AU History 101

[badams52]

"There's something about the process of writing these things down which both makes a game truly memorable and crystalises understanding of things. Documenting mistakes helps prevent repetition, recording success helps recall the best practice, and lets face it, a game of Civ can make a pretty decent story." -- Cort Haus after being commended on his AU 101 game recap.

"Apolyton University is a school of strategy, where students sharpen their Civ3 skills and share their experiences in a series of thematic games. When playing an Apolyton University game, gaining and sharing knowledge is more important than getting a high score, or even winning the game. Participants are encouraged to share their strategy after the game, and even to try several attempts.

For single-player games we have developed the AU mod, whose main purpose is to challenge the player with a need for deeper strategy. To accomplish that goal, the mod tries to improve the AI and present the player with more strategic decisions, while changing as little as possible." -- alexman

Pre Apolyton University: First there were the Mini-Tourneys and they were good.
Mini-Tourney Saves: Before Apolyton University savegame files were used and not scenarios. For easier access, all these files can be downloaded from the Apolyton Directory
God Favors the Mighty: Mini Tourney I
A Mini-Tourney: Mini Tourney II (Burried inside the spoilers for the first Mini-Tourney).
Minitourney III - Industrial and Modern warfare
Mini Tourney IV - Babylon and On
Second Alamo Thread: Mini tourney V spoilers (part 2) and Download Thread

Mini-Tourney Spoilers
A Mini-Tourney: Mini Tourney I Spoilers
A Mini Tourney- Spoilers: Mini Tourney II Spoilers
Minitourney III - Spoilers
Babylon and On - Spoilers and Strategy: Mini Tourney IV spoilers
Alamo AAR and comment/spoiler thread: Mini Tourney V spoilers (part 1)
Second Alamo Thread: Mini tourney V spoilers (part 2) and Download Thread
MT V - Last Stand at the Alamo: Another Mini Tourney V Thread

Apolyton University: From the beginning ideas through the AU MOD and courses offered.
The Humble Beginnings: Learn the history of Apolyton University.
The Best of the Best: Beginnings (till threadjacked by Soren)
Apolyton University: Discussion of courses and offerings.

The AU Mods and discussions: The Official AU Mod available for download and discussions about improving the mod
Apolyton University Mod: C3C: AU mod for use with Civ III Conquests
Updating the AU mod for C3C: Discussion thread on changing the AU mod for C3C (Civilization 3 Conquests)
Apolyton University Mod (Thread II): Current AU mod for use with Civ PTW
Apolyton University Mod (PTW version): First AU mod for use with Civ PTW (ended with version 1.16)
AU: A Mod for the cirriculum: The original AU mod for Civ 1.29f

AU Game Download Threads: Come here first for all the scenario downloads. For easier access, all of these scenarios can be downloaded from the Apolyton Directory.
AU 101*: Crowding and War - Theseus - .sav
AU 102*: All we're sayin' is give peace a chance - Alexman - .sav
AU 103*: Island Hopping - alexman - .sav
AU 104: Banana Island - Sir Ralph - 4 .sav files for different levels
AU 105: The Power of Gold - alexman - .bic
AU 106: I've got those lonesome - blues...(Isolation) - Vulture - .bic
AU 107: Son of 'So very cold...' - Catt - .bic
AU 201: The Quest for Ultimate Power - nbarclay - .bic
AU 202: Scout and Explore - Alexman - .bix/.bic
AU 203: The Power of Communism - BRC - .bix/.bic
AU 204: The Power of Randomness - Dominae - .bix
AU 205: The Power of Gold Revisited - alexman - .bix (see 105 for .bic)
AU 206: Gallic Glory - alexman - .bix/.bic
AU 207: Big Planet - Dominae - .bix/.bic
AU 208: Total Eternal Forever War - alexman - .bix/.bic
AU 209: No Gold For You - Dominae - 5 .sav files
AU 210: UN Peacekeepers - Rhothaerill - 8 .sav files
AU 302: OCC (One City Challenge) - Dominae - .bix/.bic
AU 401: They came down from the Mountains - Konquest02 - .bix (originally posted at MZO)
AU 402: Gargantua - Dominae - .bix
* AU game download and spoilers in the same thread.

AU Game Download Threads C3C (Civilization III Conquests):
AU 501: The Power of Seafaring - Dominae - .sav
AU 502: Celtic Power - Swords and Ploughshares - ducki - .sav
AU 503: Pillage and Plunder - alexman - .sav

AU Strategy/Comments/Spoiler Threads: Read the stories of the people who played the games (also a great place to learn strategies)
AU 104: Banana Island
AU 105: The Power of Gold - Q & A Thead, Hints and tips
AU 106: I've got those lonesome blues...(Isolation)
AU 107: Son of 'So very cold...'
AU 201: The Quest for Ultimate Power
AU 202: Scout and Explore
AU 203: Power of Communism
AU 204: The Power of Randomness
AU 205: The Power of Gold Revisited
AU 206: Gallic Glory
AU 207: Big Planet
AU 208: Total Eternal Forever War
AU 209: No Gold For You - DAR 1, DAR 2, DAR 3, DAR 4, DAR 5, DAR 6
AU 210: UN Peacekeepers - DAR 1, DAR 2, DAR 3, DAR 4, DAR 5, DAR 6
AU 302: OCC (One City Challenge)
AU 401: They came down from the Mountains (originally posted at MZO)
AU 402: Gargantua - DAR 1, DAR 2, DAR 3, DAR 4, DAR 5, DAR 6

