Which was your favourite AU scenario so far?

Dominae · June 9, 2003, 20:41

Straightforward question, I think. Just vote for the scenario you remember most fondly. This could be Ultimate Power because you love kicking butt, or Total War because you love getting your butt kicked!

Feel free to use this thread to describe why you voted as you did (or why you did not vote). Since one of the main goals in AU is to learn, some mention of how you evolved as a player with the scenario would also be cool.

My vote? AU107: Son of 'So Very Cold...'.

I was really quite green back then, with my rather blind city-spacing and understanding of the AI. Still, I managed to beat the darn thing on Emperor, which gave me a confidence boost for future games. I put a lot of thought into each turn, and somehow it all paid off. Then I got to read how other players trounced the scenario, and felt like a wuss for not attacking Persia right away (or ever!). The main thing I learned from this scenario was: make the best use of availalbe land. Seeing the kind of economy some people got out of the starting island (especially the Coast ones) made me realise that you have to make every tile within your borders work for you.

Dominae

Konquest02 · June 9, 2003, 21:36

I voted for AU 204, because of a couple of reasons.

1- It's the first game in which I really sat down and thought about my moves, trying to incorporate what I had learnt in the strategy forum and from the mistakes in my past games.

2- It was my first real nice AAR. I had some previously but none were as thorough as this one.

3- I had fun picking on the Greeks with the English with archers.

4- The Random map kept us in the dark, which was a good thing.

5- The scenario vreated by Alexman was winnable and challenging, not as AU 208, which was only challenging (although Nathan is about to prove the contrary... GO NATHAN!!!)

6- Catt's AAR was jsut fantastic to read.

I might have to (re)play the older ones though with all that experience...

--Kon--

MrWhereItsAt · June 9, 2003, 21:46

Never played one, but I'm absolutely dying to show up in the forum when one starts so I can get in on the ground floor.

Like Uni courses, have the later courses been tailored so that skills learned in the earlier ones are pretty much required?

Should I somehow try to start from 101 and work my way up (I'd never get there)?

Aeson · June 9, 2003, 21:52

I haven't played about half of them.

Some 'impossible' games are truely that, but AU208 gave the feel it was possible to win (on Deity), but that everything would have to be perfect. The difficulty through the ages was much more uniform than any other game I've ever played. So it gets my vote.

CorpusScorpius · June 9, 2003, 22:00

I voted for Banana Isle.......Since All Parties were equal as far as starting locale

I am an

as far as paying attention during games goes.......My mind is always cluttered w/ daydreaming

Dominae · June 9, 2003, 22:22

Quote:

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
Like Uni courses, have the later courses been tailored so that skills learned in the earlier ones are pretty much required?

Not really, although the recent courses have been pretty "advanced", in the sense that they're quite different from your standard Civ3 game (OCC, Total War, etc.). But, no, there are no specific skills to learn from one "course" to the next. One of the aims of this poll is to determine which scenarios were considered best, in case we ever officially re-do one. There's no need to go back and finish them all yourself, but if ever you decide to play a SP game, it sure is fun to compare your game with other people (even if they played it over a year ago!).

Aeson: I'll throw down the gauntlet, and claim that AU208 on Deity is unbeatable the first time around. Especially if the Cultural victory is disabled (makes sense, given the point of the scenario).

Dominae

vmxa1 · June 9, 2003, 22:34

I am not sure I am ready for a vote, since I only play the Banana Isle one and AU208.
I will say that 208 taught me that I need to be a lot more aggressive that I ever thought.
Maybe I can squeeze in some more down the road.

Dom could you post the origin date on the selection as a guide post of the order they came out?

Dominae · June 9, 2003, 22:40

Quote:

Originally posted by vmxa1
Dom could you post the origin date on the selection as a guide post of the order they came out?

Sure, but that would require work...

Just go to the AU History 101 thread to find everything you need.

Dominae

vmxa1 · June 9, 2003, 23:09

Wow that is the bomb.

Catt · June 10, 2003, 01:07

Very tough answer . . .

