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Author Topic:   Single City Challange

Al Gore Rythm posted 05-13-99 12:05 AM ET
Dunno if there's a thread about this already, but I think this is pretty interesting, so why not?
For those of you unfamilier, the Single City Challange (SCC) is as the name implies. You have one city, and that's it.
So I thought I'd start this thread so we can all trade SCC tactics and tips as well as stories.
So here are mine to start things rolling...
Be sure to retool most everything in your game to fit using one city. Keep in mind that efficency is worthless, as are SPs like the Command Nexus and Virtual World. While, on the other hand, SPs like the Supercollider, Theory of Everything and Universal Translator are extremly useful.
I recently started an SCC game as the PKs on Transcend. Right now I'm on a long, thin island with my next-door neighbor being (lucky me) The Hive. I built the Human Genome (had nothin' better to do) and currently I am trying to sink the long, thin landbridge between me and the Hive.
Wolf Dreamer posted 05-13-99 02:27 AM ET
Have you thought out this challenge?
With only one city, you won't be able to attack distant bases very effectively, unless it is a really small map and everyone decides to build really close to you. Air units would run out of fuel, and I can't imagine getting a significate number of land units all the way across a continent to stage a massive attack.
When you take over an enemy's base, do you destroy it?
Having one city support all of your units, while your opponents are under no such restrictions, seems like a hopeless cause.
I am curious as to how this works out. Please post updates on your progress, provided the Hive doesn't eliminate you in the near future.
StargazerBC posted 05-13-99 07:11 AM ET
I played Single City games a while back on a huge map of planet--thinker level (wasn't able to handle anything higher). For a long while I was behind in everything--research, units, votes, pop, money etc. Of course, most of the computer players were Pact'ed with me just for the fact that I wasn't a huge threat. Well, except for the population limit (until Hab Dome), I was able to compensate the energy/minerals with supply crawlers in sea and land. Air bases replace growing cities as refueling stations for my patrols (later on Sub-carriers). The slow research was compensated by more use of spies and tech exchanges (instead of Science leap frogging I was merely skipping along). I was able to support 6 units later on-12 at war time and a lot more when I got Clean Reactor. Since acrocities were off--every city I took over I destroyed. Hehe. Kind of like a Hack and Burn Campaign (attack, take over, sell, destroy city, repeat.) Most of my votes for Planetary Governor came from AI Pacts. As for SP's--I built the Weather Controller, Merchant Exchange, Hunter-Seeker, All the Research SP's including Planetary Datalinks. I missed out on most SP's below Tech 5 (got most of the latter ones--usually b/c of weak endgame AI)
Some games I won, some I didn't--depending on how fast I avoid PBs and how fast I get the Hab Dome.
It's also how I developed my 3 unit verses Battlion strategy. 2 formers, 1 plane for Zone of control. One to lower land to sea level while one increases it when units come. It's a good way to take out invasion forces from AI. Funny thing is, they'll always cross land bridges when there is one ::grins:: again and again and again. . .
Also-- I was playing around with land formations (lower/raise) to help my city--until the City is atop a hill ::grins:: Pun intended.
Al Gore Rythm posted 05-13-99 09:06 AM ET
Wolf:
I actually didn't create this challange, it's from Apolyton, just thought I'd bring it over.
First of all, as you observed, waging war is nigh impossible. The basic idea in the SCC is to try and be as neutral an observer as possible and just gather up energy and power to either
A) PB the whole dang world and laugh.
B) Transcend.
C) Snag an Economic Victory.
If you ever take an enemy base, you destroy it.
Also, you seem to forget about those things called Airbases and Carriers. I can still send my planes out around the globe, I just need to put more effor into it.
As for my progress, well, so far the Hive has left me alone despite declaring Vendetta upon our first meeting. I'm hoping they're tangling with some other problem, and that they keep on doing so until I can sink the landbridge. Other then that, I'm just a tiny little speck of nothing compared to now lumbering AI empires. But they'll see...
googlie posted 05-13-99 05:54 PM ET
visit the Apolyton site. there's an active group of us playing Single City Games, and last night one, "Transcend" won as Morgan.
We set a high bar.
Three levels (lowest level lets you use the second pod to form a second base, more advanced levels forces you to disband that second pod)
Librarian or above
Cannot build an offensive unit (but can keep and use gifted, subverted or pod-found units at the basic level, must disband at the advanced)
Must disband captured cities within pop x 2 turns. Can swap second city with another faction (obviously can't at Advanced challenge, as no second city)
Must build or control 14 SPs
Come over and join us and share experiences. I'll try to convince them to post here as well.
jhankla posted 05-13-99 06:42 PM ET
Hey Gore,
Watch it, Yang's AI is set to build land bridges to enemy territory if there 3 or less squares away! He'll pull a single line bridge by keeping the former one square back and raising the bridge while a single probe or garrison unit blocks the bridge. He'll put two or more mobile units over the former also and they'll wheel in as soon as the bridge is up and he'll demand you highest technology or most of your energy. Pulling the bridge down with a sea former is considered Vendetta though so forget that, he'll only try it from within his territory (The blue dotted line).
Wolf Dreamer posted 05-13-99 06:46 PM ET
Air bases? I forgot they existed. Never used them myself.
