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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

 

1,558,670 views 924 replies
Reply #126 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well I just joined the club, although my score was not great: 15400
End of quote


Hey, that's better than I ever did  ;)
Reply #127 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
My new personal best:

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 :D 

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #128 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Again, a new high for me...almost have Wyndstar beat. :)

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Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...

Reply #129 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
good job KP, you'll get there yet.

I'm still slugging along on the opposite end of the spectrum (Giga All); still have work to do.
Reply #130 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
AH yes, it was Madagascar I was referring to, not Zimbabwe. My joke fell flat on its face.

I still hate that damn island!
Reply #131 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Getting very close there KzintiPatriarch! Congratulations!
Reply #132 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Care to share your method, Kzinti? I still can't get past 30K.
Reply #133 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Magnumaniac said something about always spending your money by April 8th, so I've taken that to heart. I used to extend the games a few turns if I still had money left, but now I spend spend spend to try to use it all by the 8th. So, build a structure on every planet every turn, take out 1 or more minor civs if you need more planets to spend money on, and sometimes I end up buying military ships on every planet with a starport every turn, if I have enough money for that. That's the main thing I've tweaked recently.

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Reply #134 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
In a Twilight sandbox game (forgot to play it as a metaverse game) I got 29,240 just now in a very sloppy game, and I've played very few metaverse games. I think the potential exists (particularly for Wyndstar) to blow away the existing record once people figure out optimal paths in Twilight. It will be interesting to see. In most other areas, I think scores will run lower for Twilight than DA or DL for a variety of reasons, but you can't beat it for speed.
Reply #135 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
My experience with the Korath so far in TA is that things went considerably slower as it takes longer to get to Tech Capital.
Also, I have the impression the AI is slightly better prepared against ZYW's; as early as June/July I've had AI's parking colony ships in orbit of their planets, even though there were still some PQ 8 - 10 planets to be colonized. Might be a coincidence though.
Reply #136 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This morning I played a 33k TA zyw that was inexplicably cheat flagged. Are games usually cheat flagged if they are faster than 12 turns?
Reply #137 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This morning I played a 33k TA zyw that was inexplicably cheat flagged. Are games usually cheat flagged if they are faster than 12 turns?
End of quote


Yes. You can't win before April 8 without getting the cheat flag.
Reply #138 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I think the recent craze in ZYWs may have led Frogboy to teach the AI a few tricks, wouldn't be the first time.

Out of curiosity, what race / tech tree do you use for Twilight?
Reply #139 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I used a custom (in game, no ARC) race with the Thalan tech tree, but in hindsight I'm not sure it was the best choice. I may see if I can do better using a different tech tree. DethAdder, thank you for the information. This game actually finished 2/22, so I went back and played it out to 4/8 and got 33,600 and no cheat flag. :)
Reply #140 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
... This game actually finished 2/22...
End of quote


Whoa. I can't comment more than just that  :SURPRISED: 

Reply #141 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I havent tried ToA yet, but I assume that with customizable tech trees, you can optimize your ZYW research strategy and bump up the scores a bit. I may try over the weekend. :)

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Reply #142 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Are customized tech trees Metaverse compatible? Unless they've got a balancing mechanism in place, they've got to get that fixed since it'd be so easily abusable. Or am I misunderstanding, and you're referring to how we can pick which tech tree to use with a custom race?
Reply #143 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, since I havent tried it yet, I may not have accurate information. ;) I thought you could customize/edit tech trees in ToA. Somebody who knows for certain will respond I'm sure.

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...
Reply #144 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I think you can use a custom race with a chosen tech tree, but no completely new tech trees. That would make the most sense, anyway.
Reply #145 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Just like in DL and DA, metaverse games use a protected set of data/information that can not be altered or added to. Your custom tech trees will appear if you start a "New Game" but not if you click on "Metaverse".

This was important for me to know, since I needed to see if there was any further developments that could affect the MVL.

On the other hand, the editors have allowed me to create a custom universe in which to place my Cerulean Union story, complete with tech tree, ships, and how the galaxy looks. I *really* wish it had a Scripts/Events editor too (ie like in SimCity 3000) but that's just me being a modding queen :p
Reply #146 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Dammit guys - it's official now: I'm a cheater. :SURPRISED:

I've tried so hard joining this 'club' that I rushed the last Thalan hideout 1 turn too soon... LOL
(The result: http://metaverse.galciv2.com/index.aspx?g=player&id=17501)

Unfortunately, it's impossible now to reload, postpone their end for 1 week and submit the game again. All I get is a bad message telling me I've already submitted this game. :(

Is there anything I can do??
Reply #147 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hmmm, that's kinda weird in that you normally get one "second chance" to resubmit a game to the MV.

If its the only game under the character you could always just clear the scores and try again.

If its not, its not really a big deal. The score won't count to your overall total but its not the end of the world. Almost all the "veteran" players have gotten a cheat flagged game at some point for one reason or another.

Just make sure on your next attempt you don't end the game until April 8th :)
Reply #148 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Gentlemen - I finally made it... ;)

Although most certainly these are the lowest scoring ZYW ever submitted I'm glad I could achieve them.

Since I'm still relatively new to the game there's lots of things to figure out and to learn. It's very intersting what an impact on success micromanagement, order of building/research and the choice for buying vs. leasing can have (especially in ZYWs, but also in a 'normal' game, I think). Hope this helps me stepping up my game, since I just went on to 'tough' setting and got fond of evil alignment a bit...
Reply #149 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Interesting that you did it using the Torians  :CONGRAT: 
Reply #150 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Nicely done s w h. :D Were you using Torians for SuperBreeder? I was doing Yor/SuperBreeder for a while with my ZYWs, but now I'm using Altarians/Spore.

Kzinti empire2.JPG Sentient species taste better...