And the winner for "Worst Starting Location" is...

Thomas Paine · June 27, 2002, 07:48

...the Romans, for their four-city-wide desert island!

It was supposed to be a standard continent game, played in Regent. And it was - for all other civilizations, save the pathetic, isolated Romans, who began their miserable lives stuck on an island with no iron, no horses, no anything save the presense of incense and sand.

I tried to build the Great Lighthouse, in an attempt to escape the Island of Death, but was beaten BY ONE TURN by the Iroquois, far far to the north. Consequently, none of my galleys ever made it past the Great Sea. I was truely alone, with only a soccer ball to keep me company.

Out of some masochistic urge for punishment, I decided to continue the game into the modern age. I "kept up" with technology, relatively speaking, by turning off all research and buying everything from everyone (whom I met through passing galleons.) By A.D. 1860, the Americans across the Great Sea had built the Hoover Dam, and was fast approaching nuclear capablility, while I, in humble contrast, had just discovered (purchased) the tank. Which was pointless, as I had no saltpeter, nor oil, nor rubber. Only coconuts, which the Professor fashioned into workable Sherman tanks.

It was, without a doubt, the most worthy candidate for a game Damned by Fate that I have every played. I found it truely amusing.
Does anyone else have a "Dead Last" story that needs telling, for posterity's sake? (Confession is good for the soul... !)

Thomas Paine · June 27, 2002, 07:51

P.S. This was supposed to go in the General Forum. My bad.

Ignorance · June 27, 2002, 07:57

Check out Aesons So very cold (of the map generator)

Could you post a savegame or picture/map of your island?

Aeson · June 27, 2002, 08:05

No resources or galley crossings would make for a much worse start than mine! Would the Lighthouse have let you cross?

Adm.Naismith · June 27, 2002, 08:18

No, I can't beat you: also my worse starting point was better than yours!

But I had some games where I lost initial good "momentum" and then things become a hell on earth: bad series in combat results, large barbarian raids, lack of critical resources (iron) without a chance to trade or conquer some (I was on an island with deep sea all around: no way to make an assault or a simple path of trade). I got three leaders (fighting in defense with elite units, different game turns) only to have them killed the very same turn they appeared. I was so unlucky at one game one night that I was about to consider to take a free day and stay at home the next day, just to avoid any car incident driving to my office!

jdd2007 · June 28, 2002, 20:03

see: civ3 democracy game

Louisr2001 · August 16, 2003, 19:17

I think I may have gotten the worst starting location. I was playing the AI and my starting point in 4000BC was an island so small the figure of the settler totally covered it. There was no other land close enough to move to. My starting point was 1 square totally surrounded by ocean! Top That!

zorbop · August 16, 2003, 20:07

one time, without culturaly linked starts, i started right smack between the mongols, zulu, aztecs and germans (all of whom were pissed off because i did not give them all my money and maps). i had no iron or horses. that counts a bad start, right?

Louisr2001 · August 16, 2003, 22:02

That definitely counts! Did you play out any turns? I did not.

zorbop · August 16, 2003, 22:08

i tried to play it out, but seeing as it was diety, and all of those civs started with 4 archers, and germany had 8 spearmen to... it did not last long. i was able to hold on to 1 city, but the mongols and zulu declaired war every 10 turns, pretty much nomatter what. my last city fell when in the late middle ages

Louisr2001 · August 16, 2003, 22:12

Bravo for holding out so long! Now I think maybe I should have made a go of it!

Gravity Happens · August 17, 2003, 23:23

I once got 4 desert squares on top of each other (don't have a pick sorry) vertically for my starting location, with water surrounding it. I got a galley to another island out of dumb luck... 2 squares of jungle. That was my empire, 3 starving cities.

Sitting Bull · August 18, 2003, 19:10

The worst start I ever played out was a small continent of only mountain and tundra, with space for only 4 significant cities. I built the UN and missed victory by one vote. Regent, I believe. I also had colossus and hanging gardens. The lighthouse would not have helped.

