Game speed

[Tamerlin]

The more I read the forum the more I see that most of the people are playing with the game speed set to Normal or Epic speed.

Though some are playing with the Marathon mode I can see very few reports posted by gamers using the Quick speed mode.

I don't have 15 hours or so to spend on a computer game. As Civ like games are, along with wargames, the PC games I prefer I was about to try the Quick speed mode.

In order to learn more about this setting, I decided to browse the Apolyton website and found... almost nothing useful.

Is the AI able to cope with the increased speed ? Is the game unbalanced at this speed ? Is Beyond the Sword managing the Quick speed mode better than Vanilla Civ4 or Warlords ?

To sum up, I would like to know what the people having played at this speed think about it.

[Unimatrix11]

Instead of telling You about my non-existant experience with the quick-mode, i rather tell you why i never tried it:

Even at normal game speed, i hardly find the time to build units. And when i do, they tend to get obsolete before they reach the enemy. Cause what grows relatively on faster speeds are the distances. Almost everything maybe be scaled, but a tile remains a tile and the movement points of the units remain the same, no matter what game-speed. Thus you might only need only half the amount of turns to build a unit, but still the same amount of turns to get it to the enemy. And You research twice as fast also. Chances are, by the time your swordsman-army is completed and arrives at the border, you will be able to build macemen (and so will the enemy!). Things get worse when enemy is further away.

Even on normal, i find myself too often with obsolete units or upgrading all the time. Thus i play on epic.

But seeing you are not exactly new to civ, you probably already knew all this. So why dont you just give it a shot, since it´s quick anyways, and tell us...

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Unimatrix11
But seeing you are not exactly new to civ, you probably already knew all this. So why dont you just give it a shot, since it´s quick anyways, and tell us...

Time is precious and before starting a new game I would like to know whether Quick speed is a loss of time or not.

Before playing I would like to know how it affects the game and what you wrote about obsolete units is a fact I did not think about (the more obvious is often what you forget to think about). Perhaps will it be balanced by the fact that I have modded Civ4 so that all units can use enemy roads (as far as I am concerned the fact a unit can not use ennemy roads is certainly one of the most stupid "feature" one can include in a civ like game. Just ask the USMC veterans why their targets were often roads, bridges and crossroads).

There are a lot of chances I will test this game speed to make up my mind and post an AAR.

[rah]

We've used quick speed a few time for MP games. It gets you to the fighting stage quicker. Yeah ,units go obsolete but not quite as bad as a lot of people seem to say. No matter what size world you play on, (unless you're plaing islands) there's going to be an AI next to you so when people say it takes a long time to get to your opponent I always counter with "pick on your neighbor, they're close" Supporting captured cities far away early in the game is economic suicide anyway. Later in the game, railroads, ships, and airlifts speed the movement of troops so I don't think it's as big a problem as people claim. Or at least it has never been for me. But everyone has different tastes and they must be respected.

If you don't have a lot of time, I'd recommend it. It's nice that there are all the differenct setting so people can choose how to enjoy the game.

[Tamerlin]

Thanks Rah, it's good to hear that some people have tested the Quick play setting.

And you are right, Civ4 lets us the choice where many other games just give us one way to play, you take it or not.

[snoopy369]

Quick is definitely a MP speed, primarily (in terms of who plays it). You have less time with any particular unit, so you have to quickly and frequently upgrade your units to keep promotions relevant, or else deal without promotions (barracks becomes more important, really, because often units don't get much more than 5 experience).

I think it largely makes fast moving units more valuable (as you have more risk of someone developing a better unit/more units while you are underway!) and fast tactics (blitzkreig-style action). You can more quickly defend yourself also, so you can easily send more of your units out. And I find that specialists are more useful in quick, personally (2-scientist strat, or major-GA strategy).

[Blaupanzer]

Which traits are most enhanced by quick? I have suspected Epic advances financial and creative due to their constant effects over a greater number of turns. From what Snoopy says above, perhaps agressive and/or protective might be made more valuable since units get less experience. (?)

[joncnunn]

Re: Game speed

I played a full game at Quick only once: That was vanilla on the Map of Planet.

