Marathon Balanced?

[dregor]

I know when BTS first came out I remember reading about how Marathon wasn't exactly balanced very well, especially when it came to the espionage system. Was wondering if this had been addressed in a recent patch? Or is playing on Marathon still not fully balanced?

[Wiglaf]

OH GOD IMBALANCED. IT IS IMBALANCED. THE PATCHES HAVEV MADE MY LIFE SO MUCH WORSE. YOU THOUGHT 24 TURNS OF UNHAPPINESS WAS BAD? NOW SPIES CAN ****ING FORMAT YOUR HARD DRIVE. DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE IN THE MANUAL?

[Lancer]

Posts like THAT are why Poly is better than that other Civ site!

[Wiglaf]

NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR IT, BUT THERE IT IS, ALL MY CARDS ARE ON THE TABLE

[Sirotnikov]

So, no serious answer?
I'm actually considering buying Civ IV + BTS

[snoopy369]

I believe the espionage imbalances were corrected in 3.13.

[ZEE]

units build faster or sumsuch

[Willem]

Originally posted by dregor
I know when BTS first came out I remember reading about how Marathon wasn't exactly balanced very well, especially when it came to the espionage system.

Yes, that was fixed. It had to do with Spies poisoning the water supply, it was much too drastic when playing in Marathon. It's better now.

[Jaybe]

BtS updated to 3.13, WITH (there! a small tribute to Wiglaf ) Bhruic's unofficial patch is fine.

Without Bhruic's the espionage poisoning & unhappiness spells at marathon speed were a wee bit overpowering!

[Solver]

The espionage problem with Marathon has been fixed, but of course Marathon retains stuff that is, IMO, inherently unbalanced about that speed.

[eris]

Marathon is not imbalanced. It is differently balanced.

It allows for a game in which there is more unit usage (read: war and such) per game. This does favor a more military approach, but it also adds a different flavor to non-military wins such as Culture and Diplomatic in which one's military situation and history affect those win conditions. The difference is caused by the fact that units move around quicker compared to build times than in the other speeds. There is also a tendency to have more overall units per game. There are other factors involved, but their interaction is more subtle.

As others have said, infamous espionage imbalances have been addressed. Everything else is supposed to be WAD (Working as Designed) if you put any measure to such statements.

Also, for me, it fulfills the need for Civ to have that "World History" feel. Slower game speeds rob me of that particular level of immersion. But that is just me, and even my kids know I am wierd. So do my cats, for that matter.

[Quillan]

I always play Marathon, but that's a matter of personal preference. In the vanilla version of BTS, poisoned water supply lasted for 30 turns! Since 3.13, it lasts 8 turns.

Most things in Marathon take 3x as long. Culture requires 3x as much for border pops, and for cultural victory. Techs require 3x the research points to earn. Buildings require 3x the hammers to construct. Units only require 2x the normal hammers, though. This changes the dynamics of the game.

[Supr49er]

Originally posted by Quillan
I always play Marathon, but that's a matter of personal preference. In the vanilla version of BTS, poisoned water supply lasted for 30 turns! Since 3.13, it lasts 8 turns.

Most things in Marathon take 3x as long. Culture requires 3x as much for border pops, and for cultural victory. Techs require 3x the research points to earn. Buildings require 3x the hammers to construct. Units only require 2x the normal hammers, though. This changes the dynamics of the game.

Even improvements/roads take 3x as long.

[Sirotnikov]

So basically economy is slowed down by a factor of 3, while unit production only by a factor of 2?

How much more turns are there?
Sorry for being so misinformed

[dregor]

Thanks for the serious responses. As for that other guy, well, just be sure not to self-medicate. See a professional.