I voted AU 107 "Son of so very cold . . ." - yes , I admit that it was a random game that I started and that later morphed into an AU game, but that is not the reason for my selection. I was simply more involved, turn-by-turn, in AU 107 for far longer than I am in most games. It appealed to my micromanagement desires that come and go (I'm often not in the mood for heavy MM), and gave me a challenge right up until the end. It demanded "warmonger" and "builder" skills. It also came not to long after Aeson's "So very cold . . ." thread that was such an eye-opener for civ skills. I had a lot of fun with AU 107.

But, as I said, it was a very tough call. Banana Isle (AU 103) was a scenario that was very appealing, and one I would have set up for myself just for the experience if Sir Ralph hadn't done so. AU 106 (Lonesome Blues) - gave me a lot of confidence on Emperor. AU 102 (Give Peace a Chance) was a hoot! and the first (IIRC) of alexman's creative tinkerings with scenario set-ups. AU 204 (The Power of Randomness) was very engaging for the story-telling. AU 103 (Island Hopping) opened my eyes to the power of peace.

Of the others, I either didn't play them or don't have enough of a strong memory of them to merit a spot as challenger to the best of AU. I haven't played AU 208 (Total War) yet, but also haven't read the spoilers; it may still qualify.

A sentimental spot for the mini-tourneys -- they introduced me to playing comparative games and the incredible learning and great fun such games offer.

Catt

vulture · June 10, 2003, 06:11

I had to vote for one of the mini-tourneys, namely "Babylon and On..." I don't think I ever had more fun in a civ 3 game than in that one, even if 2/3 of my cities were nuked to radioactive slag by the rest of the world. I think it was also the game that finally got me into the civ 3 mindset (as opposed to the civ 2 mindset, where I expected to dominate everything and never lose a single unit in the whole game).

Mountain Sage · June 10, 2003, 06:31

I voted for Big Planet. No, not for te reasons you think of (

), but because it was the first one I participated....

Jawa Jocky · June 10, 2003, 11:18

AU202 Scout and Explorer

It was the only time I ever really put expansionist trait to good use.

alexman · June 10, 2003, 13:18

OK, the four people who voted for "Total Eternal Forever War" now have a duty to protect alexman from the rest of the angry mob out to lynch him!

Dominae · June 10, 2003, 13:22

I'll lead the mob (just look at my avatar!).

UnOrthOdOx · June 10, 2003, 14:37

I have only played 401 and 208 so far, (208 opened my eyes to how much I rely on squeezing the AI for peace) so I can't really judge this fairly. I am looking forward to more, though, and will not ever play single player again unless it is a comparitive game...so I may just be going back through and looking up some of these.

First, I think Ill swallow my pride and step down a level to try 208 on Monarch...

Arrian · June 10, 2003, 14:47

I enjoyed 101, 102, 206 and 207. I didn't play many of the ones in the middle. I also enjoyed the first minitourney a lot.

101 reminded me that I could miss important wonders and still win handily.

102 was just cool - being so different, and because of the little extra touches ("Hippy Sam" etc). And I lost in a particularly brutal yet hilarious fashion.

206 was fun because it involved the Celts, because I played like a total psychopath (more than usual, even!), and because we had an additional purpose: evaluate the Gallic Swordsman.

207 was fun because I put more effort than usual into my AARs, and lots of others seemed to as well, not to mention that the game became a UP game for me, which is always fun.

In the end, I voted for AU102: Give Peace a Chance!

-Arrian

Nor Me · June 10, 2003, 15:38

My vote goes to AU203. It might not have been the best game in general but I had fun losing it.

FrustratedPoet · June 10, 2003, 17:29

102 was the best. Playing without any military units whatsoever was so radically different from how anyone usually plays the game. Great Civ memories.

Son of SVC was excellent too.

Aeson · June 10, 2003, 20:26

Quote:

Aeson: I'll throw down the gauntlet, and claim that AU208 on Deity is unbeatable the first time around. Especially if the Cultural victory is disabled (makes sense, given the point of the scenario).

Might be. It would require a few lucky guesses the first time around, and probably still wouldn't work unless you got very lucky. It's close to unbeatable regardless of the time around.

vmxa1 · June 10, 2003, 21:36

Cultural victory, what about the UN? No way to interfer with the vote other than building the UN yourself. Good luck at Deity on that in this map.
One of the untouched civ like America will be free to build away.
I would say this map is best played at Domination or Conquest, isn't that war is for anyway?

Theseus · June 11, 2003, 00:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Dominae
make the best use of availalbe land.

