Hello lurkers in general, but particulary you, General!

Im excited about this new adventure at CTH and i hope to get more than 90 turns hehehe.

In principle, I ll be only in this pitboss so i have the time to post more, I ll try to writte every single turn of the game with the detail that my english allows me.

Let's see if we finally snake pick or random pick to get some thoughts about, even though i think its not going to be a good decision until we see the starting that Commodore gives us.

Quote:Players
1. Miguelito 
2. Mjmd 
3. Naufragar
4. superdeath
5. Amicalola 
5. Elkad
6. Ruff-Hi
7. Vanrober
8. El Grillo
9. giraflorens
10. Barbarian
11. MrCairo
12. scooter

Naming code will be pandemic related (once I do some reading).
Story line and theme will be spreading covid to everyone.  Maybe a religious approach?
Does that mean my capital has to be called R0?

I was going to call this thread 'Ruff v Superdeath' but I didn't want to spoil the surprise in the thread subject.

Password is 'covid' - forgot I had mentioned a password - see below.

Edit: Changed the subject line.  Firstly, I don't think that COVID is a political topic.  COVID (or Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from human to human. There are many types of human coronaviruses, including some that commonly cause mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses.  COVID is a new disease that has not previously been seen in humans.

Other definitions ...

Has the mechanic been changed? The FAQ does not seem to speak to the issue. 
Do all road tiles count or only when you connect different cities?

Hi there, I am looking to play a CtH (v1.4.4 or any subsequent bugfix release) PBEM.  I much prefer PBEM to avoid any issues with simultaneous turns (especially war-related) and because it means you can always be sure of your builds when they complete at end of turn.  It is the way that the game was designed to be played.  There has not been a Civ4 PBEM in a long time and I hope there is interest among players who have not played such a game.

Most of the newer members will not recognize me, but I played a number of games many years ago before the more recent Civ games came out.  I don't quite remember but I believe I stopped playing since community interest dropped with the release of Civ 5 as well as the fact that the game seemed rather well explored.  With the lapse in time and the changes in the mod, I have interest in playing further games.  In addition, I'm happy to see the new influx of players to the forum and would love to play some games against people I have not played against before.  With that said, I politely ask that the players from the past whom I played against several times and do not wish to play against any further do not join this game; that includes backdooring into the game via dedlurking as well as smurfing or sockpuppetry.

Gaspar will be helping me out with the game although I expect to be playing most of the turns since I have a work from home job and he does not.

We are looking for a game on a balanced, medium to large map (large enough for players to expand and establish a decent empire before having to fight anyone) with a good mix of land and some water.  At first glance, the land shape of PB52 seems good, although I am not sure about the specific distances between the players since I've only read a few posts from pindicator's thread there.  Just to rattle off some of the game settings to be clear:

1) Normal Ancient Start
2) True AI Diplomacy, no usage of the in-game text box or spelling out words with resources
3) No Tech Trading
4) Probably Toroidal map although Cylindrical could be fine if there's a preference for that for whatever reason.  I have no preference for a mirrored or nonmirrored map as long as it is balanced.
5) No huts & no random events
6) Barbarians to be discussed/voted on
7) No inflation modification
8) Normal war weariness (as in not selecting the "No War Weariness" option)

I would also be open to using No Score if there is interest in that.  Probably a snake pick to determine leaders and civs?

PBEMs were traditionally 4-6 players which provides a balance between having a decent number of players and having a good turn pace.

Signups
1) NobleHelium & Gaspar
2) superdeath & GeneralKilCavalry
3) Bobchillingworth
4) Rusten & Hitru
5) Lewwyn
6) Serdoa

In case anyone hasn't seen I'm interested to know what you like or don't like about RtR to try and finalise a version the community approves. See this thread for more detail and an exciting poll:

https://www.realmsbeyond.net/forums/show...?tid=10063

There were a few updates in CoM II that make sense to include in CoM I.

