Must...resist...urge...to...drop...120k...ZYW...

I wouldn't want a ZYW to be my first MV game anyway...I'd rather drop a Mumbler.

I have a 134K ZYW MV game i could submit. It's a flagged game though, a March 8th win. I was curious as to what score i could get for the quickest possible win.

Come to think of it, i prolly don't have the save anymore, but it could easily be replicated.

As for 120K, well we all thought 90K was near impossible to break, then 100K. Given enough time and patience i think 120K is doable.

That would be one perfect map though. 4 librarys, 10K+ in anomalies, and a 3rd planet real close by to colonize.

I don't know about that. Im sure KP is like me and has tried many various ways to get more points in a ZYW. I know i have tried some really weird strats.

Thats not to say you don't hold the key to a better game though.

Having a minor real close to your starting position, and i mean real close, may allow an extra planet or two to colonize/invade thus raising the # of techs that can be reseaerched each turn and in turn, allowing you to make full use of the research output from 3 or more library's.

You would of course have to hit that minor very quick and that would alter the optium research path. I guess with enough tweaking one may find the best approach using that method but who is to know if it would yeild a 110+ score.

I think we are getting close to the ceiling of what score can be achieved through the tried and tested Min cash VS max research output each turn. Painstaking and tedious as it is i think it's the only way for further improvement, albeit by only a few K.

I just blast each game though. 109K in around 5 mins of game time is enough for me. I'm pretty taped out on finding more tweaks.

Though KP mentioned sending a 115K write up to anyone interested.

Anyone???

I'm 2 years 4 months into my latest Swindle, which is my first on a gigantic map.  I havent had any beneficial random events, including the crucial econ boom.  Without any events I estimate the game would come in a little over 900k.  With an econ boom....it would be a lot higher.

Sentient species taste better...

I definitely agree.  It would have to be a completely different strategy.  It took the efforts of many people, Wyndstar (initially), Magnumaniac, MottiKhan, myself, Neilo, and others to get the scores to the point they are now.  A bit of history on the ZYW...  Initially we always did them on Tiny maps and the upper limit of score was about 40k.  It was much more economy focused, and money is a lot more plentiful, due to being able to contact many minor civs.  The +700% library never appears on the tiny maps though.  That was the initial reason I had for trying ZYWs on different sized maps, which led me to realize that the way in which research scales will result in much higher scores on larger sized maps.  The larger the map size, the larger the scaling effect, and therefore score.  For the gigantic ZYWs, tech is by far the largest score component.  Here is a breakdown from a typical game:  econ - 784, tech - 2687, econ - 785, mil - 0.  This game scored about 106k, which is decent, but not exceptional.

I wouldnt put it past you figuring out something totally new though. 

Sentient species taste better...

To keep your secret's secret, how about for 100k write up for anyone like me.        Mmm Couldn't harm the Mighty Kzinti new still we are Mmm

Well as they say SS, 3 heads are better than 1...or something to that affect.

Fill us in on what your trying to do and between us we may figure out a way to nail it.

Quoting Clanlindsey

"There is an even better way though. Instead of using a blank cargo hold, use a blank tiny hull. They only cost 25 bc so you can make six of these in the same time it takes to make 1 colony ship or 3 blank cargos. I believe they are cheaper to upgrade to a tiny colonizer than the blank cargo hull."

I some info I like to share with Clanindsey and everyone else that has help me alot.   At that the start of the Planet Rush ( no to very low tech),  Going to try the tiny ship thingy I am.

Question:  No engines move a at 1 pc but I am making them faster  but AI is making slower and is moving faster like 3pc.  What is the catch?  I think I should mix my ship thingy with these three types of ships.   In my next game I will.  Putting Ideals together  I am. Please,  let me know that I am on the right track?

AUX-Queen-Ma -  (1 Hyper Engi, 2 Basic Sens, 1Colony Modu), costs 139 bc now is that like 1390 bc to buy outright, Right? .....opps this a cargo ship 

AUX-Queen-Na -(2 Hyper Engi) it's a fast blank, costs 119bc .....opps this a cargo ship

I-Nuri-  -    Dua Class ( no engine, (can change to Colony Trans or Planet Patrol) its very slow blank,  cost 25 bc so to but outright it cost 250 bc, right. .....opps this a tiny ship.

To upgade I-Nuri- - to I-Nuri-J - it costs 288 bc so that is 2,880 bc  outright with 1 m  Colonist

I-Nuri-J -   Dua Class  (no engine, 1 Colony  Modu) cost 75 bc  .....opps this a tiny ship that has been upgraded.

I have made a template and a upgrade to throw at you all.

@ Neilo, do you recognize the name of the ship?  Oh  I am sorry, for people that don't live around here, Nuri is a famous bird in Indonesia that changes its colors  that why I choose the name. Kool Uh ! So what do you think?

It depends. A few tiny's get built normally as my starports have to have something to do, but most of them are rush bought straight buys. Capital ships are long-term leases.

I was pretty exhausted writing it so no worries. Too much whiskey yesterday left me with an upset tummy all night. Theoretically it might be more sensible the other way round but in actual practice what I am doing is just setting all starports to spam tiny blanks. If they build one great, if not, no worries. When they are built, they are not necessarily immediately useful though because they may be far away from where I need them. Therefore I rush buy blanks at locations where I actually need them. So some blanks are built, some are bought, and it all has to do with location, location, location.

comment: you may soon need to update that