Vince278 · August 20, 2003, 01:34

Quote:

Originally posted by Louisr2001
I think I may have gotten the worst starting location. I was playing the AI and my starting point in 4000BC was an island so small the figure of the settler totally covered it. There was no other land close enough to move to. My starting point was 1 square totally surrounded by ocean! Top That!

Top that? Had the same only the 1 square island was tundra. On a Gigantic map with 16 civs and at warlord level. I won't say how it ended but I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the beginning.

vmxa1 · August 20, 2003, 02:22

Vince278, I think it is ok to start a new game under those conditions.

bongo · August 20, 2003, 04:39

It makes for a very challenging game though.

I recently started on a peninsula with more mountains than himalaya. I thought 'is this a crappy start or what!!' but continued and soon found that the rest of the continent were quite good so I immediately started planning an archer/swordman rush on my unsuspecting neighbours. I won the game by domination in the early industrial era, monarch level.

Vince278 · August 20, 2003, 04:58

Quote:

Originally posted by vmxa1
Vince278, I think it is ok to start a new game under those conditions.

Nah. I liked the challenge. Wished I kept a save file.

Louisr2001 · August 20, 2003, 08:52

I am humbled by the courage and tenacity of all who have overcome such incredibly bad starting positions,you are an inspiration to all,please continue posting worst starting pocations.I just played one where I started in a mountain range,came down to the plains established my first city and ran smack dab into the Carthaginians!

GhengisFarb™ · August 20, 2003, 14:03

Either that, or they couldn't find the cd's to play their other games and got tired of restarting Civ3.

Odin · August 20, 2003, 16:43

I was stuck on a Small island with ALL jungle.

Vince278 · August 21, 2003, 00:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Odin
I was stuck on a Small island with ALL jungle.

Hope you had a laptop with you.

I'm afraid this thread is degenerating into a game of one-upmanship with some people making up stories. (and I haven't heard one yet to beat mine

)

Flandrien · August 21, 2003, 06:57

I once started on a position that was ALL ocean.
My settler drowned on his first turn.

You beat that !

Vince278 · August 22, 2003, 00:56

I once started with NO settlers, just a warrior and a worker. Had to fight for that first city. Eventually won the game by domination against 16 civs.

(Hope I made my own point...)

Dominae · August 23, 2003, 03:30

Now that we're all making stuff up: I once started on a map that had everyy tile filled with 20 Horsemen Barbarians. Oh, and I was on a 1-tile island (Jungle, of course) and all the other civs were 10 Ocean tiles away and had the 3-Cattle starting locations. Yeah, that sounds about right...

Dominae

nbarclay · August 23, 2003, 09:25

Quote:

Originally posted by Dominae
Now that we're all making stuff up: I once started on a map that had everyy tile filled with 20 Horsemen Barbarians. Oh, and I was on a 1-tile island (Jungle, of course) and all the other civs were 10 Ocean tiles away and had the 3-Cattle starting locations. Yeah, that sounds about right...

That's nothing. I started a game exactly like that except I was on a two-tile island, with my settler and worker starting on a mountain.

(If you don't see right off the bat why that's worse than a one-tile island under such circumstances, think about it a little bit.)

Kuciwalker · August 23, 2003, 10:07

Gufnork · August 23, 2003, 11:21

I've never seen a one tile island, so I find it unlikely that you could start on one. On the other hand, I have started on a one tile island in SMAC, so it could happen.

vmxa1 · August 23, 2003, 12:58

I have never started on one, but I have seen them. Anyway they were just pulling our chain.

Louisr2001 · August 23, 2003, 18:42

And that about concludes our report on the worst starting locations,tune in for more exciting and informative discussions from the A-team! stay tuned.

Kuciwalker · August 23, 2003, 19:44

Wait! I've got mine.....

I once started ON a barbarian encampment! My settler was lost the instant the game started!