SMAC-DG Political Compass

[FlameFlash]

Well spoken, Adam!

[Method]

Economic Left/Right: -3.62
Authoritarian/Libertarian: -3.90

didn't copy the second test but it was %70 %50 IIRC.

[Pandemoniak]

Anyone want to help me to write a test specific to SMAC ?

[Maniac]

Great idea! But what exactly do you have in mind? Asking some gameplay questions, and out of the answers will come the right party for you? Or something general, not specifically for this demo game?

[Pandemoniak]

Something general, based upon the way politic is organized in this demo game. I d rather focus on ideology, since SMAC is all about ideology, rather than gameplay.

What should be the results ?
A two scale grid ? A three scale grid (add ecology) ? A four scale grid (add ecology and religion) ?
Or it could be faction related : like you're 21%Hive, 56%Drones, etc... It doesnt sound good to me...

[Zakharov VII]

SMAC thing sounds fun .

Rather than a grid, maybe the results could be something like...

Prefered Government: Democracy (85%)
Prefered Economics: Free Market (40%)
Prefered Values: Knowledge (75%)
Prefered Future Society: Cybernetic (55%)

Most similar faction: University (40%)

Z

[FlameFlash]

I like Zakharov's idea for the set-up Good idea though, Pandemoniak... how are you going to go about it? php? I have no knowledge of that language or I'd happily help out... *sighs*

Although if you have any ideas in what way you want to wording to go, one of my current studies in Uni is how to make unbiased polls, so if you need help in that department, I'd be happy to assist.

[Pandemoniak]

Originally posted by Zakharov VII
SMAC thing sounds fun .

Rather than a grid, maybe the results could be something like...

Prefered Government: Democracy (85%)
Prefered Economics: Free Market (40%)
Prefered Values: Knowledge (75%)
Prefered Future Society: Cybernetic (55%)

Most similar faction: University (40%)

Z

No offense, but it sounds really primitive.
I think we can set up a test so that we take account of different choices : ie being 55% Cybernetic and 45% Eudaimonia is far different of 55% Cybernetic and 45% Police State.
Therefore, I think the best thing to do is to set up a scale for each category (politic, economy, value, future).
We have to keep in mind that this is futuristic governments, and so Democracy probably hasnt the same meaning as our nowadays democracy.
Moreover, we must strictly go for ideology and not for gameplay. Its a political compass test, not a "what kind of SMAC player are you ?"test, so it musnt be based on gameplay.

I know Im just throwing ideas there, its still messy in my head... Feedback Welcome.

To FlameFlash : Lets set it up in PNP (Pencil and Paper), and we'll deal with coding later, okay ?

[Maniac]

Personally I think the SMAC SE system sucks and it is thus impossible to make a good test around it. For example, Fundamentalism is just a special flavour of police state, the authoritarian side of the auth.<->libertarian axis. Likewise Green is not a pure economic choice, but rather belongs to values. Only questions for FM<->Planned can be made up. And what to do about future societies? Can anyone give a closing definition of Eudaimonia?

[FlameFlash]

Will do Pandemoniak! Whenever I get offered neat ideas I can help out with sometimes I get overly

Maniac, you have some points... but stop peeing in the pool! We can do it if we all together!

[moomin]

SMAC poll? Yeah. As long as I get to choose who looks best; Miriam or Deidre...

[DeathByTheSword]

well thats a stupid question a woman that takes a mudbath everday or a woman that prayers in a dark and dampy churh......

[Anodyne]

DBTS> Well... if you like dark and dampy...
j/k, I prefer mudbaths

Now, that smaller poll listed me as Left-Liberal with;
Your Personal Self-Government Score is 90%.
Your Economic Self-Government Score is 30%.

And the POLITICAL COMPASS;
Economic Left/Right: -3.25
Authoritarian/Libertarian: -8.00

...Oh, and btw, I, as the founder of LSD, also considered Free Market as a viable option.

[Maniac]

In case anyone is interested, this is how I would organize SE in an earth scenario of mine. It has 6 fields. Two of them have four choices. The other four have two choices each, but they are combined to create 2x4 instead of 4x2 axises, everything together resulting in 16 choices:

Res: Research
Gro: Growth
Pol: Police
Pro: Probe
Eff: Efficiency
Ind: Industry
Eco: Economy
Pla: Planet
Mor: Morale
Sup: Support
Tal: Talent

Social Politics
Democratic: +2 Res, +2 Gro, -3 Pol
Totalitarian: +2 Pol, +2 Pro, +Eff, -2 Res

State Structure
Centralist: +2 Res, +Ind, -2 Pol
Confederate: +2 Pol, +2 Eff, -2 Ind

Economics
Free Market: +2 Eco, -2 Ind, -2 Pla
Planned: +2 Ind, +2 Gro, -2 Res

Foreign Trade Policy
Protectionist: +2 Talent (unused SE factor), +2 Pro, +Ind, -2 Res
Open: +1 Eco, +2 Res, -2 Pro, -2 Tal

Ruling Class
Technocrat: +2 Res, +2 Eff, -2 Sup
Harmonic (leftish green guys): +2 Pla, +2 Tal, -2 Gro
Junta: +2 Mor, +2 Sup, -2 Ind
Merchant: +Eco, +Ind, -2 Mor

Army (I'm not entirely content with that one, but couldn't find another good axis)
Levée-en-Masse: +2 Sup, +2 Pro, -2 Mor, -2 Gro
Conscript: No effects
Professional: +2 Mor, +2 Pla, -2 Sup
Robotic: +2 Gro, +Pol, +2Tal, -4 Sup

I think this is much better than the original Firaxis SE choices...

[FlameFlash]

[now made irrelevent]I'm understanding some of the abbr. but would you mind posting a key for them?[/now made irrelevent]

Edit: Thanks Ade