The Histographic Challange

[keldr]

I have never beaten anything above demigod, so I'm not too optimistic about Sid. I decided to give it a try anyway, and tried to make the settings as easy as possible and not focus so much on score optimizing.
Which means: 80%, archipelago, wet, warm, 5 bio, and playing as the Byzantines against the Mongols, Zulus and Aztecs.

I got quite a nice starting island, actually the biggest island of all, with 5 luxuries and what turned out to be the only fresh water source on the entire map. On the downside there was no iron or horses, but I have no intentions of invading the AI anytime soon anyway... (If ever)

I was very surprised to see how quickly the Sid AIs go broke because of their insane building pace, and even more surprised to be the tech leader going out of the ancient age. This of course also means that the overall tech pace is very slow due to the AI being useless for tech trading, and the 80% arch map not giving very good conditions for researching by myself.

I'm currently at 700 AD, and not only alive, but also leads the histograph with 1475 pts - almost 300 more than my closest rival. The AI civs still haven't built a single ship, and I'm slowly getting the small islands colonized - currently at 21% of world area. I'm still in the middle ages, but all of the AIs are still in the ancient age.

I must admit that I'm still a bit worried, it seems a bit too easy right now. The AIs have plenty of harbors but haven't built any ships. I really don't know if I should be worried about invasions or if the AIs are unable to ever get out of their financial trouble..?

 

[vmxa]

The AI will not send out ships, until it can cross the tiles safely. So in your map, they are surely locked down by at least Sea tiles and likely Ocean. So they will not move until they get Astro for sea or Nav/Mag for ocean or augmented by the Lighthouse.

The only improvement they seen for invasions, is they can build ships and units much faster. So they still do not mass them, they at times will have some large numbers.

If the game is on some tiny/small map, then they could be further hampered by a lack of towns. So they will have no workers and be choked. They end up disbanding them for support. This occurs, because they can make units so fast.

 

[Bartleby]

I've had two somewhat better attempts, but the wheels came off them both ca 500 BC. The first one I abandoned when my Sword Army was killed by a Spearman, but in reality I know I couldn't have lasted much longer anyway.
The other one I haven't completely given up on--if I can get the Egyptians to fight the Americans again it might stall the stack they sent at me as soon as they made peace with Abe. In that game I had two Sword Armies by 1000 BC.

If the Egyptians still attack me, then I think I'll roll a new set of maps with different opponents. I went for no-alpha,* but I think crap-UU would serve me better. I'm still trying for Sumeria/60% Pangaea but if I don't get a fabulously luck start soon I might try an 80% archipelago to see if I can actually finish one of these.


*edit: the third opponent in these games has been Arabia. The thought of Ansars just makes me
Another thought I had was to add a fourth AI and go from Normal to Max aggression...more AI wars and maybe a better chance of Iron for me.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

The AI are probably hosed. There is a fair chance that some of them don't have fresh water, as well, so can't grow until they get construction.

Invasions on Sid are... interesting.

It's not that hard, if you can find saltpeter - but you have to dump 20 or 40 onto a hill and hope that the AI doesn't wipe them out with endless waves of archers and warriors and spears. Find one without iron, if you want to try it. pay attention to your weariness, too - it'll jump fast.

 

[ignas]

Just now noticed this one. I think I'll give this a shot.
I have a game initially planned to be as a fast space game. It's pangaea(lower dom limit than on arch map-lower score) as Sumeria. IA entered in 90BC, planning to kill AI's with superior numbers of infantries and artys and then just milk for a few hundred turns.

 

[Marsden]

This is going to close September 1st 2008 so finish up everyone!

 

[PrinceMyshkin]

I started a few of these on 60% archipelago maps using the Netherlands and got one rather mediocre start into the late MA's and around 500AD I should eventually win. But I got a late start on this and didn't have the time I thought I would to put into it. I'll get a submission for this in with the Dutch at some point, but there's no way I'll have enough time to finish this even if there were an extension. Good luck to all those still playing this and in the future, I'll start these challenges at the beginning rather than the end.

 

[Marsden]

Well, Small Sid is unconquerable still! No entries were received.

 

[Marsden]

Hello. I was supposed to announce this October 1st, but I forgot.

So we are going to try:

Mapsize: Tiny
Difficulty: Demi-god​

Please have all entries in by December 31st, 2008 or thereabouts.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I'll be trying this.

Note that the one entry on this table took 15 hours to play, so as histographic games go, this isn't one of the 200 hour time sink ones

 

[Calis]

I turned in one game, trying an archi map, which turned out to be a snaky pangea due to 60% water...

I just realized that the current HOF entry with 9148 is not easy to beat. I think I had 8863 points. (after around 32 hours playing time)...

But I've beaten Demigod the first time

Learned quite a lot in the Civ3 MTDG II...

 

[Bartleby]

Congratulations on beating DG, anyway. What civ did you use?
My entry was around 10400 points, as the Maya.

 

[Calis]

I used the Celts, but as it was my very first milk run, I most probably made several mistakes...

 

[Marsden]

Don't worry, if you scored 80+% of Bartleby's then you did good. I've got one in progress as the Iroqouis, I just cleared the AI out to their 2 tile tundra retreat. As a final touch I like to surround it with privateers to keep them starving.

I'm still in the setting up phase, which I never know what to do. I never really found out certainly if sea counts for score, someone can tell me, again. I'm never sure if I should build enough culture to get the fat X or just keep the 9 box limit. You can get a city up to 19 or so pop on the right nine tiles. I don't have a good estimate what mine will score, but I'm not expecting to beat Dianthus' score.

 

[DWetzel]

I think (and am prepared to be corrected) that you want sea tiles, because they add to population without adding to your domination limit--basically, they're "free" population.

PS: Bonus points for the Billy Madison signature.

 

[Marsden]

I think (and am prepared to be corrected) that you want sea tiles, because they add to population without adding to your domination limit--basically, they're "free" population.

PS: Bonus points for the Billy Madison signature.

They don't add to the score as in owning territory but they add to the score by allowing a happy citizen to work it and not be counted towards the domination limit, thus allowing more of them? I'm just trying to get it straight, if that's possible.


And to your PS, I couldn't pass that one up when I saw it. It's from Billy Madision but I saw it on Jabootu in a review for Zabriskie Point, which that movie fits that quote perfectly.

 

[Bartleby]

They don't add to the score as in owning territory but they add to the score by allowing a happy citizen to work it and not be counted towards the domination limit, thus allowing more of them? I'm just trying to get it straight, if that's possible.

You got that straight.

 

[Marsden]

So getting the third or fourth expansion to grab sea squares is useless.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

that is correct

 

[Spoonwood]

I don't know milk-runs well, but from what I've read of Moonsinger's notes placed in various places... I think you want the fat X, since you want as large of cities as possible (and probably as quickly as possible also) eventually at least and so that you can get to Longevity as soon as possible. More tiles possible to work implies better production/commerce. Anyone known to try for The Hanging Gardens in upper-level milk runs?