Publicizing the Next AU Course

[Tassadar500]

This is the first AU Conquests AU course, correct? I want this to be a huge AU course. I don't mean a "huge" map but rather a huge number of participants. Dominae is creating the course and I know that it will be a great one. This is what I want you all to do: Post and advertise this AU course everywhere! I mean everywhere. All the Civ 3 'Poly boards. CFC, MZO what ever sites you may visit. If your friends play Civ 3 tell them to create an account and play the course. I will also do my part and post in my teams (Sunshine and Legoland) and I will also post a news article. Have fun advertising

[Mountain Sage]

I don't want to sound , but as to the timing, don't forget that it appears that amazon.uk has trouble shipping C3C (no shipping date announced). Then, there will be Xmas and holidays (meaning no, or less, civ) for some of us...

[Tassadar500]

MS the course should be up this Friday or next so Xmas should not be a problem.

[Dominae]

Originally posted by Mountain Sage
I don't want to sound , but as to the timing, don't forget that it appears that amazon.uk has trouble shipping C3C (no shipping date announced). Then, there will be Xmas and holidays (meaning no, or less, civ) for some of us...

The world does not stop because of shipping delays or personal holiday schedules. There's a good three weeks before Christmas, and many many players have C3C already. Much better to get a quick course in now than wait for January to roll around.

And, like Nuclear Master said, the savegame will still be available when you finally do get your copy and have time to play.


Dominae

[Catt]

Does anyone really want to play an early AU game with the corruption and gpt bugs unpatched?

I am playing and enjoying C3C, but the bugs so severely impact the game that an AU game before a bug fix will be simply incomparable to any other AU game.

Catt

[alexman]

I agree. Unless we remove the FP (and Communism) from the game, and agree to accept deals at half the gpt that the AI is willing to offer.

[lockstep]

Originally posted by alexman
I agree. Unless we remove the FP (and Communism) from the game, and agree to accept deals at half the gpt that the AI is willing to offer.

Don't laugh at me, but as C3C is now, I'm actually offering the AI's a 50% gpt discount at the end of every stubborn bargaining. They must think I'm crazy.

On second thought, a 50% discount means that I get exactly the gpt amount I rightfully deserve, but they lose only half their amount. I actually should confine myself to a 33% allowance ...

In other words, there's no point for me in playing a comparison game (even more, my first one) as long as the gpt bug isn't ironed out.

[Dominae]

1. Corruption problems

I think an semi-official shared game (with DARs) will make this problem a lot more apparent that it currently is. Right now all we have is alexman's tests, which are certainly telling, but not as "in your face" (your = Firaxis/Breakaway) as multiple players complaining about it at once.

2. Gold per turn bug

I see no problem in creating a temporary "house rule" for AU courses that addresses the gpt bug. Any gpt amount an AI is willing to part with in a deal must be halved before the deal is accepted. This does not solve the problem of the AIs getting rich off the bug, but if it's a big worry you can always play at a lower difficulty. In my experience it only gets really silly toward the end of the Medieval era, which IMO is a great time for the AI to have some extra cash. Players who do not like it can complain loudly, again in hopes of getting Firaxawayin attention (cool new world, eh?).


Dominae

[Dominae]

My point in the above post (in case it was not clear) is that everyone is equal footing regarding the bugs in C3C, so I'm not really sure why there is reticence to play in a comparison game. Are we all supposed to just stop playing until a patch is released? An AU game is the perfect forum for bringing the severity of these bugs to the fore.


Domiane

[alexman]

Firaxis already knows about the corruption problems, and they even claim that they have fixed some corruption issues already. So more complaining probably won't make much difference.

Dominae I'd much rather save the no-doubt brilliant scenario you've been making to play when the game works properly. But that's just me. Others may want to dive right in, and if they do, I might be tempted to join in.

[Dominae]

Originally posted by alexman
So more complaining probably won't make much difference.

But then what else are we to do in the Conquests forum!?!?




Dominae

[Catt]

Originally posted by alexman
Dominae I'd much rather save the no-doubt brilliant scenario you've been making to play when the game works properly. But that's just me. Others may want to dive right in, and if they do, I might be tempted to join in.

I'd also rather wait and play with a proper game engine. In my limited exposure thus far, the game is quite different from PTW, beginning in the early middle ages. I've played my recent 2 (of a total of 3) games without accepting gpt deals other than in de minimis amounts, and it still results in some very weird game circumstances (I suspect the corruption bugs are hampering the AIs significantly).

I tend to play AU games with more attention to detail and make a real effort to document what I'm doing and why -- it's hard to muster the necessary enthusiasm with what is unquestionably a "broken" game (though still enertaining in its own way), especially one that I expect will be fixed quite soon.

Catt

[ducki]

I'm still waiting to get C3C, but I can understand the desire to start on an AU game - what about doing like we did when PtW came out and "replay" an original AU concept?

I dunno, just a thought. It wouldn't be quite as intense as a "real" AU game, but it would get the momentum going for when they release a patch and everyone can hit the ground running instead of bowing out of the first "real" AU game in order to become familiar with Conquests.

Wow, that was a long sentence.
Anyway, looking forward to playing another AU game, but I gotta get Conquests first. Heh.

[Rhothaerill]

Personally I'd be happy to play a Conquests AU game, even with the known bugs. We're all going to be playing Conquests anyway, why not play it the AU way? To try to satisfy those who are leery of playing with the bugs, maybe call it an AU Lite course.

I've enjoyed my so far fairly limited play with Conquests (just one game as the Iroquois...first to research wheel..get SGL..ultra-early Pyramids..BAM, I'm top civ with an all-phases lead that I haven't given up, so my gameplay has gotten lax in that game), but there is just something about Apolyton University (especially when Dom sets up a difficult course) that makes me want to play my best game.

[vmxa1]

Just don't make any gpt deals, then it is not a problem. Well, it is still a problem, you just aren't contributing to it.