Do you actually finish games?

Sirotnikov · April 7, 2001, 21:53

I'm not talking about sending spaceships, but about conquering all your maties. When you have conquered half the planet and have another 50 cities to conquer from other low life AIs researching construction so they could build city walls against your mighty howitzers

and when you know you're gonna have a tough time reaching every corner of the universe where they could have built a size 1 city.... do you play on?

The thing is I usually don't. Even if I'm in a space race. If I am and I'm losing, I don't bother. I quit the game. I don't even retire to record the score into the Hall of Fame. I simply don't care.

So what do you do? Do you play the games in which you're loosing and lagging till the end?

I often started games, but then became preoccupied with other things. I had earlier a good Diety game going with an expectionally good start but I got bored and stoppe. And later lost the feeling of the game so instead of finishing it I deleted it and started a new one.

Do you fnish all your games? Or does the game-police chase you in your dreams for being a bad boy and not finishing your game?

Eli · April 8, 2001, 15:01

Nah...

Around 500AD I see if i'm going to win or not. If not, I leave.

The Mad Monk · April 8, 2001, 19:11

Only rarely--and generally, only when I haven't seen the end for that game/scenario. Otherwise, i usually just play until further development is pointless.

Sirotnikov · April 8, 2001, 19:15

gee... this thread is going fast....

thanks to all that replied (the mad [yet very nice] monk)
and thanks to eli that seeked to increase his post count

[This message has been edited by Sirotnikov (edited April 08, 2001).]

War4ever · April 8, 2001, 21:30

i play all my games against the ai ..... which is none now to the end. You would be surprised what lessons can be learned and what can go wrong. that all said i understand your feeling of boredom or lack of feel for a particular game. I think we have all been there. I used to only conquer the world..... not always the same strat but generally its too damm easy. Then i learned to read and write and that opened another strat to me. There are so many ways to win a civ and for beginners to lose

however this game is a joke once you know what your doing.

My best advice to newbies is to play things out to learn what you did or did not do and then learn from it. Try to resist the urge to conquer everyone right away. To truly master civ and to be able to wreak havoc in multiplayer.......you must learn all the tricks of the trade and be able to read your situation from the beginning. Unlike the ai..... there is seldom much room for error against the truly elite civvers

So practice , practice against that ai with as many different strats as possible because unlike humans whom tire or quit when losing ...... the ai is one poor chap whom loves punishment

April 8, 2001, 22:42

The only reason I play single player(love hotseat) is to go for high score. So I usually finish. I just got 514% on Prince!!

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Smash · April 8, 2001, 22:56

Thats one thing I have to give to the AI.It always finishes.You'd never get a human to play out some of the situations the poor AI gets into.

Ever do that?When it gets really one sided,hit cheat menu,set human player to the crappiest civ alive.See what can be done to "catch up"

April 9, 2001, 05:20

quote:

Originally posted by Smash on 04-08-2001 10:56 PM
Ever do that?When it gets really one sided,hit cheat menu,set human player to the crappiest civ alive.See what can be done to "catch up"

I've done it and it's fun to fight against my former empire!

La Fayette · April 9, 2001, 06:05

quote:

Originally posted by Eli on 04-08-2001 03:01 PM
Nah...

Around 500AD I see if i'm going to win or not. If not, I leave.

Playing against the AI, you should never be sure you loose before 2000AD.
Please take a savegame around 500AD, one you were sure you were going to loose, and play (at least) 1000 more years:
1) I bet you win.
2) If you don't, I bet you learn a lot (and have fun: IMO there is more fun playing when you are not yet completely sure you win).

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aux bords mystérieux du monde occidental

Eli · April 9, 2001, 06:20

quote:

Originally posted by La Fayette on 04-09-2001 06:05 AM
Playing against the AI, you should never be sure you loose before 2000AD.
Please take a savegame around 500AD, one you were sure you were going to loose, and play (at least) 1000 more years:
1) I bet you win.
2) If you don't, I bet you learn a lot (and have fun: IMO there is more fun playing when you are not yet completely sure you win).