1) My vote: Son of SVC. Someone referenced my 'judo' move on MZO, and that inspired me to go back and re-read the thread... WOW, I forgot how intense it was.

2) I was further inspired to re-read the orignal SVC... Aeson, don;t take this the wrong way but rather as the compliment that it is... you rate an 11 on my STCOMOM!!!!

3) I've had lots'o fun with most of the other AU courses, going all the way back to MT1 (but not my first attempt at MT2...

, although I've recovered from that), and I HIGHLY suggest that anyone who hasn't played them try'em out.

4) As far as I'm concerned, I /we have accomplished a bunch of our goals with the whole series... learning, fun, the AU Mod, etc.

5) AU 208.

!^#%$&*&*@!$#@$ (Good, that's what I came here for!!)

Lastly, I quoted Dominae at the beginning for a reason...

Every once in a while, Dominae (and others, but Dom most of all), throws out one of these 'bon mots'

and they jump at me off the computer screen. They're usually buried / embedded in some other discussion...

USE THE BEST LAND AVAILABLE.

I stare at my screen trying to figure out how to communicate to all of 'poly... I don't do it nearly well enough, and I hope my various teammates won't mind my saying so, but watching Dom and Nathan and Aeson and E_T in action simply blows me away.

I'll come back on-topic, but to anyone reading this, you wanna get good, join a 'poly team and watch our best in action...

Whew.

Back on-topic, and on that note: This is not a whole scenario, but I think it'd be good to learn how to 'share' optimal tiles in one of our upcoming courses.

Here endeth the ramble.

Dominae · June 11, 2003, 00:57

Quote:

Originally posted by Theseus
one of these 'bon mots' and they jump at me off the computer screen. They're usually buried / embedded in some other discussion...

Actually, they're usually buried in all the other crap I write most of the time.

Quote:

Here endeth the ramble.

Good ramble!

SO, should we use the results of this poll to determine which scenario we would like to replay/revamp, or should we start another poll entirely? Personally, I would really like to try my hand at another 'Son of SVC'-esque scenario...perhaps created by Aeson himself?

Dominae

Theseus · June 11, 2003, 01:37

Repeat:

In my recollection, we haven't played anything designed by Aeson...

There is no emoticon that expresses...

If I am not wrong, in AU we have thus experienced two games that were not just unusual tests, but in fact challenged, *challenged*, all of us... and, even given how much fun and learning have come from, and will come from, all of AU, G*DAMNIT we want those challenges!

So... (me being not nearly done with with various games I'm playing) I have a request... Aeson, will you design the next AU game?

Take your time... enlist partners... be tricky...

Design what you would find challenging, and have fun with.

(holy chr*st, what kinda horrible game I bringing down on the rest of us?)

Arrian · June 11, 2003, 09:43

Actually, I suspect Aeson would be a kinder creator than alexman.

-Arrian

Nakar Gabab · June 11, 2003, 12:43

You can expect every civ in Aeson's scenarios to be orange-colored, thus raising mass confusion as we attempt to pick friend from foe!

Aeson · June 12, 2003, 00:09

[self-serving advertisement] (not that I actually care much about advertising the Tournament here, but it might save me a few hours designing a map

)

I designed a few maps for the CFC Tournament's next season. Not sure which ones they'd be using yet. Nothing like SVC, SoSVC, or 208 (they would lynch me!), but a few interesting things I though would be fun. The Tournament allows for choosing the difficulty level too.
[/self-serving advertisement]

If I get some time I will try to put together something interesting for the AU, though it is a little intimidating given the past games and how well they were designed. Currently I am a bogged down (or having too much fun playing with our new database

) with matters over at the GOTM so it might be a few weeks before I can get something together.

Dominae · June 12, 2003, 00:41

Take your time, Aeson, I'm sure AU could use a break.

As with other scenarios, we're not looking for something too fancy, just a few touches here and there to make things interesting (AU208 was probably the most doctored map we've ever played...other than maybe Island Hopping). I hope you're not offended that we're using your name and SVC as a PR stunt for AU...

Dominae

P.S: Completely off-topic, but as a favor could you petition to have the annoying "required files" removed from the GOTM games at CFC? I mean, you should be allowed to play the scenario with whatever graphics you like, right? End rant.