Next DG Discussion

[Maniac]

Originally posted by GeoModder
BinTravkin: Believers!

It would certainly be a different roleplay experience than most others before... Though a worry I have: in about all polls the Believers are indicated to be the least liked factions. Won't choosing them scare off many non-Christian SMACers? Eg I can't see Archaic or GeneralTacticus participating in a faction that has anything vaguely mentioning God or religion.

Though of course perhaps they could then play as a human faction, as our archenemies the University of Planet.

About having human opponents, I'd like it. Though I have my doubts about only giving them partial control over their faction, and eg set governors in all bases. Wouldn't it be terribly boring and frustrating for this human player of the semi-AI faction to see the AI screw up all your good work? Better would be to give them full control, but as mentioned by others, give them specific goals or limitations in strategy. Eg to give the example of Archaic playing the University, his goal would be to achieve transcendence, and he would have to play pacifist: not be allowed to conquer another faction's bases (unless perhaps they are founded within a certain range of his own bases - that could be considered a defensive military operation).

[Drogue]

Originally posted by GeoModder
In case this becomes a one team ACDG, I would propose 1 turn/day. This for people who can't be online on a given agreed upon time, and so that gameplay is possible for those who cannot use the chat thing. (I for instance can't access 'Poly chatrooms)

The idea last time was to find a time that suited the most people. Playing one a day means every elected director needs to give orders every day, which I can't see happening. Turnchat isn't compulsory (except for the turnplayer), since you post orders beforehand. However it's there in case something unexpected comes up. Moreover, it means turning up to turnchat every night, which I can't see anyone being able to do without fail (and the turnplayer needs to without fail).

And we can use a different chatroom, if Poly's doesn't work well.

[GeoModder]

Yes, I can see that, Drogue. But having an agreed weekend day in which the turns must be played means that some participants won't be able to promote themself for one of those director posts in case they have weekend workshifts or whatever else social happenings, for playing 7 turns in a row means for sure obstacles will happen.

It might be more profitable to only found so many bases as there are (active) governors available for them, and give a great deal of independency to those governing players. It means of course a great deal of processing incoming orders, and it could always happen that a given governor becomes non-active in which case unfortunately a base should be given AI-governed controll 'till a replacement player is found.

The faction leader would govern the HQ base then, and when another guy is elected in his place, a base swap will find place.

[binTravkin]

Won't choosing them scare off many non-Christian SMACers?

Im 100% atheist, but it won't scare me, if you place me at the position of "Leader Of All Believer Terrorist Organisations".

Or at least in the position of mullah..

[AndiD]

I guess the choice of faction shouldn't perhaps limit the playstyle too much - Cult and Believers are maybe too much a Momentum faction - just like Morgan is too much a Builder. PKs were in the first game, right?

So perhaps now

- CyCon: peace & commerce is rational as well as achieving global dominance by force (banned SE doesn't really limit the player)

- Angels: Hacker or Cracker - White-hats or Black-hats? (banned SE doesn't really limit player - and more baseline than CyCon in regard to SE settings)

- Sparta: Well-armed isolationists or the menace of Planet?

- Drones: Building is what they do - but do they build an army or infrastructure? (No Green Party though...)

- Uni: Research blazing guns or peaceful infrastructure (maybe too easy a game? )

Gaia cannot do Free Market and Hive not Democracy so that isn't as flexible as some people might want. The Pirates can't effectively do Free Market either (no ships outside territory) so that is limiting again. Forgot anybody?

(BTW, I'm pretty neutral about having the "other" factions played by (single?) humans in 24 hours max. or the AI. Humans are smarter to interact with but give us coordination problems with the forum - the AI plays immediately but is dumb and allows easy infiltration for example)

[Net Warrior]

So, any unit homed in to a base would be under the control of that bases governor, right?

[Drogue]

I thought we'd play as the PKs again, for roleplaying sake. We're playing as a democracy game, and the PKs mean the grand discussions, elections and referendums are all in character.

I don't think we could play Morgans, Drones or Gaians, as that removes options we may want to choose in SE, and a lot of discussion. Hive and Believers stop us being democratic, which would seem a little strange.

Uni might be good, though it might stifle ethics and value arguments. CyCon is possible, though somehow a democracy game and elections doesn't seem to go well with having a common mind. Angels could be interesting, but they do have something of a set agenda, and being Sparta could be a problem for values discussion, as well as being a momentum faction.

