Average Game Length

laissez-faire · October 23, 2002, 01:34

A question posed to the upper tier of players (and if you're wondering whether or not to consider yourself in that tier, I say, "Yes, the more input the better!"):

On average how long do your games last? If you play a few hours every day, how many days before claiming victory? I just wanted to see where I stand in terms of turn contemplation time.

I find myself playing at Monarch Level on standard maps mostly because the games last too long above that, and I begin to lose my interest. Most of the fun for me comes in the Ancient to Middle Ages. I hate nothing more than a post-Integrated-Defense showdown where it's not so much strategy, but more a question of who-can-build-a-bigger-military.

So, on standard maps, at a few hours a day, I'm spending about four days on a game. Thereabouts. Too slow? Too fast? I don't win every time, maybe half the time. I'm trying to perfect my early strategies and how well I can rebound if something major doesn't go my way (a la coming in second on the construction of the GL wonder).

n.b. Reading these forums has enhanced my game considerably.

alva · October 23, 2002, 06:17

standard game : hmmm +30hours

I'm a very slow player, and hardly ever reach modern so it could be alot longer

Datajack Franit · October 23, 2002, 16:54

I play emperor level on large maps, while a game usually ends around two weeks after beginning a new one

Arrian · October 23, 2002, 17:07

My last game was probably representative. Standard/Continents/8 Civs/Emperor (movin' on up from Monarch).

I started it last Tuesday evening around 6:30pm. I went to bed at 2:30am the next morning. I fired it back up again around 6pm the next day and played until 3am. Finally, I played from about 6pm until midnight Thursday night.

So that's approximately 23 hours. *Yawn* I haven't played since, feeling kinda drained.

-Arrian

vmxa1 · October 23, 2002, 19:47

Arrain, that should be so draining, I play from when I get up after 9 till I go to bed. That is after 1 usually, except for when I have to go out to dinner or what ever she drags me off to. Of course it is not always Civ. Yeah, Iknow get a life, but I am too old for that. Even the grandkids barely inerrupt the games, most days.

jshelr · October 24, 2002, 15:53

laissez-faire

You are absolutely normal. The fun is usually in the early game for me and the late game holds interest when I'm behind or it's a close SS race. We've had a couple of fun Modern Era war games in AU, but they are the exception. If you are 5 techs ahead, the biggest civ, and have rubber, coal, iron, and oil. Declare victory and get out.

badman · October 24, 2002, 19:05

i usually restart at the beginning of the industrial times because moving around 200+ tanks and fighters and infantries and so on is extremely boring to me
i like huge maps for their great atmosphere but my computer is kinda slow so i normally play on standard size maps.
and i have those times when civ really bores me when i dont play civ for a few weeks and i have those times when i am really enthusiastic (dont know how to spell that word

) because my skill level increased or something like that (like recently when i found out that i can beat emperor without being a complete warmongerer (i still have to do some early fights)) when i play the whole day

bbaws · October 25, 2002, 02:21

Huge map 16 civs a week of eight hour days usually does it on conquest only. If you are finding the late game boring my tip would be to trade techs earlier. One tech ahead is a good target. Tanks vs infantry is more fun than tanks versus spearmen. The tricky bit in the late game is getting a lasting peace so that you can get WLTKD going in your captured territories to reduce corruption. The really time consuming thing is planting all those forests and chopping them for the bonus.

Jaybe · October 25, 2002, 14:35

3 weeks (standard map) to 3 months (huge). 20-30 hours per week.
I STILL never automate or shift-A my workers (just shift-P them).

Arrian · October 25, 2002, 15:11

Quote:

The really time consuming thing is planting all those forests and chopping them for the bonus.

Wow, still playing the original release? That was removed via patch a long time ago (you still get 10 shields for cutting a forest tile, but you may no longer plant & chop over and over). The 1.29 patch is very good, I suggest you download it.

-Arrian

bbaws · October 26, 2002, 07:18

No I am not playing the original release. But I do still plant and chop forest on every available tile. This tends to mean that it takes perhaps 3 times as long to settle land than it does to conquer it.

vondrack · October 26, 2002, 09:05

l-f, my games tend to be just about the same length as yours, just zipped into fewer days. If I start a Standard map with 8 civs on Regent (or now Monarch) on Sunday morning, I will finish by Monday evening usually, sleeping from 3am to 9am... winning (if at all, that is) mostly between 1900-2000 AD (mostly space ship launches, as I do not love extensive warmongering). Something like 25-30 hours on average, I would say.

alva · October 26, 2002, 10:57

Quote:

Originally posted by Arrian

Wow, still playing the original release? That was removed via patch a long time ago (you still get 10 shields for cutting a forest tile, but you may no longer plant & chop over and over). The 1.29 patch is very good, I suggest you download it.

-Arrian

1 thing though, wen entering a new age you can rechop

your self-planted forests.
(with shield bonus off-course)

btw: this works for forest planted by the AI aswell
(possible exploit for PTW??)

vmxa1 · October 26, 2002, 14:00

It sounds like he is saying that it is plant and cut on a tile that did not have forrest to start with, that is allowed. You just can't cut forrest, plant and cut again and get shields. The gang of workers planting in one turn cutting on the next was stopped. Well you can do it, but no shields. I seem to recall a bit about not being able to pile workers for the task as only so many will be effective, but I could have my wires crossed. It was not an exploit I used.