HOTW XII Diplogame Organization Thread. Part 2

[LzPrst]

have people been in contact with him?

[Diplo France]

I won't be able to play this weekend. :better crying:

[Diplo France]

edit

[Diplo Mongolia]

well, I am fully ready to play. I have a save from inside the game, so on that side, we're good to go. However, with France failing to show,

That means:
No America (Subbed)
No France (Sub desperately needed, colonial empire + at war)
No Carpathia, Absent without leave or notice.

Which puts us where we were last week. 3 players missing. this will continue until I get fed up and don't want to bother setting off time to play anymore. I was certain this was going to happen last week, which is why I wanted to play then, and asked repeatedly up until right before gametime whether people were going to show or not. And what pisses me off is that people COULD play, but said they couldn't. Which puts us in the position that now when people CAN'T, we may be forced to postpone AGAIN.

Looking at this game I would consider it a resounding success and a huge failure at the same time.

Some of the best of diplogame stories and events has taken place in this game. The anon-play has turned out to work well, and the 10 tech trade cap as well.
On the flip side, we have lost 2 players early on, Russia and America (thank a billion times Nolan and Ozzy who were willing to step in and save us, and also to Agent who has done a great job as well). We seem to have lost Carpathia without any explanation or excuse. And Ottoman has only been able to make intermittent appearences. Now France is falling out due to RL issues.

Out of the starting 9, 4 are left who are steady. Myself, Holland, Inca and Mali. That is in my opinion a failure.

This is however nothing new to diplogames. It is endemic to the genre. We then need to make some tough decisions on how we are going to deal with this. There are several options.

1. Continue with the players and subs we have and leave those who cannot play to the mercy of AI. Which imo is greatly unbalancing, disruptive to the flow of diplomacy and unfair to the player in question. Especially since players got postponements last week.
2. Postpone until all civs can be filled with players or subs. This will result in postponing up until and possibly beyond the end of time.
3. Rap it up and call it a day. Which neither of us want.



What do we do for this session? Well, I'll make it bleedingly simple. If there is no sub for France, then my RL takes precedence, and we postpone another week. My reason for doing so is as follows:
Having had some diplomatic disputes with France and other nations, I know that currently France is in a central position, diplomatically and strategically that relates to game-balance and major future developments for over half the nations in the game. I am referring to war with Ottoman, important diplomatic talks with myself, America, Russia, Mali and, and from what my intelligence has been unable to ascertain, I suspect with Holland and Inca as well. Having an AI throw away his troops in war, and give away his colonies will completely shift the general heading of the game so greatly that it will disrupt the position of most nations on terra. Which imo, is equal to breaking the game.

Therefore, a sub for France, or I can't play. Which likely means another week of postponement. If we postpone again, I would assume all players would be able to make room in their schedule for 3 hours of play. If not, there isn't much point to trying anyway. I'm more or less putting down an ultimatum here. If people can't play their civs, then we can't play a Civ diplogame.

[Diplo Inca]

Well 1st of all France has been asked a couple of times to explain his situation, BUT NO ANSWER so far. This will at least be fair to the rest of us to know why he can't play anymore. Before we all started we all committed to this game knowing that we will be more or less able to invest the time neccessery to finish it.

Now one player France just can't play anymore due to RL issues. I perfectly understand that but atleast he should have foreseen that in advance and again a simple reason why that is happening will go a long way here.

@ Mongolia

And what pisses me off is that people COULD play, but said they couldn't.

Be pissed then, I was on a vacation damn it, and playing was not an option so i found a sub. Coming back into the hotel just mins before game time made it possible for me to play, thus the final sec notification. SO stop this rediculoius blame game. .

[Diplo Inca]

And Inca never said don't play without us- so nothing held the game back from continuing.

[Diplo Inca]

Out of the starting 9, 4 are left who are steady. Myself, Holland, Inca and Mali. That is in my opinion a failure

Well i always knew these players are reliable, no surprises here. (Ozzy and Nols too)

[Diplo France]

BTW I will be able to play next week, and as far as I know America will be back next week, which means the end of time may be quite near. As all player will be there.


I again ask that we turn HOTW12 temporarily into a pitboss game, we play normal sessions when we can and we play it as a pitboss during the week. That way if we miss a session we still had a dose of HOTW12 that week.


I feel more and more like a fifth wheel, if you some of you guys have don't like me there is no once forcing you to let me plan. You know if I wanted to I could have just went missing with no explanation, its not like that dosen't have a precedense...

[Diplo France]

Originally posted by Diplo Inca
Well 1st of all France has been asked a couple of times to explain his situation, BUT NO ANSWER so far. This will at least be fair to the rest of us to know why he can't play anymore. Before we all started we all committed to this game knowing that we will be more or less able to invest the time neccessery to finish it.

Now one player France just can't play anymore due to RL issues. I perfectly understand that but atleast he should have foreseen that in advance and again a simple reason why that is happening will go a long way here.

