either.

Yeah, Civ IV's sense of humor is just like Civ III's. I'm the Japanese so it sure would be nice to create a few of those nifty Samarais. Just too bad I don't have any friggin' iron around. But there sure doesn't seem to be a shortage for my neighbor the Romans who enjoy constantly ramming Praetorians down my throat.

I had a hard enough time figuring out my government in Civ III. Now I have to balance 5 different civics for maximum productivity. I actually sit down before a game and try to map out what I need to accomplish. I've taken calculus finals that were less stressful.

Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast learning how to play. Yeah, I have a few bug problems, but what the heck, I plan on playing this game for years so I will eventually have a computer with all the upgrades for maximum enjoyment.

And what about that blaring trumpet noise whenever there's a battle or declaration of war? Kinda reminds me of that noise those tripod killing machines made in War of the Worlds.

I've won a couple of games. I got a space victory and a time victory. I like the epic setting. The Terra map is brutal. I'm always excited about exploring and populating a new continent in the middle of the game but I can't because I'm holding of a half dozen jerk Civs in the Old World. The AI keeps reminding me to work on some culture but how can I when I'm getting my butt kicked?

Anyway, I'm getting ready to play another game. Feel free to post your "average guy" experiences. And all you hotshots? I know you're good. You know you're good. Heck, some of you guys could probably reprogram half the game to your liking. I respect you and your advice. Just accept me for what I am. I'm an average guy with average skills who stills loves to play the game.

 

[VilleDick]

I've taken calculus finals that were less stressful.

Right on man, except for Calc III, kinda bombed that class.

Anyway, I agree the harder difficulties aren't so much harder as they are more screw job. No phones, no lights, no motor cars, not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe, it's primitive as can be. But it's fun nevertheless. I'm hoping eventually I can beat the double-deity level as well, but for now I'll survive climbing the ladder slowly.

 

[warpus]

it takes time to get really good at *any* game.

i wasn't even expecting to win the first game of civ4 that i played! and i played it on the easiest setting possible!

why would i do such a thing? to see what the game is like and explore various random tactics to see how they hold up. of course i won the game, the easiest setting is way too easy to lose but the point is that i was trying out random things and slowly getting used to the interface/mechanics/gameplay.

you pretty much have to do that with every game.. but if i may give you some advice: savour it! don't just jump straight into the tutorials and then attempt to play a perfect game right away. fool around a bit! the experience is what makes it enjoyable for me. there are people out there who play to win. i play to play!

 

[kulgan]

I too am a regular guy. I too will have to learn how to play this game. CIV III was great and still provides a real enjoyment to play.

When my copy of CIV 4 arrives I plan to start at the middle difficulty and learn the game from that point. It took me too long to get from settlers to emporer in CIVIII because of the differences in the AI. So I figure start medium and learn real strategy.

 

[CorruptAssassin]

Im a regular guy, but dont say it likes its a bad thing!

I play games to have a good time, not to be insanely stressed by a cheating/very difficult AI. That is why I play on Noble most of the time, and play with easier difficulties to have some fun.

If you can play at higher difficulties, thats fine. As long as you are enjoying the game your playing, thats all that maters!

 

[opticaljim]

One thing I've noticed about Civ IV is that the "land grab" method does not work. You will quickly run into finance issues if you expand too quickly.

I was messing around one night and decided I would build a one city empire just to see how quickly they would come after me.

Turns out I got pretty successful building a great Wonder early and discovering a religion in the city too. I got so much culture that I was able to expand quickly after the first 100 turns. I ended up winning.

 

[bman003]

I've taken calculus finals that were less stressful.

[side track] man my Calc III final is coming up this sucks![/side track]

 

[agoodfella]

I remember a Calculus test that was so hard, I started reading the questions and my plan was to start with a question I could actually begin and answer... a few minutes reading through it (and more than a few sweat beads) later, I had reached the end of the test...

I actually laughed out loud and managed to freak out a few people around me. Yeah, I got a big fat ZERO on that one. Shoulda studied harder. (didn't stop me from graduating though!)

 

[opticaljim]

Yeah, Conic Sections, Series, and Sequences basically destroyed my life for about 4 months. I used to think I was good at math in High School. In college I had the privelage of meeting folks who truly were good. It wasn't me. My the end of my college education I was satisfied to be merely capable.

The AI is a conspiracy in Civ IV. I mean, doesn't it make sense to advance your civ through trading technology? So why won't some of them trade with me? The reason they give is, "We just don't like you enough." So what does that have to do with trading? Isn't it a mutual benefit? They refuse to trade at their own detriment.

The whole idea of playing AI generated civs should be that they all have the desire to win at the end of the game. Perhaps I'm just feeling a little persecuted right now but it almost seems like some of the civ's goal is to prevent me from winning.

 

[Marcus_Aurelius]

And what about that blaring trumpet noise whenever there's a battle or declaration of war? Kinda reminds me of that noise those tripod killing machines made in War of the Worlds.

Tell me about it. That noise stresses me out every time. I think the reason it's so iritating is that it happens before the diplomacy screen comes up and they say "This world isn't big enough for the two of us!" You think your on good terms with everyone, and then.... you hear the trumpet of war. Plus, you hear that noise even when other civs declare war on each other. Anytime I hear it it freaks me out.

