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Year Zero Club

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Year Zero Club

...when simply winning is not enough!

from GalCiv2 Forums

First off, I couldn't have done this without the inspiration of the Metaverse League and Wyndstar in particular. Kudos to the master!

Now to the matter at hand.

I finally did it. A year zero win! Granted, it was only against 1 AI and on challenging (my current level) but I'm certain that 'tough' wouldn't have been much harder. On the other hand, it was my first attempt at an 'all-labs' and 'lease instead of buy' approach, so I consider myself proud that I could do it at all.

Here is the link to the character, as a proof: http://metaverse.galciv2.com/index.aspx?g=player&id=14517

For all of you, who like me thought that year zero wins are nigh impossible: Try it! Read the posts about it! It is difficult, requires constant micromanagement, but I found it incredibly rewarding to see that victory screen after 25 - 30 turns. Not the way I'd like to play constantly, but as a change of pace, it's a incredible challenge.

And of course, once you've accomplished your first 'Year Zero', post here and rejoice!


As an edit, I now include the current top score.


Attention new players!
Do not be frightened by these scores! Playing a ZYW is actually really easy, and getting a score close to 30000 points takes just a few tries. These games are usually finished in less than 20 minutes, so have at it. Try the tiny ZYWs first, I find them easier and you might get the unique chance to beat players like neilo or Wyndstar.


Current ZYW record holders:

'expert' ZYW - Gigantic


1) 198450 points - MottiKhan

2) 119000 points - Kzinti Patriarch

3) 109500 points - neilo


'classic' ZYW - Tiny

1) 56700points - MottiKhan

2) 40600 points - Kzinti Patriarch / Magnumaniac

3) 38850 points - Wyndstar

 

1,558,734 views 924 replies
Reply #476 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
That was rude and uncalled for!Dont start with that....i seem to recall you calling many MV players assholes on more than one occasion. You can have your cake, but you can't eat it as well.......
End of quote


thank you ohh mighty neilo
Reply #477 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
What if I don't like cake?
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #479 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
And there is no spoon.

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Reply #480 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
And there is no spoon. Sentient species taste better...
End of quote


There may or may not be a spoon. The REAL question is WHY would there be a spoon?
Reply #481 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
And there is no spoon. Sentient species taste better...
End of quote


There's a fork, though!

...don't ask.
Reply #482 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
And there is no spoon. Sentient species taste better...There may or may not be a spoon. The REAL question is WHY would there be a spoon?
End of quote


don't you eat cake with a fork

if i ruined the joke then call me kill joy then.
Reply #483 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
And there is no spoon. Sentient species taste better...There may or may not be a spoon. The REAL question is WHY would there be a spoon?
End of quote

And what about sporks? ;) I used one just yesterday.

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...

Reply #484 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
don't you eat cake with a fork
End of quote


You missed the part where I said I don't like cake...

Sporks fall into that same category. If I don't see a need for a spoon and I don't like cake, so I don't need a fork, WHY have a spork?

BTW I think I just scored a 3 million point game in thread hijacking. /bows
Reply #485 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well done!  :LOL: 

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Reply #486 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
BTW I think I just scored a 3 million point game in thread hijacking.
End of quote


LMAO


But remember you can't have your pie and eat it too. Fork the cake...
Reply #487 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hrm...pie. If we're talking about shoofly pie, then utensils have no need.

~ponders~ I'll accept pie under the conditions it's a dry bottom shoofly pie. If you don't know WTF I'm talking about, wiki it! In the realm of pies, you cannot touch it.
Reply #488 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, firstly, you use a pastry fork.

Secondly, quit forking about when there's still a top three spot under 100k!
Reply #489 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah...that requires me to go back to DA I think. I'm still stuck at 77k on gigantic in TA and 93,450 on immense.

I'd have to un-socially condition myself to play in DA. I tried to roll myself back to try out some gigantics in DA and failed miserably. There are just too many changes in TA that I've come accustomed to since Oct 31st.

That #3 spot on gigantic will have to sit there w/o my name in it I think. Now, if you wished to add Immense to the list, I got that 93,450 and mag got a 97,000 or so.

