Maddening Games

One of the games I play on the computer is Civilization 2.  You have to build a spaceship from a start of a few primitive Settlers against 3-6 AI bots.  Well, you can play against other people, but that takes a lot of computer work). 

The game is designed to defeat you.  You build various units and city parts, the AI builds them cheaper.  The better you do, the more the AIs cheat.  But I love a challenge.

I've been struggling with it for years.  I thought I knew all the formulas for building a fast spaceship.  Last week, the computer found faster ones.  I launched one to land at Alpha Centuari (the goal) in 2000 and the AI built one afterwards to land in 1999. 

So I went back some turns and managed to build one that would land in 1992.  The computer made one that would land in 1991.  Built one to land in 1985, they computer built one to land in 1983. 

It's crazy.

I even build one to land in 1965!  The computer built one to land in 1964!  And that was after I used spies and aircraft to destroy all the spaceship parts of the AI civilization every late turn!!!

But I'm persistent.   I finally went back and revised my construction to land one in 1960.  And won...

Overall, it took 5 all-nighters, 5 bottles of wine, and a carton of cigs.  So who won?  Well, the company that sold me the game, of course (they aren't to blame for the wine and cigs).  I was so angry after all that cheating and time that I took the disk out of the drive and broke it.  Only to find it was all loaded onto the hard drive anyway.

I bet ya I'll do better next time, LOL!...