Claustrophobia: Try something new

[Enigma_Nova]

All right, I've been designing a map which is quite unlike any other you're likely to have seen.
Continue reading ONLY if you want to try something new.

It's an 8 x 16 scenario, but there is a challenge:
The way I've placed the bases, you can't start an attack until -something- changes the game map.
I've turned off unity pods so no earthquake...

Each player starts in the middle of a 3x3 island.
There's a rocky + mins bonus on the corners, and a rainy nut bonus on the edges. The island is covered in jungle, uranium and rivers.
There's a problem: FUNGUS.
You have to clear it first!

The rules:
Play is at Transcend
All victories on
No unity pods, no random events.
Restart eliminated players is OFF
...
8 x 16 map, 6 factions (hence the name Claustrophobia)
50-70% ocean
Dense clouds
Hilly terrain
Abundant life

Exploits allowed:
No reloads, no changing citizens in the F4 screen.
All else is good to go. (Get your rovers from your probes and your Stockpile in your queue!)

People can pick the faction they want...
Gaians and CyCon have been called.

[Snowflake]

So nowhere to expand until flex. Looks to me the game is very unbalanced toward factions that can eat fungus in the start? Uni may be worth of a try for its early research ability. Other functions do not seem to be attractive at all ... Or was I being too narrow minded?

[Flubber]

Seems wild-- If I am understanding the setup correctly, there is no way to meet, build a base, build a ship or anything until you change your landlocked situation

I'll take the university

[Maniac]

Interesting... I might be interested. Can I reserve a spot until I think what faction to play?

[Maniac]

There's a rocky + mins bonus on the corners, and a rainy nut bonus on the edges

Is that on ALL edges and corners, meaning four nuts and four mins, or only one per island?

[Maniac]

Unless the aliens or the pirates are allowed for me it's a difficult choice between the Gaians or the Peacekeepers. But I think I'll go for Lal. I'll have formers somewhat later than the rest of you, but his other advantages will hopefully make up for that.

[Snowflake]

Originally posted by Flubber
If I am understanding the setup correctly, there is no way to meet, build a base, build a ship or anything until you change your landlocked situation

That's right. I was wrong when I talked about flex.

[Flubber]

Do you have this done and available as a Single player scenario-- I am thinking I might want to give it a try as a SP. (I guess I could try to duplicate the map myself since the layout of the 6 islands would have to be in 2 rows of 3 to fit in a map that is 8x16)

As I am thinking about it, I find the premise interesting but I am wondering if it would make for an interesting PBEM . . . . won't everyone have to spend the first x years ( 20 or 30) clearing fungus and terraforming with no exploration or expansion possible??

I am wondering if there is sufficient gameplay fun in it to keep people's interest as we try to get through what should be a pretty uneventful first several months. Why not clear the fungus or give everyone centauri ecology plus a solar on an energy special to speed things along.

Otherwise with no meetings and no possibilities to trade or steal tech, the movement up the tech tree will be very slow ( although discoveries are accelerated on a smaller map are they not??)

[laurentius]

Looks cool enigma, and im still cycon

[Flubber]

Just to be clear-- I'll play it, I just don't see the advantage of covering everything with fungus-- its a huge advantage to the factions with centauri ecology or those that can get it right away

I'll be quiet now

[Maniac]

I agree with Flubber. Though without fungus, we should make a rule that everyone HAS to found their base in the middle of the island.

[H0bbes]

With the advantage towards factions with Cent Ecol etc. as explained above; why not allow multiple cloned factions? Googlie has plenty available. I'm interested on that basis.

[johndmuller]

I might be interested in playing this too, assuming it was balanced along some of the lines already mentioned.

Certainly there are some factions more suited than others for this sort of thing, so some accomodation needs to be made like the cloned factions and/or additional free techs (i.e. CentEcol for all and something extra for Dee).

Another fix could be an additional design for a 'Unity Former' unit with no prerequisite tech, so all could build formers right out of the box.

Of course, that begs the question of why bother with the fungus then? But ... that is the essence of this challenge, so presumably it needs to be kept.

Attached a slightly larger map (16x24 in the games terms, or 16x12 actual dimensions) file with 7 factions (its mostly for the visual effect, I didn't add all the stuff or check all the terrain very closely, so it would need some more work still).

Probably if we play with this general idea, we could come up with some interesting variations that were fair, interesting and quick to play.

[Enigma_Nova]

Originally posted by HongHu
So nowhere to expand until flex.

Do or die is on.
Disband your first base, you lose everything, and I shall poke you repeatedly with my gnarled staff of mocking.
You'll need Env Econ (or a sea rise) before you can go anywhere.
Considering that it's feasable to have 35 minerals per base for 6 bases, that may be possible.

Looks to me the game is very unbalanced toward factions that can eat fungus in the start?

Hence the dibs on deedee.
But you can bet that with a 5-1-2 square under that 2-0-0 square I'll be ripping up fungus like crazy.
Also, the 1-7-2 square is kinda nice.
Did I mention that the oceans are full of fungus, but have energy bonuses?

Uni may be worth of a try for its early research ability. Other functions do not seem to be attractive at all ... Or was I being too narrow minded?

It depends on how you play. Uni and Gaians are the only realistic ones for first out of the box.

[Enigma_Nova]

Originally posted by Maniac
Is that on ALL edges and corners, meaning four nuts and four mins, or only one per island?

Yes, sir!
but you need to pull up the fungus to get to them! :P

Aliens have a bit of a jump here. I suppose I could let you play them - Lular H'minee was my second choice behind Deirdre Skye.

As for the Pirates, I'd make your first base a landlocked base, just like for everyone else. You're stuck with a free tech that's useless and a whole lot of sea squares that you can't use, and I shall poke you repeatedly with my gnarled staff of mocking.

...
So do you want H'minee or Marr?
Note that you'll still start with ONE colony pod. I'll swap your scout patrol for your mark 1 ogre.