AU Strategy/Comments/Spoiler Threads C3C (Civilization III Conquests):
AU 501: The Power of Seafaring - Info and Discussion, DAR 1, DAR 2, DAR 3, DAR 4, DAR 5, DAR 6, Post-Game Comments
AU 502: Celtic Power - Swords and Ploughshares - Teaser, Extra Game Settings, DAR 1, DAR 2, DAR 3, DAR 4, DAR 5, DAR 6, Post-Game Comments
AU 503: Pillage and Plunder - Civ Poll, Teaser, DAR 1, DAR 2, DAR 3, DAR 4, DAR 5, DAR 6, Post-Game Comments

AU Succession Games
AUSG101: The first succession game

AU Succession Game DARs (During Action Reports)
AUSG101 Domination Team, Spaceship Team, Opportunist Team

New courses will be added as they are created.

If I've left out any threads or made any mistakes, feel free to let me know and I'll make corrections and add to the list. Before you all start asking, I have it on good faith that class AU 301 failed to make the grade for unknown reasons.

[Arrian]

(applause)

-Arrian

[Mountain Sage]

[Jawa Jocky]

I believe Banana Island was officially/unofficially adopted as AU 104.

Great thread idea and implementation

[vulture]

Would it be worth mentioning the Mini-Tourney games that were the precoursor to the AU? They were played with the same aims as the AU after all, and I'm sure many of us fondly remember 'Babylon and on' - set up in the days before the editor was useful.

[BRC]

nice work!

[Ubergeek]

Any chance this thread could be permanently at the top of the board? It will really help newcomers to find it.

[GarP2]

badams52: ThankYouThankYouThankYou!

I've been wanting to get started on these and was having a hard time sorting it out. Now I'm running out of excuses!

Excellent!

GarP

[Catt]

Great idea and work badams52!

And it would be nice to include the original "minitournies" that preceded AU -- posterity aside, it's funny to go back and look at how some of the AU oldtimers have changed their games and learned over time. By my reckoning, there were 5 minitournies (or "MTs," as they became known, with MT V being a full-blown scenario rather than a game).

They were (with threads listed rather than embedded in titles for badams52's editing pleasure ):

A Minitourney [MT I]

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52782

A minitourney - spoilers [MT II]

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53258

Minitourney III- Spoilers [MT III]

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53904

Babylon and On – Strategy and Spoilers [MT IV]

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54715

Alamo AAR and comment/spoiler thread [MT V - part 1]

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57270

Second Alamo Thread [MT V - part 2]

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57488

Also, I'd say AU as a formal concept beyond the minitourney concept itself was launched in Theseus' Best of the Best thread, before it was horribly and permanently () thread-jacked by none other than Soren Johnson himself.

The Best of the Best

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=54747

Have I missed anything, anybody?

Catt

EDIT: Very few screenshots in the early days, and most of the discussion on the "theme" of an MT (if any) occured in the tail end of the spoiler thread for the previous MT.

[Arrian]

Theseus' Best of the Best thread, before it was horribly and permanently () thread-jacked by none other than Soren Johnson himself.

Thanks for digging up the Minitourneys, Catt.

-Arrian

[Dominae]

Holy contribution, badams! If you keep posting stuff like this, I'll have to concede that maybe it is better that you do not have access to Civ3!




Dominae

[Konquest02]

Great stuff Badams!

This thread should be a reference and it would be a good idea if it were topped, so that the newest additions to the strategy board could find the old AU games easily.

I might want to try a couple of the old ones in the following weeks, so don't get frightned if you see an old thread coming back up!

--Kon--

[Catt]

Originally posted by Catt
. . . it's funny to go back and look at how some of the AU oldtimers have changed their games and learned over time . . .

I haven't gone back and read through the all the early threads, but I did read through much of Minitourney I (and remember the game distinctly). I hereby nominate myself as minitourney player with the stupidest bit of commentary on strategy ever to come out of the AU and its precursors, to wit (emphasis added):

Orignally posted by Catt in Minitourney I spoiler
By this time, I see my biggest game challenge as the lack of luxuries. With only 2 different luxuries on our continent, I knew I would have to do some cross-ocean invading (which I hate to do until combustion and 8-unit transports) or some serious trading later in the game. Thankfully Abe had built the Oracle for me – I really didn’t need the Pyramids or one of the other early wonders.

Nah . . . I don't want those free granaries for the entire game, just give be that extra content face for each temple for the next, oh, 20 turns ("By this time . . ." referred to sometime in the early ADs - Theology couldn't be far away).

Catt

[BigDork]

badams...

Great job! I look forward to going back and seeing how AU came about. Besides it's extra reading for my long boring nights at work.

Wow, there's not an Ubergeek and a BigDork. I wonder if that says anything about gamers? I dunno???

badams, again, thanks

BigD

[badams52]

Thanks for all the compliments.

@ Dominae

@ Vulture, wasn't sure about banana and the minitourneys since I started post banana will be included. Thanks!

@ Catt, thanks for all that research you just did for me, makes the update a whole lot easier...just cut and paste

Now I have a lot of reading to catch up on...

Edit:

For future reference, imbedded links or Catt-style links work fine, they get shorthanded so I have to right click and chose copy link either way.

When I get some more time, I'll search for the other save game downloads for the mini-tourneys. Helpful clues would be who posted in those threads but doesn't post anymore, or who created those savegame threads. The search mechanism does an alright job on it. Or if you know where they are...

Again any mistakes, just let me know.