My reports are a bit more mechanical than some, which I know some people do not like to read. My biggest problem is what to leave out.
I am fortunate to have a second computer, so while playing, I take notes on the second computer. In the early game, where each turn is pretty critical, I try to take notes on what I did every turn. As time goes on, I try to take notes on every turn that I think something important happens.
I use Word for this, but you can use anything if you have a second computer. If you dont, taking notes by hand, on paper, is probably preferable to tabbing out which is way to slow to write a few words. I do not write a lot, just the bare minimum. My notes look like this:
Of course, then when I trying to figure something out, I write it, so it may look more like this:
Or even like this:
In fact, if you look at the tables in my Epic 4 report, on the last chapter, all of those were done as I was playing. Actually writing out my ideas as I am trying to figure out what to do not only translates into the report later, but actually helps me clarify my thoughts to make the decision in the game. So whenever I am trying to make a big decision or figure something out, I try to take notes on it.
I try to take a screenshot every time I switch to other keyboard to take notes, and also take screenshots any time I see something interesting.
Every once in a while, when I think of it, I take a lot of screenshots of things like my city screens, demo screen, military. I try to keep in my head when these things might be interesting. Such as, when I get sneak attacked, or when I finish off a civ, or complete some critical wonder/building/expansion phase, etc.
I take a ton of screenshots. Often I take double screenshots, because there is no audible sound when you take a screenshot, sometimes I am not sure if I took it or not. So, considering that probably 1/4 to 1/3 of them are duplicates, I took like 200 screenshots for adventure 9, and about 500 for epic 4. It just becomes habit to keep taking screenshots as you play. Hard drives are huge and screenshots are tiny.
Then, usually a couple weeks later, I sit down to write the report. My notes are the basis. I try to pick some good breaking point for each chapter, such as when a war started/ended, etc. Then I copy my notes into an html editor from that period. (Yes, I use a raw html editor, I have not found a graphical editor that I like, they generate so much junk!). I then clean up the report textually, bold the correct parts, format it the way I like it, but no screenshots yet.
After I clean up the notes, I then go back through them by date, looking at my screenshots by date. Often I will have screenshots for years I took no notes, so I look at the screenshots and see if there is anything important in them. If there is, I add a new date with that info. Sometimes I will have notes with no screenshots for that date.
For each screenshot, I try to decide if I should just summarize what is in them in text, or include some or all of the screenshot in my report. People are visual, so I try to include a lot of screenshots in my report, but the main thing is to cut a lot of screenshots, or shrink them down a lot. You almost never need to include the full screenshot. Sometimes I cut it down to a very tiny picture. Sometimes I just completely throw away the screenshot.
Different readers want different levels of detail, so you really cannot please everyone. I tend to leave in more detail than a lot of people do, probably more than many like to see, but I figure I am more likely to get tips on improving my game if I leave in more detail.
The key is that you cannot have too much source material. It is much easier to cut than to try to remember stuff and create new info that you did not have in notes and screenshots. Of course this takes more time!
I think I spent about 18 hours on my epic 4 report and at least 10 on my adventure 9 report.
I have not decided if I am going to play adventure 10 or not, but if I do, I might experiment with a more freeform report without all the dates. It certainly would be a lot faster to write and a lot shorter.
Anyway, thats how I do it currently, not sure if that is any help or not.
-Iustus
I am fortunate to have a second computer, so while playing, I take notes on the second computer. In the early game, where each turn is pretty critical, I try to take notes on what I did every turn. As time goes on, I try to take notes on every turn that I think something important happens.
I use Word for this, but you can use anything if you have a second computer. If you dont, taking notes by hand, on paper, is probably preferable to tabbing out which is way to slow to write a few words. I do not write a lot, just the bare minimum. My notes look like this:
Quote:1950
worker finishes, start archer
meet cyrus
1925
pop hut, gold
Of course, then when I trying to figure something out, I write it, so it may look more like this:
Quote:Hmm. What to research next? If I go for Alphabet, then I can try to trade it around, but Bronze working would help me right now.
Or even like this:
Quote:Well, lets see. I have 105 mech inf, 18 artillery, and 65 modern armor, while Qin has 165 mech inf, 108 artillery, and 80 modern armor.
In fact, if you look at the tables in my Epic 4 report, on the last chapter, all of those were done as I was playing. Actually writing out my ideas as I am trying to figure out what to do not only translates into the report later, but actually helps me clarify my thoughts to make the decision in the game. So whenever I am trying to make a big decision or figure something out, I try to take notes on it.
I try to take a screenshot every time I switch to other keyboard to take notes, and also take screenshots any time I see something interesting.
Every once in a while, when I think of it, I take a lot of screenshots of things like my city screens, demo screen, military. I try to keep in my head when these things might be interesting. Such as, when I get sneak attacked, or when I finish off a civ, or complete some critical wonder/building/expansion phase, etc.
I take a ton of screenshots. Often I take double screenshots, because there is no audible sound when you take a screenshot, sometimes I am not sure if I took it or not. So, considering that probably 1/4 to 1/3 of them are duplicates, I took like 200 screenshots for adventure 9, and about 500 for epic 4. It just becomes habit to keep taking screenshots as you play. Hard drives are huge and screenshots are tiny.
Then, usually a couple weeks later, I sit down to write the report. My notes are the basis. I try to pick some good breaking point for each chapter, such as when a war started/ended, etc. Then I copy my notes into an html editor from that period. (Yes, I use a raw html editor, I have not found a graphical editor that I like, they generate so much junk!). I then clean up the report textually, bold the correct parts, format it the way I like it, but no screenshots yet.
After I clean up the notes, I then go back through them by date, looking at my screenshots by date. Often I will have screenshots for years I took no notes, so I look at the screenshots and see if there is anything important in them. If there is, I add a new date with that info. Sometimes I will have notes with no screenshots for that date.
For each screenshot, I try to decide if I should just summarize what is in them in text, or include some or all of the screenshot in my report. People are visual, so I try to include a lot of screenshots in my report, but the main thing is to cut a lot of screenshots, or shrink them down a lot. You almost never need to include the full screenshot. Sometimes I cut it down to a very tiny picture. Sometimes I just completely throw away the screenshot.
Different readers want different levels of detail, so you really cannot please everyone. I tend to leave in more detail than a lot of people do, probably more than many like to see, but I figure I am more likely to get tips on improving my game if I leave in more detail.
The key is that you cannot have too much source material. It is much easier to cut than to try to remember stuff and create new info that you did not have in notes and screenshots. Of course this takes more time!
I think I spent about 18 hours on my epic 4 report and at least 10 on my adventure 9 report.
I have not decided if I am going to play adventure 10 or not, but if I do, I might experiment with a more freeform report without all the dates. It certainly would be a lot faster to write and a lot shorter.
Anyway, thats how I do it currently, not sure if that is any help or not.
-Iustus
(Unless they are so horrible nobody even reads them. 
) 