I would immediatley confide with all of you if it wasn't such a personal issue. I must admit I've come to like and respect many of you, but I just don't feel comfortable sharing certain problems in such a way public way as posting them on a forum for all to read.


I said I won't be able to play becasue I have always considered my commitment to this game binding. "I won't be able to play" dosen't mean I can't ever play, it means I can only play 50% or 60% of the time. Hopefully my situation will be resolved by mid July and I will be fully available then.

I can say I will be there, next week with full confidence, I can say I will be there, the week after that with 66% confidence. Beyond that I can't say.


I do ask people to be patient with me, Carpathia has been missing without expanation for far more, and I doubt he has any problems such as those I have. By number of sessions that I have been missing and have not been able to find a sub I am not that unstable compared to old Russia, Mali, Ottoman or Carpathia.


I am searching for a sub who can cover my back on the sessions I can't make it, but this has prooven to be a futile quest so far.


Also, could any of you consider making it early for one or perhaps even two hours next session? It would be much better time for me, If this move was not just next week but permanent I could probably play every week (just not the entire session). And even if its just next week we could then play a 5 hour session (or shorter if we grow tired during it), something that would allow us to catch up this week.

[Diplo France]

Originally posted by Diplo Inca


Well i always knew these players are reliable, no surprises here. (Ozzy and Nols too)

I would like to remind you that if you include Ozzy and Nols you may as well include me for the vast majority of the game, I was either always there or there was a sub (most of the subbing for me when I had technical trouble). All players civs except Mongolia, Holland and Inca have had similar bouts of dissapearances.


Don't forget I could have played the session Holland (he is an equally central player with colonies) told us he can't make it at the last moment.

[Diplo Mongolia]

ok. I admit to a bit of melodrama just now. I'm just a bit frustrated that we've lost 2, now it looks like 3 sessions. especially since I'm in the middle of a war that is very nerve-wrenching and I want to see it resolved.

I'll apologize to Inca, I didn't catch that you were on vacation. And you acted according to good custom related to sub.

We have a minor problem and that is that we need 1 more sub (preferably 2, so Carpathia can get back in the game) in order to play this session. If that does not work, we should probably postpone for next week, but then we should, if I dare say, MUST have all players present, or at least all positions filled.

I can probably begin an hour or two earlier, but it is a bit of an awkward time, but I'll do it, if that is what it takes to get back on the road again.

I would like to see a bit more responses here. Is there anyone who can't play next session? And of those who can, is it possible to start an hour or 2 earlier?

[Diplo Inca]

Thanks Mongolia for the apology, very nice of you to come forward like that.

France you are on my reliability list with no doult you can bet on that!!

If this coming session is postponed, which is very likely - we have to play next week 10001% Playing next week June 7th for US players, June 8th for EU's and Aussies will be our last chance i fear.

And as France says lets all try to plan for at least a 4hr game session, so we can make up the lost weeks.

This is a 7 days notice, i believe that everyone can schedule his day around this 4-5hrs of game time.

About Carpathia I say damn him - I will go with America on this we should divide his land among other nations.

INCA CAN PLAY NEXT WEEK 100% 2hrs earlier or on time i will be here.

[Diplo Inca]

The only people who seem to care about this game and try to make it work are: Mongolia, France, Inca, Russia, America (to some extend Ottos)

Where the hell are Mali and Holland?

[Diplo Inca]

BTW I will be able to play next week, and as far as I know America will be back next week, which means the end of time may be quite near. As all player will be there.

Session June 7/8

Well 100% confirmed are only:

Mongolia
France
Inca
America
Russia

We need confirmations from:

Ottos
Mali
Holland

[Diplo France]

Guys I can't tell you how glad I am too see soo many good people interested in this game. Mongolia has said this game has been a great succes and a faliure. I would dare say it is only a succes, how many other Diplo games have lost far more sessions? How many other diplo games have had as many interesting developments as this one?


But I really think that 3 missed sessions is 3 sessions to much. I am certain we will play next week, like Inca said we need confirmation from:


Ottos
Mali
Holland


Out of the people who have spoken out:
Mongolia, France, Inca can make it both one or two hours early (to make for a 4 or 5 horu session)
I belive this will reviwe the game immensly. If people fear it will be too long, there is no need to fear with such a session we could schedule a 10 min break in the middle for a snack, some major diploing, queing what to build ect. Come to think about it the fastest turns are those we make about an hour into play, with 4 or 5 hours this session could very well break the 100 turn barrier.


I do ask people to consider making this a hybrid game. Think about it 5 turns per week (since we will not engage in the kind of hight octande pitboss play Russia is afraid of, well just log on do a turn and forget about the game for that day), then at the end of the week do a normal session.

I am glad to hear Mongolia can make it 2 hours early next session, Mongolia trust me this is a akward hour for me too.


Inca and Mongolia know that I hold you both in highest esteem as fellow diplo players. I say the same of Holland and Mali, since I know that they are probably just temporarily busy, Holland has been a very active player and Mali has tried very hard to get back into the game proper. With as many good people as we have, how could this game fail?

PSWe still need these great people to speak the **** up.