Self-handicaps

[rah]

LOL
I was thinking Apollo but now that you mention it, it would be a lot tougher if you have to wait for the ai to build it

Good luck.

RAH

[Scouse Gits]

CC - After your target tech has been acquired your science rate is set to 0%. There is no tech trading. Your only advances come from capturing/bribing cities.
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SG (2)

[Sten Sture]

I have an unfinished game (v2.42) where I tried to do conquest/no dips with just one movement units like archers, muskets, paratroops, alpines etc. No cat/cannon/art/howie, or airplane/missle type units either. I did allow myself engineers for fortresses which was very helpful. Unescorted transports and cities without terrrain to attack from caused some problems. City walls were a pain in the arse, but like everything else in SP once you get momentum it is just a matter of time. I am dying to get back to MP to get my butt kicked...

It has been a while since I played that game, but it was the most fun conquest type game I have done.

[CrispyCritter]

I tried the no offensive attack, no diplo/spy handicap set last night. I won my second game without too much trouble. The first game I had a couple of cities on clear terrain without any choke points keeping the enemy away. I had to spend way too many units rebuilding after massive catapult attacks!.

The second game I had 7 cities, most on rivers or hills. They became separated from each other as the AI's gradually infiltrated with their cities, but that happened after my trade routes were set up so it wasn't a problem. I was actually clearly second on the Powergraph from AD 1 on, but my science was overwhelming. I allowed myself to expel diplomats for a few turns following Apollo, but then decided that was probably not kosher under the handicaps and stopped. I'm afraid I did allow myself to capture barbarian chieftains, though. My fingers seemed to do it automatically on their own!

Overall, it was somewhat disappointing. Wonders are just too powerful. The 0-wonder and 1-Wonder-AC handicap games have been interesting games so I'll explore more options in that direction.

[My Wife Hates CIV]

Try this for a different twist. At the end of your turn go to the advisor menu and click on casualty timeline (bottom of menu). Now click on end turn. The casualty menu stays on top and you can't see the battle field as the AI attacks/moves. Does this make things any harder?? Not sure, but I HATE it when this happens by mistake!

You can hear the battles and see the results if your unit dies (casualty timeline updates throughout the turn). It's fun when you do it every turn.
[This message has been edited by My Wife Hates CIV (edited February 24, 2000).]

[klesh]

MWHC,
I hate it when it does that! It would be a good handicap.
Another one I do its not to rush-build woders via caravans. Also I ALWAYS try to prevent Manhattan project. This means you must dedicate certain cities to make task forces to either sabotage prod., or take the city. It always keeps you busy. I try to keep every alliance, but this is impossible because they change every 2 sec.
I also do not keep armies of spies. I'll use them when I need them, but If I know everything about the AI, it doesn't stand a chance.

[CrispyCritter]

The 1-wonder spaceship handicap looks viable. I played two games this week and won (almost) both of them. [The first game I actually lost because I blundered into anarchy during the spaceship race; I replayed from a saved copy at the beginning of the spaceship race and won.]

My ground rules going in:
1. Apollo program is the only wonder you can have (first game the Celts built it for me!)
2. Maximum 15 cities.
3. Diplomats only used against barbarians.

I play small map, 7 civs, diety, barb raging hordes, MGE.

Both games I was way behind on techs in the mid game, but grew rapidly with WLTPD soon after Democracy. The first game I just barely caught up (got Fusion Power the turn before I sent the spaceship off), but the second game I probably took the lead by the time of Computers/Flight. I had 10 cities for the first game, and 11 in the second.

They were fun games, but there's not that variability in them, just proper development of cities. I'll probably play the conquest handicap sets mentioned earlier more. (I've been trying to avoid MP because of time constraints but ...)

[George Garrett]

I sometimes handicap myself by assuming the characteristics and political history of the icon in charge, thus "King Rex" of England undertakes the conquest of the British Empire, only, up to 1950...all under "Monarchy",exclusively, once achieved; "Abe Lincoln" and his Americans grab for the almighty dollar under the handicap of "Democracy" and the desire to be loved by the rest of the world. His biggest handicap is to be overruled by either "House" the military and/or domestic adviser, by means of the auto
production feature.(in face of the danger of your city going down a barbaric drain, they're apt to suggest a sewer system!)
First thing "Noll Cromwell" has to do, is to display military smarts...next thing is to build a temple/cathedral in each new city built, or conquered...the two characteristics are not always compatible. If "Eisenhower" is up at bat, all has to be organized to the nth degree, ere any campaign launched; if "Monty"
comes to the crease, he must "hit 'em for six" and not sustain a casualty, in so doing.
For my next trick, I propose to try the "Ceasar" scenario, which means, I suppose, slash, crash and burn around the known world.
O, to get back to my own Machiavellian persona when playing Civ 2...:-)

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<font size=1 face=Arial color=444444>[This message has been edited by George Garrett (edited March 06, 2000).]</font>
[This message has been edited by George Garrett (edited March 06, 2000).]

[George Garrett]

This handicapping lark is doing Wonders for my game...got seven in my latest, seldom bother to go after one!

I also learned a lot as "King Arthur" (First thing this icon of chivalry had to do was off
Boedicea in The Tight Little Island!). Since
under the "code" of the Round Table I was allowed neither hydro for my domestics, nor heft for my military...if I was to live by the sword (plus catapult)up against all them atom bombs, and things, I'd have to stay out of trouble. This I did, first by the Wall, later, U.N. And a whole lot of Wonders in between, mostly paid for in jig-time by hitherto ignored caravans from 4 or 5 cities.

Instead of my usual expansionist style - I'm the kind of player who never met a square he didn't like to build a city on - I had to focuss on survival...this I did by consolidating the cities in the immediate U.K. Since, under the handicap my science options were limited, by the middle of the 19th Century I was able to set a 50/50 tax-lux rate, and solved my few problems- never seen so many happy citizens - by throwing money at them. Near game's end, I was colonizing 2 square tundra islets, into size 8 going concerns!
I was constantly beset by opted- for
raging barbs, and hostile Civs, but the latter went away cursing my Wall, and U.N. respectively, the former just...went away in puffs of smoke, yet - truly, how mighty is thy (Horseman)sword, Lord!


All in all, my best game ever (tho still mediocre mind, 740 points at Chieftan), when I scarce expected to make it into the Stone Age...a good learning experience, and tons of fun. I'm now gonna play Despot throughout(at Warlord level), so good not to have to listen to a committee! (So good, as well, to be able to go after Leo, once more)
[This message has been edited by George Garrett (edited March 12, 2000).]