PolyCast Episode 105: "Off-Kilter"

[DanQ]

Out of order. The one-hundred-and-fourth episode of PolyCast, "Off-Kilter", features regular co-hosts Daniel "DanQ" Quick, "Makahlua", Philip "TheMeInTeam" Bellew and Lisa "qnl" Bang with returning guest co-hosts Bruce "Beta" Hynes and Methos.

The summary of topics is as follows:

- 03m39s | Senate
Delaying using the Caste System civic, and the viability of Catapult Rushes, in Civilization IV.
- 12m18s | Forum Talk
Arguing barbarians are boring, why bother annexing any captured city[/url], and are you happy with $5US for individual Downloadable Content (DLC) offerings, all in Civilization V.

- Intro/Outro | Miscellaneous
Archers taking cities in CivV, a highlight of using English properly in Civ forums, somehow relating the launch of CivV to that of Fallout: New Vegas, influencing end results of CivV Research Agreements, how not to avoid complying with a request, and male brain translations.

PolyCast is a bi-weekly audio production in an ongoing effort to give the Civ community an interactive voice on game strategy; sibling show ModCast focuses on Civ modding and RevCast focuses on Civilization: Revolution.

As always, enjoy.

[Mythdracon]

Interesting, and good to listen to. I would like it if Polycast was a little more comprehensive though. Maybe comment on Civ 5's reception by the community, the upcoming patch changes (and their effects on balance), etc etc. It seems like each PolyCast tends to focus on 2-3 major topics, with the others briefly mentioned.

[Black Gate of Mordor]

... a highlight of using English properly in Civ forums ...

Haha. They actually listen to the forums...

[DanQ]

Interesting, and good to listen to.

I would like it if Polycast was a little more comprehensive though. Maybe comment on Civ 5's reception by the community, the upcoming patch changes (and their effects on balance), etc etc. It seems like each PolyCast tends to focus on 2-3 major topics, with the others briefly mentioned.

We try to balance breadth of topics with depth by going back and forth between which approach is taking the lead. Much of that ends up not being realized until the recording session itself which, depending upon the topics selected and the guests on the panel, could be more heavy on one side or the other. Upcoming patch discussions are problematic at present with the delay between episode recording and release (~4-6 weeks), though until this calendar year that delay was only ~2 weeks for episodes. (The increased delay is due to increased 'Real Life' responsibilities on my part.) As such at present, we're looking more at "after effects" of a given patch once it's released to some degree. We're also trying to balance CivIV and CivV coverage too, though the latter has certainly become the primary focus as the current year and season of the show nears closer to their end.

Historically the show has been more about not going as in-depth on any given topic and covering a number of topics, but over the past season-and-a-half or so we've been covering topics more in depth than breadth based very much on majority listener feedback combined with the age of what was until recently our sole game focus (CivIV). With CivV's release, you may very well see a greater percentage of episodes emphasize breadth over depth, particularly if we receive similarly like-minded from audience members. So, thank you for submitting this input.

Haha. They actually listen to the forums...

-- we try to anyway.

To both of you: out of curiosity, are you new PolyCast listeners? Regular/casual?

[Mythdracon]

I'm a new listener, but I did start listening back when Civ IV was the latest incarnation. Thanks for your feedback on my feedback! Had no idea of the delay in podcasts. And I'd imagine the podcasts do have to stick to their current length due to real-life responsibilities of all involved in its production as well.

[DanQ]

I'm a new listener, but I did start listening back when Civ IV was the latest incarnation.

Thanks for your feedback on my feedback!

Welcome, and thank you for yours.

Had no idea of the delay in podcasts.

No worries.

And I'd imagine the podcasts do have to stick to their current length due to real-life responsibilities of all involved in its production as well.

The ~3/4 of an hour? Most of the show's episodes have been this length, notably guided by that of most television-based dramas.