Overall Style/Preference of Play

[bigvic]

Just wondering what others like in a game. Very general question, I know, but curious about such various aspects as mods, choice of map, number of restarts, peaceful/warlike choices, level of difficulty, etc.

Recently got into playing large world, 16 civs, raging hordes, monarch, map & civ totally random, and sticking it out until all hope is totally lost or victory. Having good results w/ the American game I'm playing, struggling valiently in the French one.

[Harovan]

Ok, here's my input:

My map preferences vary. I play huge maps now (finally my new hardware allows it ). Sometimes 16 civs/continents, sometimes 9 civs/pangaea, but this preference is often broken by the map generator. My current huge/9 game had the preference pangaea too, but has ocean separated continents. Playing on huge maps is best with expansionist civs, so I concentrate on those. My overall favorite are the Iroquois, but I am gaining experience with other expansionist civs as well.

My difficulty level varies between Monarch and Emperor. I strive to be the biggest fish early, so I concentrate on settler building, but keep a decent army. Since on huge maps (especially with only 9 civs) the civs are far each from other, I avoid early conquests. My ancient wars are rather destructive, I weaken the AI, what helps to achieve the "biggest fish" goal. I raze cities (most are size 1 without culture anyway), but I keep the cities I gain in peace negotiations.

My game style is warmonger-builder, I also call it "snake style". That means, I build up till no space is left. Then I make space for further growth by attacking my neighbors. After this, I build up the gained space again, but at the same time attack the next victim. Since I mostly have more than one neighbor, I more or less am constantly at war.

I don't use mods far from Sn00py's excellent graphics. I also refuse to change settings in the editor.

[I-iZ-1337]

I general33 playz small or tiny mapz on deit33, altho I've played bigga, I wouldn't b33 1337 if I couldn't. I like pang33a on smaller mapz, on bigga mapz I tend to goz continentalz. If j00 want yo s33 my stratz check out my stratz thred.

[bigvic]

Originally posted by I-iZ-1337
I general33 playz small or tiny mapz on deit33, altho I've played bigga, I wouldn't b33 1337 if I couldn't. I like pang33a on smaller mapz, on bigga mapz I tend to goz continentalz. If j00 want yo s33 my stratz check out my stratz thred.

How many civs? Any mods? guess I should check out your strat thread closer. Sorry if I said anything disparaging on your thread. Didn't really mean it that way, though it was a rough week. Anyway, I'll have to go back & see. Modding is the best part of this game.

[I-iZ-1337]

I playz the gamez without modz, coz I d00 it az practize for MP (when mozt ppl will j00ze the game az out the box with no modz). I playz with the standard number of civz on the mapz, unless I am tezting new stratz when I uze tiny mapz with 1 other civ.

[bigvic]

Ok, reread your strat thing, missed that one civ strat test thing. Doesn't that skew things? I mean, I see what yer doing, but...I just hate missing out on the grand politics of the thing. 16 civs on a large map gives a chance to develop. Do you ever play that type game? Don't know if I'll go MP, like modded game too much. Maybe I'll get my a$$ in gear, list all the specs for my mod and post it here. Man! I spend way too much time on this stuff.

[Bella Hella]

i play standard maps and am doing regent level. barbarians on roaming, continents with medium water, wet (so i can at least have one river somewhere!), temperate, medium rockiness. i don't remember how many civs; i think 5 others...? two less than the max. i play mostly builder style and try to research really fast. i try to take over the AI "border towns" (as in, on the borders of MY continent) through high culture instead of military action. i'll usually only get into a war if somebody's REALLY pissing me off or if i need more land (unless i decide to go monger some war just to be evil). i get more satisfaction out of making my culture, money and tech the highest, although i do enjoy a good war. if somebody decides to declare war on ME, i usually try to have enough money to fund a big huge army and kill kill kill!!! when not at war, i make sure i have a large enough defensive force (uh, and workers ) that my military advisor tells me we have a strong military compared to "these guys." like i said in the "reload" thread, i usually only reload if the AI demands something. i always have to tell him to shove it just for the fun of it before sighing, restarting and then giving in to his bribe. stupid AI. i have no qualms about restarting a game if, after exploring for a few turns, i realize that 2 other civs are right up my @$$. i've never used the editor to change anything. i try to expand quickly, but keep making the mistake of not building towns on the borders of my continent! it makes me SO MAD when i see the settler of another civ suddenly building a retarded little town on the borders of my continent, in the jungle or tundra! i HAVE to just bite the bullet and do it myself next time.

[bigvic]

Kool avatar, Bella...

[DrSpike]

_throws confetti_

[Bella Hella]

haha, thanks, you too!

[grapedog]

playstyle...

Well, mainly continents on large. Middle option for Age, Temperature and Wetness. I've never been a sea-going man so I never play on the Arc maps and I find Pangea a little claustrophobic. How ever many civ's is the standard, i never change that. I try to mainly build up to 15 or so cities with at least 3 def units each and maintain peace for a bit. Try to hit for Great Library and Leonardo's Workshop at least. If I can stay ahead Scientifically, I usually use Gunpowder as my attacking point trying to take our 1 or 2 civ's and pruning another. For some reason the one Civ I usually buddy up with always becomes the red-headed step child that just gets beat up so I try to keep them technologically advanced and protect their borders a good bit. After I successfully take out one or two civ's I rebuild defenses at all new cities and strike out anew with technology as it comes.

[Cookie Monster]

My weakness is that I tend to stick to two map types. Either I play on medium continents/large map or small archipeligos/large map. I max out the opposing civs and play on regent. Never enable diplo victory. Other than that everything else is set to the default.

[AIL]

Mods: I play my own mod as this:
- no Factories
- no Power Plants
- no MFG Plant
- Hoover Dam = Hospitals in all Continental Cities
- Synthetic Fibers require Recycling

Level:
Regent

Map:
Standart with everything on Random.

Number of Restarts:
I ALWAYS play the game, even if there's nothing but Tundra around me!

Style:
I try to play the way that seems to be most efficient... In my actual Game I had an early war vs 2 Nations... I did not loose much but I was thrown back in Developement and had to keep peace until some turns ago... Now I am assisting the French and the Russians to kill the Germans. I don't think I can win the Game since the French have the largest and best developed Nation.

[bigvic]

Originally posted by AIL
Mods: I play my own mod as this:
- no Factories
- no Power Plants
- no MFG Plant
- Hoover Dam = Hospitals in all Continental Cities
- Synthetic Fibers require Recycling

Is this b/c the AI never builds these?

[AIL]

Not never but very seldom...