[PC] Of Spock and Communism: Civ IV Succession Game

Originally Posted by Araes

I was thinking more with the no-cd's, as those often have a version they've been created to replace. My impression was Vivi and Hawkeye were both using no-cd's for a specific version.

The no-cds that I have are the latest version for the patch 1.74. So we are good to go in that department as well.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I started a game this afternoon to get back into the swing of things, left the difficulty on noble. It's not going well.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

I started a game this afternoon to get back into the swing of things, left the difficulty on noble. It's not going well.

Yeah, I am currently still trying to find the strength to move up from Chieftain... I like being the dominator! Maybe I should just look up a strategy that would work so I can dominate Warlord and up...

How ya doing, buddy?

The worst part is that I set it to always peace so that I could at least practice economy, which is what I thought I was good at. It's really not helping my confidence.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Alright, with Krelian we're at, and then Furret we're past the number of folks I was interested in having as steady players. I'd like to keep it to five just so we actually get a chance to do turns with some regularity. My apologies on that Furret. However, I can put you in as a reserve and if we have someone drop or have other difficulties you can jump right in.

As far as a starting, I don't normally do Financial, so I'm thinking about a leader that has that. Washington's one choice, as he is Fin/Org. Plus, America starts with fishing, so coastal starts are actually useful immediately.

On timing, since we're up to 7 players already, how would you folks feel about starting a little earlier, maybe a first post by Wednesday night? All the way to next Sat. seems a little extreme now. I'd lead and the turn order would progress as listed on the front page. Me->Pang->Hawk->Vivi->Krelian->Me with reserves as needed.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

That sounds pretty good, but if you don't mind could I go at the end of the order? I'm going to be busy from wed. probably through about mon. I'll still be able to be on, i'll just be busy and might not have time to strategize.

FELIPE NO

I'm ready to roll whenever.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Fair enough, I'll move you to the end of the order Hawkeye, and good to know Pang. Revised the order would be:

Areas
Pangalin
The Wise Vivi
Krelian
Hawkeye

Edit: Also, mind if I ask what's going wrong with your game Hawkeye?

Most amazing jew boots

Aw nuts, I didn't make it. On the bright side though, it gives me a chance to play on Noble and see how it's like since I haven't gone past Chieftian so far >_>. Some training will do me good.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Araes

Also, mind if I ask what's going wrong with your game Hawkeye?

Suffice to say that I'm out of practice and used to playing on settler. I'm just a lot farther behind technologically and in terms of expansion than I really should be. At this point I'm going for a cultural victory but even that might not work (i've got 3 cities pumping out over 100 culture per turn, at this point i think that if no one else tries the same thing and as long as no one wins any UN elections i should be ok).

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Yeah, if you've been playing on Settler that would make quite a bit of difference, as the upkeep and inflation rate are both a lot worse on higher difficulties. One of the main things is just making sure you get a really solid base early and then being choosy with your expansion after that point. Getting one (or two if lucky) of the early religions can be a huge boon there, as you can build their special building with a priest, and then give that religion to every one of your cities. Even on noble, if you go Meditation then Polytheism you have a very good chance of getting Hinduism, as most races go for Buddhism. Plus, if you build one of the religious wonders first (like the Oracle or Stonehenge) then you can almost guarantee your first Great Person will be a priest.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Yeah I think it's mostly just a shock to the system - i probably should have worked my way up to noble. I didn't manage to found any religions - i usually found almost all of them, so really i just need to get used to the lack of gold and not automatically winning.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Dude I'm so up for this. I'm no pro... not exactly decent either but any chance to play Civ with others I'll take. Sign me up

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Adding you Turbo, although as noted in the first post, we're at the point where we've got the five base slots filled up, so now we're taking reserves if people drop on the game. I'll put you on that list.

FELIPE NO

Civ4 Game Starting.

“In the beginning, the Earth was without form, and void…”

- First off, I have chosen the Americans as our starting race, and decided to go with Washington so that we would have Financial/Organized as our traits. Should help with the money. For the post, I’m writing as the man on the ground, but I’ll offset with - for the quick skim notes.

In the Land of Loincloths

His is a great and terrible voice, and I reel in confusion at the power of its words and the visions they inspire. Yet their presence is fleeting, and my awakening is only hastened by the tumult around me. 20-30 thick necked thugs mill about on a hill behind me, while ahead, what looks to be a mob of 100’s argue over something of apparently great importance.

