difficulty level

[DeepO]

What are your ideas on difficulty level for this game?

Mine are clear: the higher, the better. Without serious health/happiness limits, everyone can play this game... at deity level, it will play a lot less blend. This should be more similar to MP than to SP: all teams face the same challenges. If we get an disadvantage, the others get it too. The question becomes who can deal best with the harsh situation.

Any noble lovers?

DeepO

[Krill]

I would go with, say, Emperor. Make some consessions, please

[DeepO]

Well, I'm more then willing to go emperor (health/happy don't deminish much after that anyway), but if we start by asking deity, we might end up with emperor as others want noble/prince... just a question to create some room to negotiate in

DeepO

[Krill]

Oh, I would suggest that, but I doubt it will be negoitable. 7 teams will shout for Monarch at the highest, more likely Noble or Prince. I seriously doubt anyone would even listen to us.

OK, except the mercs if we offered to pay them

[Harovan]

Don't put our demands too high. Voting deity would put us again in the elitist corner. Monarch or emperor suffice.

[DeepO]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
Don't put our demands too high. Voting deity would put us again in the elitist corner. Monarch or emperor suffice.

Also very true. I don't think we'll be bothered in the same respect, though, after all Fried is the one to look for in this game. His presence alone makes Sarantium the team-to-beat.

DeepO

[Arrian]

Let's hang back and see what others say. And let's definitely not come right out with a suggestion that we play Deity. I imagine most people are thinking Noble or Prince. Let someone else be the first to suggest a higher diff... and if no one does, let's lay low on it.

Besides, don't you think that difficulty level would impact our civ choice somewhat? Isn't EXP more valueable the higher the difficulty goes? That should factor into our leader choice discussions if we're going to push for a higher diff.

-Arrian

[DeepO]

Every trait becomes more important at higher levels, that's the beauty of it. EXP is most obvious, but AGR as well... fewer units makes an extra combat I more important. Religion becomes a lot more important, as well as trade, and every advantage you can get you should aim for to the max (IND should really build forges to offset the advantage from e.g. EXP)

Arrian, I wanted to get some suggestion in this thread going on what difficulty level we feel comfortable on playing at, which for me personally is as high as possible. That's not necessarily the team's opinion though... I'll accept noble/prince with a smile if that's what our team likes.

Once that choice is done, we should focus on how to get what we want by correctly making it known. But first things first: what do you feel is an ideal level?

DeepO

[Arrian]

I play SP on Prince, and I'm slumming it a bit (I should step up to Monarch). But I'm still getting a feel for the game.

As a team, we're gonna be a lot better than me alone. But there are other very skilled teams in this game, so I'm not sure that higher difficulty = advantage GS.

Monarch sounds good to me.

-Arrian

[Dominae]

On Emperor and above, non-Organized civs suffer a Civic maintenance hit (-2gpt) immediately on turn 1 - seriously affecting early research unless you find Gold in a Tribal Village.

Or is this true across difficulty levels?

My preference is toward the higher end of the spectrum. Monarch/Emperor would do fine.

[Arrian]

Playing on Prince, non-ORG, you do not start with civic cost - not until you found city #2. Dunno about Monarch.

-Arrian

[Hot Mustard]

I started SP out on Monarch and got my ass handed to me by mid-game a couple of times before dropping back to Prince to learn the game better. In my current game I managed to found every religion, so I'm hoping I'm ready to notch it up next game.

I agree that with the collective we should aim much higher, but I also agree that we don't want to seem elitist - I believe that perception hindered more than helped in the PtWDG (from a former competitor's perspective).

[Ennet]

took some while to get my hands on cIV, only half way throught my first game on noble so far. I played most my civ3 games at emperor so I guess that or monarch will do.

[asleepathewheel]

I would vote monarch

[Krill]

http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=147340

Closest thread we have to a "Settings" thread.

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http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=147341

Again with the gerrymandering mods.