Which Settings Options Do You Prefer? Why?

Olson

Warlord
Joined
May 5, 2013
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283
Location
Long Island, NY
If I'm playing "Always War" I'll turn off tech trading, barbs, and goody huts and select a map type that is geometric in some way (ie. ring, center lake, etc.). My intent is to reduce program randomness as much as possible for a strictly military challange. If I were playing a BtS game I'd also turn off random events and, maybe, espionage.

But for a "regular" game, I go standard all the way and, occassionally, I'll choose a leader (about 25% of the time). This is primarily because I'm still learning the basics...well...the intermediates.

I'm curious about Epic speed but won't try it because I don't want the difference to screw me up in developing an "intuition" on timing in a regular game. Going up a level does that well enough, thank you.

But it seems there are a number of settings variations that are popular, such as, playing a Financial leader, Epic speed, etc. And there are some that are less popular, such as, random events.

What settings options do you use? What do they do to the gameplay (if it's not obvious) that you enjoy?
 
I like random events turned on (it makes the gamplay more realistic IMHO) though the volcano eruption (when Your mountainside cottages get razed :D) is quite nasty, barbarian uprising early can be completely game altering and that's why the random events are fun to play with. I usually (unless I forget about it) prefer to play with "no tech brokering" - it helps to keep Your vassals/allies "in line" making sure that Your hard earned tech wont get into the hands of the enemy via the AI trading. I prefer to left the goodie huts on. I don't believe that they can screw too much - thay can tip the favor to one player or the other at the beggining (especially with free tech) but they are mostly harmless. I also like to have "choose religion" option on mainly for aesthetic or roleplaying reasons - it is rather unimportant from the strategic point of view unless You're playing a mod that changes religions. Well that's about it.
 
If I'm playing "Always War" I'll turn off tech trading...

What settings options do you use? What do they do to the gameplay (if it's not obvious) that you enjoy?

If You play always war, no one is gonna trade with You anyway, Watson:)
But to answer Your question:

1) I mostly tick "no technology brokering". It means that civ can only tehcs that it had researched itself. It will make game a little bit more strategic. You can go beelines and choose which techs You give and to whom.

2) I mostly play "aggressive AI", without it, in some games AI tends to build ridiculously small armies.

3) I mostly play vassals ON. Helps to finihs huge maps faster, when You are winning anyway, You dont have to conquer them all.

4) I mostly play "no barbarians" and "no huts" - to reduce early randomness. I leave random events ON, this will give some spice during game.

5) I mostly play All victory conditions ON, except games, where Im clear underdog. For example I wont play with space race in 1 city challange etc.

6) I mostly play on marathon speed, which should make game a bit easier, but I really do like gaming in all eras. At normal speed You just sprint trought first techs.

7) I mostly play all-connected landmasses, coz imho AI really sucks at naval warring.

Hope this helps.
 
In addition some challenging setups, that are very interesting to try:

1) 1 city challenge (make sure, You turn on "permanent alliances", as thats Your only hope:D)
2) team up all AI and put on "always war"
3) Start with Incas on earth 18 map.
 
New random seed and permanent alliances, everything else default.
 
What settings options do you use? What do they do to the gameplay (if it's not obvious) that you enjoy?

City Flipping After Conquest - I enjoy consistency

Require Complete Kills - I enjoy the idea of a civ rising from the ashes (not that it ever happens)

No Vassal States - I play with cultural victory enabled, and I enjoy the idea of requiring independence to win

No Espionage - I enjoy not having to micromanage the espionage points, but I miss seeing on the score board what other civs are researching

New Random Seed on Reload - I enjoy consistency ;)
 
City Flipping After Conquest - I enjoy consistency

Require Complete Kills - I enjoy the idea of a civ rising from the ashes (not that it ever happens)

No Vassal States - I play with cultural victory enabled, and I enjoy the idea of requiring independence to win

No Espionage - I enjoy not having to micromanage the espionage points, but I miss seeing on the score board what other civs are researching

New Random Seed on Reload - I enjoy consistency ;)

You do realize that No Espionage makes cultural victory much less likely and is harder to achieve for both you and the AIs? Espionage points are converted to culture. To compensate for that, the amount of culture needed for each culture level (including legendary) goes up. However, when they programmed it, they screwed up and made the increase needed for each level far greater than what the converted espionage points provide.
 