Turning to look for a moment at the thugs, they all seem rather amazed at my presence and come over to inspect my still prone form. They gesture and ask me how I snuck up on them and how I passed their guards, and why I wear such strange hides, while picking me over. I am still reeling from the visions of fire though, and can only tell them of the great voice in the dark and the terrible void that it spoke of. Fortunately or not, this appears to cause quite a stir, and before I can blink there is talk that I must be a wise one, or chosen, or something of that like.

Of course, not everyone is an immediate believer, and the loudest of the bunch struts that “If this newcomer is so wise, perhaps he can solver our great dilemma, and point the way to the land of our promise?” Feeling that my time among these people may be very short on the wrong answer, and not knowing what else to do, I look around for a few moments, and then respond “Why not right here? There appear to be ample fields over yonder, broad forests right here, and a wide expanse of water for the use of those spears I see some of you carry.”

- Overall, damn good starting location for a race with Fin/Org traits, and which starts with Fishing. We’ve got Wheat to the West, Dye to the East, Forests, Hills, and tons of fishing water



My supporters take up the cry of “settlement now” with gusto, and I could almost hug them. In talking, it appears that they’ve been on the road for a while, and mister contrary of earlier has been the main one keeping them moving. Before long, they’ve got the whole group organized and off working, and a small settlement begins to take shape. One of the men from earlier, who apparently has been appointed to talk to the wise one approaches me and asks what they should call it, and I respond, “I’ve always like the name Washington.”

- First Settlement Founded: Washington (for now)



In the same motion, and while I am still on a roll and have the people’s support, I mention that perhaps we should send the milling hulks off to “explore our land” as they seem to be the biggest base of support for the contrary fellow, and having them out of the picture will make things all the better. They grumble and moan, but with the support of the people, are soon on their way. Simultaneously, I start talking with other youths among our flock who might serve as more malleable replacements.

- Exploring with Warriors. Building a Warrior – probably to explore further



At first I was worried that I might have chosen poorly. Despite my best intentions, I could not find anything that appeared to actually be food where we had settled. Yet, late last night a boy came to me and brought with him a dinner of some curvy wafer. I asked him where he had found it, and he said that they came out of everything around here. They hung off the plants on the plains, they seemed to spring from the fish when cut open, even and rocks and trees could be cut into them. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.

He seemed to be a wise and capable kid, and gave me some hope for these people, but not for long. The next day I found that the best of their workers busy trying to pull down trees with their bare hands. All this while their perfectly good fishing spears sat going to waste. My rage was horrible, and I probably should have restrained myself, but I told them the forests were precious to the voice and to get their dirty fingers down by the lake where they could contemplate on its wonder while they did something useful.

- Shifted resources to Fresh Water square, as they’re retarded, and set the default action to emphasize commerce in Washington. Also chose to start researching Mysticism.



Much to my chagrin, the choice to send the thugs abroad appears to have backfired, and Mr. Contrary was full of himself today with the news that his supporters had found great stores of finely workable stones on their travels. While I hate the bearer, I love the news, as it will make the projects for these people I have considered all the easier when they are begun. Monuments to my greatness for eons to come.

- Kick Ass. We have stone just to the West of our starting location. Stonehenge and Pyramids, here we come.



Years, have passed since last I made these scratches. After their great discovery to the West, the noise of the thugs was quiet for longer than I dared to hope, and the process of crafting our home moved along well. Well beyond a tent city now, we have a firm core of small buildings and more are created every day. The people seem to breed like rabbits eating the wafers of fish, and it is almost more that we can do to keep them in house and home.

I still worry about the fishermen though, as they seem to be touched in the head. One came to me in private the other day and said that he had made a wonderful revelation about the voice, saying that it longed for gifts of green waterskins to be thrown to the lake, and that each such gift brought them closer to true understanding. Of course, he’s dead now, but I could not stop the idea, and while I walk, I see them atop their poles, and astride their crude boats, throwing the spears with one hand, and tossing work away with the other. Fools, the lot of them.

A runner of the thugs has also arrived while I walked. He announces that they spotted wild animals over an uncrossable expanse of water, and then moved within the shadowed valley between two great mountains. More importantly though, he says that they see a small community of people at the base on the other side. He asks what we should do, and I indicate mercy and absorption if possible.

