It's not the best I could have gotten but I'll take it. More graveyards incoming.
My super-scout needs to kill a lion or wolf or something so that he can take subdue animal. I'd love to get an early spider or griffon to terrorize people with.
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
These people, with their not popping graveyards tendencies, are so strange. It's the best risk one can take, lair-wise, and it's not like the graveyard is in your capital's BFC.
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.
(February 17th, 2013, 16:16)Yell0w Wrote: I'm not sure but I think there are some neutral only events to counteract the evil/good alignment events.
I'm not aware of any.
There are definitely some benefits to being neutral, but most are simply benefits of being "not good" or "not evil."
Slavery is not available for good
Altar is not available for evil
Undercouncil is not available for good
Overcouncil is not available for evil
etc
(February 17th, 2013, 16:33)Merovech Wrote:
(February 17th, 2013, 16:07)Ellimist Wrote: Creating druids does require a neutral alignment, but they won't abandon a civ if the alignment changes.
Cool. Never knew that (I don't build druids all too often). This is actually pretty useful to know.
Druids are very useful units. They can take Nature 3 for vitalizing, and some of the high priest spells are pretty good.
In single player games, I often take advantage of the Unyielding Order spell that Confessor-Druids can cast(it removes all unhappiness and maintenance costs from the city.) Of course, in this game I won't do that because unhappiness will create hammers from manors.
(February 18th, 2013, 01:31)Merovech Wrote: These people, with their not popping graveyards tendencies, are so strange. It's the best risk one can take, lair-wise, and it's not like the graveyard is in your capital's BFC.
I know!
Especially on a map with low commerce because the odds of getting a tech are so good.
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
I'm having second thoughts about where to place my second city, and thinking about how long it will even take me to get to city #2 and #3. After a few turns of researching calendar, I determined that mining is more important to get next. The only thing that calendar would do for my capital is increase the food output a bit, but by the time I get it my capital will be at the happiness cap anyway and it will simply become foodhammers. Mining will be useful without calendar, but calendar will be nearly pointless without mining to chop the silk forest. I'm not 100% sure that I'll get calendar next after mining, but at the very least I'll be able to build bloodpets fast enough to take more risks with these dungeons.
Here's the current map near my capital, including the location of horses:
Here's my lion-killing scout. He got 6 exp out of battle with about 60% odds. He'll capture the next animals that he kills.
And here's the graveyard I'll be exploring next turn with my super-scout
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
Measuring the graph indicates that his power rating declined by three, indicating that he lost a warrior. His power has remained steady since the beginning of the game, which means that right now he only has 2 scouts and a supplies unit...
Yeah. Hmmm.
I have no idea why he sent his warrior out exploring, but I very much doubt the scouts are staying at home. And I have a mobility/sentry scout not that far from his capital.
Do I want to try for another elimination before turn 20? I'm not sure. One of my other opponents is down to 4k power, so we may have another elimination by a bad lair pop soon.
So... first things first. Gotta explore that graveyard.
Oops. Time to retreat.
Ha
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
First, I cast my worldspell when all of my rivals were at size 3 except Mardoc at size 1. I considered waiting but I wanted to jump to size 5 and start the settler. Mardoc apparently was the only one who played around the WS, as he stopped himself from growing and now is the first to hit size 3 afterward. I'm pretty sure that makes him the rival best in food, and his capital must not be as forested as mine is if he's working multiple farms.
As interesting as the food info is, the real cause for concern is the rival best for GNP. There's a possibility it's an artist, but it's unlikely and all indications so far are that it's an academy. I hope I'm wrong, but I think someone got lucky with an early lair pop.
Over to the west, I figured it was "heads: I win" if I get a good lair result, or "tails: gtAngel loses" if it was bad. Unfortunately, I managed to get one of the negative results that only affects me. If the scout is still alive after 15 or so more turns, my new griffon might be able to save him, but that's a long shot.
To the east, I'm planning to send my subdue animal scout home in a few turns. First he'll heal up and pop the lizardman ruins, and then go looking for the spider from the dungeon. A second bloodpet started opening the dungeon again this turn, so in a few turns I'll see how that turns out.
I still haven't completely decided where my settler will go. For the moment I'm keeping my options open. I may have to divert and build another bloodpet anyway, depending on what the lair gives me.
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
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.
I've been busy with work and other stuff lately, and the early turns are always kinda slow.
As of right now, I'm probably in the second or third best position, primarily due to some less than ideal decisions on my part. (More on that later.)
Mardoc is (currently) the runaway, pulling ahead of the pack thanks to solid micro and a lair academy.
Selrahc got choked hard, probably barbs/mistforms, and then Mardoc finished him off. I really hope HK and Mardoc don't benefit too much from all that open land.
HidingKneel seems to be doing well, except his capital is still only size 4. gtAngel is falling behind. I think both of them are having a lot of trouble with barbarians.
In the past few turns, barbarians have started appearing in force. gtAngel in particular has been mobbed by lizardmen, which I believe I've been able to avert for myself by destroying the only ruin I found. I had to explore the ruin three times, but at least it didn't require 3 turns to explore it. The first time, it spawned a single skeleton, which my scout killed. After healing up and exploring it again, that scout found a portal which sent him over toward the Sidar.
The third time was more worthwhile:
Great news! Right? Well... maybe. Another griffon immediately knocked my griffon down to 25% health after that, and it will take at least 7 turns to reach my borders. There isn't a safe route, as one is covered in bears and the other has at least 1 spider. I managed to free my super scout from his cage and return him to my capital, but he nearly died trying to approach that route from the other direction, so I may not be able to see where the spider is if it moved. I have a good chance to lose both units, as there simply isn't a safe choice for them, but at least I was able to promo-heal the griffon up to 63% health.
My second city is somewhat isolated from my capital, which could complicate defense. It's currently defended by a gorilla and a warrior, with barb warriors approaching from two directions and 2 lions between the two cities. The capital has a spider to the southeast and southwest, and they're promoted too, as I've lost a few warriors to them.
Priorities right now, in no particular order:
Get Othmar home
Finish the road between my two cities. I need 2 more pieces, but they're currently covered by lions.
Finish Education and Code of Laws.
Get barbs under control and settle city #3.
Make contact with Mardoc
Try to locate and capture a tiger and wolf, because I already have a gorilla and menagerie would be very helpful.
Send the griffon exploring across the ocean. Get circumnavigation before others have a chance to.
Questions, comments?
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
So are you rushing the Great Sage home right away, or are you going to park the Griffon and Sage onto a forested hill in order to heal back to full first?
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.
![[Image: T13sidarland2.JPG]](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/84822082/FFH25/T13sidarland2.JPG)
![[Image: T48griffon1.JPG]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/84822082/FFH25/T48griffon1.JPG)
![[Image: T48griffon2.JPG]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/84822082/FFH25/T48griffon2.JPG)
![[Image: T48griffon3.JPG]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/84822082/FFH25/T48griffon3.JPG)