(April 14th, 2013, 15:19)Mardoc Wrote: The CI can be approximated by the Command Posts.
I'm not convinced of this. Command posts don't only require hammers: they also require a hefty tech investment and aren't available until well into the game. Aggressive is useful right away, especially if barbarians are a problem (and no matter how well we play to theme, hammers will be in short supply early on). Also, a free promotion is worth more than 2xp as soon as we figure in any other sources of xp (apprenticeship, conquest, FotT, fighting).
I don't see either set of benefits as subsuming the other. Which is as it should be: the decision should come down to the map, the playstyle we have in mind (where I think we're on the same page), and other vitally important factors:
(April 14th, 2013, 16:29)Commodore Wrote: Dwarf leaders should have beards. That is all.
(April 14th, 2013, 05:26)DaveV Wrote: You can edit the worldbuilder file to change leader/civ, using any text editor (e.g. Notepad).
Ah, very good. Sounds like even a tech-illiterate like myself should be able to handle that.
If I can, you probably can too. There are some very interesting things one can find fiddling around with the test file, actually. I'll leave you to discover them on your own.
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
Your start in spoilers below. Small things may change, like the "way" your start is facing. Nothing major in the BFC, though (maybe just a few hills/forests more or less). Any doubts, ask away.
Worker first, teching agriculture (unless we are a civ which starts with agriculture, which we probably won't be) and then calendar. Connecting corn is a major priority.
Standard toroid, emperor difficulty. Sounds like a pretty decent setup to give the Khazad a go. Crafting isn't the ideal worker tech here, but it's pretty good thanks to the gems: better than chants, surely.
So, I played out a few openings:
Arturus Thorne with Merchant Specialist:
Tech path: agriculture -> calendar -> mining. Gets mining and 1st settler out on turn 28, with a bunch of warriors. Vaults are abundant by then, so he can found a second city w/o a happiness penalty. Capital at size 6, can support a bit more once the gems are worked.
Arturus Thorne with Engineer Specialist:
Gets settler out on T26 with more warriors than we can shake a stick at. I forgot to record exactly how far along he was in tech. Capital at size 5 with low vaults. Founding second city makes the vaults empty, but could sustain size 5 by connecting the gems at the same time.
Arturus Thorne with Sage Specialist:
Settler out on turn 28, with low vaults again. Tech situation is much more satisfactory: we get mining on T20 and exploration by T24.
Averax w/Engineer Specialist:
Tech path: Agriculture -> Calendar -> Mysticism?
Get the first settler out on T26. Mysticism comes in T32. Not sure what to do with all our hammers while the capital grows to the happy cap; we can build a lot of warriors, but won't really need them thanks to our barbarian trait.
Settler and Mysticism arrive on T28. At that point we've built 3 warriors (for a total of 4).
Thoughts: Averax's science penalty is painful. But trying to play the Khazad thematically will be even more so.
Let's keep brainstorming. Which civs start with agriculture, again?
I say: Arturus Thorne, shade settles as a sage. It's not a big map, so I think we should ignore the vaults early on, expand as fast as we can, and fill them later once we can build markets, temples of Kilmorph, etcetera.
Ind on top of the +25% workrate for dwarven workers means we should be able to get off to a fast start.
Looks like we can grow to size 5 and get a settler out the door on T26.
Averax as second pick. For third pick, I still like Bannor. Capria or Sabathiel?
(April 21st, 2013, 22:02)HidingKneel Wrote: Played around a little more.
I say: Arturus Thorne, shade settles as a sage. It's not a big map, so I think we should ignore the vaults early on, expand as fast as we can, and fill them later once we can build markets, temples of Kilmorph, etcetera.
Ind on top of the +25% workrate for dwarven workers means we should be able to get off to a fast start.
Looks like we can grow to size 5 and get a settler out the door on T26.
Averax as second pick. For third pick, I still like Bannor. Capria or Sabathiel?
Agreed that no matter what we do, a Sage is the best shade. We can run the slider low for cash, but we can't boost beyond 100% for faster tecching.
I like Capria better for the Bannor, mostly because Spiritual lets us Crusade easier, and get into/out of Foreign Trade easier, too. She seems more thematic. I think Sabathiel is perhaps slightly stronger, Cha/Org is slightly better than Spi/Fin, but Spi is where all the synergy with Crusade lives. And if we're not Crusading, then why take Bannor?
![[Image: Civ4ScreenShot0214.JPG]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21249278/Screens/Civ4ScreenShot0214.JPG)
