Marathon mode is excellent

[Generaldoktor]

Yes, I've noticed this and it appears to be a drawback that I didn't notice as much in Civ3, though it may have been there too. Civ4, you just love it or leave it, I guess.

[Son of David]

Originally posted by Generaldoktor
Yes, I've noticed this and it appears to be a drawback that I didn't notice as much in Civ3, though it may have been there too. Civ4, you just love it or leave it, I guess.

I love it, even although I get beaten regularly on Prince level.

[Generaldoktor]

Well, I have been playing more Ages of Man lately.

But seriously,...I've thought more about the "flash-through" history and the inability to use weapons systems for any extended period and it all seems to depend on the length that was set for researching technologies, which seems to have drawbacks at any speed, but I don't envy Firaxis designers in trying to decide "how long" it takes to research something like macemen or rifles. Any number they come up with is really going to be a crapshoot, because in history, these things evolved with a thousand other variables to appear when they did and for as long as they did. The machine gun, for instance, appears about 1870, which is only about a hundred years after rifles effectively did. Prop airplanes only reigned for about 25 years before they were replaced by jets, which were superseded by stealth technology in about 40-50 years, depending on your perception of effective date. Longbows had a long run though, showing up in Roman times in some form and then running through the period of Crecy and so did "clubs" running in some form through probably a thousand years of prehistory; so there you go. Who decides and for how long these research paths take? I bet it could be modded differently, but I wouldn't want the job.

AI get in their two-cents too. I had heard so much from other players about the Chinese Cho-Ko-Nu, how great it was. I rushed to Machinery as Qin, built a bunch of them and prepared for war. I had barely selected my prospects for conquest, satisfied with my large, late-medieval army, then I found Peter had rushed to gunpowder and was even building rifles! In the 16th century! I quickly matched him in tech, started building rifles and spent the rest of the game trying to scrounge cash to upgrade all those d-mn Cho's. This wasn't the first time Peter had rushed to gunpowder in my games though. Genghis, if he's still around for it, likes to do it too and presumably, so would a lot of human players in a MP format. (Particularly if they feared Cho's. ) This is part of the charm of the Civ4 flexibility to not have to follow a fixed tech path!

[hohhoh]

Originally posted by Generaldoktor


If you read this whole thread and/or play the game through several times at different speeds, it should be clear that Marathon mode DOES slow the speed at which history passes and at which you get your advances. However, for Civ4, the designers dispensed with making you follow a set route to and from every "era" so if you beeline for certain technologies, the game will tell you you have "entered" a certain "era." You may well not have all or even most of the technologies for that era, so you are not really in it.

For example, many players beeline to "Metal Casting," which puts you out of the "Ancient" into the "Classical" era. You probably don't have "Monarchy" or "Alphabet" or "Drama" yet, so you aren't truly on a par with historic "classical" civilizations, but you have in a small way begun to enter that era. Ditto for common rushes to "Civil Service" or "Machinery," which give you a foothold into the next era. This is part of the flexibility of this version of the game, unlike Civ3, which grandiously led you down a specific track, into and out of every era.

I wouldn't let it go to your head, that you might in some small way be ahead.

You can still be beaten even if you are that far ahead.

I have alphabet, monarchy and drama.
i have about 8 gunpowder units (or better) in EACH city, so i would feel sorry for that person who go at war with me. besides my enemy is so boring that i feed them with some of my tech, for excample Alexander, i fed him all the way to the industrial age and then crushed him with ease... now im in the modern era (1650)
i even put' a pair of nukes in his next biggest city...

[Generaldoktor]

Originally posted by hohhoh


I have alphabet, monarchy and drama.
i have about 8 gunpowder units (or better) in EACH city, so i would feel sorry for that person who go at war with me. besides my enemy is so boring that i feed them with some of my tech, for excample Alexander, i fed him all the way to the industrial age and then crushed him with ease... now im in the modern era (1650)
i even put' a pair of nukes in his next biggest city...

Well, one might then wonder about the difficulty level you're playing on and whether you want to increase it. Differing opinions are always welcome, but if you read this thread, you must admit your experience is radically different from most others, as far as time to research. Other ways to "challenge" yourself are to play as a flake leader like Montezuma, or add "Raging Barbarians," which of themselves can be more trouble than several "rational" AI's, even with their generally lower tech, due to their extreme nihilism. You can add "aggression" to the AI's, so you get the diversion of fighting more before you attain your mighty tech march.

Or, gol darn it, maybe you're just about ready for MULTIPLAYER! You can match your high tech wits against real human intelligences (and a large number of "professional aggressors," ) in that now-crowded field.