I found that Quick mode is only decent if your staying at peace; units become hopelessly outdated too fast in the field.

I don't have 12 to 24 consecutive hours either which is why I save the game and exit and come back later when I do have time.
(That was several games on normal speed / normal map)

I'm now playing with my new computer a large Highland map on normal speed in prepartion for Huge world maps on Epic speed.

Marathon makes the game to focused on warfare for my taste.

Originally posted by Tamerlin
The more I read the forum the more I see that most of the people are playing with the game speed set to Normal or Epic speed.

Though some are playing with the Marathon mode I can see very few reports posted by gamers using the Quick speed mode.

I don't have 15 hours or so to spend on a computer game. As Civ like games are, along with wargames, the PC games I prefer I was about to try the Quick speed mode.

In order to learn more about this setting, I decided to browse the Apolyton website and found... almost nothing useful.

Is the AI able to cope with the increased speed ? Is the game unbalanced at this speed ? Is Beyond the Sword managing the Quick speed mode better than Vanilla Civ4 or Warlords ?

To sum up, I would like to know what the people having played at this speed think about it.

[Tamerlin]

Thanks for the replies, I am starting to have a better understanding of the Quick mode effects.

I will certainly give it a try although it seems to be better to select a small map with a few other empires.

[Unimatrix11]

Concerning not to able to use enemy roads in Civ4: There is a promotion that allows that. I ´think´ it´s called ´Commando´. Check the civpedia for details on it...

EDIT: But maybe you are right: the not-to-be-able-to-use-enemy-roads-thing should maybe only apply to the first unit entering the tile... or rather: Not be applied if one of your units is already occupying the tile. BTW: Can one specifically destroy one´s own roads ? If not, one should be - then at least...

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Unimatrix11
Concerning not to able to use enemy roads in Civ4: There is a promotion that allows that. I ´think´ it´s called ´Commando´. Check the civpedia for details on it...

My mod gives the Commando promotion to all units...

EDIT: But maybe you are right: the not-to-be-able-to-use-enemy-roads-thing should maybe only apply to the first unit entering the tile... or rather: Not be applied if one of your units is already occupying the tile.

I agree, a road should work normally once it has been reckoned by a unit.

BTW: Can one specifically destroy one´s own roads ? If not, one should be - then at least...

I don't remember but obviously a player should be allowed to destroy its own infrastructures (the russian army did it succesfully against Napoleon's "Grande Armée").

[Blaupanzer]

One can destroy one's own improvements, including roads. There's no financial reward for it as there would be in enemy territory. The road use plan is to allow the AI to accumulate its scattered defenders before you arrive at its cities. Think of it as a guerilla warfare effect, forcing you to advance carefully and in formation to prevent you suffering extensive attrition from having troops picked off by militia-type units or partisans. In a more sophisticated war game, you might have the alternative to "force march" on those roads at the cost of 10 % damage or somesuch.

[Seedle]

Originally posted by Blaupanzer
One can destroy one's own improvements, including roads.

Not so. You cannot pillage roads inside your cultural borders. Everything else you can pillage though.

[Boris Godunov]

Normal is about all I can take. I tried Marathon, and I practically fell asleep at my keyboard at times. Even Epic pushes it.

[The Priest]

I play quick a bit. It can be great.

Its different, yes, but by no means worse. It does lead to a different style of play. Far more sparky - you have to react and chase opportunities more. It doesn't allow the slow overhaul, the long plotted plans, which epic or marathon does, and which lots of folks seem to like. Each to their own of course, but versatility is a virtue.

I will often play quick if I want to enjou some late-game play. At marathon/epic my interest is absorbed in the ancient/medieval and i am honestly starting to be bored of it by the late eras. Quick gets me there still interested.

Not sure there is any reason to go small with quick. In a way that is overkill. I use quick to enjoy the large map without dedicating too much of my life to it.

What you do have to watch though if you are used to slower speeds is being turned in to a wonder-monger - its so tempting when you see that you can build a wonder in 6 turns. Mentally you think 'wow that is amazing it normally takes 20 - i must bag it'. But of course everything is taking less time!