DISCWORLD Scenario released!

[N35t0r]

We never complain about the players, we complain about the game

[Panda]

Hi Cyrion,

I downloaded this before but have only found time to play this weekend, and have to say to say that this is bloody amazing! A real tour de force.

I'm up to about year 73 now, playing as the Ramtops, finished my research a few years back (maybe the tech rate could be slowed down?). One reason for this, of course, is that given the nature of the units available to me to build, I go for merchants nearly all the time, which accelerates the research. I'm allowing Ankh-Morpork to survive simply to maximise my trade bonuses.

I love the way you've induced a narrative into the game: the use of events is fantastic, and this is easily the best successor to the Jules Verne scenario we've seen so far (or at least that i've played).

I'm not sure how re-playable it will prove. I haven't checked if there is an end date, so I'm in no real hurry to roll back the Monsters, who aren't that much of a threat to the cities. Granted, the monster of Ee thingy is tough, and I'm having a tough time concentrating enough forces to the city to shut them down, but they don't really threaten me, so this is not a case of "shut down the monster portal by x date, or they'll take over discworld". And in any case, just how do you beat them? I have the close portal spell, and the heroine, but where do I use it? Tactics and strategy I'll pick up in this game, and play again knowing exactly how to.

Don't get me wrong: I love being in the dark to an extent and discovering a scenario - a pleasure I can't derive from playing my own - which is one reason why I like this so much at first glance. But maybe a little more up-front guidance; a real time challenge, or an "avoid the apocalypse" objective might serve a little better, than what seems to me to be fairly relaxed time-wise. I may be mistaken. I'm sorry I didn't really pay attention during the design.

Hope this feedback is useful.

[Panda]

Oh, and one bug: I was trying to transform the area around Copperhead using the Golems and found this screwed up. The terrain changes to "rabbit" believe it not. Transform again and it turns to desert. I checked the rules and found you'd set transforming to "no", which obviously doesn't work.

Landscaping on this scale is not unheard of on Discworld: remember "Bloody Stupid" Johnson and his hillock? Maybe you should just allow it as normal, or try having terrain transform into the same type of terrain, i.e. grassland > grassland (would this work??).

[rjmatsleepers]

Originally posted by Panda
Hi Cyrion,


I'm not sure how re-playable it will prove. I haven't checked if there is an end date, so I'm in no real hurry to roll back the Monsters, who aren't that much of a threat to the cities. Granted, the monster of Ee thingy is tough, and I'm having a tough time concentrating enough forces to the city to shut them down, but they don't really threaten me, so this is not a case of "shut down the monster portal by x date, or they'll take over discworld". And in any case, just how do you beat them? I have the close portal spell, and the heroine, but where do I use it? Tactics and strategy I'll pick up in this game, and play again knowing exactly how to.


Hope this feedback is useful.

I'm sure Cyrion will speak for him self, but here is my opinion. Where you use the portal closure spell is up to you ... but if you don't use it to destroy the lost city, you'll have to use a lot of other units. And the lost city is ... well ... lost. You'll have to locate it. But since it spawns bad guys it's worth looking in the direction that the bad guys seem to come from.

One of the issues about re-playability of the scenario is that the location of the various happenings gradually becomes known to you. Actually I found that helped. I floundered quite a bit during my first attempt at the scenario, but got better as I learned more about how it worked. I also enjoyed replaying it as a different civ.

RJM at Sleeper's

PS the transformation thing sounds like a bug, but whether it's a bug in the scenario or with the game I'm not sure.

[N35t0r]

Panda, does it turn to a rivered rabbit?

it is a bug of the game, i'm afraid. (it can be exploited to add rivers in-game, which can be very useful)...

it could be solved by making each terrain type transform to itself, but i havent tested it.

[Cyrion]

Panda, first of all, thanks for your kind words!

I'm really glad you enjoy it, as it took me (us) quite a long time to put it together...

Originally posted by Panda
I'm up to about year 73 now, playing as the Ramtops, finished my research a few years back (maybe the tech rate could be slowed down?). One reason for this, of course, is that given the nature of the units available to me to build, I go for merchants nearly all the time, which accelerates the research. I'm allowing Ankh-Morpork to survive simply to maximise my trade bonuses.

A tactic I used as well in some of my test games, notably while playing Ramtops!

I love the way you've induced a narrative into the game: the use of events is fantastic, and this is easily the best successor to the Jules Verne scenario we've seen so far (or at least that i've played).

Thank you so much!

I really wanted to give a peculiar "Discworld feel" to the scen, and the text and event was the best way I found to do that! I'm happy you think I succeded in that!