For me, for now, I still maintain: Marathon Mode--

[hohhoh]

Originally posted by Generaldoktor


Well, one might then wonder about the difficulty level you're playing on and whether you want to increase it. Differing opinions are always welcome, but if you read this thread, you must admit your experience is radically different from most others, as far as time to research. Other ways to "challenge" yourself are to play as a flake leader like Montezuma, or add "Raging Barbarians," which of themselves can be more trouble than several "rational" AI's, even with their generally lower tech, due to their extreme nihilism. You can add "aggression" to the AI's, so you get the diversion of fighting more before you attain your mighty tech march.

Or, gol darn it, maybe you're just about ready for MULTIPLAYER! You can match your high tech wits against real human intelligences (and a large number of "professional aggressors," ) in that now-crowded field.

For me, for now, I still maintain: Marathon Mode--

... I am playin at raging barbarians and i even put in some cities here and there for them.
but when it comes to multi-p i cant... it lags to much

[Generaldoktor]

Raging Barbarians is an option, not a difficulty level. Difficulty levels are like Emperor, Prince, I think the highest is Immortal or something, which I've never played because I still get a challenge out of this game. The default level is "Noble," which most experienced players don't find that challenging. To change it, go into the custom game settings and flip the box that says "Noble" next to the first player box (which is for you) to something higher; after that, whether you're playing custom game or random, whatever level you set; is your new difficulty level for all subsequent games, until you change it again.

Maybe this game isn't for you. There's some pretty smart people here, many of which have been playing for years, this and earlier versions, who find this plenty challenging and not the walkover you claim to always have. (Nobody, by the way, voluntarily "gives" cities to barbarians, half the time they just raze them when they get them anyway! ) Adjusting up difficulty levels and/or playing multi-player, which I don't play but understand doesn't drag with turn time limits in place, is how they introduce additional challenges.

[Nikolai]

I have played Civ4 since christmas, not much compared to others because of problems with my computer vs Civ4 and me having other games and activities(the horror! ), but still I have played lots of hours. But I still am not good at the game, having problems beating the game at noble(but easily beating it on the level beneath though). And I have played all the old Civs. So I wouldn't say that being experienced autmatically makes you that good.

BTW, I have, after much internal debate with myself, decided to turn off barbs from now on. For me, they are an element making the game more unfun and not giving the game anything except unit XP. Anyoner else having thoughts on this? So far, I can't say the game have been much easier or the AIs faring any better or worse, but I haven't had that many games without the barbs either.

[Generaldoktor]

Well the thread's about Marathon Mode, we don't want to get off-topic. But yeah, I have funner games on Noble or even one below (Chieftain?) , but this with the barbs.

To me, the barbs are like the 13th man. They're an extra player, adding complexity early. As the map gets settled, they generally disappear anyway. And I do like those XP.

[hohhoh]

Originally posted by Generaldoktor
Raging Barbarians is an option, not a difficulty level. Difficulty levels are like Emperor, Prince, I think the highest is Immortal or something, which I've never played because I still get a challenge out of this game. The default level is "Noble," which most experienced players don't find that challenging. To change it, go into the custom game settings and flip the box that says "Noble" next to the first player box (which is for you) to something higher; after that, whether you're playing custom game or random, whatever level you set; is your new difficulty level for all subsequent games, until you change it again.

Maybe this game isn't for you. There's some pretty smart people here, many of which have been playing for years, this and earlier versions, who find this plenty challenging and not the walkover you claim to always have. (Nobody, by the way, voluntarily "gives" cities to barbarians, half the time they just raze them when they get them anyway! ) Adjusting up difficulty levels and/or playing multi-player, which I don't play but understand doesn't drag with turn time limits in place, is how they introduce additional challenges.

I don't "give" the barbs cities... i enter the worldbuilder to make cities... once i made them a whole island and A nuke, and guess what... of all people they fired it at me... and some workers... i have to get a "13'th" person out of them too you see, but my comp isnt that great so i play 2-6 players

[NTJedi]

hohhoh... what difficulty level do you play ?

Noble, Prince, Warlord, Chieftan ??

[hohhoh]

Originally posted by NTJedi
hohhoh... what difficulty level do you play ?

Noble, Prince, Warlord, Chieftan ??

Bit of everything i guess

[hohhoh]

settler to noble. i mean

[NTJedi]

Originally posted by hohhoh
settler to noble. i mean

Well if your opponents are boring kick up the difficulty level. Try playing a game of Monarch difficulty.

[tealc2006]

I don't actually have civ4 yet (though i've played the demo), but from what I've been reading, marathon mode seems a bit more realistic. I've always been annoyed that even in modern times a destroyer will take like 10 years to go around the world in civ3.