Tower of Babel

[Kody]

Just some thoughts

* A real roleplay only faction
* Peacekeepers in game (renamed Tower of Babel)
* Only allowed to build 1 city for the duration of the game
* Membership open to people that are even in other factions
* Neturality in meta-game politics

Purpose
* The city exists to generate prizes for competitions (debating/puzzles etc)
* Trusted members (not affliated with other factions) will offer strategy services for other factions if required
* provides contracted paper publishing for other factions
* The Tower of Babel will keep records of the progress of the game for new members
* It will provide a place new members can join up and later decide which faction they wish to join.

As for slowing down the game, with only one city and no diplomancy it shouldn't be a problem.

From a roleplay prespective if any of the other 4 factions as a faction decides that Babel needs to be destoryed the Babel will self destruct. This is because the very openness of Babel means that another faction can easily undermine it bringing its downfall.

....

So what comments?

[Illuminatus]

Could it also be, I don` know, manifestation of Planetary Council itself, in a way that their members, who are also memebers of other factions could negotiate diplomatic deals.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Seems all thouse goals could be achived without taking up taking up one of the games Faction Slots (even if it would be an AI) and without creating the inevitable delay caused by another Player Faction.

I must give this idea a thumbs down in its present form, come up withsomething that dosent require you to have a Base and Faction in the game I could support it.

[Kody]

The reason why I suggested this is because people were interested in roleplay, but the best they could come up with was making it compulsory. This suggestion was to encourage roleplay in a few ways. (By the way I'm currently not offering to spend anytime running the faction, so someone else needs to be interested to get this idea out of the water.)

Impaler, in response to your comment about the actual faction not being required in the game.....

An actual faction in the game with some (if somewhat limited) real resources helps to keep people together. People would not be interested in factions that only exist in name and it will disband just like many other things I've observed in the previous DG game.

Also by having a faction that can cause in game impact. Things like the debating flickered out because there was no real game incentive to participate. A single city that generates a little cash can actually offer in game prizes for competitions.

Bad Points
* Additional time taken in having another faction. Unavoidable to tell the truth. However, I imagined that since this faction is not game orientated and only 1 city you don't need a set turnplayer so first person that turns up can play the turn or possibly even the same turnplayer from the faction before Babel (the faction is pretty much open for any other team).
* Currently nobody willing to take responsibility for the faction.

Good Points
* If people decide that Babel isn't required anymore, all it requires is another faction to declare that Babel must fall and it will be out of the game. Babel will always be a small military/technologically/economically weak underdog and it will be interesting to see the diplomatic struggle in keeping the faction alive in the later game. (that's the main thing I want to see)

* Babel will be used to generate ECs or techs for in game prizes providing a real reward for winner of debates and competitions.

* Babel allows everyone a premise for interacting with other teams will help with some of the early day boredom. Babel could be the early game diplomatic minefield such as Voltaire is looking for since basically there will be members from all the factions.

* It'll encourage roleplay that is related to the ACDG between factions. Roleplay that isn't tied to a player's main chosen faction. This is important as players tend to hold back in roleplaying with other factions due to prevent leaking of information. Babel will provide a middle ground that people can interact on without touching sensitive information.

* One of Babel's tasks will be gathering new members, it will allow new players the opportunity to join the game without committing to a certain faction. Or a place to go if a faction is eliminated or if a member has a problem with the management.

* If one faction is seriously lacking in roleplay or strategy it is hoped that trusted and unaffiliated members of Babel will be able help that faction out. Hopefully also helping that faction, by nudging a few new people towards the faction that is suffering membership problems.

__________________________________________________ ____

This was just my solution for several of the roleplay and a few of the metagame problems that I observed in the last ACDG. In no way should this be taken as a fixed solution, just me throwing out ideas and you can do with them what you will.

[MrWhereItsAt]

It certainly sounds like a neat idea, Kody. Only downside I can see is it possibly drawing badly needed people away from the other factions. I really think everyone involved should seriously consider this and not write it off straight away ( I know you didn;t, Impaler, but some may have!).

[Kody]

That's a good point MrWhereItsAt. It's hoped it will partially offset by allowing people to have dual membership of Babel and their main faction. It will draw people's time away from other factions neverless. Although in my ideal running of the faction I see much of that time will be spent improving the ACDG overall by attracting new members to the game as a whole, helping other factions and encourging roleplay during the slow times.