1. Fire Elemental cost
As Chaos is generally better early in CoM I (Fire Storm is still an uncommon), I think it's best to buff it slightly less than in CoM II, so I have set the cost to 16, not 14.
2. Swapping Efreet and Doom Bat resistance.
Efreet is definitely the better creature because it attacks at range. Move 6 does allow the Doom Bat to hit enemies on turn one, but it's ultimately still a melee creature and takes damage while fighting units, and Efreet does not. Efreet is also more versatile due to the casting ability. This logic applies just the same in CoM I so I'm including this change.
3. Perfectionist AI unit priority reduction cannot reduce unit priority below default.
This basically means even Perfectionist AI's won't leave their cities poorly garrisoned in the early game, and the reduced chance to build units only applies to cities later on when they'd already have more than the default chance to build a unit. While this does remove the obvious weakness against attacks for Perfectionist wizards at the beginning of the game unfortunately, having cities with many high cost economy buildings guarded by only 3-4 swordsmen is not acceptable. As unit production is still lower beyond the default, and the default is only enough to fill garrisons up to 7-8 units and not to produce extras, the perfectionist AI will still have much less 'extra' armies to attack players or lairs then other wizards, and they'll be much slower to upgrade their garrisons to higher quality units.
4. We changed the starting power and starting skill formulas to be less rewarding on picking low amounts of books in many realms. I'm not sure if we want this included. In CoM I we don't have Monuments for extra casting skill in battle, but such 'low books in everything' strategies being way more powerful in the early game is definitely a thing.
5. Darkness cost
This was reduced to 20 and there isn't really any big difference that would warrant having it set to a different amount than CoM II. I do wonder if there was a reason I have chosen 25 initially though, maybe to force picking a higher amount of books to be able to cast the spell at the beginning of the game on skeletons or ghouls? That's a somewhat obsolete strategy now that 8 books allow early werewolves though, so letting lower Death book players access it makes sense.

+1
It might be a good idea to reduce the amount of "strong lairs" by 1, 2 or 3 per plane and add the same amount of "easy lairs". It's not newbie friendly to have that many hard lairs and ever since we overhauled the treasure generation system to generate a constant amount of "high quality" stuff, I don't think the "hard lairs" actually get filled with treasure really worth the effort often enough.
As a downside, sprites and other early treasure strategies might get a little bit stronger and more reliable, although now that gold and mana rewards are only half the budget, this is probably not a problem and might even be necessary to put those a few percentage closer to their former glory.
Tower budgets were also raised a lot as well as their amounts on the map so they effectively function as an extra 3-6 "hard lairs" compared to the more ancient versions of the mod. (although they can't contain extra pick treasure which is why most people want to clear out the high end places.)

Edit : finished looking over the monster budgets, might as well copy my post on Steam, here :

Quote:I've added a section about monster and treasure generation to the documentation (coming in the next update probably in a few weeks) which allowed me to review the various point budgets the game uses for them, and realized there is a fairly large oversight and people complaining the monsters are too hard are right.
The early versions of the mod went in the direction of "more treasure is more fun" and increased monster budgets quite drastically to allow more of those late game locations containing cool treasure and challenging monsters. However that was almost 5 years ago and since then the treasure generation mechanisms have been altered and refined a lot - the treasure output is more stable and doesn't rely on having lots of difficult locations to randomly roll high quality treasure, as well as the quantity of high quality treasure being toned down to somewhere between the original game and the earlier mod versions- more treasure is more fun but not beyond the point where hunting treasure makes all other strategies unnecessary.
This means the higher monster budgets became unnecessary leftovers from an old system the mod got rid of already, and can be safely reduced without losing any treasure. I wish I realized that earlier, but I was too used to seeing the difficult encounter zones and the changes were gradual in treasure generation so there was no obvious time to notice they are no longer in sync.
So I've reduced the amount of "hard" and increased the amount of "easy" locations and tweaked the ranges of budgets for each for the next update which should also result in overall much more places with medium difficulty monsters. I still need to fix some more bugs and play a test game then Slitherine needs to process the patch as well so it's probably coming in another 2-4 weeks the earliest.
That said this might result in the AI clearing out these zones earlier due to the weaker monsters, but as it's also much easier for players to do so, overall I think it should be an improvement.

Anyone game?


(If this runs, I'd like to spymaster a round).


Signups:

Red Team:

* Commodore
* Ichabod
* WK
* thrawn
* Azoth


Blue Team:

* Bob
* JR4
* Superdeath
* Sunrise
* Lew

You can download the mod here: Close to Home 1.4.5

Note that all the changes here are additions to what you already find in BtS unless otherwise stated as NEW

Changelog version 1.4

Tile Yields and Improvements

• Lumbermills: Available at Machinery, +1 commerce, +1 commerce with Electricity, Lumber mills now +1 commerce on the corner of rivers
  
• Forest preserves: +1 commerce, now +1 commerce on the corner of rivers like above
  

• Drafting: Rifles now cost 2 pop to draft. A city must now end a draft at size 6 instead of size 5 (So size 8 to draft a rifle, size 7 to draft a musket).
  
• AP Resolutions: Declare War (on a non-member), Force Peace (between two members), Religious victory, and Assign City are no longer eligible resolution actions.
  