*edit*
DOH you almost got me back on track for the thread. At least this utensil & pastry discussion was better than the previous page's theme. /bows

Pastry fork...nah, you use your hands to eat that. Pick the slice up and chow down. It's dense enough.
Reply #490 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Mag got 97k? Really?

That entry was intended for both gigantic and immense, depending on the version you play...
Reply #491 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Aye, a 97,650 under the char Vigilante.

Well then, in that case I might just yet steal #3 from Motti. That 93.5k I had was pushing the limits on luck for me though.
Reply #492 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Mag got 97k? Really?
End of quote


97,650 if you must know  :D 

I'm sure there is 100K to be had on a TA Immense. I actually plan a little experiment after finshing my current "big" game - I think I know how I can get a ZYW on a TA Immense, all-abundant with 9 AIs now. Will be interesting to see how it compares score-wise with the more standard ZYW (probably less, as I know I'll have to probably push the game into November / December).
Reply #493 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
They still Make Sporkes? Besides that ALL CAKES are better with forks because of the icing.
I may have to get back into the ZYWs, Not as much fun though.
And Seth and Freeman, Do you argue on every thread?
Reply #494 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Here is my first Year Zero Victory:
Level: Suicide
Galaxy Size: Tiny
Me: Altarians
AI: Thalans
Completed: May 15
Score: 25200
I colonized one planet and had to capture two planets.
End of quote

This being my first Year Zero Victory, I did several things that we sub-optimal, where the primary goal is to finish in as few turns as possible and the secondary goal is to get as high a score as possible.
The first time I starting my research with "Interstellar Warfare -> Space Militarization -> Space Weapons -> Beam Weapon Theory -> Laser -> Planetary Invasion" allowing me to build my fighters and transports. However, this time I preceded the above with Impulse Drive. The +1 speed bonus allowed my fighters and transports to arrive sooner, resulting in a April 22 completion to the game!
I also raised my taxes to 49% and later to 59% after lease purchasing a moral center, rather than keeping them low for 100% moral and double population growth as I would in a longer game.
Rather than place 3TM and 3 support on each transport, I only did that for the one going to the AI's homeworld. For the low population 2nd colony I just needed a transport with 1TM. This made it cheaper to lease purchase and left more tax payers on my howeworld.
Finally I sent my flagship in another direction and was able to pickup more money from anomalies thus allowing me to keep researching to all but the last couple of turns.
New Score: 31500!
Reply #495 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm sure there is 100K to be had on a TA Immense.
End of quote


After looking at the OP again, that's already the #1 game in that category. :D

Reply #496 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
-> Planetary Invasion
End of quote


I'm a fan of Spore ships myself. No need for pesky loading of personnel or possibly losing the fight. Send an empty cargo hull out to the target in the beginning of the game, get the spore tech and upgrade the ship right outside of orbit of their planet. There have been times I've had to sit there clipping my fingernails for April 8th to come to wipe them out.
Reply #497 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Spore is definitely the quicker, cheaper way to go. The lowered population on the conquered planets has no effect on lowering your score, because the game will be over very shortly.

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Reply #498 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I guess the only other thing to think of is going Super Breeder and hopefully getting a better score via taxes or something with the better population /shrug.
Reply #499 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Used to use Yor/Super-Breeder for ZYWs, but it defintely was not as effective as Spore. It is somewhat more useful on a tiny map ZYW, where you may be conquering more than 1 or 2 planets.

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Reply #500 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
What's the fuss about those ZYWs? ;P

My first game ever as Drengin (after it's over I guess I havent made it easier for me by this choice), first game ever on Immense (heck, it's not even listed in the game report as Immense...?)...and won on the very last day ;P

didn't play for score...as I never do so. Guess this was my first and last ZYW as I find it extremly boring ;P



have fun :)

but truth be told...I guess I couldn't have raised the score any further really...as it was a tough race for coveing the still rather insane distances to the 2 enemy planets (despite Ctrl-N-ing quite a few times at start to get something that looked somewhat possible...). So whatever I did was under the main-target to get my invasion force to their targets.