[Spoilers] Boldly Going...on a Bender and Pissing Off Xenu

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Does anyone know how to set up a sandbox with specific X/Y map dimensions?

[spacetyrantxenu]

Hey Picard, we're going for a space victory right?

[spacetyrantxenu]

Does anyone know how to set up a sandbox with specific X/Y map dimensions?

Now that I think about it, once we're in game we should be able to see on the game settings screen what map script was used to generate the map. Or is that only in single player?

[Catwalk]

Only in single player.

[Catwalk]

Another argument for not using tight city spacing:
Your cities are dirt expensive. It's difficult to make them profitable, so you want to grow them rather than cram in as many as possible. I would go for minimal overlap here, especially since we have no cultural problems.

I shook my head at Sian's pick of Charismatic at first, but it might be decent enough. Vertical growth will be important, and he will get a head start on growing big cities. Monuments are useful with these settings, so that's hardly a waste.

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

So, Inca.

After all the hand-wringing about starting techs (both China and France do better here, IMO) and culture wars (IND/CHM France will build the Henge Or Die Trying...) and so on, I went with Inca, the only team not to get the souped up home defender. Why? Well, I thought it was the best pick. :D Lurkers, now that I've chosen, feel free to inform me why I'm such a noob, using the noob crutch civ, etc.

I don't specifically plan on rushing my neighbors. I would, however, be ok using my UU's strength for a choke, if that opportunity should present itself. My (hopefully) main use for the quechua will be as a cheap garrison unit. I know I'm going to have to build up an army in this game, but I hope to be able to rely on the quecha for a minute to get myself up and running, exploring without taking any deaths by barbs (that always pisses me off). Who knows, maybe I'll be lucky enough to get a Woody III Q for a medic. Not counting on that though, but would be nice.

Starting techs: Mysticism, Agriculture. I had to have Agriculture. Two reasons: First, corn. Second, this puts me on the road toward pottery. Ag + Wheel would have done this better, but whatever, I don't feel like playing Egypt and France was gone. Other options exist, certainly Ottomans for extra happiness (and if we all go vertical with few resources due toless tiles, the aqueduct may be needed, but I hate spending hammers there, kinda didn't consider them that much but now that I think about it...anyway, too late now, moving on....), but Catwalk suggested the religious path for culture and happy faces, and I like that idea, so I like Mysticism. And, oh yeah, not for nothing, the Terrace is one of the best UBs in the game and the culture will help here. Have to build granaries, no matter what, so they'll be good to have. Will it prove better than the madrassa's culture/wicked bulbing options? Not sure, that's why we play the game. Why do we play? We play to win the game!

Let's play.

[scooter]

Ok you wanted lurker opinions/questions, so I'll give some.

1) Why didn't you consider Byz? Don't worry, I'm going to be asking everyone this one. We've run this cramped setup 4 times now and still nobody has taken Byz and it's hurting my soul. It seems like you guys considered Arabia more than Byz and I'm not sure what to say about that.

2) Why CRE + Inca? Or why Inca at all? I see that you explained it a little, but do you think the tiny bit of culture is worth having a blank UU?

3) I predict 2/3rds of you will like the leader name.

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

1. Why no Byzantines? I just finished lurking PBEM 38 where Mistabod basically wrecked their game with Phracts. They did the build up to war very well, then ruined their game with terrible tactics. I'm thinking of this as a Phract hangover, though it has absolutely zero rational effect on this game. And, I honestly want every advantage with culture that I can get, and I get the benefit from the Terrace much sooner.
   
2. Why I think quecha more valuable than Phracts? I don't. But, looking at that capital I think they'll save a good number of hammers for a HR/Bureau cap. I can build quechas even after BW, which I intend to do for garrison. This should in all fairness be a secondary consideration after weighing the usefulness of the unit itself. Phracts >>> Qs, but I'm hoping I can get enough use out of them and tech fast with my economic traits + HR capital that I can get to military techs first. Probably not fast enough, but we'll see. Thinking in this way, though, really I should have just done this with archers for safety. We'll be fighting plenty on this tiny map.
   
3. Why good math is so hard to find: in a four player game, making 2/3 of the players happy leaves someone feeling left out. Guess this one makes me a jerk.
   

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Again, can anyone tell me how to set up a sandbox with the proper dimensions, tech costs, etc? I'm assuming just roll a script that happens to have the proper dimensions, then hand edit terrain from there. Is there a list someplace that has all of these? I've never in my life bothered to sandbox but I'd like to learn.

Thanks!

[scooter]

Why I think quecha more valuable than Phracts? I don't. But, looking at that capital I think they'll save a good number of hammers for a HR/Bureau cap. I can build quechas even after BW, which I intend to do for garrison. This should in all fairness be a secondary consideration after weighing the usefulness of the unit itself. Phracts >>> Qs, but I'm hoping I can get enough use out of them and tech fast with my economic traits + HR capital that I can get to military techs first.

Well everything you wrote is true for warriors too, there's no question Q's are very nearly a null UU and Phracts are the best UU in the game, especially on a map like this. My question was more aimed at if you thought the Terraces was worth having no real UU.

Why good math is so hard to find: in a four player game, making 2/3 of the players happy leaves someone feeling left out. Guess this one makes me a jerk.

I should have been more clear. Out of the 3 of you on this team (you, Catwalk, Xenu), I'm predicting 2/3rds of you will like the name I've assigned to you. Use your imagination.