Turns of ACT040 game in Apolyton PBEM Tournament

[buster]

2131 to Gaia

The ravaging hordes are bored stiff. Expected to take around 276 years to develop flexibility and by the then we will be lucky if a combined assault will even make a dent in former.

[Hobbes_One]

Turn turned.

Upon hearing the above news, the Hobbit citizens declared a weeks holiday filled with feasting, carousing and lots of reggae.

(Can we have it in writing though please? ie I Buster hereby promise not to show up near any Hobbit bases for a minimum of 276 years.....) LOL

Hobbes

[buster]

2132 to gaia.

Found a mindworm to kill and the troops brightened up a bit.

Meanwhile we are praying for a miracle. As is well known, God is on our side and we are hoping for an illust.. - let me rephrase - demonstration of his trust in us such as a "rain of tech" or "two-turn special projects".

A landbridge to Gaia would of course also be appreciated. I am sure we would get along fine.

[WhiteElephants]

This information has been declassified from the Morgan Datalinks, although the exact date of this entry is still highly classified.

Morgan expansionist Colony Morgan Trust and Terraformer 62-52-13 were ruthlessly attacked and deystroyed today by an alien speciemen of this planet. Citizens are encouraged to stay clear of the fungus fields and within the perimeter of our sensor arrays to ensure protection.

[Hobbes_One]

Turn turned.

Tell you what Buster, if those prayers of yours are answered- "rain of tech" or "two-turn special projects", we will convert immediately.

Hobbes

[buster]

2133 to Gaia.

No luck so far. Also wish uni had done more terraforming.

Will I have to do everything myself in this game?

[Hobbes_One]

Turn not received yet- but I am a long way away!

Has everyone seen the thread: http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum27/HTML/000326.html?9

It affects our game- unless Uni was on transcend, in which case the point is moot though it may give JDC some comfort to know he was labouring under a handicap.

Please post what level you are playing by checking the cost of an SE change: 40 for Transcend, 24 for librarian?

Hobbes

[WhiteElephants]

Well piss up a rope! Actually Hobbes, I think you are the one under the handicap because it is the Gaians who have the first turn. Anyway I couldn't figure out why the screen with the picture of Morgan wasn't popping up when I loaded our game and why when I moved my scout out of my size 2 city it didn't riot. I was waiting for more proof and haven't changed SE setting yet. I actually hadn't even thought to look. Well crap. What do we do?

[Googlie]

In one of the affected games I'm in I've suggested that we play on, but that each lower diff player remits ten credits/turn to the affected starter, and also gives a free tech every 25 turns or so (or maybe a 2 for 1 every second trade).

Doesn't help the drone problem he'll face, but will slightly redress the extra cost of building units/facilities and the slower tech development.

Imperfect and somewhat arbitrary, but better than undoing three months of invested time.

G.

[buster]

I will leave it to Hobbes. I will understand if he wants to restart as I wanted to in another.

The arbitrary solutions of giving tech or energy now and then I just do not like. In the end it may end up to mean more for who wins if we decide its ever 8th or 15th turn a free tech is given than how one plays. It just has too much of an impact and does not address the real problem, which is that things behave differently on transcend.
If anything I can better live with giving energy than tech (besides that I probably wont have much tech to give for a long while).

Hobbes can take the challenge to play with a handicap (which I have little doubt will eventually bring him down)or we can restart.

To me restarting is no great loss. I enjoy the beginning phase as much as the later ones. The need to make the best of what one is given is as strong there as later.

We can also go on if Hobbes wishes it. If it will be fun to him to try to pull it off despite the odds, fine with me. As long as we do not have to restart then in thirty or fifty turns once it starts to impact.

Playing a game where the behaviour of the whole game is radically changed (like I think the arbitrary solutions will do)do not hold much appeal. It does not show much, teach much or really say anything about anything.

Personally I was looking forward to this tournament. I feel I have a good understanding of SMAC but here is where one can really see. Introducing arbitraries will to me pretty much ruin the idea.

If I were hobbes I would restart. After all we are only about 15% into the game.
If he thinks it will be interesting to move on, fine with me too as long as he goes to the end.

There are/were still three others and we will all know why he had a hard time. But some in between solution, which I cannot really tell if its only little help, actually makes up for the problem or ends up tipping the scale the other way have little interest.

[Hobbes_One]

I have asked Tau for a restart of this game.

Hobbes

[WhiteElephants]

I'm not too keen on the idea of restarting, but I'm even less keen on giving away tech and what not. I'm up for a restart, but what do we do about Jacques? My guess is that he is going to get his chance for revenge. I'll email him and see if he is interested.

[Jacques De Carufel]

I would obviously love to... but was not affected by the bug.

If it's OK with everyone, then yes.

Jacques.

[buster]

One little comment. When we restart - if it is same map and factions, I would appreciate new starting positions.

Otherwise it could get messy from the start now that a few of us where each others are and may have been practicing saying "payback time" for a while.

[Tau Ceti]

I am going to give you a new map but the same factions.

(Though it would have been an interesting experiment to use the same setup and see what had happened... )