What is (not) allowed?

[SirPleb]

Does anyone have an opinion on whether using Chiefpaco's mapstat utility should be allowed or not? (For info about it see this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18243)

Mapstat can be used to count the number of tiles by type (grassland, sea, etc.) on a map. It will show the number of tiles of each type owned by each Civ in the game. It does not show any other information and does not allow any kind of editing of a save game.

My feeling is that using mapstat (in order to work out the Domination threshold) should be allowed in the GOTM. But only after one has played far enough to see most or all of the map of course. At that point mapstat does not show any information which the player can't get by doing a tedious manual count so it seems valid to me, it removes the tedium and eyestrain of counting manually.

 

[Matrix]

Sure! I don't think it can't do any harm letting a computer count the number of squares everyone possesses (What a word!) instead of doing it yourself. So sure, use it.

 

[BillChin]

On another thread, Spork brought up a minor exploit that has not been discussed. The exploit involves hopping units from ship to ship in the same tile to cross oceans faster. With enough ships, a stack of units can cross a twenty tile ocean in one turn. This is an exploit, but requires a lot of units to really take advantage of it.

There are a number of alternatives for this one:
1) Do nothing and let players use the exploit
2) Allow one ship hop per land unit, per turn
3) No ship hopping allowed

I vote for #2.

 

[Taé Shala]

Me too.

 

[Matrix]

And I'd say #1. This was possible with Civ1 and Civ2 as well and has never been mentioned there since it's already known. I don't see how this is an exploit more than simply a tactic. I actually use it now and then already.

 

[Lucky]

I completely agree with you, Matrix. It is a simple tactic and not an exploit. It even bears a certain degree of reality.
There have been changes of cargo among ships out on open sea for as long as there are any ships out there at all.
And as Matrix said it also has been part of all previous civ games and noone called it a cheat then.
So it´s a simple and valid tactic.