Valencia population 18000 (hard)

[AmenusUK]

I played this user created level over the weekend. Quite tough as it requires a bit of planning to fit in the population with 100% rating for all the goals.
My playthrough is now up https://youtu.be/Fm6lf-j5QKM
There is also the link to the file for those who want to give it a try.

[furbleburble]

Your video inspired me to give Valencia a try. I wanted to see how my city would compare to yours when I finished. I decided to try it on Hard, figuring it's not a proper comparison if I don't. Really, though, I don't know the difference between Hard and Normal and I didn't feel a difference while playing. This is my first time completing anything in Caesar 4 on Hard. I seldom feel encouraged to increase my skill beyond Normal difficulty in a game. I am damn proud of my accomplishment!

I restarted one time because I realized I started in the wrong place and I couldn't conveniently do anything about it; I was too far along. I then restarted 3-5 more times as I tried to perfectly narrow down my starting point. I had a few riots toward the end because I kept losing track of my influx of unemployed people and so I kept having to reload because of that, leading to me having to reload multiple times. I don't normally have that problem, but I also don't normally have to plan for 18k people and four 100 ratings. I don't know if it's the way I play or what, but the map feels tight. Then again, Nicomedia is tight and I completed that, but not on Hard (actually, I suppose it's more cluttered and inconvenient than tight, but it ends up being tight as a result). Overall, I like the map and it was a fun but difficult challenge.

Somehow, I started off better in my first attempt. My final attempt was a struggle to get going anywhere successfully. In my first attempt, I missed the opportunity to send troops for Rome, but I was able to get going with the demands/requests immediately (I mean, I didn't miss any), and I got my army going in time to defeat the first invasion. In my final attempt, I had to skip the first two army requests and I had to bribe the first invaders. I do not recall whether I had to bribe the second invaders; I don't think so, but I don't recall either way with any certainty. I was able to comply with non-military demands/requests, however. I never could figure out where I went wrong.

The goals are 100 ratings across the board and a population of 18,000. I completed the map with exactly 18,000. That was done with 104 Large Insula, 21 Large Domus, and 24 Grand Mansions: 104*150 + 21*80 + 24*30 = 18,000. This math can be verified here [caesar4.heavengames.com] . There was a little bit of planning to that but it was also accident and luck. Rather embarrassingly, it took 40 years and 3 months to complete this city. Part of why it took so long is, I was trying to trickle my expected unemployment problem in while making sure I didn't run out of food, goods, money, or other resources. I also spent a good deal of time and money juggling houses and other structures trying to get as good a fit for everything as I could. On top of that, I had to take care of massive unemployment without ruining the space I intended for housing. I don't think it's possible to squeeze in one more home of any kind without ruining the perfect scores, and I almost couldn't get my last Grand Mansion to fit! In the end, I had 97,360 cash.

Equites were employed in the following ways: 3 Clinics, 3 Hospitals, 5 Barbershops, 3 Bathhouses, 3 of each shrine except 5 to Bacchus and 0 (zero) temples (17 total shrines), 3 Schools, 2 Libraries, 3 Odeums, 3 Theaters, 3 Arenas, 1 Coliseum, 1 Circus, 1 of each entertainment feeder type, 3 fountains, 4 reservoirs, 2 Pump Houses, 1 Forum, 1 Basillica, 1 Governor's Estate, 4 Tax Collectors. I didn't realize until after winning that I could add a fully functional Drill Yard to the list. The total, including the Drill Yard, comes to 1,663 employed Equites, with 17 unemployed (21*80 = 1,680 = 1,663+17). This math can be verified here [caesar4.heavengames.com].

I have neither the means nor the knowledge to provide video, but I will try to attach a few screenshots in a bit.

Edit 1: Here are those screenshots

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629265478
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629265454
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629230388
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629156562

Edit: 2

The information in the screenshots and the information I provided doesn't match up completely. This is because, between the time of completing the mission and saving the mission, one of the Grand Mansions devolved. I wanted to wait for it to evolve back up before providing the screenshots so that 24 Grand Mansions could be counted. You can also count 21 Large Domus.

[AmenusUK]

Originally posted by furbleburble:

Your video inspired me to give Valencia a try. I wanted to see how my city would compare to yours when I finished.

Hi,
Glad you gave it a try. Dont worry about how long it takes, just work at your own pace and enjoy it.
I'm hoping to add a new video in the next few days and that city needed 64 grand mansions. Took me a while ;-)

[furbleburble]

I've been dealing with an abnormal amount of depression lately, unable to take joy in what I would normally be able to. I've been wanting to get back into playing Caesar 4 again but have just not been able to push myself to do so. Doing this map really helped my mood, even with all the struggles involved in making it all work.

As far as working at my own pace, I appreciate what you said, but I view how long I take to complete a map as a reflection of my skill. Every time I complete the campaigns, I try to be faster than the last time, though, sadly, I never really seem to succeed at that. I have, but not to the extent that I would like. Still, I've never done a city that required 18k pop and perfect scores, nor have I played on Hard. It was a new experience and I had certain expectations going in.

Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for your new video.