 

[Marcus_Aurelius]

One thing that bothers me as I read this forum is when people talk about "beating the game" or "beating monarch", etc. I will be quite content continue to play on noble for some time to come. For me the game isn't about winning on one difficulty level and then moving up to the next. I love how every game is a new experience, even on the same difficulty level over and over again. Noble is a level playing field and that's how I like to play.

 

[dh_epic]

Part of the problem is that you're an average guy who had a decent mastery of Civ 3. The dynamics of Civ 4 are quite different. You have to relearn the game, essentially. But it manages to be more interesting than Civ 3 but with the same amount of complexity. It's more elegant.

I recommend having a more focused or specific goal. Maybe even stop focusing on winning for a while and see what you can do if you just focus on trying to generate as many great people as possible. Or what you can do if you try to focus on winning with only 5 cities. Or what you can do if you mainly build cottages... and so on.

 

[Jarrod32]

Average dude here, too. I started Civ IV on the second level from the bottom...just to get a feel for it. While I am winning the game, I don't really ahve a set strategy for a victory...maybe I can pull off a diplomatic win?

I've been playing since Civ I. I have Civ I (on 3.5" floppy disks); I have Civ II; I have Civ III and two expansion packs (PTW and C3C). I have enjoyed them all. I expect to enjoy Civ IV just as much.

I played Civ III on Monarch, or the level just below (depending on my mood). I did try a few games at the higher levels, but I would try to 'stack the deck' back into my favor a little bit (choose a dry, island world and select an agricultural/seafaring civ...things like that).

I may play an evening or two each week, maybe a bit on the weekends once in a while...a casual player who enjoys the game.

 

[neriana]

I would never describe myself as "an average gal" in life , but in Civ I definitely am. I'm not really sure what drives people to want to win the game on Deity; I suppose if you play it enough it gets boring on other levels, but...

People who had already played the game 10 times when it had been out for less than a week floored me (unless they'd been beta testers of course). I'm at game number 4 now, and I've played quite a lot, I think. I had one noble/huge map, and was winning, but the crashes got to be too much for me. So I got lazy and chose warlord again for my next game.

I just love the experience of playing, settling the map, getting a good sized civilization going. Tough challenges are for life. And trying to mod in new leaders .

 

[Tyveil]

Yeah, Conic Sections, Series, and Sequences basically destroyed my life for about 4 months. I used to think I was good at math in High School. In college I had the privelage of meeting folks who truly were good. It wasn't me. My the end of my college education I was satisfied to be merely capable.

The AI is a conspiracy in Civ IV. I mean, doesn't it make sense to advance your civ through trading technology? So why won't some of them trade with me? The reason they give is, "We just don't like you enough." So what does that have to do with trading? Isn't it a mutual benefit? They refuse to trade at their own detriment.

The whole idea of playing AI generated civs should be that they all have the desire to win at the end of the game. Perhaps I'm just feeling a little persecuted right now but it almost seems like some of the civ's goal is to prevent me from winning.

Actually I think tech trading should be off just for this reason. The person with the best tech ends up being the person who traded the most. I don't think that's right.

I'm a very average player. I do approach the game and write down strategies from the start.. what techs do I want to go for, etc? I've finished 4 games and once I got up to the 4th difficulty level they've all been close finishes. I still feel like such a noob though because I am always on the bottom of the score chart.

 

[EdCase]

Yup, another average guy here...I generally don't even play to win..I enjoy the journey...throw in a a little creativity..(random civ) and my games usually start with...

"Nice ! I'm the English under Victoria.....colonialism for me" or
" Awwww! Indians under Ghandi...time for some passive resistance"

Yup I try (and often fail) to emulate the civ/leader I "draw" as they were/are in the real world....Score and "winning" are secondary to the fun.

 

[Mighty Grum]

I got my ass handed to me early on in a Noble game (bad starting position + bad management + both scout and warrior getting eaten by bears) but I learned something from it.

I played on Settler (yah, too easy) and learned even more.

I'm now in a Warlord level game and having a great time.

I don't think I've ended up with a score more than 3 above the bottom...but I don't care. My time is spent enjoying the game and all the little tidbits of fun that are hidden in it (the music, the animations, wonder movies) rather than maximizing my score.

Would I get crushed in a MP game? Absolutely. Would I still play, even though I'd finish in last? Why not? Maybe I can learn something, or have fun being a thorn in someone's side.

It's not the finish line that I'm interested in, it's the race itself.

 

[puglover]

I'm not the only average guy on this site who bought Civ4! But seriously, I ordered it from Russia on ebay for half-price and it'll take half a month just to arrive. I'm waiting impatiently as I scour the forums for information.

I've never been awesome at civ. I'm just a monarch on CivIII. But I do have fun playing the games. I guess you could say I like strategy games but are only average at them.

Hoorah for the common man!

I got my ass handed to me early on in a Noble game (bad starting position + bad management + both scout and warrior getting eaten by bears) but I learned something from it.

I played on Settler (yah, too easy) and learned even more.

I'm now in a Warlord level game and having a great time.

What are all the difficulty levels?

 

[chinesefireball]

The first few difficulty levels are:
Settler
Cheiftan
Warlord

Then I think (I haven't played passed warlord yet):
Noble
Monarch
Emperor????

Then there are a few other higher ones

 

[Sobsob]

.


" Awwww! Indians under Ghandi...time for some passive resistance"

Are you joking? That evil little sod is lethal {charges me with 30 cavarly}