Surprise win

Bohlen · April 13, 2000, 10:06

I finished a game last night and to my surprise, I actually won. I didn't think that would happen because the estimated AC arrival times for my ship and the evil AI Zulu ship were one year apart, with the Zulu arriving in 1992 and my Russians in 1993. Knowing this, I sat down for my last turn in 1991 and waited for the Zulu ship to land, beating me by one year. However, to my surprise my Russians landed in 1992, giving me the win. I went from bummed to thrilled. I have never seen an AI or human player AC estimated landing be that far off. Granted, it was only one turn, but it was in that one turn that I thought I was going to be beaten. Has anyone else seen anything like this?

klesh · April 13, 2000, 13:04

I don't think I've ever had the AI send a ship to AC, let alone actually have to race it. The date they give you for arrival is an estimate? Wow, you'd think if we were sending 10,000 colonists to AC we'd have a better idea of their arrival time!

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Panda · April 13, 2000, 13:29

I think this is a case of rounding errors. Say the estimate was 12.7 years, it would say 13 years but land in the 12th year.

Just think: if you played as the French or Germans you would have lost.

Bohlen · April 13, 2000, 13:33

I wish I could say the same about not having to race an AI spaceship to AC. I just started winning at Deity and have been going the tech race/AC route without initiating any wars as a strategy. So far so good, but this one has me a little puzzled.

I'm pretty sure when you launch your spaceship, you are given an estimated landing date. Yes, you would think that if a civ had the technology to go to another solar system that they would know exactly when they would get there. Must be that space/time thing that is confusing them.

finbar · April 13, 2000, 20:32

The travel time would've been rounded, and because you were the white civ, your turn came first.

Which, I've just realised, somebody else just said too.

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finbar
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Scouse Gits · April 14, 2000, 19:39

Hang on guys! Surely in SP the human player plays first! so it doesn't matter which Civ you have selected... Now in MP...

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Panda · April 14, 2000, 21:45

Scouse Gits: In SP the order of play is very determined by the colour: White goes first, purple last. So if there's a race to build a wonder the highest colour player has the advantage.

Easy proof: Start a SP game, choose purple, check the Top Five Cities report. Everyone else has already built theirs.

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You know I feel unsettled by all these Civ players who play at Deity and win consistently. I play rarely, and only as King and still find myself in the situation above.

Mad_Conquest · April 23, 2000, 10:17

I have never raced but, I have had my ship arrive 1 year before it said it would.

April 29, 2000, 03:15

Congratulations on your win! I had a game similar to that one once. I was playing as the Zulus. The Russians launched a spaceship identical to mine the same turn I did. I won the game by spending almost 120,000 gold in four turns to bribe enemy units and plant nukes in the capital. I captured the city one turn before their spaceship would have beaten mine to Alpha Centauri.

Mao · April 30, 2000, 01:08

Hey, if fate is on your side and you win, don't complain.

SandMonkey · April 30, 2000, 15:42

i bet i could think of some sweeter victories.... like not have my but whooped by the AI! Or not letting the AI even get tanks!

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SandMonkey

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Bohlen · April 30, 2000, 22:42

If you could reach AC without initiating any warfare and no AI had yet discovered or stolen Mobile Warfare, now that would be a sweet victory. But can it be done?

May 1, 2000, 00:49

I love those wins where you make a last minute comeback, like every city of yours has been conquered except for your capital. You desperately launch for AC, but all the AIs are attacking you. Your last defender falls, leaving your city defenceless, and tanks are one square away. But then your colonists arrive on AC, just in time. There couldn't be a sweeter victory.

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Alinestra Covelia · May 1, 2000, 17:34

There was one time when I found myself in the unfortunate position of playing gooseberry in a shooting war.

I was the Chinese, and because it was my first go on the game, I was playing badly on Prince. I found myself sandwiched between the Zulus and Americans, and unable to make much of an impact on their cities, as my dragoons didn't have much of an effect on their Armor units.

Finally, having lost an Explorer to dodgy Zone of Control problems, I checked back and found that the Americans had left a border city completely undefended!

My explorer had a good explore and conquered the city. I happily took Mobile Warfare, and won back the entire Asian continent before the game ended!

Mao · May 2, 2000, 00:30

quote:

I was the Chinese, and because it was my first go on the game, I was playing badly on Prince. I found myself sandwiched between the Zulus and Americans, and unable to make much of an impact on their cities, as my dragoons didn't have much of an effect on their Armor units.

Gee...I can imagine it now, dragoons flying against smoothbore guns

Bohlen · May 2, 2000, 09:32

"A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" SQUASH!