AU209 - No Gold For You!

Dominae · August 25, 2003, 23:36

Welcome all to the latest AU course!

A lot of things have been happening in the AU world in the past few weeks (the inauguration of of our first dean Nuclear Master, a bunch of polls on the future of AU, etc. etc.), but there has been a distinct lack of one thing: playing Civ3! Time to get back to the whole point of AU: learning through playing.

The theme of this course is simple: playing as Catherine the Great of the Russians, you must win the game without ever triggering your Golden Age.

Just as a reminder, meeting one of the following two conditions triggers your GA:

1. Winning a battle with your Unique Unit (in this case, the Cossack).

2. After building any Great Wonder, controlling one or more Great Wonders that match your civ traits (in this case, Scientific and Expansionist).

I know, I know, using your civ's UU and planning your Golden Age are fun things to do in any given Civ3 game. But, as Tall Stranger recently pointed out, playing a game without the benefits a GA should be an interesting exercise to try at least once.

Here are some of the scenario settings (everything else is standard):

World Size: Standard
World Age: 3 billion years
Land Form: Continents
Land Mass: 70%
Barbarians: Raging

Included in the attached zip file are 4000BC savegames for each difficulty other than Chieftain (no AU student should be playing Chieftain!). This is done to simply to avoid sneak peeks at the map when selecting the scenario. Also included is a list of rule modifications particular to the scenario, discussed presently.

The games rules have been modified ever so slightly in this scenario. In order to make the Wonder-building aspect of this feat more challenging, flags have been added to some Wonders causing combinations of them trigger Russia's Golden Age more readily. Here is the list of altered Wonders, with an asterix indicating the new trait the Wonder has acquired:

Pyramids: Industrious, Religious, *Scientific
Sun Tzu's Art of War: Militaristic, *Expansionist
Leonardo's Workshop: Militaristic, *Scientific
Smith's Trading Company: Commercial, *Expansionist
Hoover Dam: Industrious, *Scientific

All other Wonders remain unchanged.

Make sure you to double-check that you will not trigger your Golden Age whenever you build any Wonder! To repeat: you trigger the Russian Golden Age if you control a Scientific and an Expansionist Great Wonder whenever you complete any Great Wonder (regardless if it is Scientific or Expansionist).

Another hint: do not build the Internet!

Good luck, and have fun everyone. Do not forget to report on your games in the various DAR ("During Action Report") threads dedicated to this course.

Update1: AU mod version available a few posts down.

Update2: Here are links to the various DAR threads:

DAR1: 4000BC-2150BC
DAR2: Contact with all civs on home continent
DAR3: Able to build Forbidden Palace
DAR4: Contact with all other civs
DAR5: Theory of Evolution
DAR6: Everything else

Dominae · August 25, 2003, 23:41

Here's a screenshot of the start location. And yes, I'm aware the irony of the proximity of Gold in a scenario named "No Gold For You!".

Dominae

Dominae · August 25, 2003, 23:47

Noticeable omissions:

1. A stock Civ3 version. This did not seem to be missed with Gargantua, so I hope it's not missed here either.

2. An AU mod version. The AU mod has not been touched in a long time, so I'm uncomfortable playing with it. If there is enough interest, I could easily provide an AU mod version of this game. However, I suggest I be left alone and you all play with what you're given. Edit: I caved, and so the AU mod version is now available.

Dominae

badams52 · August 26, 2003, 00:04

Cool! Good to see a new scenario come out! And thanks for creating a screen shot thus taking away my need for demanding one.

Good luck everyone, and let's see those detailed AARs!

Tassadar500 · August 26, 2003, 00:12

I give this AU course full certification

badams52 · August 26, 2003, 00:13

Edit: Double Post.

Rhothaerill · August 26, 2003, 00:28

Oh, now that's just rude disallowing some of the best wonders to avoid a golden age.

I'll give this one a go as soon as I have some time to play it.

Dominae · August 26, 2003, 00:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Rhothaerill
Oh, now that's just rude disallowing some of the best wonders to avoid a golden age.

The only explicity barred Wonder is the Internet (since it triggers a GA for any civ). You can build/control any Wonder you want, it's the combination of Wonders that's restricted.

By the way, you can still make use of the Leo's and Sun Tzu's combo, but you need to capture at least one of them (and then avoid building any other Wonder!).

Dominae

Rhothaerill · August 26, 2003, 00:36

It will certainly make you think about which wonder is the "most important" of the commonly held "good" wonders.

I was just railing since I won't be able to build Hoover, Smith, and Leo in the same game.

Dominae · August 26, 2003, 00:48

Quote:

Originally posted by Nuclear Master
I give this AU course full certification.

Oh, I thought you had given me the go-ahead a couple of weeks ago. It took me that long to get my act together!

Dominae

PeaSoup · August 26, 2003, 01:00

This will definitely be interesting..

