I've been looking for ways to spice up the game, something in the spirit of Mad Scientist's RPC games. Here's a self imposed challenge that should test your strategic thinking and tactical play in quite a different way to a normal game.
The challenge:
1. Settle your capital, when and wherever you want, as normal (take multiple turns if you like).
2. Before ending that turn, select your ENTIRE tech path, all the way to Future Tech (by holding the shift key on the tech tree screen).
3. After you hit end turn, you're not allowed to change your tech path for any reason. Anything else goes - adjusting your slider, trades, bulbing, whatever. Though I guess running an espionage economy may be against the spirit of the challenge.
Obviously this makes the game harder, maybe one or two levels depending on how good your tech selection skills are.
I'd post a start but this can be played with any map, the more generic the better as the optimum tech path becomes harder to discern.
The benefits as I see them... Locking down your tech path nerfs some of the more exploitative methods around tech trading on the higher levels, and you'll often have to find a different way to catch up or attain an edge. Solid play is emphasized over risky beelining or rushing, you may have to fight your wars at tech parity. This style of game also speeds your play up quite a bit, as you'll spend far less time continually reassessing your strategy. Although picking the entire path in the first place does take 5-10 minutes as you think through the possibilities. And playing on a lower level whilst retaining the difficulty has advantages - you may find unusual/fun strategies more viable than you're used to.
The challenge:
1. Settle your capital, when and wherever you want, as normal (take multiple turns if you like).
2. Before ending that turn, select your ENTIRE tech path, all the way to Future Tech (by holding the shift key on the tech tree screen).
3. After you hit end turn, you're not allowed to change your tech path for any reason. Anything else goes - adjusting your slider, trades, bulbing, whatever. Though I guess running an espionage economy may be against the spirit of the challenge.
Obviously this makes the game harder, maybe one or two levels depending on how good your tech selection skills are.
I'd post a start but this can be played with any map, the more generic the better as the optimum tech path becomes harder to discern.
The benefits as I see them... Locking down your tech path nerfs some of the more exploitative methods around tech trading on the higher levels, and you'll often have to find a different way to catch up or attain an edge. Solid play is emphasized over risky beelining or rushing, you may have to fight your wars at tech parity. This style of game also speeds your play up quite a bit, as you'll spend far less time continually reassessing your strategy. Although picking the entire path in the first place does take 5-10 minutes as you think through the possibilities. And playing on a lower level whilst retaining the difficulty has advantages - you may find unusual/fun strategies more viable than you're used to.