- Saw Pig resource and after moving through mountains, a Tribal Village



It appears my intuition was correct. As the thugs entered the village, they were greeted with cheers and happiness. They spread the good word of what we were accomplishing across the mountains from these simple people, and promised friendship and protection if possible. In return, the people showed them a tool which had been passed down from their forefathers, but which they thought might help our great society – the Wheel. Mr. Contrary’s star just got all the brighter.

- Damn this is getting to be a lucky start. Gained Free Technology. The Wheel.



Apparently, when it rains it pours. With more “good” news to share, another of those poor, touched fishermen announces to the whole settlement that their sun delirium has resulted in amazing understanding of the ways of the cosmos, and that the voice wants nothing more than our love. Right. I can do little more than agree in such a public setting, and find that this mystic thought has taken on a life of its own. My walks by the lake now wade through ranks of petitioners all wanting to take part in the “great hunt for the truth.” And worst of all, humming constantly.

- Successfully researched Mysticism.



- In a risky move, I have chosen to Research Meditation. The computer always goes for Meditation, but if you can beat them, which I think we can with our research output, then you can claim Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism in a 1, 2, 3 grab, and keep them from having religion for several thousand years. Here’s hoping the risk pays off…



Thankfully, while the young and foolish are swept up in this new rush for understanding, it all settles into a semblance of order relatively quickly, and I am able to live out most of my middle years in the peace and quiet of a smoothly running society. Mr. Contrary and I have been on such good terms for the last several years, that I don’t even notice trouble when he arrives one morning with a glint in his eye, and drops his news on me. His followers abroad have sighted yet another village, and are planning to move in bearing their Wheel of Friendship, and touting our virtues.

- Yet MORE Tribal Villagers are sighted only 3 spaces from the other group.



Caught unawares by his announcement, and feeling I’ve become too complacent in my older age, I wonder where the time has gone. I can but agree that his approach sounds right, and to send them in. A few months later, runners come streaming into the settlement carrying even better news for Contrary, although he is now nearly as old as I - his thugs have been blessed with gifts of further knowledge. This time, the secrets of delving the Earth. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

- Literally swore at my screen. Another Free Tech? Mining this time.



As I make this last scratch, I am gathering my things, and the totems of our tribe, so that I may pass them over to a fitting recipient from the people of our settlement. Too long have I warred with the gruff face of Contrary, and our endless duels have sapped the last of my energy for the job. I wandered in out of the blue as a wise man, but with the upheavals and excitement I’ve seen, now I think I’d like to just spend my time by the lake, humming away my last few years in peace.

- An overview of the world as we currently know it while I hand over the reins. That is probably the luckiest start I have ever seen in terms of good resources, good research, and lucky breaks on the Tribal Villages.



- The first Warrior is almost done, and there’s still tons of black on all sides. We’re also really close to finishing Meditation, and maybe founding Buddhism. Successful or not, my next thought would be to go for Hinduism. Honestly not sure if we need to be religious yet, as the +1 happiness doesn’t do much for a bit, and we’d lose that turn of anarchy. I'm torn on whether to go for a settler soon, or to wait and make another warrior. If we want to use the stone we're going to need one eventually. Think I might wait to city size 3, as that "might" get us two or more religions in one city.

Save Game File for BC 3600
BC3600 Save File

Your turn Pang

How ya doing, buddy?

Um okay i think I'm gonna have to bow out of this competition. I'm not ready to play on Noble level

Maybe after some practice I'll decide to join up again, assuming it's still around by then.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

what are you using to take the screenshots?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Father slept away the night quietly; he was cold when we went to wake him for his breakfast. He had lived long, and in his life had done more for our people than any before him. But we have no time to grieve.

As the funeral pyre burns, I send the best of our fighters further north. To hunt, to seize wealth, to bring the outlying tribes under our banner. There is much to do.



Then: a great discovery, at last. Armed with an understanding of karma and its workings, our people will surely be the most fortuitous upon the Earth. While I could decree that everyone should follow this wisdom, I restrain myself; too much divine knowledge in too short a time could give the people into unrest. There will be a time for that, but not until we know where we stand in the world. Excited by our findings, I order our shamans to continue their investigations into the numinous. Truly, the spirits smile upon our endeavors here.



Our explorers stumble upon yet another tiny village, full of primitive tribesmen ignorant of the Great Wheel Of Being. Surely, like all the others, they will be happy to aid us.



Mayhap not. Armed savages rush out of their huts, ululating savage war cries. What could have caused this descent into animalistic madness? Then, I see the answer.



