Discussion thread for the next democractic civ2 game when we finish this one!

[teic]

Or we can adjust the rules to make it more difficult.

[mrboo123]

Originally posted by teic
Or we can adjust the rules to make it more difficult.

Its already at the highest level of Diffualt/Barbs., what else is there to make more harder (besides useing all continents)

[teic]

I mean the file rules. You can make it more difficult by making the effect of wonders last shorter.

[shade]

Originally posted by 123john321
Its already at the highest level of Diffualt/Barbs., what else is there to make more harder (besides useing all continents)

Diety 5+
Barbarian Wrath
(with some tampering in the files)

Shade

[cavebear]

Well, perhaps we could consider an accelerated start? The first couple of thousand years don't really offer much involvement by the Citizens anyway. I haven't played many games with the accelerated start, but they have been *different* when I did.

And may I request that we choose a more distinct civ color next time, like Yellow or Orange? I find Navy Blue and Purple a bit difficult to distinguish.

[cavebear]

Another possibility would be a custom-made map. I used to make them for tourneys and team challenges, and I'd be glad to make one for this next game. One advantage is that it would be balanced for fair starts by all the civs (no penninsula starts fronted by deserts, for example). The other is that I have absolutely no recall for maps I have made.

The map could even be a square landmass like a board game, and with navigable rivers. I even made one once with North/South reversed (very strange to play).

[Hydey]

Just a random map will be fine I think, the fun is in the interaction between ourselves in discussing what to do, only the pres gets to play.

[atawa]

If we want a challenge we could just start on the pole on any map.

[MrWhereItsAt]

There are some pretty outrageous ideas here. Keep 'em coming!

My own thoughts on scenarios are that there is a lot of getting used to the conditions to begin with, and this may not be much fun for a while. If we start a random (yet hopefully with chances weighted towards landmasses this time) map, we have control from the start.

But, who knows what the majority will think? All the ideas seriously discussed here should be included in a poll or ten before our next game, including:whether we should set some of our, um, settings; scenario or custom map or just random; accelerated start or not etc.

If anyonw thinks they DO have a good scenario that we should consider - let us know what it is and where to find it, thus we can take a serious look at it. Remember: unless we want to completely do away with Imperial Expansion, City Planner etc, no total war scenarios!

Although, that said, we could always replace their positions with others, maybe Air Force/Navy commanders instead....

[atomant]

Your excellencies, members of cabinet and citizens of Apolytonia...

On refection of my previous post, I think the hanging aound until a or all civs develop a certain level of technology is rather time consuming, as per H Towers msg. I agree with the further suggestion that accelerated start is the go. Perhaps all seven civs starting with the same level of tech (more advanced), the same number of cities and population, and only a few military units. As an addition, perhaps each civ could place embassies in all other civs so we can have more active diplomacy as well as a hidden map to encourage scouting/esp./spying/expansion.

In the present game, the most advanced units are the ironclad/spy/calvary combo, and whilst the format of the game is solid a bit of variety is needed to keep ppl interested. Furthermore, by having more advanced tech, we and the AI have the opportunity to either go for the game of conquest or the s-ship route (or both) with the added dimensions of pollution, nuclear war, cruise missles (god I hate dem pesky things), massed conflict with multiple weapons platforms. Our game strategy will have to be far more advanced to cater for a host of new variables.

Finally, would it be feasible to create a mailing list so as el'presidente could email a save game file to all and sundry so as we mere citizens can gain a wider pespective of the universe at large, consider it the cnn of Apolytonia...

Cheers guys (and gals) as the only Aussie civ player in all of Africa, it is Friday afternoon so down to the pub for me...

Ant.

[James Adams]

We should just have a large map with continents, instead of islands for the 2nd game!

[JCP]

For a playable game, let us not complicate the things : manipulating the rules or playing a mod file is not easy for a game played by a different owner each month.
We would have to change rules files on eanch computer for opening .sav files.
The choice must be between classical parameters (more or less land : rather more, more or less wet, raging barbs hords...)
I don't play accelerated start and I'm not confident in any automatization by the game (ie AI). So I'm not for such a choice. If the question is the lack of interest of the first years, we may decide a longer session in the beginning of the game, or a rythm with 2 sessions in a week !
Of course, all the ideas exposed in this thread will have to be validated by polls at the start of the game.

[Messer Niccolò]

Originally posted by Marquis de Sodaq
Remember, we started this one on a normal map just because it was our trial effort. I worked, we crush the AI. Bigger map means the AI can actually grow a bit before we punish it.

LOL
Sign me up for the new one!

[Marquis de Sodaq]

Perhaps the scenario idea is not a good one, as JCP points out. Keeping to the default files ensures we won't run into trouble with a downloaded game.

Accelerated start means the first 2000 years go by, and we start having to correct all the wrong moves the AI has made. It might be good for the history book, anyway - the glorious Apolytonians overthrew the numbskull Ayai dynasty's last king, and led the people to glory.

I like cavebear's idea of an altered real world map, such as north to the left or down. Random maps are a bit lame. However, at least one citizen would "know" the geography from the start. To minimize the impact, I'd recommend random seeds to distribute the specials and huts and starting positions.

I support one game session every 5 days, as I ran back in the early days - 3 days to poll, 2 days for ministers to strategize and play. Six sessions per month - it keeps the game moving, but doesn't drag on too long.

[atomant]

If we are looking at a continental land mass this time around, there is a pretty cool map of the balkans region available as a download in this site. HUGE land mass, lots of rivers, hills forests, some ocean towards the south. Quite challenging.

[mrboo123]

I got a map, braly any water, there's the map...... (if you want 2 continentals, go flat, but if you want 1, go round)

[Ren]

That map looks great, but now we know the layout of it

[James Adams]

We need a random map with continents instead of islands!

[H Tower]

Originally posted by James Adams
We need a random map with continents instead of islands!

you've said that four times already in this thread, please stop repeating yourself.

IMO we should wait on what map, if a scenario or not, settings, etc until we are finished with this game and we can post a poll on each. part of the fun is debating the settings and such, they are also really important because we could end up with a bad game if we rush through the setting up part and forget to do something. so please, lets wait until this game has finished. that said, i'm going to ignore this thread until we've finished the game

[teic]

With a random map with continents every city will still by near the coast because the continents wont by very wide.

[Darkness' Edge]

I liked the Balkan map idea.

I'm also partial to playing scenarios. As long as the rules remain unchanged, it would not be too hard to have a zip file with the scenario to send around, along with the save file.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

Originally posted by teic
With a random map with continents every city will still by near the coast because the continents wont by very wide.

A good reason to use a real world map, considering the clamor to avoid the ironclad strategy in the next game...

[Hydey]

Originally posted by teic
With a random map with continents every city will still by near the coast because the continents wont by very wide.

thats strange I often get large fat continents with random maps, not those skinny ones.

[James Adams]

Originally posted by Hydey


thats strange I often get large fat continents with random maps, not those skinny ones.

Same here, Hydey!

[teic]

Well I only get skinny ones.

[Hydey]

Originally posted by teic
Well I only get skinny ones.

Best you don't start the map then.