Your favorite speed

[Ignorant Teacher]

Please, be kind enough to leave a comment on why you've chosen said speed.

I choose Marathon because I like long games and because the eras don't fly before you had the chance to enjoy them.

 

[Cjreynol]

I chose Normal speed because games of that length usually fit into my schedule pretty well. With college I can get a couples days where I have some free hours but then I can't really do anything for a week. So that way I can finish up a Normal game over the course of 2 days and not have to worry about if I'm in a spot I can pick up the game easily when I can come back to playing. I know it's not a huge thing but it just bugs me

I would like to try some epic and marathon games sometime, just need to get a good time set aside to do it.

 

[binhthuy71]

I play on Epic and usually on Duel, Tiny or Small maps only because I don't have the time that I used to have to devote to the game. The slower speed gave me more of a feeling for the sweep of unfolding history and not having military units become obsolete within a few turns was an added plus. I'll try the next game on Marathon and probably take weeks, rather than days, to complete it.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

I try to enjoy the lenght and depth of the game so I have choosen Marathon as I usually have quite a few weeks free during a year when I can finish such games but I am considering to start playing faster just for the fact that it is militarily more difficult.

 

[mariogreymist]

I like Marathon, as I feel the other speeds are somewhat unfair to the civilizations whose peaks come early (Native Americans, Greeks, Aztecs etc). When I have one of those civs, I feel cheated if the game moves faster, and if I have one as a neighbor, I feel a late victory is cheap following an abbreviated ancient/classical game.

 

[Yared]

Epic. It's fast enough for me to not get bored and at the same time long enough for me to be able to settle the map.

 

[LegionSteve]

I like marathon for exactly the reasons people have already said.

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

Marathon so my sword rush doesn't roll up to Longbows.

 

[Zero-Sum]

I like marathon because like it was said you can play each era with its units easier, but I usually play Epic, because on Marathon after mid game it starts taking too long between turns, and theres alot of turns..

 

[Iranon]

Normal for me.

On slower speeds, a temporary military advantage allows too decisive victories... too often it's 'get to x, simply win'. I feel almsot forced into the warmonger role because there are often opportunities without associated risks. Barbarians can also become obnoxious although that's a lesser concern.

On faster speeds, war becomes tactically shallow from my experience. There is so much pressure to press home an advantage before the enemy makes a military breakthrough that speed and brute force trump the subtler points of warfare.
Some legitimate warmongering strategies aren't worth attempting at all because the window of opportunity is too tight.

I also got the impression that the AI becomes more and more incompetent the farther you stray from default settings.

 

[Lansky]

Normal

Occasionally marathon to see just how early I can launch a spaceship.

 

[Psimon]

Epic, followed closely by Marathon. Never faster than Standard.

I like to stretch out the ancient times as long as I can. I might play No Tech Trading, or at least Brokering, soon . . . .

 

[Badtz Maru]

I prefer Normal, with the Small or Normal map size. I find the longer games much easier (my first Prince win was on Marathon), but I don't really have time for them.

 

[Hsinchu]

Normal... all the charts and website data are fit to that speed and I've played it so much I have a pretty solid memory of what is required to get what and how long it should take. Quick is akin to other things that are quick... even though you get the job done it is largely undersatisfying. Epic and Marathon are more tests of endurance than they are of game knowledge and require different strategies and short term goals. I think all the speeds have a time and a place but if I have a weekend to kill, Normal it is.

 

[Decius]

I prefer epic. Military units seem to become obsolete too quickly at normal speed. Marathon is nice at the start, but wrapping up the game takes waaaay tooooo loooong.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Normal. My reasons are very close to Iranon's...although I wish warfare wasn't balanced such that renaissance and/or industrial war is painfully easy while earlier eras are much harder.

Slower speeds are too slow and especially with marathon unbalanced.

 

[TheEnforcer]

I like Epic.. It's not too fast and not too slow.... it's just right.. ;>))

 

[mechaerik]

Epic. Marathon is too slow, quick too fast, and normal just doesn't feel right.

 

[fearthereaper]

Am i the only one that likes quick? Anyway i choose quick because i like finishing my games quickly.

 

[smackthewise]

Epic. Same reasons as above. Feels good, Normal is way to fast, Marathon I may get bored and quit if the game is not engaging.