Heathens are afoot. Foreign ones, monsters. Mere proximity to their sinful culture has driven our once-peaceful tribesmen into disarray and madness. We have no choice but to put them down for their own good.



The rebellion quashed, I send an emissary to meet with these.... these invaders. Their leader is unimpressive; a mere girl. She is not fit even to take as a wife. Still, contemptible though she may be, we cannot safely dismiss her. Her corrupting influence has already spread too close to the palace for my comfort.



Our second battalion of troops is trained and ready at last. We will surely need them in the dark days ahead. It is tempting, now, to build a great wonder that will shame the invaders, but we cannot spare the time. Instead, I order the assembly of a conclave of holy men, that we may more easily understand the mysteries of the cosmos and spread our wisdom to the world around us.



I hesitate to send the new fighters away, knowing of the danger that hovers on our borders — but, more than ever, it is imperative that we learn what else may surround us. The little queen surely does not dare to strike at us. Not yet. For a time — a short time — we can shoulder the risks of leaving the palace defenseless.



Our first squad, exhilarated by their victory over the savages, continues their journey to the north — finding a most unpleasant sight indeed. Only in my great-grandfather's day did the Endless Cold begin to retreat from the world, and to find these icy rocks looming so close... lurking there, waiting to starve and freeze us, to hide the fish under a wall of ice... it is infuriating. There is no sense in walking further in this direction. Only death awaits to the north. Only death.



Closer to home, our new recruits stumble upon more villagers. Their little sums of shiny rocks and smelly furs will impress nobody, but we are in no position to refuse charity. Like the others, we issue them behind the city walls.



They are just in time to witness our next triumph. The Great Wheel, it seems, operates under the command of a host of the most mighty spirits. Spirits of war. Of death. Of creation and destruction. We have always respected the spirits, but it is fortuitous indeed to know which ones can best repay that respect. As with our last discovery, I decline to forcefully evangelize on the matter. Let our people reach wisdom at their own speed. I have confidence in them.



While my desire for great monuments must be withheld until the completion of our monkish conclave, it is not too soon to begin preparation. Soon, we will move to seize the stones we found so long ago, and when we do so we must be ready to use them. Our simple way of carving little rocks into sharp points will kill bears and imbeciles, but I feel instinctively that the Great Spirits will soon demand of us a mighty tribute. For that, we will need to pull massive stones from the bosom of the Earth itself.

I am old myself now, and tired. I suspect tonight's feast will be my last. But while I join the spirits now, I know I will return. The Great Wheel has promised me that.

In case it's not clear, we did successfully found Hinduism; Washington is now double-holy.

Vivi, you're up.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well, I am going to have to bow out. I guess I didn't realize how much time this would take, and based on my schoolwork and everything, I don't think I currently have the time to put this all together.... Besides, I am not very good beyond the Chieftain level and I could bog things down... Sorry for the disappointment...

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

If you're bowing out Vivi, then that means its Krelian's turn instead. Also, Turbo or Zergrinch, which one of you would like to fill the slot left by Vivi's departure? Depending on when you respond, your turn will hopefully either be inserted after Krelian's or Hawkeye's.

It should be noted that the level of detail in my and Pang's posts is not absolutely necessary. If all you can muster is some quick screenshots with captions about what happened, that's fine. You should not feel you need to write an epic.

Also, I personally just used Paint to shrink images down to the correct size.

Hawkeye: We are just using the Print Screen button. When you do this, it drops the screenshots into your My Documents/My Games folder unless you manually specified this to be somewhere else.

Pang: Nice writeup and with the comment about stones at the end, does that mean we're going for Masonry now?

Since we've beaten them to two religions now, we may want to shift back to using some trees to cut the Monastery production time down.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Alright; got the save. I'll have made my move by tomorrow afternoon.

Most amazing jew boots

I'll hop in sure

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Araes

Pang: Nice writeup and with the comment about stones at the end, does that mean we're going for Masonry now?

Yeah, I figured we'd want to jump for Pyramids/Stonehenge reasonably soon and we'll need it if we want to snag Monotheism (and Judaism).

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Turbo

I'll hop in sure

Thanks Turbo, glad to have you as a regular. Your turn will be up after Krelian submits then, as Hawkeye was saying he didn't want to go until the weekend at least.

Most amazing jew boots

Hm, If Krel doesnt play really soon I wont be able to play till sunday afternoon or evening. I'm heading out this weekend. =/ Maybe put Krel first and stick me second to last or something?

There's nowhere I can't reach.