Sometimes Our Worst Enemies Can Be Our Salvation · 4:07pm Oct 23rd, 2016
Have I mentioned how much I like Marshmallow Horse lately?
Anywho, I've been struggling to mount any sort of enthusiasm for writing these last few weeks, as you all know. This weekend was already settled as doomed in my mind, because CIV VI was coming out and there was no way in Tartarus I wasn't going to dive in. Which is exactly what I did: I literally spent 13 hours straight playing that game on Friday. Nothing else, just playing.
Then Saturday came and, more importantly, the late game. As I find myself embroiled in wars with England, Arabia, America and Germany (in that order) and advance beyond the Industrial Age, I come to realize just what I've got here. An addicting game, to be sure, but also a turn-based one. And, as I had already found out, the game had been designed so well that, unlike its predecessor, I could set it in windowed mode if I wanted with zero adverse effects. With my mouse no longer confined to the game, I've got a whole other screen with which to do things between turns.
You guys see where I'm going with this, right?
I got 2,000 words in yesterday on my Celestia fic. That's more than I've written in the last three weeks combined. So thank you, Civilization VI, for jump-starting my groove. With any luck, I'll be back to churning out stories at a regular pace before too long. I've set for myself a schedule, but I'm not publishing it until I am confident I can keep it. Once I get a rough draft of the first chapter, I'll start fishing for pre-readers. I've also decided to go ahead and work on that Derpy-centric story that's been on my mind for the last few years. So I have my three stories selected and might have a writing pace set up. Fingers crossed that this will lead to new material soon.
In other news, how about that finale, eh? I am happy with it through and through. It's nice to know Chrysalis is smarter than her original appearance suggested, and absolutely horrifying that almost all of my worst changeling-related fears were realized in that episode. Anyone who has read Reddux the Tyrant knows exactly what I think those green pods are really used for. I spent a lot of time trying not to imagine how the actual kidnappings went; my mind tends to go to dark places for that kind of thing.
About the only thing that bothers me is that I have my own big changeling story I'm setting up for the No Heroes 'verse, and learning more about changelings in canon makes my concept even more removed from 'reality.' Really, it's not a big deal: it isn't as if the 'verse isn't an AU as it is. It's just a niggling little annoyance, that's all, and one I'm willing to live with.
In other news, I am now 300,000 words into Project Horizons. It's been interesting so far, and I see no reason not to go through all of it. But it has been interesting comparing it to Fallout: Equestria as I go along. To those of you who have read it, does it feel at all like PH is more 'gamey' than FO:E? Because that's the feeling I've been getting off of it since the beginning. It's not a difference I like, to be honest, but it does make for a very different approach that works in Blackjack's favor to differentiate her from Lil'pip.
Alrighty, I've got a world that needs managing and a story that needs writing. I'll see you guys Thursday!
Stats
Total Word Count: 1,885,000 over 37 stories
Average Words Written Per Week (2016): 7,646
Follower Rank: 250th (-1)
Overall Ratings Average: 94.48%
Highest-Rated Story (Not Counting Stories at 100%): Of Angels @ 282/3 or 98.95%
Story with the Most Votes: Tyrant @ 2253/67 (Year+)
Story with the Fewest Votes: Paul's Peculiarly Puny Pony Pieces @ 20/1
Longest Story: Order of Shadows @ 283,000 words
The sheer joy and appeal of Civ VI is why I haven't bought it yet. I've told myself I may buy it after I finish the Copy Edit for Colony, finalize the cover, and have it up for pre-order ... but now I'm thinking maybe not even then. As much as I want it, I may need to put further goals between me and a wonderful machine of time travel that will ruin my productivity.
I think we've all been with Procrastinarity at one point or another. Still, knowing that Civ VI can go into windowed mode... that's very intriguing news. I'll have to look into this.
Sooo... you're saying that your ears have grown massively? Have you checked to see if it's cancer?
4267830
Heh, yeah, I can see it doing that. Beware, the game has only increased in complexity and the Civilopedia is, surprisingly, not as helpful as it used to be. I keep encountering options and concepts that are new to the series but lack any real in-game description, so it's either take risks via experimentation or hope the obsessive folks that write the already existing and rapidly growing Civ VI wiki have gotten to it/figured out the details.
4267849
It can indeed. I've been following a rule of 'play 10 turns, write for a while, repeat.' I've come to learn that in later stages and at times of war, 10 turns can take a surprisingly large amount of time. It's still faster than it was in CIV V, though.
4268003
4268132
Oh I know! It's taken so many new steps to mimic the actual growth of civilizations, something that's always bugged me about the series before. So I really want to play this one.
4268191
One thing I didn't realize until I got to the Modern era is that the Warmongering penalties get worse as you advance in eras, unlike 5 where it was a flat penalty all the time. It now pays to go on a conquering spree as early as possible. Had I realized that, Germany wouldn't exist in my current playthrough. I also got screwed via religion: even creating missionaries and apostles in the city where I founded my religion, they'll be of a rival religion if the city has been converted. I have absolutely no way whatsoever to achieve a religious victory now.
I'm also steadily learning how other common concepts have been rewritten, like Great People: they no longer all do the same thing, but perform different actions depending upon exactly which historical figure you get. And I like the changes to Diplomacy, which was always one of the weakest elements in every civ-building game I ever played. With agendas, it's suddenly much trickier to manipulate the other nations and forge some sort of world harmony.
I should probably shut up. Here you are trying not to get sucked in and I'm describing all the ways shutting up now.
4268214
I need a time-turner, stat!
I didn't know about the warmongering penalties (though that totally makes sense)! That's nifty! As a player who usually tries for the "let's be advanced and work together until I'm convinced I need to use my nukes on your knights because you won't stop attacking me," that still sounds cool!
The great people change, the districts ... it's all so much better.
I also can't wait to see what Endless Legend 2 (cause it's going to happen) borrows from Civ VI.
4268376
I usually have a policy of spending the first two or three eras at peace until there's no room left to expand or other nations start gobbling up the lands I intended to colonize, then pick one rival (usually the strongest, or two if there's no one of significant strength) and conquer them. After that, nobody else can lay a hand on me due to my sheer size, so I just finish the game going after whatever victory I desire for the given playthrough.
Wait, what? They're making another Endless Legend? Sign me up! Next to Civ, that's easily my second favorite nation-builder! I hope they really expand upon the custom nation feature. Maybe the ability to create our own questlines?
4268782
Whoa! Not yet! They've got to finish Endless Space 2 first! They're still releasing expansions for the first one.
That said, it's been a hit. In a few years, we'll see a sequel for sure!
About FOE/ PH- I do see Cyber's point about PH being dependent on FOE, not in the least for providing context, but I personally preferred PH over FOE, and feel like FOE established a groundwork that PH built upon.
Some elements of PH (Damage to characters if I'm honest) are very much taken from the games, but I also feel PH had better combat, apart from one chapter that went all out crazy with the combat, but that was acknowledged in the A/N, so I overlook the specifics of it.
I found PH to have more character directed focus, particularly around BJ herself, but also touching on huge numbers of others, while FOE was more focused on how the characters act in the world, PH goes more into the characters themselves.
Both equally throw in the occasional nod to the games, which was always interesting or added some levity to balance action.
I think we all feeling the Civ VI struggle, bro.