I'm trying games on Deity now. And it's considered good for me(now) to be 5th in power. But most of the time i'm 7th.

I suck.

But someday, i'll win.

Marquis de Sodaq · April 9, 2001, 09:40

I usually play until around conscription. I'm more interested in the ancient units. I'll finish if the game is still fun. Apparently, unlike many posters, I usually quit once it's clear I'm going to win, and play it out if it looks like i'll lose. Basically taking the challenge of winning against the odds. Smash has a good idea - playing against your former self can be a good challenge. You do know the geography, but you are now the backward, know-nothing weasels so long oppressed by (formerly) your glorious civ. Usurp! Overthrow! Off with my... er... his head!

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"There is no fortress impregnable to an ass laden with gold."
-Philip of Macedon
[This message has been edited by Marquis de Sodaq (edited April 09, 2001).]

Blaupanzer · April 9, 2001, 14:12

I play until fate is obvious. If I'm going to win militarily or not win at all, I'll quit after about 1880. Trying now for AC wins. Close but no cigar several times lately. These keep me in to the end unless I fall way behind. I play deity with all high settings and do not use the Fundamentalist government form.

Everyman · April 9, 2001, 15:11

I always try to complete my games, even when I have a huge lead. Once the outcome is certain, the next challenge is to see how quickly the game can be ended so I can view the final scores and start the next game. This may mean changing to Fundamentalism and bribing the remaining cities or it may mean using Communism to achiev a balance of technological and military superiority, but the point is to achieve my goal of ending the game quickly.

That said, however, my biggest gripe with Civ II is the tedious end-game. I hope that Civ III will have features to hasten the end. For example, an option to accept/decline an AI civ's unconditional surrender would be greatly appreciated.

airdrik · April 9, 2001, 18:08

I play out all my games, but I'm a wimp!!! I save it often so that if something goes wrong, file->load game-> xx.sav try again, if that doesn't work, open rules.txt, tweek, tweek, tweek, open civ, try again, open rules.txt, untweek, untweek, untweek. That way I always win

. Of course I know that is cheating (but the game doesn't say so) but I just can't take a hit in civ.

Anyway that is me. I need to work on that (and get an origonal copy of rules.txt with the actual xp dates on such wonders as GL and Leo's).

My Wife Hates CIV · April 9, 2001, 21:49

I've been playing for spaceship wins the past few games. I never did before (spaceship thing that is).

But even that is kinda easy. Build a ton of caravans/freight while the AI builds Apollo. Those along with 15k - 20k gold will get you a 40k spaceship in just a few turns (depending on the # of cities you have).

My best so far on deity is 40k landed in 1963 (11.7 something years to reach). Probably not a record by far.

http://www.i2k.com/~density/ship.jpg

ok ok, it was 1965.

[This message has been edited by My Wife Hates CIV (edited April 09, 2001).]

Chris1111 · April 9, 2001, 22:24

I always try to finish out all my games and I try not to give up if I am losing. Sometimes if they get to tedious I'd save them in a seperate folder and come back at a later time.

Ming · April 9, 2001, 23:03

quote:

Originally posted by My Wife Hates CIV on 04-09-2001 09:49 PM
I've been playing for spaceship wins the past few games. I never did before (spaceship thing that is).

Yeah... because you were probably too busy picking on the other tribes

Sirotnikov · April 10, 2001, 19:33

I'm not a newbie by all means. been playing since 1998.

I'm not claiming to be especially good. I'm probably not. I'm most definately not. But the military win is because, well, for my personality there is nothing more gratifying thatn smashin your howitzers at your neighbours door.

And I have won quite successfully games in Empereror and King by world conquest.

The thing is, what I'm tired of is really the end game, where some 2 civs have 3 cities in unreachable places around the map, and I have to search for them.