I'm expecting lots of early wars to secure a big chunk of the land, to secure my win earlier.

Wonder building and city capture will be interesting. I'll probably concentrate on building either all scientific or expansionist wonders (along with others that won't trigger GA)..

It's a shame about some of the changes that's been made to the wonders, I'd really like to have Hoovers and Smith's together, looks like I'll have to go the scientific route and capture the other wonders I want in the modern age.

Tassadar500 · August 26, 2003, 01:22

I did Dom. Just wanted to sound official. Hehe

vmxa1 · August 26, 2003, 01:24

Now that is just an ugly start. I just love Adams, you are so mean.

Maybe I can get at this in a couple of days, up to firaxis.

Catt · August 26, 2003, 02:41

Don't know when I'll have a chance to play, but I'm game.

I'll suggest a voluntary rule for those interested -- not binding on anyone of course -- no gifting of cities containing Wonders. On reading the description of the game, my first thought (shame, shame, Catt

) was to effectively "control" many of the wonders by gifting certain cities to certain civs -- such gifts to be retaken upon need.

Catt

Panzer32 · August 26, 2003, 15:29

so you can capture all of the wonders as long as you don't build any?

(I know this isn't the only way but it might be my way

)

Panzer32 · August 26, 2003, 15:33

oh, I have to say I won't be doing detailed AARs because that just makes the game more boring

Dominae · August 26, 2003, 15:45

Quote:

Originally posted by Panzer32
oh, I have to say I won't be doing detailed AARs because that just makes the game more boring

That's not exactly the AI spirit we're hoping for...

Dominae

Panzer32 · August 26, 2003, 16:30

sorry

but it doesn't matter cuz my game just crashed

Tall Stranger · August 26, 2003, 19:18

Your choice of Russia is suitable cruel - hard to turn down those Cossacks!

And adding the flags to the wonders was a nice touch.

Does anyone else have the same bad feeling that I do, namely that we'll be sharing a continent with the Ottomans and have a hard time getting saltpeter? Nothing like Siphai versus pikemen to ruin your day!

Wow, Catt, I hadn't even thought of being so devious! I wholeheartedly support your voluntary rule.

Hope to start playing this ASAP. Sadly, RL keeps getting in the way.

badams52 · August 26, 2003, 19:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Catt
Don't know when I'll have a chance to play, but I'm game.

I'll suggest a voluntary rule for those interested -- not binding on anyone of course -- no gifting of cities containing Wonders. On reading the description of the game, my first thought (shame, shame, Catt

) was to effectively "control" many of the wonders by gifting certain cities to certain civs -- such gifts to be retaken upon need.

Catt

Such a devious plan indeed. Let's see you're 1 turn away from building a wonder, so you gift the necessary cities to the most backwards civ (prefereable one you've beaten to near death and it years behind in tech), let the wonder be built, then retake all gifted cities.

Of course you could just go Panzer32's suggestion and just take all cities that build wonders and never build one for yourself. That would work wouldn't it?

Gufnork · August 26, 2003, 19:57

I get a load error when trying to load both the emperor and diety saves (and probably the rest as well). Anyone know why?

Dominae · August 26, 2003, 20:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Gufnork
I get a load error when trying to load both the emperor and diety saves (and probably the rest as well). Anyone know why?

Are you using version 1.27f?

Dominae

badman · August 26, 2003, 20:29

I would have liked the idea making all the "peaceful" wonders scientific and all the "warmongering" ones expansionistic.

(Of course it had to be balanced.)

vmxa1 · August 26, 2003, 21:42

Dom is this meant for 1.21 or 1.27? I have not aplied 1.27 yet.

Panzer32 · August 26, 2003, 21:49

I'm playing 1.21... and its worked fine besides my little bug which I sorted out

Dominae · August 26, 2003, 23:14

I created and loaded the scenario after applying the 1.27 patch. So if you still are with 1.21 I suggest you upgrade. The patch is available "worldwide", so I see no reason not to.

Dominae

vmxa1 · August 27, 2003, 12:40

I have it, but I have been debugging a problem with Firaxis and did not want to change in the middle. I was actually waiting for an AU that used it, before apply.
Looks like we may have pinned it down finally.

Theseus · August 29, 2003, 18:09

I am going to write up my progress in the AU 208 replay first, and then get cracking on this bad boy.

Pretty inspired delivery on Tall Stranger's idea.

Dom, can I pretty please have an AU Mod version? I really do prefer it, and get sorta screwed up when I have to play stock.

Dominae · August 29, 2003, 18:39

The AU mod is such a crutch man...

Here you go:

Theseus · August 29, 2003, 18:45

It ain't a crutch.. it's the BOMB. Let's see what tweaks were thus inspired in C3C.

/me shakes his head. Dominae, Dominae...

Thanks.