Your favorite speed

What is your favorite speed?


  • Total voters
    354
I play on normal now.

When I first started, I played on normal, because I typically start by playing a game in the default manner, as it was primarily intended. I found that games almost inevitably ended up late stage with tech-offs, and a generally unsatisfying feel to them, clicking end turn following by 15 build orders followed by end turn etc.

I started dabbling in epic and marathon, in the hopes that conflict would become a more important aspect of the game. It most certainly did. Simply put, units are far more valuable an investment if they most twice as often (or three times). However the AI is wholly inadequate when it comes to making tactical decisions, and I found myself guiltily stomping stack after stack of horribly led units. Often I would find myself outnumbered two or three to one, but on account of incredibly poor tactical management, the AI would still somehow lose the wars. Resoundingly. It left me feeling dirty -- almost as if I was using a cheat code.

So I started upping the difficulty, but at a certain point (Emperor) it simply felt that the AI was using cheat codes, and my actions were relatively insignificant. If anything it started to feel more dirty, because I became more and more reliant on the AI's poor warring abilities. Most avenues to victory became complete deadends, leaving only a few strategies.

So now I've moved back to normal speed, and play on monarch level. In doing so, I've lessened the impact of the almost exploitive wars between the AI and me, although there is sufficient risk that I'm unable to ignore that element. Also, if I plan to be aggressive, I need to invest far more heavily in that strategy. I've also started playing multiplayer with some friends, and there's no way I'd play a longer than normal MP game. Already it's tough to organise 3 or 4 sittings to close off a tight game. Just imagine if it became 12 sessions...
 
I usually play on Epic, especially if I plan to warmonger. I hate taking the time to crank out a huge SoD and have it half full of obsolete units that need to be upgraded by the time I'm done. I actually tried Marathon for a recent HOF gauntlet and kind of liked it, so I may give it a shot in my next game.

A big limiting factor for me is that I don't normally play for long stretches of time, usually a half hour or so per sitting, maybe going as high as 3 hours on weekends. I used to be really persnickety about checking on all my cities so even a game on Normal would take me several weeks. After discovering BUG (and now BUFFY) I found I could play a lot faster, which put Epic within reach.
 
no favo(u)rite, but I'm always on Normal

because that's the default option
 
Hmmmm....

Quick: "Oh my God! What happened?"
Normal: "What do you mean 'obsolete'?"
Epic: "Ooooh! A nice leisurely stroll..."
Marathon: "Allright. Who put the Quaaludes in my root beer?"

I guess my choice is a little obvious. :D



So, your definitely not an Epic player then? ;)
 
Like Lemon Merchant said Marathon for me.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

I guess the way that I put it, it does look like Marathon might be more fun, but I actually play on Epic.

I can't drink root beer when I play anyway. It messes up my game. :lol:
 
Just so I have a reference point, how many hammers are the Pyramids on Marathon?

I only play normal on the Earth scenario if I start as a European country or Tokugawa. That way, there is no way I can get wiped out by Julius Caesar of Ghenghis while Ash calmly basks in his religions and hogs all the wonders (this is the regular Civ Earth scenario... just 8 civs, which kind of sucks. Why not put in the Russians or the English?)
 
Yet they are one of the earliest wonders built, every game. Takes planning, patience and a little luck to get the mids at that price. Chopping takes double time as well, and doesn't produce extra :hammers: . Still every bit as worth it (and probably more) as on any other speed.
 
Still every bit as worth it (and probably more) as on any other speed.
Why more so?
Don't forget that on marathon building costs are trebled while all unit costs (except settlers) are doubled. This means hammers spent on units are more valuable than those spent on buildings on marathon as they are on any other speeds. As a result, on marathon you could do even more expansion with those hammers than you could on normal, so building the Pyramids is even more costly!
And all thats before we consider how much better units are on marathon anyway!
 
Chopping takes double time as well, and doesn't produce extra :hammers: .

:confused: Chopping on marathon gives hammers scaled to the normal 3x compared to normal. Actually chopping is more effective on Marathon because it takes 4 (=12 Marathon) turns on Normal to chop a forest (move on forest, chop it) and only 10 on Marathon.
 
does it? Did hammers for chopping change between vanilla and BtS? I haven't played much on slower speeds, so maybe I just didn't notice.
Why more so?
If you use the civic changes wisely, you can maximize unit production, by making early forays into suffrage or police state. (depending on whether you're stronger in :hammers: or :gold:).
 
Pyramids are most beneficial when you have a highly coastal (meaning usually you have 5+ seafood resources) or flood plain start. Then, I run Representation. My cities have a lot of food and gold to spare, so I assign some specialists, generally Priests or Engineers, and get a really good science bonus. And +3 happy faces in each city means +3 population. Times 6, that's 18 more total population for you. And that is no small matter.

I never got the point of Police State. And Universal Suffrage is good, especially for cottage economies, but Representation grants you more happy faces, and chances are, you don't have too many towns before 1000 AD. But you do need some population.
 
All of the government civics are very useful in the right moments. I never use police state if I'm don't have the pyramids, but it can be an effective civic if you can use it for a heavy producing start location to aid in a medieval war. I favor strong economic starts to massive production, so I tend to prefer representation/suffrage like you do. But the ability to increase military unit production, in marathon, early in the game, is not a trivial ability if done well.
 
1500 :hammers:
Pyramids
21 Axemen

hmm...

Well it is situational :lol:. But I did play on normal for longest, and now start to enjoy epic more and more, I think that should be the standard for the upcoming civ 5 (if there is such thing).
 
I just finished a standard-sized Final Frontier game on Normal speed with dense star system setting on Prince difficulty. It took me 23 hours and a little over 250 turns. I don't how some people are claiming to do Marathon games in 6 hours.
 
Top Bottom