Al Gore Challenge

[wertyu70]

Recently I found of an old thread at CivFanatics about "Al Gore" challange,
it referred to Vanilla Civ but I think it's interesting to have a try with BTS.

The rules of Challange are simple:

1) On turn 1, set your research goal clicking on Al Gore picture, to select the tech enabling the Internet Wonder.
From now on, you cannot change the researched tech.
2) As soon as you can, build the internet and get 20-30 free techs.
3) Try to win the game.

Please note that a strict internet beeline is a real handicap,
you can not research some important techs (i.e. Animal Husbandy, Archery)
and the proposed order is quite strange (Machinery before Writing...).

Optionals rules:
4a) For IRON MEN: you can not trade techs with AI
4b) You can trade only for techs on your tech path

Currently I'm trying it with Washington (no early UU or UB, so I'm not biased)
at Noble level (I'm a Monarch player), Epic Speed, just to discover how the game runs.
It's strange to have a cow in capital BFC and realize you can't use it because you haven't AH.

I'm wondering if someone of you tried this challenge before.

[Norselord]

Think I'll try it.

Kinda scary to think of some of the techs I will be willfully ignoring...specifically the economic and military ones.

Any specific leaders lose their UU and/or UB?

Lightbulbing not allowed? (some lightbulbs may not go along the path)

Any specific set of traits more useful than others?

[rah]

If the lightbulb is on the path, it should be allowed.

[Blaupanzer]

I would turn on "no tech brokering." Then allow trades and lightbulbing off the path. Elsewhise, you are going to get eaten long before the internet saves you. Especially post-gunpowder. You can "Iron Man" it, but I think you may very well lose altogether, even with"Agressive AI" off. Just my 2 cents.

[Ming]

If you allow trades and lightbulbing off the path, doesn't that just invalidate the whole concept of the challenge?
You might as well just play a normal game

[Theben]

When I 1st saw this thread I thought it would disallow building anything that generates pollution.

[Garth Vader]

I thought you wouldn't be able to chop any trees.

[Norselord]

Looks like this challenge is taking on some pretty specific form:
1) Beeline to Computers
2) Build internet
3) No straying off of the tech path
4) No trading off of the tech path
5) No lightbulbing off of the tech path
6) No chopping
7) No buildings that cause pollution
8) MUST run following civics once they become available (if not on the tech path to computers, and not granted by internet, these MUST become the tech priorities after computer) Universal Suffrage, Free Speech, Emancipation, Environmentalism, Free Religion.
9) Only allow diplomatic, space race, time, and cultural victory.
10) Huge map. Marathon speed. 70% water.
11) Random Leader
12) Any difficulty

Post final adjusted score.

[Norselord]

Added question: is the player allowed to trade his own techs for money or cities(heh heh, right...)?

I gave this a whirl last night, got assigned egypt...was very hard...

[Blaupanzer]

Took a shot on Noble as Washington. Got to studying machinery to the end of time and lost a city to set of successive barbarian axemen (no copper near me). Running last in everything. No archers of any kind due to path; so ... machinery does not help once we do ironworking.

When did we settle on huge and marathon and on no polluting buildings (i.e., Forge!!!) Makes no sense to keep the trees and not enhance their hammers.

[rah]

One person mentioned it. I don't think there was any agreement per se.

Huge and marathon would keep me from playing.

[Norselord]

What about receiving techs?

Boudica likes me and the Celtic people are feeling quite generous -- they want to give me the alphabet.

[rah]

I'd play with tech trading off to avoid any contamination of the path, if even by accident. (or greed)

[Norselord]

The idea is that the player should not ACQUIRE any techs aside from the beeline to computers.

Why shouldn't the player be allowed to trade away techs for bribes/diplomacy?

[Norselord]

OK one game randomly as Isabella on Prince diff. First one to gunpowder (its really sketchy when your military consists of cats and warriors while you see macemen around your borders.) Built up a large force of musketmen, cats, and trebs. Went to attack Freddy (who had built the apopala) he only had one city, Willem and I had both choked him early. As soon as I had his walls defences down to 0%, he became a vassal of Catherine. She already had Darius vassalized. Willem could not be bribed to war on my side (surprised? shouldn't be.) Darius and Catherine obliterated me. Made it to 1790 with an adjusted score of 853.

This is a fun challenge. I am thinking of doing a few more. The path does go by some handy techs, some real meat and potatoes stuff. Its weird the way it will work all the way down one branch and then start back at polytheism and work its way through to theocracy.