To conquer the world (usually by buying bribing and converting) you need lots and lots of efforts, and patience.

That's why I don't get why do spaceships give more points? Jee, big deal, so you built 22 cities and managed to rush buy a space ship. I'm sure the developers did it just because they're stinking pacifists and think that space walking is "more noble" than ruling earth.

Dis · April 10, 2001, 21:32

lately I don't finish games I know I'm going to win. it seems pointless to me know

but this once was an important part of my civ games. I just played on a micromap last night. I just built a bunch of archers and knights and took over all but 3 cities (they had walls on a river- I got tired of my knights committing suicide- for some reason my dips couldn't bring down the walls- I don't know how you guys do it). so I just continued building up but that got tiresome. I was in the 1800's when I quit.

April 11, 2001, 05:17

quote:

Originally posted by Dissident on 04-10-2001 09:32 PM
for some reason my dips couldn't bring down the walls- I don't know how you guys do it.

The trick is quite simple: you need a bunch of diplos. Use them one after another during the same turn until the wall is torn down. Typically the first diplo spoils the work in production. The next destroys one random improvement. Keep going until you have reached your destination. The max number of dips you need is # of improvement + 1, if the wall comes down last. With some luck you are able to smash the wall before all other improvements are sabotaged.

Rufus T. Firefly · April 11, 2001, 07:24

quote:

Originally posted by Sirotnikov on 04-10-2001 07:33 PM
That's why I don't get why do spaceships give more points? Jee, big deal, so you built 22 cities and managed to rush buy a space ship. I'm sure the developers did it just because they're stinking pacifists and think that space walking is "more noble" than ruling earth.

Well, speaking as a stinking pacifist

, I disagree; given the awesome power of a fundy government, world conquest doesn't seem particularly difficult. Occasionally annoying, yes -- especially when you have to build Apollo to find that last 1-square island city -- but harder? Nah (at least not against the AI). Besides, there is a bonus for early conquest, isn't there? Whereas there's no bonus for landing on AC in 600 AD (not that I can do that, but you take my point).

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Dig trenches, with our men being killed off like flies? There isn't time to dig trenches. We'll have to buy them ready made. Here, run out and get some trenches.
-- Rufus T. Firefly, the original rush-builder

Scouse Gits · April 11, 2001, 10:09

quote:

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly on 04-11-2001 07:24 AM
...world conquest doesn't seem particularly difficult. Occasionally annoying, yes -- especially when you have to build Apollo to find that last 1-square island city -- but harder?

To find the last cities of a Civ you are conquering don't build Apollo! Make peace, give 'em an encarta of tech, exchange maps and then drop in to see them ...

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SG(2)

[This message has been edited by Scouse Gits (edited April 11, 2001).]

drake · April 11, 2001, 10:19

I think it's like watching a sports game on tv. If it tunrs into a blowout it is usually a very boring game (unless someone's beating the pants off the Yankees or something like that

). Same with civ...if it gets too imbalanced, there really isn't a huge point in continuing....unless you're trying to beat some record or something.

East Street Trader · April 11, 2001, 11:07

Heh, MWHC, I've never seen a complete spaceship before. Mine are all ragged whereas yours looks great!

Now I've seen what a complete one looks like I suspect I'm going to feel a compulsion to complete the job every time from now on.

geofelt · April 11, 2001, 13:24

I rarely finish a game. I like the exploration and wonder race the best. I try different approaches at the start, but I mostly expand quickly.
On occasion, I get a bad start(barbs take your second city), and I get determined to recover instead of giving up. I usualy quit around 1800 when I know where everyone is and I know I can win. World conquest on a large map by 2020 is a reasonable challenge, but perhaps tedious. You have to start early, and it is hard to get everywhere in time. I have held on to the bitter end of a losing situation twice. It is educational and the ending is cute; everyone should try it once.
If you want to have a hard time, let your palace city go undefended so you lose it, then try to recover.