I'm not sure how re-playable it will prove. I haven't checked if there is an end date, so I'm in no real hurry to roll back the Monsters, who aren't that much of a threat to the cities. Granted, the monster of Ee thingy is tough, and I'm having a tough time concentrating enough forces to the city to shut them down, but they don't really threaten me, so this is not a case of "shut down the monster portal by x date, or they'll take over discworld". And in any case, just how do you beat them? I have the close portal spell, and the heroine, but where do I use it? Tactics and strategy I'll pick up in this game, and play again knowing exactly how to.

Yes, the end game is one of the things I'm not fully happy with: if a good alternative to what I chose (i.e. no end date, and tough but, sadly or not, not overwhelming Ee monsters) can be proposed, I promise to make an update sometimes in the near future (read: hopefully this year).

To beat the Monsters of Ee, you need to find the City of Ee (don't go looking for it too early, it won't be on the map yet...) and to destroy it (with the spell, easiest solution, or with heaps of other units, as rjm said!).

Don't get me wrong: I love being in the dark to an extent and discovering a scenario - a pleasure I can't derive from playing my own - which is one reason why I like this so much at first glance. But maybe a little more up-front guidance; a real time challenge, or an "avoid the apocalypse" objective might serve a little better, than what seems to me to be fairly relaxed time-wise. I may be mistaken. I'm sorry I didn't really pay attention during the design.

You are right, an end-game objective is needed, but I was sadly unable to imagine anything for that! Maybe you can help there??

Hope this feedback is useful.

Indeed it is, keep on going!

[Cyrion]

Originally posted by Panda
Oh, and one bug: I was trying to transform the area around Copperhead using the Golems and found this screwed up. The terrain changes to "rabbit" believe it not. Transform again and it turns to desert. I checked the rules and found you'd set transforming to "no", which obviously doesn't work.

Landscaping on this scale is not unheard of on Discworld: remember "Bloody Stupid" Johnson and his hillock? Maybe you should just allow it as normal, or try having terrain transform into the same type of terrain, i.e. grassland > grassland (would this work??).

Now, that sounds like a "game" bug, and not a "scen" bug, as I clearly remember (as you noticed) I st the transforming to "no"!

As you and N35t0r suggested, having the terrain transform to itself might be the solution?? (sorry, BJ Johnson...) One more reason to make an update someday...

[Cyrion]

OK, as I stated in the last posts a few month ago, I wouldn't mind updating the end game!

So do some of you still remember this scen, did you play it, and what could I do to make en enjoyable end game??

PS: nice way to bump my scen back to where it can be seen, isn't it?

[rjmatsleepers]

A couple of the options are ...

1. Victory when 4 enemy capitals are controlled;

2. Victory when the lost city is destroyed.

I think I prefer the second version. However, I think the main thing is some message to show that you have won - the flashier, the better!

RJM at Sleeper's

[-Jrabbit]

Just downloaded for the first time, planning to play after a few other obligations are done.

So I'm bumping this thread.

[Cyrion]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
So I'm bumping this thread.

What a nice idea!

Enjoy!

And feedback welcome, as a revision of this scen will probably take place this year! (once I've done Pomarj...)

[snoopy369]

Not being usually a civ2 player but a civ3 one, i'm not sure exactly what you can do in a civ2 scenario, but ...

... can you (drastically) increase the amount of monsters that come out of the lost city of Ee over time, ie forcing the player to confront it ultimately (or be swamped with monsters)? Then the 'winning' point would be, as previously stated, "Destroy the Lost City of Ee", and the player would pretty much have to do it ... unless you made a second version of the update that didn't have the Ee acceleration for those who don't like it, which there will undoubtedly be some ...

[Cyrion]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Not being usually a civ2 player but a civ3 one, i'm not sure exactly what you can do in a civ2 scenario, but ...

Civ3? Nobody is perfect...

... can you (drastically) increase the amount of monsters that come out of the lost city of Ee over time, ie forcing the player to confront it ultimately (or be swamped with monsters)? Then the 'winning' point would be, as previously stated, "Destroy the Lost City of Ee", and the player would pretty much have to do it ... unless you made a second version of the update that didn't have the Ee acceleration for those who don't like it, which there will undoubtedly be some ...

I came to the same conclusion: the lost city isn't enough of a threat right now, so when I decide to make the update, this will definitely be modified (and this is easy!), so the city will spawn about 3 times more monsters than it actually does! Do you think this would be enough, or would more be needed?? I guess that'll have to be tested...

[atomant]

This is bloody brilliant.... Where (or when) is episode two coming out?

[techumseh]

What's the story behind this scenario?