Re 'Game setup - information'

[Maniac]

In buster's thread about the game setup he posted the following:

Without saying too much you are all likely to run into Hive as your first encounter.

So I guess this means we'll all four meet the Hive as our first faction.

Therefore I was wondering, does anybody know if AIs trade commlink frequencies of other human factions in PBEMs?

If they do, that would mean the four human factions will have each other's commlink very soon. That's in Sparta's disadvantage I guess, since it means we can't make the maximal use of our faster exploration and thus greater likelihood to meet several factions early in the game (and thus act as a middleman in trades etc).

Also, based on this little piece of information, how do you think the game map will look? Has anyone here played PBEMs set up by buster? And do you have a general idea how he creates his maps and game setups?

Some possibilities I've thought of are the Hive in the centre, and all six factions around it, with isthmuses connecting their peninsula to the central Hive continent. Or another possibility would be again the Hive in the middle, with the four human factions around it, and Zak & Lal on a seperate continent on the opposite side of Planet.

What do guys think of this? Likely possibilities, or do you think we'll encounter something else?

[DeathByTheSword]

well all a possibility but with this information we have right now....we need to wait for more info

[Googlie]

Re: Re 'Game setup - information'

Originally posted by Maniac
Therefore I was wondering, does anybody know if AIs trade commlink frequencies of other human factions in PBEMs?

They can't

extracted from readme.txt of SMAC v 2.0, FIXES (and incorporated in all subsequent releases)
AI doesn't offer a human controlled faction's comm frequency to other human players in MP.

[Googlie]

Re: Re 'Game setup - information'

Originally posted by Maniac
how do you think the game map will look?

How I wish I hadn't deleted without opening that file Buster sent me for a second opinion (just kidding......)

G GLIE

[Kassiopeia]

There must to be a large Hiverian continent in the middle with the four human-controlled factions populating peninsulas that jut out of the continent, just like you speculated. That's the only way buster could be so sure about it. I wonder if the Hive will have large settlements in there already, or whether we could make a run for it and try to grab as much land there as possible.

[Maniac]

Re: Re: Re 'Game setup - information'

Originally posted by Googlie
They can't

That begs for a

Originally posted by Kassiopeia
I wonder if the Hive will have large settlements in there already, or whether we could make a run for it and try to grab as much land there as possible.

buster says this:
"The AI has been given a slight head start - Hive by getting an extra CP, a couple of extra formers plus very fertile territory"
So probably no settlements already there. Though of course the Hive already is more or less the faction the AI played best, so with an extra CP and very fertile territory they'll probably expand like rabbits.