What Game Modes Do You Use

Which modes do you use?

  • Apocalypse

    Votes: 11 10.2%
  • Secret Societies

    Votes: 57 52.8%
  • Tech and Civic Shuffle

    Votes: 46 42.6%
  • Dramatic Ages

    Votes: 35 32.4%
  • Heroes & Legends

    Votes: 53 49.1%
  • Monpolies and Corporations

    Votes: 78 72.2%
  • Barbarian Clans

    Votes: 79 73.1%

  • Total voters
    108
Where is the option for "None"

I would use monopolies but the developers were not capable of balancing the game mode within the base game. Every game results in early accidental culture victories with it enabled.
 
now that we have seen all the game modes, it's pretty clear to me that the sum of them all doesn't really add up to a full-fledged expansion, despite them having the same cost (not even considering the time value of money issue here).

like, here are the important things that gathering storm added to the game:
  • environmental effects
  • reworked the strat. resources system (how many bad systems has NFP reworked?)
  • world congress
meanwhile, of the optional game modes, I'm pretty sure most people would really only use 1 or 2 on the regular. and the thing is, they all just stack junk on top of the base game - they don't seriously change how the game is played (except for the ones that just completely break the game to the point of them not being useable in a normal game).

So I am willing to call NFP a disappointment with respect to its price point and the release schedule. I don't think all of the content is bad, and I think each game mode was worth at least one playthrough. But it's definitely pretty bad on the bang for buck scale. and i kind of object to paying for what are essentially professional mods.
 
To be honest, I don't mind monopolies mode as it is. Play the mode as it stands! It's not an accidental cultural victory, it's an economic victory. If you activate this mode, you are playing for economic victory and nothing else, and gameplay revolves around grabbing monopolies where you can. To have this mode enabled and complaining you can't get a SV is missing the point. The problem is the way the AI is prevented from competing, which I assume is because otherwise the mode would be too difficult not to lose at.
 
Once tourism is patched I'm sure I'll use monopolies... But until then its secret societies, tech shuffle and heroes for me...
 
All modes "off" until bugs are fixed and AI given some instruction on how to play with them on.

Like, Dramatic Ages would be interesting, but AI just ignores Free Cities and falls to their loyalty pressure up to the point that entire AI civ can be wiped out. Pretorian Guard card bugged, and may result in losing production on Encampment buildings if you capture a city while the card is slotted.

Secret societies with their moar yields and idle hordes of AI voidsingers. Broken Monopolies mode. Barbarianless Barbarian mode as of midgame on and City State buffet. Ugh.
 
Tried my first Persia game with Barbarians mode and Zees pacing, crowded map, standard speed, and random tech putting iron working way late. After getting declared by Vietnam who sniped one of my cities while I conquered Indonesia and fended off one hoard of barbarians, I rushed to have my units cut down retaking then city only to have a Toa clan start pumping units into the fray. Archers and warriors vs Toa is a rough matchup when they are coming that fast and paired with their own archers and then crossbows. That conversion to city state couldn’t have come at a better time, and I took suz turning the tables. That said, I could never get a unit close enough to find the camp to interact with it, so even with tons of gold I still haven’t used the core mechanism of the mode :p But very exciting!
 
My current inclination is to keep Barbarians, Dramatic Ages, and Corporations on by default. Then, if I want fantastical elements (probably about half the time), add in Secret Societies, Heroes, and Apocalypse. I'm not sure about Tech Shuffle yet, but I think I'll tend to keep that as a separate sometimes-on option (usually in combination with the Real Eurekas mod). Zombies are the one mode I think I'll keep off pretty much permanently. They just seem too different in tone/genre than the "historical fantasy" of heroes, soothsayers and secret societies.
 
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