Forum Wars - The Ultimate Challenge

[JAMiAM]

Bingmann's SMAC repository was moved to the following address:

http://smac.xhounds.com/

A must read for all SMAC players.

[Googlie]

Status report:

Committee is finalizing some discussion around the more obscure (some think game-imbalancing) techniques employed by some highly imaginative players, while still trying to formulate a common set of minimalistic rules.

Last discussion was around polling all 18 players to get concensus on these.

Stay tuned........

G.

[Googlie]

Time to Vote on the Playing Conditions outstanding

Go to:

http://clik.to/sparta

last page (Forum Wars), and take the poll

Thanks

G.

[JAMiAM]

Googlie,

IMNSHO, the running vote tallies should have been viewable. Regardless, here are mine...(54115121).

[Solver]

Feel this will all fall apart.

[big_canuk]

G:

Question 4 is unclear. Option 1 is clear. Option 2, I'm not quite sure of but seems to be a compromise to allow design workshop upgrading only at the beginning of the turn, to allow sneak attacks, but to disallow movement, sneak attack, and then upgrading to be able to move again or attack without drop penalties, etc.

Option 3 is unclear or misworded. I'm sure it is meant to be the standard Apolyton rules, where in the field upgrades *are* allowed at any time, but design workshop upgrades are only allowed at end of turn, after all movement.

I didn't vote this one in the survey, cause I was confused. If above is intent, then I would vote for 3, followed by 2, followed by 1.

bc

[JAMiAM]

Solver,

But...but...we're so close...

[Googlie]

Poll Stations close at midnight, PST on June 16th.

Clear majority opinion will be acted on; CMN will use best judgement in selecting an option where there is no clear majority opinion.

G.

[Googlie]

Forum Wars Game Set-up - Final Conditions

Platform:

Will generally be SMAX, v 2.0, unless a particular team has a player(s) who only have SMAC (or if by unanimous agreement of all six players in a particular game) in which case it will be SMAC v 4.0

Structure:

Nine games with six players in each game (in sets of 2, representing the three forums), arranged in 3 series of 3 games each:

(where A=ACOL, C=CGN and P='Poly)

Series I
A1 vs C1 vs P1
A2 vs C2 vs P2
A3 vs C3 vs P3

Series II
A1 vs C2 vs P3
A2 vs C3 vs P1
A3 vs C1 vs P2

Series III
A1 vs C3 vs P2
A2 vs C1 vs P3
A3 vs C2 vs P1

(Note that the same players do not need to form the A1, etc, team for all three series. That will give players the opportunity of participating in just 1 match, or of playing with different partners in subsequent matches)

Settings:

Planet size 60 x 120 (between Large and Huge)
Ocean Coverage 50% to 70% water
Erosive Forces Average
Native LifeForms Average
Cloud Cover Average
Difficulty Level Transcend

Scenario set-up:

No restrictions on seed pod contents
Full 400 year term (from 2100 to 2500) as per Transcend norm
(All nine maps would be different (so that one team cannot coach another in another game as to what they have found in the map)

Factions:

Any faction can be chosen except the Aliens. Team members must choose two different factions. The same faction can be represented in different teams.

Game Set-up Rules:

Higher Goal Allow Victory by Transcendence - OK
Total War Allow Victory by Conquest - OK
Peace in Our Time Allow Diplomatic Victory - OK
Mine, All Mine Allow Economic Victory - OK
One for All Allow Cooperative Victory - OK
Do or Die Don't restart eliminated players - Yes
Look First Flexible starting locations - OK
Tech Stagnation Slower rate of research discoveries - NO
Spoils of War Steal tech when conquer base - NO
Blind Research Cannot set precise research goals - NO
Intense Rivalry [AI] Opponents more aggressive n/a
No Unity Survey - World Map not visible - OK
No Unity Scattering Supply Pods only at landing sites - NO (i.e. have pod scattering)
Bell Curve - No Random Events - OK
Time Warp Accelerated Start - NO
Iron Man Save/Restore restricted to exit - NO
Randomize Personalities n/a
Randomize Social agendas n/a

Alternate Acceleration:

Extra Units: 1 extra Colony Pod and scout for each faction
At Transcend there would normally be 2 CPs and 1 scout. (Sparta 2 CPs and 1 Unity Rover) - this change will give 3 pods and 2 scouts (3 pods, a rover and a scout for Sparta).