Depending on mod, game type and my mood;

RB on; yep, gimme more xp for my early units, tyvm
RP on; gotta guess if your a psycho or not? sure thing.
TB on; beg for techs elsewhere Mansa
CF off; Nah, I want the satisfaction of flipping one of your prime cities.
Vassals on; Need a buffer zone on huge + maps
PA on; Wanna be bestest buddies and take the initial brunt of a SOD attack? sure thing.
RS on; just because I can
Esp on; shadow war with SB? bring it on Feather Head!

Usually all VC's on, and epic speed.
 
You do realize that No Espionage makes cultural victory much less likely and is harder to achieve for both you and the AIs? Espionage points are converted to culture. To compensate for that, the amount of culture needed for each culture level (including legendary) goes up. However, when they programmed it, they screwed up and made the increase needed for each level far greater than what the converted espionage points provide.

I haven't found it too much of a stretch, although I'm only up to Warlord difficulty.
- :dunno:
 
7) I mostly play all-connected landmasses, coz imho AI really sucks at naval warring.
Hope this helps.
Huge Archipelago/Snaky Continents maps is still harder then maps like pangea

Cas at all-connected landmasses player can conqueror alot AI civs much easier and become stronger much earlier, because conquering civs at Archipelago/Snaky Continents/Multiple Hempshires takes much more time then conquering AI at all-connected landmasses

When there is only 2 continents on the map its easy, but not when there is 4-5 continents
 
Huge map

Fractal map, as you never know what you will get, I like that.

Complete kills

Conquest only victory condition, there can only be one, launching a spaceship aint gonna save you when I come a knocking with an army.
 
raging barbs
no goody huts
lock modified assets
aggressive ai
no vassals
 
Conquest only victory condition, there can only be one, launching a spaceship aint gonna save you when I come a knocking with an army.

You may kill my Earthly incarnation, but I will live on forever in the Heavens!
- :p
 
If You play always war, no one is gonna trade with You anyway, Watson:)

Huh? I'm out-teching an AI that's still trading amongst themselves; while being dog-piled? Gee, I might be better than I thought!

[Edit: Seriously, I'm asking, the AI is still trading amongst themselves if I chose the C4W "No Tech Trading" option?]
 
I always play with Raging Barbarians to make it more difficult for both myself and the AI to expand, because you have to constantly keep fighting off barbs on your border cities.

I feel like it helps level the playing field on maps where some civs start on the "edge" with lots of room to expand while others start in the "middle" and are limited by their expansion options. So the civs on the edge are slowed down by the barbs.

I used to do "Complete Kills" too... until one game Egypt lost their last city but still had troops somewhere (a boat or something, I never did find out) that apparently no one could find.

I had defensive pacts with like 5 civs to ensure my protection since the top 2 most powerful civs were both annoyed with me - but they all slowly but surely took turns declaring war on Egypt and thus invalidating the pacts. This lasted for like 30+ turns until finally someone found that boat (or whatever) and killed it. Very annoying to lose all my defensive pacts because of that, and then of course the two civs that hated me declared war and I had no allies to help me... :mad: so I haven't used this setting since then.
 
I always play with Raging Barbarians to make it more difficult for both myself and the AI to expand, because you have to constantly keep fighting off barbs on your border cities.

I feel like it helps level the playing field on maps where some civs start on the "edge" with lots of room to expand while others start in the "middle" and are limited by their expansion options. So the civs on the edge are slowed down by the barbs.

All well and good...until someone builds the Great Wall!
- :sad:

I used to do "Complete Kills" too... until one game Egypt lost their last city but still had troops somewhere (a boat or something, I never did find out) that apparently no one could find.

Possibly a Great Spy - they're invisible to all opponents.
 
Get BTS.
 
I play with No Tech Brokering in every game. A great poster once said that tech brokering (normal Alphabet Trades) is the most broken mechanic in the game and I somewhat agree. With brokering off there is always variance in that not every Civ will have the same techs. I could never go back to playing without this option. I play every game with K-Mod AI too and I could never go back to dumb ol' base BTS either.
 
I play with No Tech Brokering in every game. A great poster once said that tech brokering (normal Alphabet Trades) is the most broken mechanic in the game and I somewhat agree. With brokering off there is always variance in that not every Civ will have the same techs. I could never go back to playing without this option. I play every game with K-Mod AI too and I could never go back to dumb ol' base BTS either.

You forgot about the advert for cake Plastique :)
 
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