How do I get to this Apolyton site I see mentioned everywhere?
googlie posted 05-14-99 12:24 AM ET
www.apolyton.net/forums

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Author	Topic: Single City Challange
Al Gore Rythm	posted 05-13-99 12:05 AM ET Dunno if there's a thread about this already, but I think this is pretty interesting, so why not? For those of you unfamilier, the Single City Challange (SCC) is as the name implies. You have one city, and that's it. So I thought I'd start this thread so we can all trade SCC tactics and tips as well as stories. So here are mine to start things rolling... Be sure to retool most everything in your game to fit using one city. Keep in mind that efficency is worthless, as are SPs like the Command Nexus and Virtual World. While, on the other hand, SPs like the Supercollider, Theory of Everything and Universal Translator are extremly useful. I recently started an SCC game as the PKs on Transcend. Right now I'm on a long, thin island with my next-door neighbor being (lucky me) The Hive. I built the Human Genome (had nothin' better to do) and currently I am trying to sink the long, thin landbridge between me and the Hive.
Wolf Dreamer	posted 05-13-99 02:27 AM ET Have you thought out this challenge? With only one city, you won't be able to attack distant bases very effectively, unless it is a really small map and everyone decides to build really close to you. Air units would run out of fuel, and I can't imagine getting a significate number of land units all the way across a continent to stage a massive attack. When you take over an enemy's base, do you destroy it? Having one city support all of your units, while your opponents are under no such restrictions, seems like a hopeless cause. I am curious as to how this works out. Please post updates on your progress, provided the Hive doesn't eliminate you in the near future.
StargazerBC	posted 05-13-99 07:11 AM ET I played Single City games a while back on a huge map of planet--thinker level (wasn't able to handle anything higher). For a long while I was behind in everything--research, units, votes, pop, money etc. Of course, most of the computer players were Pact'ed with me just for the fact that I wasn't a huge threat. Well, except for the population limit (until Hab Dome), I was able to compensate the energy/minerals with supply crawlers in sea and land. Air bases replace growing cities as refueling stations for my patrols (later on Sub-carriers). The slow research was compensated by more use of spies and tech exchanges (instead of Science leap frogging I was merely skipping along). I was able to support 6 units later on-12 at war time and a lot more when I got Clean Reactor. Since acrocities were off--every city I took over I destroyed. Hehe. Kind of like a Hack and Burn Campaign (attack, take over, sell, destroy city, repeat.) Most of my votes for Planetary Governor came from AI Pacts. As for SP's--I built the Weather Controller, Merchant Exchange, Hunter-Seeker, All the Research SP's including Planetary Datalinks. I missed out on most SP's below Tech 5 (got most of the latter ones--usually b/c of weak endgame AI) Some games I won, some I didn't--depending on how fast I avoid PBs and how fast I get the Hab Dome. It's also how I developed my 3 unit verses Battlion strategy. 2 formers, 1 plane for Zone of control. One to lower land to sea level while one increases it when units come. It's a good way to take out invasion forces from AI. Funny thing is, they'll always cross land bridges when there is one ::grins:: again and again and again. . . Also-- I was playing around with land formations (lower/raise) to help my city--until the City is atop a hill ::grins:: Pun intended.
Al Gore Rythm	posted 05-13-99 09:06 AM ET Wolf: I actually didn't create this challange, it's from Apolyton, just thought I'd bring it over. First of all, as you observed, waging war is nigh impossible. The basic idea in the SCC is to try and be as neutral an observer as possible and just gather up energy and power to either A) PB the whole dang world and laugh. B) Transcend. C) Snag an Economic Victory. If you ever take an enemy base, you destroy it. Also, you seem to forget about those things called Airbases and Carriers. I can still send my planes out around the globe, I just need to put more effor into it. As for my progress, well, so far the Hive has left me alone despite declaring Vendetta upon our first meeting. I'm hoping they're tangling with some other problem, and that they keep on doing so until I can sink the landbridge. Other then that, I'm just a tiny little speck of nothing compared to now lumbering AI empires. But they'll see...
googlie	posted 05-13-99 05:54 PM ET visit the Apolyton site. there's an active group of us playing Single City Games, and last night one, "Transcend" won as Morgan. We set a high bar. Three levels (lowest level lets you use the second pod to form a second base, more advanced levels forces you to disband that second pod) Librarian or above Cannot build an offensive unit (but can keep and use gifted, subverted or pod-found units at the basic level, must disband at the advanced) Must disband captured cities within pop x 2 turns. Can swap second city with another faction (obviously can't at Advanced challenge, as no second city) Must build or control 14 SPs Come over and join us and share experiences. I'll try to convince them to post here as well.
jhankla	posted 05-13-99 06:42 PM ET Hey Gore, Watch it, Yang's AI is set to build land bridges to enemy territory if there 3 or less squares away! He'll pull a single line bridge by keeping the former one square back and raising the bridge while a single probe or garrison unit blocks the bridge. He'll put two or more mobile units over the former also and they'll wheel in as soon as the bridge is up and he'll demand you highest technology or most of your energy. Pulling the bridge down with a sea former is considered Vendetta though so forget that, he'll only try it from within his territory (The blue dotted line).
Wolf Dreamer	posted 05-13-99 06:46 PM ET Air bases? I forgot they existed. Never used them myself. How do I get to this Apolyton site I see mentioned everywhere?
googlie	posted 05-14-99 12:24 AM ET www.apolyton.net/forums