Rules (such as they are):

• Communications - none till contact, obtain commlink, or build EG (team mates can communicate from the beginning)
• Total freedom in Design Workshop (upgrades anytime, during turn or• on-field)
• Retro-engineering - OK, except for using the probe rover chassis before• discovering Doc. Mobility
• SE switches "quickies" forbidden - (obviously you can experiment to see• what effect various SE choices have, but cannot change, play moves, then change back in the same turn)
• Council notification - immediate broadcast to all players (Post in the• thread and e-mail to all immediately by player who has called elections, citing candidates and votes. After each player's turn, post in the thread the running totals)
• Stockpiling in Qs anytime - OK•
• Crawlers Upgrade anytime - OK (see Design Workshop, earlier)•
• Probe actions: Must choose vendetta option when probing other players, rebuke when probing pactmates (OK• to probe teammate at any time)
• Demanding withdrawal through the menus rather than by negotiation is prohibited
• Bribing (or accepting bribes) for votes through the diplomatic channel box by clicking on the faction leader's picture is prohibited (must be conducted by diplo message or e-mail)
• Multiple drops - cannot use the right click mouse feature to extend range of drop units beyond the 8 tiles (pre Space Elevator)
• Base growth through Colony Pods - can be used to increase a base size up to the applicable pre-facility limit, but cannot be used to breach that limit without the facility being built.
• Psi units cannot be assigned multiple waypoint patrol routes (to avoid instant demon boil bug)
• Cannot accept pending treaties/pacts after declaring vendetta in the same turn
• Cannot change an infiltrated faction's workers to specialists, for example by using the F4 screen (or the bases icon of the F2 screen)
• SE switches "quickies" forbidden - (obviously you can experiment to see what effect various SE choices have, but cannot change, play moves, then change back in the same turn)

Matches:

Match #1
ACOL: Fistandantilus & SMAniaC
Poly: Keygen & Stuntman19
CGN: Scipio & Provost

Match #2
ACOL: MoSe & JAMiAM
Poly: Misotu & big_canuk
CGN: mark13 & Buster

Match #3
ACOL: Hobbes & JSchwab
Poly: Dilithium Dad & Flo
CGN: Blarney & Gusto

Important Notice

Will teams who have submitted two identical faction choices now send me your revised choices with two different factions.

Turn Posting Suggestion

In the interests of generating site traffic (to keep the sponsors happy), I suggest that the turn threads be spread among the 3 forums, with games # 1,4 and 7 being posted on ACOL, #s 2,5 and 8 on Apolyton, and #s 3,6 and 9 on The Civilization Gaming Network

Googlie

[Googlie]

Note: Match # 3 will be on the SMAC v 4.0 platform

Dilithium Dad is a SMAC only player

G.

[Googlie]

Keygen & Stuntman19:

I still need your faction choices (and if one is the UoP, what free tech you want)

G.

[Blarney]

Just a note on your board to say that I am also a SMAC only player right now, works out well for this game. But any of the other matchups which include me will have to be SMAC as well. I have the Linux version on the way which will be SMAX, but who knows when.

Also, CGN is now officially down, for at least a couple weeks. So the game log will have to be set up elsewhere.

Can't wait to find out what kind of opposition we have.

This is the first time I've ever used smilies, hope I did it right.

[Deimos]

Originally posted by Blarney
Also, CGN is now officially down, for at least a couple weeks. So the game log will have to be set up elsewhere.

Weeks?!? What's up with CGN?

[Blarney]

The website provider closed its doors, but did give a couple weeks grace which is now used up. A posting estimated at most a couple of weeks to get civgaming.net running again somewhere else.

[mark13]

Yup, CGN's in limbo, unfortunately. The estimate I was given was a few weeks, rather than a couple - hopefully they can get something sorted before then, anyway. I would urge all posters to post here in the meantime - it's not such a bad place really. Honest.

In any case, looking forward to starting this series - with a bit of luck, my schedule will clear itself up a bit, so I can devote some time to it.