I think the PKs are easily best, but we'd probably poll it, all factions first, then a run off between the top 3 or 4, or something.

Originally posted by GeoModder
Yes, I can see that, Drogue. But having an agreed weekend day in which the turns must be played means that some participants won't be able to promote themself for one of those director posts in case they have weekend workshifts or whatever else social happenings, for playing 7 turns in a row means for sure obstacles will happen.

True, but that's what orders are for. I do see the problem, though it didn't seem like a major problem last time. I do see there could be an issue, but we can discuss what time is most suitable and it can change. Having a turnchat every night means we never have more than a few people there. I personally liked the idea of meeting up as a team and playing it at that time.

Originally posted by GeoModder
It might be more profitable to only found so many bases as there are (active) governors available for them, and give a great deal of independency to those governing players. It means of course a great deal of processing incoming orders, and it could always happen that a given governor becomes non-active in which case unfortunately a base should be given AI-governed controll 'till a replacement player is found.

Governors were for a particular region, not for individual bases.

[Drogue]

Originally posted by AndiD
the AI plays immediately but is dumb and allows easy infiltration for example)

Not with Googlie's probe tweak True, it's not a human style, but it could eb challenging.

I would favour starting from the beginning though, it seems to be more in keeping RP-wise, to decide how we start and what we do, where we found bases, and so the start is in keeping with our playing start. Besides, it's an important part of the game that can shape many things. However I've no aversion to giving the AI a head start, with founded bases etc. Just losing the first 20 years seems very drastic.

[GeoModder]

In a 'every participant a base governor' setup only defensive units or even solely light police units, crawlers, formers and unarmed transports. Offensive units would fall under command of the faction leader I suppose. Perhaps we should allow probe teams to be under a base governors' control (or at least those not assigned to the faction Intelligence Agency (a distinction between Internal Affair agents and External Affair agents).

Guess what (possible) havoc such an internal affairs agent can inflict abroad on which the DG faction as a whole gets the blame.

The problem is how to allocate the energy for rushing production(s) for facilities. I suppose every base must pay 'taxes' to the faction leader according to energy income (a percentage, or an amount compared to population level), but that would require that at least the base governors keep track of the energy on which they have a right to call upon.

Faction leader should have a right to override production requests in case of war, and at least the right in peacetime to order a military production, things like that.

For founding new bases, that should be ordered by the faction leader I guess, whenever a new participant declares himself ready to govern one. Or else a system that a new base goes to a affiliated participant (political color or sth alike) of a given governor. That way bases from the same political 'bloc' might be pretty close to one another.

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by Drogue
Governors were for a particular region, not for individual bases.

Yes, I already knew that, but what's the harm in trying to detail it a little more? I feel that it would keep us all a bit more on our toes, and it would preclude a runaway ICS effect in which we're bound to win too soon from the AI-factions.

Even if there are so many participants we need say 20+ bases, there could be a rule that every main department head was not allowed to govern a base.

Originally posted by Drogue
I thought we'd play as the PKs again, for roleplaying sake. We're playing as a democracy game, and the PKs mean the grand discussions, elections and referendums are all in character.

In case of the Believers it could be an issue in trying to find a balance between beliefs and freedom of speech.

What I like in this faction is that it can have all possible SE settings. We're not bound to be a fundamentalistic faction, and it would make roleplay so much more challenging.

Also, it wouldn't give us too soon technological superiority over the AI's. Again, this keeps us on our toes way longer. And stray acts from private governors could always be explained as 'the will of god' as they saw it.

[arginine]

Call me baist, but I would like to bring to light the market type system of buying and selling of bases, and territories, etc as originally proposed for Morgan Industries (but later abandoned due to manpower requirements.)

We never did get to do an advocate for open markets using cheap weapon systems Even Marx acknowledged that as the highest form of capitalism

[Method]

Originally posted by Drogue
the region STEP controlled (Akiria) was without boreholes and has lush green land, etc.

Operation Swiss Cheese went ahead unswerved in Aurillion, however

[GeoModder]

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Method
Operation Swiss Cheese went ahead unswerved in Aurillion, however

But not in Akiria I kept my green and pleasant land.

[Method]

Communism