• Fail-gold: You never get fail-gold if you also completed the wonder somewhere else (so no National Wonder fail-gold, or doubling up on a wonder to guarantee yourself a paycheck. The game still informs you that you received "0 gold" from your hammers).
  
• Toroidal Maintenance: Now return city maintenance as if the map were Cylindrical.
  
• War Weariness: War weariness declines faster after the war ended
  
• Religion spread: Spreading religions via missionaries to your own cities never fails
  
• Global warming: Removed
  
• Espionage: Active missions removed
  
• Espionage: 'No espionage' option fixed, see bugfix section for more details
  

• Agriculture: Cost 40 instead of 60
  
• Mysticism: Cost 60 instead of 50
  
• Fishing: Cost 50 instead of 40
  
• Metal Casting: Cost 300 instead of  450
  
• Alphabet: Cost 250 instead of 300
  
• Mysticism: Now adds +1 commerce to Palace
  
• Refrigeration: lose +1 sea movement
  

• Castle: Obsoletes at Corporation instead of Economics
  
• Customs House: Cost 120 instead of 180, also applies to all UBs based on Customs House (Feitoria)
  
• Colosseum: -25% war weariness
  

• Red Cross: Cost 200 instead of 600
  
• West Point: Cost 550 instead of 800, +5 XP instead of 4, Requires a level 5 unit instead of 6
  

• Resource modifiers: All wonders that had +100% production with a specific resource now only have +50% production with that resource.
  
• Great Lighthouse: +1 trade route in coastal cities instead of +2
  
• Statue of Zeus: Obsolete at Gunpowder
  

• Flanking: Flanking strength (used to calculate damage from flanking strikes) of all units reduced by 50%.
  
• Circumnavigation: +1 trade route in all coastal cities instead of +1 movement and can be achieved by everybody
  
• Coastal blockade: only blocks trade routes, blockaded cities can still work blocked tiles.
  
• Free Wins against Barbs: All units that can act as MP get Free Wins against barbs as long as a settler is present in the same tile. Does still reduce your Free Wins towards Barbs
  

• Scout: +0% vs animals (+200% gained with Hunting) instead of +100%, no tech required, that way everybody starts with a scout
  
• Swordsman: +25% city attack instead of +10%, also applies to UUs Jaguar Warrior and Gallic Swordsman
  
• War elephant: Strength 7 instead of 8, does not apply to Khmer UUs, requires Ivory or Iron, does apply to Khmer UUs
  
• Explorer: Gains Flanking
  
• Airship: Cannot see submarines
  
• ICBM: Cost 1500 instead of 500
  
• Tactical Nuke: Cost 750 instead of 250
  
• Nukes: Nukes never create fallout on tiles containing strategic resources.
  

• Work Boat: no longer require any tech (still require Fishing to work water tiles).
  
• Galleon: Requires Paper and Astronomy, Dutch UU still only requires Astronomy
  
• Privateer: Required techs are Gunpowder and Astronomy instead of Chemistry and Astronomy
  

• Tech: Discovering the corresponding tech for a corporation earns you an executive of that corporation. To settle the HQ you still need a great person.
  
• Sid's Sushi Co.: Food bonus per resource 0.25 instead of 0.5 and culture bonus per resource 1 instead of 2, maintenance costs halfed
  
• Mining Inc.: Hammer bonus per resource 0.75 instead of 1, maintenance costs 3/4 of original
  

• Serfdom: +1 commerce on Farms, +1 hammer on Watermills and Windmills
  
• Emancipation: lose unhappiness bonus, gain +10% Hammer in all cities
  
• State Property: Lose +10% Hammer in all cities
  
• Environmentalism: Available at Biology instead of Medicine, remove Corporation costs
  
• Nationhood: Low cost instead of No Upkeep
  

• Financial: +1 commerce on land tiles that have 3+ commerce, +1 commerce on water tiles that have 2+ commerce, +100% production of bank
  
• Expansive: Remove Worker bonus, add +100% production of Aqueduct
  
• Creative: Reduce Library bonus from 100% to 50%, Remove production bonus for Colosseum
  
• Charismatic: +100% production of Monument, +100% production of Colosseum
  
• Imperialistic: +100% production of Stable
  
• Aggressive: -25% unit maintenance cost and +100% production of Jails,
  
• Philosophical: +150% GPP instead of +100%
  
• Protective: +75% domestic trade route yield
  

• UBs no longer obsolete at any time. Affected civs are Celts, Egypt, Ethiopia, Native America, Spain
  
• America UB: NEW Immigration Station - Harbor replacement, +3 Great People Points, +1 happy from Hit Musical, Singles and Movies
  
• America UU: NEW Minuteman - Musket replacement, Starts with Guerrilla 1 and Woodsman 1.
  
