Contest 167: Come Together Barking Mad (a Caesar 4 Challenge Contest)

Welcome to the contest pages for Contest 167: Come Together Barking Mad. This is a Caesar 4 contest, and should only be played with Caesar 4 with the latest patch. Check the HeavenGames site for the latest version. Use the links below to download the starting positions:

Come Together Barking Mad
files are in .zip format

French Language files
files are in .zip format

German Language files
files are in .zip format

Procedure for extracting files-

The zip file will contain a number of files. Firstly, the file with the extension c4s should be extracted to the directory Saved Games in your C4 installation

   (Default location C:\Program Files\Sierra\Caesar4\Data\Saved Games).

The remaining files should be extracted to the directory Scenarios

   (Default location C:\Program Files\Sierra\Caesar4\Data\Scenarios).

You start the save from the Main Menu in C4, selecting "Load Save." The save "Come Together Barking Mad" should appear in the list. It is not necessary to alter game difficulty.

Vous trouverez la traduction en français pour ce concours ici.

Background:

Governor,

You will (no doubt) be aware that the wealth of the Roman Empire is not what it was, and that a financial crisis is looming. Some say that the Empire is suffering because it no longer honors the god Neptune - who, it is true, blessed trade like no other god. Sadly, the designs for temples to Neptune have been lost, so other means must be sought to gain his favor. Only one person in the Empire can tell us how - the one known as 'Neptune's Last Oracle'.

Explorers have now returned telling us of where he may be found. He lives in a hole next to a ruined temple, in a place that would actually be very good to build a new city. Our explorers didn't understand a lot of what the Oracle said - apparently he was babbling on about 'lost and fabulously rich cities' and a 'rift in space and time' through which we might trade with them - if Neptune chooses to bless us, that is.

So it is that I am sending you to that land, with orders to build a city of high Culture, Prosperity and Beauty to honor Neptune. I am also sending my best Religion Advisor with you, an expert in interpreting the strange pronouncements of Oracles. Be sure to follow everything the Oracle tells you - however strange! The wealthiest financial backers in Rome are funding this project, and have contributed all they can spare. So be sure to spend those three denarii wisely! Stay in this land only so long as you retain the favor of Neptune and earn as much as you can - a mere one million denarii will be sufficient to save the Empire, but I am sure you can do even better than that!

A word of warning (or two), however. This project must be carried out in the utmost secrecy, for I have rivals who would be eager to stake a claim on any wealth that you might gain. Beware especially of the one who goes by the name of Seutonius Paulinus Grinch XII. He comes from a long line of trouble makers, and has many enemies in the Senate (who call him 'Old Flat Top' behind his back, on account of his strangely shaped head). In order to avoid drawing attention to yourself, you will therefore not be permitted to trade with any other city in the Empire. I wish you well - the future of the Empire depends on it!

Caesar Constantine

Rules

Challenge 1 (Speed):
Completion Criteria: City Treasury not less than 1,000,000 denarii (which will trigger a victory screen).
Winning Criteria: Completion Date (earliest wins)

Challenge 2 (City Treasury):
No completion criteria
Winning Criteria: Denarii in City Treasury (Highest Wins)

Designer's Notes

This two part challenge will continue until there are no more players working on it. You do not need to use the same city build from Challenge 1 to complete Challenge 2.

Scores and current placings will be displayed on CBC for each city as it is submitted. Also submitted cities for Challenge 2 will be available for download by other players.

Entries should be submitted in the normal manner, but instead of a difficulty level either 1 or 2 should be inserted, depending on which challenge the entry is for, eg hiero_is_barking_mad1_1.c4s (the second 1 indicating it is my first entry).

Normal CBC rules apply, except that strategy discussion is allowed throughout the challenge. Players who have submitted are welcome to discuss how they built their cities, and newer players using the ideas of stronger players is fully encouraged.

Walls are pre-placed, and disabled throughout, to prevent use of the wall undo cheat. Please also note that examination of the script or XML - with the intent of gaining an advantage over other players - will not be regarded as fair play for this contest.

As soon as the script detects that you are 5,000 or more denarii in debt, you will not be permitted to build anything other than trading ports or depots. This restriction will be removed when debt falls below 5,000 denarii.

A defeat message is triggered if you play on after the end of August 327AD without having reached 1,000,000 denarii. If you have reached that target, you can carry on playing for as long as you think you can earn more denarii.

The Beauty Rating has been completely redesigned, but continues to be based on the number and type of decorative items in the city, together with larger impressive buildings that form an essential part of a beautiful city. The value of the rating will be shown as a one-line 'warning' type message at the top of the screen, every two weeks. You can also find out the current rating, together with a hint for improving the rating from your Beauty Advisor, simply by placing a well anywhere on the map (you can undo this once you have received the messages).

Please read all in-game messages carefully!

The closing date on the game page is nominal only, it will be extended as long as there remains interest in the challenge.

This contest continues the time-honored CBC tradition of requiring players to keep saves for December of each year. A message will be issued each December to remind players to make their save. Only the final (completed) save is to be submitted, however. Once your save has been validated you do not need to keep these (interim) saves, unless of course you plan to use them as a basis for generating further submissions.

Credits

Come Together Barking Mad is an adaption by Hieronymus of the AODE creation Come Together. Schwartzhorse tested a much truncated version of the scenario and as such is elegible to enter this challenge. (No really, Monique, I insist!)

Special thanks go to Schwartzhorse for the French translation of the XML files and to Tobing for the German translation.

When forwarding entries to CBC, only the c4s file for the final save is required, not your other (interim) saves.

This contest has ended.

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