ACPSG discussion: rival factions

[Maniac]

We've decided about everything I think. Still one thing: what should be the AI factions? We decided they should all have the aquatic ability, but that's about it. Any other preferences, or just give Darsnan carte blanche?

[Chaunk]

Aliens please!

[AdamTG02]

I think on balance it'll be good to compete against the aliens this time, since we didn't in the multiplayer DG. As for the human factions I think we should pick the ones we feel are most antithetical to the Hive, to give the game a paranoid feel. May I suggest the Peacekeepers, Pirates, Angels, and Believers? I would also suggest the Free Drones, but given that we're partially Marxist, we might actually find some common ground with them.

Reactions? Other thoughts?

[Corellion]

Peacekeepers (amost-antithesis)
Free Drones (industrial rivals and perversion of Marxist doctrine)
Believers (just so darn hatable)
Planet Cult (as AdamTG02 said, perversion of asceticism)
CyCon (just so darn lovable, and possibly the only semi-friendly faction)
Pirates (more than aquatic, but full naval rivals... maybe souped up a bit to balance that everybody else has the aquatic ability too)

[Googlie]

Caretakers, Usurpers, Peacekeepers, Pirates, Spartans and Angels.

Have Darsnan set them up as 2 rival gangs (say the Caretakers, with Santiago and Roze as H'minee's vassals, and likewise Marr with Lal and Svengaard as slaves) so that if we pick one set we antagonize the other.

And if we do have the Aliens, put the nervegas prereq way down the tech tree, to Secrets of the Manifolds perhaps, or (my favorite) Sing Mech, so that the aliens have the chance to build their subspace generators to summon battle fleet before we exterminate them with nervegas attacks

But I'm sure that Darsnan, if given a broad enough mandate, can come up with something that'll surprise us

G.

[Drogue]

I'd say no aliens, and leave the other factions to Darsnan. I like surprises We need Peacekeepers obviously though, as our antithesis.

[Phenix]

I want the Peacekeepers and the Believers so we have all the opposing goverments in the game.

[Corellion]

As long as the aliens are out, and the Peacekeepers are in, I'd be happy. I like surprises too.

[Octavian X]

Just suprise me. Throw in the aliens, and let the others be chosen by the map-makers.

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by Googlie
But I'm sure that Darsnan, if given a broad enough mandate, can come up with something that'll surprise us
G.

Only because someone took an awful lot of their time to teach me the craft, my mentor. I hope I am doing you proud.....


OK, Gaian Empathy moment over. Now that I've got some time on my hands again, why I've been following on and off again the development of this upcoming game. Can someone fill me in as far as what the human factions are going to be in this game, and is this going to be a "Police State Game", and if so, please describe to me what is envisioned by this? I've already gotten some ideas based on the Police State concept, but I'd like to ensure I'm going down the right path here before I really delve into this project. Also, once everyone agrees upon the settings, if someone can, please place all agreed to settings into a nutshell (i.e. one or two posts) so I can easily draw upon only the agreed to options for this game?


Thanx,

D

[Maniac]

I think this should be a good summary. I hope I haven't forgotten something crucial and obvious.

Things already decided:

• The game will be with a single human team vs AI with upgrades to make for a challenge.
• We will use SMAX.
• We will play the Human Hive.
• The cost of maritime units will be reduced (also of IoD and Sealurk).
• All factions will be modified to have the aquatic ability. Possible faction sets modified with the aquatic ability are here and here.
• But most factions (we one of them) will start on land.
• The map should have 70 to 90% Ocean.
• There should be some strings of long narrow islands that divide the map into a few distinct oceans, with "panamacanal" sites where cities can be built to function as canals between seas.
• The difficulty level will be Transcend.
• The map size will be large.
• Darsnan will be our glorious CMN.

The game rules will be:

Higher Goal: Allow victory by transcendance: YES
Total War: Allow victory by conquest: YES
Mine, all Mine: Allow Economic Victory: YES
Peace in Our Time: Allow Diplomatic Victory: YES
One for all: Allow cooperative victory : YES
Do or Die: Don't restart eliminated players : YES
Look First: Flexible starting locations : YES
Tech Stagnation: Slower research rate : NO
Spoils of War: steal tech when conquer base : NO
Blind Research: Cannot set precise reseach goals : NO
Intense Rivalry: Opponents more aggressive : NO
No unity survey: World map not visible : YES
No unity scattering: Unity pods only at landing site : NO
Bell Curve: No random events : NO
Randomize Faction Leader Social Agendas: NO
Randomize Faction Leader Personalities: NO

Under review:

• Coup system, constitution etcetera
• Alphax.txt modifications
• Game bugs, exploits and features
• What AI factions will participate?

Still to be discussed and/or polled:

• ACPSG civ icon?

[Maniac]

Ok...

Pro-alien: 4
Anti-alien: 2
PK: 3
Pirate: 2
Angel: 2
Believer: 1
Spartan: 1
Give us a surprise / Give Darsnan broad mandate: 3

[Darsnan]

I think you guys pretty much have it right: in my playtesting for various waterworld games, why I found the Aliens, Spartans and Believers to be very sound opponents in this environment. Throw the PK's in as The Hive's antithema, or the Uni's or Consciousness as a tech engine, and this should be a very interesting game, indeed!

btw, will I be allowed to give any of the AI's an SP to start with? From my perspective, considering the array of players that you will be able to draw insights from during the game, why I almost consider it paramount that a couple of SP's be available to the AI's.
Also, do you want me to write an additional helpx.txt file for this game, so you can then review the AI's Order of Battle for this game via the Datalinks? If I don't write one, then the "Basic Unit Types" submenu in the Datalinks will not read correctly for any units I add (i.e. like the Unity Submersible which will be replacing the Unity Mining Laser in the submerged wreckage). It won't take me a considerable amount of time to add this, so it shouldn't impact my release time for this game, so let me know.
Finally, if you do want Aliens in this one, why I can remove the Nerve Gas Pods out of the middle game meltdown that the Aliens usually experience, per Googlie's recomendation.


D

[Maniac]

Darsnan, I'm terribly busy right now, and Poly ànd my internet connection is being very slow atm, so I can't write a decent PM with links etcetera to present to you the finalized set of game requests. But I think the summary on the first page of the "ACPSG: Things already decided.", this thread and the poll for the alphax.txt changes (somewhere on the second page by now I guess) covers it all.
As for the helpx.txt, that sounds great! As for nerve gas, I guess I could poll it, but I presume that would force you to wait yet another couple of days to start on the game setting up, so I hope no one will mind when I simply say: Do what seems best to you, and give us a great surprise!

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Maniac
Do what seems best to you, and give us a great surprise!

That sounds like a plan