• Arabia UU: Camel Archer starts with March
  
• Byzantium UB: add +2 artist slots
  
• Celts UB: +1 culture
  
• China UU: max 40% collateral damage instead of max 60%
  
• Germany UB: Assembly Plant available at Steam Power instead of Assembly line, +2 hammer
  
• Germany UU: NEW Riesengarde - replace Grenadier, available at Chemistry, starts with Pinch
  
• Inca UB: Makes city act as a source of fresh water instead of +2 culture
  
• India UU: movement 2 instead of 3, start with Mobility promotion, Cost 70 instead of 60
  
• Japan UB: NEW Tatara, Forge replacement - +2 XP to Melee, +10% hammer bonus with coals
  
• Maya UU: Starts with Woodsman 1
  
• Native America Tech: Hunting/Agriculture instead of Fishing/Agriculture
  
• Native America UB: Available at Archery instead of Mysticism, additional +1 XP for gunpowder units, never obsoletes
  
• Russia UB: Replace University instead of Laboratory, only +1 free scientist
  
• Spain UB: Never obsoletes, +2 XP for naval units
  
• Zulu UU: Remove Mobility promotion
  

• LieuYe (ORG/PRO)
  
• San Martin (CHM/CRE) and
  
• Nebuchadnezzar (IND/PHI)
  

Xenoblade Chronicles Part 1:  Now It's Shulk Time!


Just got Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition for the Switch, so let's try a variant for it!  It's an open world RPG with a combat system that gets hectic quickly. . .at least if you're using more than 1 character.  Many readers here probably know Shulk best for his Super Smash Bros. taunts, but now he will star in his own game.


After a tutorial with Dunban designed to show the spectacle of the Monado sword, Shulk struggled with a Level 1 Colony Krabble.  He had auto-attacks similar to the Attack Gambits of FF12, but also Arts with cooldowns like skills in Dragon Age, and he had to position himself more carefully than Vaan and friends.  At Level 1, he had his main move Turn Strike, Back Slash from Super Smash Bros., and Light Heal to restore some HP. 


Back Slash is supposed to work with other party members that can distract enemies.  But Solo Shulk won't see its full power as often, except perhaps as an opener.  It's still better than the basic attacks.


To make the "solo run" as accurate as possible, there are several options.  Definitive Edition comes with Expert Mode which allows players to keep specific characters at lower levels if they wish.  Guess what will happen to the other party members!  An order issued to the party with ZR makes them useless in combat, not that this will be an issue given how the leveling system works.  So far, the game seems VERY level-based, to the point where enemies crush lower level characters without remorse.


Shulk's hometown of Colony 9 sold no new weapons, probably because he'll get the Monado.  Empyreal tier armor was available, and within Shulk's price range because he only had to equip himself.  Shulk completed a few of Xenoblade's many generic fetch quests for the rewards, and defeated a couple of Ridge Antols in a watery cave. 


Of the paths of Humanity, Integrity, and Intuition, Shulk selected Humanity for its passive Healing Arts bonuses.  No consumables like Potions seem to exist, so HP restoration is based on skills instead.  Nothing could save Shulk from Level 5 Verdant Bluchal in one quest, even at Level 7.  The familiar "You Will Know Our Names" song from Super Smash Bros. should have tipped off Solo Shulk. . .


Perhaps our hero should continue with the story to gain more levels, then come back to these hunt sidequests.



Level 7


Junk Sword (HP Up II, Strength Up II)
Empyreal Helm
Middle Armour
Empyreal Gauntlets
Empyreal Girdle
Empyreal Greaves

I've spent the last 2 weeks in a deep-dive into Shadow Empire, and have been quite thoroughly enjoying myself.  Here is the Explorminate rundown on the game:  https://explorminate.co/what-to-expect-shadow-empire/

And here is mine:
A Hex and Counters wargame set on the post-apocalyptic ruins of a former colony of the old Galactic Republic (undermined by the remnant "Shadow" of the old Emperor).  

Basically, imagine you're playing a WW2 strategy game, but set in the Fallout universe, except you're on Alpha Centauri.  Or some other procedurally generated world.  With or without alien life.  With or without liquid water.  With or without an Atmosphere.  Maybe throw in some RimWorld and Crusader Kings too.

It's a 4X game of planetary conquest, where you have to manage your limited resources, grow your cities, wrangle with political factions in your government ministries (your highly competent General might have a low tolerance for your Democratic leanings...) and design and deploy new military formations as you research and rediscover technologies from the Ruins of the world around you.