If I had the time to assist I reckon I could promise that it would be worthwhile, that it wouldn't slow the game down and it would help activity during the slow times. Then again I don't have the time to forum camp for more than half the day the way I did for the first ACDG. Really how successfully Babel would achieve the goals I've outlined depends whether there is someone interested in running mainly roleplay faction and who is able to organise to some degree. Maybe there's someone else out there who wants roleplay while avoiding the whole competitive aspect of the ACDG.

PS: I also think that news updates for the http://apolyton.com/smac/ and DG news should be submitted.

[Impaler[WrG]]

I like the idea of having a small group of nutral RolePlayers/Historians/Chearleaders to support the game as a whole. They could rectuit people into the game in general (by that I mean making people aware of the Game in the first place and getting them into it without specificaly trying to get them into any one faction).

They could also compile a "History of Planet" keeping track of various in game events and providing a good source for new members to learn whats been going on before they joined.

I still dont belive an ingame faction is apropriate though and the ability to produce energy Credits would likly be insignificant with only 1 base. Also theirs the nasty potential for an AI to desice it dosent like the Tower of Babble and desides to destroy it. Another think to consider, the Planetary Data Links (an already weak Project) would become even weaker if 1 of the 7 factions is making no attempt to gain tecnologies.

[MrWhereItsAt]

One base can still amass a fair number of ECs with good numbers of Energy improvements and Crawlers (especially if they make an energy park nearby). The rewards wouldn't be huge anyway, or that would be a bit unbalancing - 50 or so ECs would help with things though.

I am assured a scenario could be made where the AI leave Babel alone. Finally if the Data links are useless already then making them more useless is hardly going to matter. No-one will be rushing for this SP whatever you do.

[Illuminatus]

Some thougths: base should be allowed to terraform surroundings to gradually increase energy production. Also faction should be tweaked to have no initial tech, maybe Battle Ogre III as a bonus unit, and immunity to mind control. Also CMN can tweak AIs to be friendly to Babel, and in addition to Battle Ogre III and immunity to mind control this should make up for defences of Babel.

[Hercules]

I tend to agree with Impaler here. And I think it would alter the game dynamics.
But I do like a forum such as this Tower of Babel idea. Teams need to be able to meet informally from the outset but without discussing in-game matters.

[Enigma_Nova]

It depends on what you'll do with the terrain.

Obviously that tower has to stand somewhere, and if it's next to my own city, you've got a problem.
Place it so that it does not steal land from others, or get in the way of an attack, and you've got a deal.

The RP/spam can be done in its forum; I think it is a decent idea.
Having prizes for debates and trivia would be an unbalancing boost to [insert my faction here], but aside from that it is okay.

What about MWs? Is it possible that planet itself is going to wind up hating the ToB?
Planetary council - lower sea levels?
What if some sneaky devil decides to probe the ToB?

Gotta consider that.

[Kody]

The way I see it is while this Babel will be different from most other factions in that it will have to rely mainly on diplomancy for it's own defence.

Planet is fairly easy to defend against, so that won't be a problem. Against the AI any half decent player can hold out for a couple of turns assuming the tower starts on a small island. If the Tower does get into serious trouble against the AI I guess it will have to start begging for military support from human factions. Against human factions it will have to rely on generating goodwill. Basically motivation for the faction to be actively keeping itself alive rather than sitting there like a bloated duck with a forcefield around itself.

Giving huge defence bonuses to keep the faction alive would just make it all less interesting, just because a faction goals are different doesn't mean it doesn't have to eke it's place in the world just like every other faction.

If Babel does get destoried the roleplay goes that the people of Babel scattered to the winds, but still tried their best to achieve the original goals (in relation to serving the game) in exile. I always felt the brightest sparks were always the ones that were most easily extingushed.

As for just having a forum without the in game faction.... well I admit having a faction changes game dynamics, but people rarely commit to things that are intangible and I had trouble seeing it happen without something to help bind all the things together. If others think it'll last past a week let alone month as an intangible thing then maybe it might work.

[foolish_icarus]

I like it

The faction would have to be completely isolationist, yes? No units outside of its own territorial boundaries?

[Voltaire]

I love this idea Kody! In truth I'm not really all that keen on joining any of the other factions, this would give an oppertunity to people who feel that way to still participate in the game in some manner or other.

[Googlie]

Like an OCC game within the ACDG itself - interesting