Demogame feelings

[Humphrey]

Why do you need 14 votes?
I'd be interested in a new one, but wasn't here while the old one was going on, so didn't vote.

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by mart7x5
Could someone cast 14th vote?

I voted for the "OK - want a new one" option. I didn't like the format of the last one, as to me it seemed more like a regular PBEM, only with more diplo as you had to significantly discuss with your teammates your game approaches, etc. (or, to put it slightly differently, why I'm looking for something a little "different" in an ACDG).
One of the ideas I've had for the next ACDG was to have two teams, one team made up of the "Players", and the other made up of the "CMN", with the idea being that every 20 turns or so the CMN then get to spend maybe 5 turns getting the AIs into shape before letting the "Players" have another 20 turns at bat.
Another idea I had brought up in a seperate thread whereby a group of hero units is created that then are given specific goals in order to accomplish a "mission" set up by a CMN. The thought would be that each player beginning the ACDG would be given a unit to start with, then as a team the group would have to accomplish whatever goal(s) was set out for them by the CMN during that mission. If a unit is lost then the player responsible for that unit would have no say in matters until an other unit is "acquired" for that player (i.e. via probing, etc.) . Once the mission is complete (i.e. the surviving units have made it to a spcified destination on the map) a different CMN would then set up a different scenario with a new map and a different mission, and the game would continue. I envision this as being something like a sci-fi version of the Iliad, whereby your units are trying to get back "home", but are continually encountering strange new environments and problems along the way.


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[Kataphraktoi]

Why do you need two teams?? If its singeleplayer just activate scen edit, change stuff, then save as scenario and reopen. no cheat warning and the AI are now alive and fighting again

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi
Why do you need two teams?? If its singeleplayer just activate scen edit, change stuff, then save as scenario and reopen. no cheat warning and the AI are now alive and fighting again

The idea would be that the CMN in this case wouldn't have access to the Players private forum, and vice versa. The "CMN" in this case (or maybe "AI Assistors would be a better analgy) would be assisting the AI's based on what is available to them during their turn sequence. They wouldn't necessarily know exactly what the human players are up to. Essentially this is simply a slightly different take on an SP Challenge in order to make the AI's more competitive for a longer period.


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[Kataphraktoi]

In that case the CMN shuold have access to the players forum to see how best to boost the AI. A GM of a mmorpg ,if you will. I dislike GMs(and CMNs for that matter or any non-player involvement) but maybe it would work.Whycant the AIget boosted later if you needthem to get progressivly stronger? Its simpler and KISS is supreme.

[vyeh]

I like the idea of assisting the AI's during the game. But what happens to the Players' units, builds during the 5 turns the AI is at bat? Do they simply stand in place? What if there is a mindworm attack?

[Hercules]

reasonable questions?

[Googlie]

Kata's idea is best - the CMN can activate the editor at the end of, say, every ten turns, and add facilities, units, energy credits etc etc to the AI - change governor's orders, etc etc. One thing though that I'd prohibit the CMN from doing would be to change any SE settings or diplo status with other AI's and the human team (in other words, let it pan out without any tweaking - pacts, treaties, vendettas, etc etc)

[vyeh]

As long as the changes don't affect the intel the human team has. E.g. the human team has infiltration and knows that an AI only has 2 military units, proceeds to attack and all of a sudden the AI has way more additional military units than it could have built in a turn.

[Googlie]

Good point

[Maniac]

IMHO boosted AI faction files would already be sufficient to create a challenging AI for the first 100 years.

[Player99]

A SmAniaC ACDG would be best, because it goes much faster, and the AI plays better. The previous one was okay, but it took way too long. 2 years?

[Mart]

2 years - when you play, you do not feel it. There is so much to consider, work on strategy etc.

Yes, I think there are already ways of boosting AI in the scenario making, so there is really no more need for tweaking AI during play. The best are superAI faction files with those changes that get written into save file and after game start they cannot be taken away without scenario editor.