Idea for an AU Game

[jshelr]

Here is the germ of an idea for an AU game.

Suppose we divide the group of people who volunteer to play into pairs of two and play the scenario in pbem format.

Only 2 live players per game should make the turnaround rapid and let us get done in, say, three or four weeks, maybe.

But the two humans aspect would make for some new experiences and probably real fireworks at the ends of the games.

What do you think?

Russ

[Konquest02]

There has been some attempts at an AU PBEM... I think 4 games got under way, but only one was finished.

In fact, while I think about it, ducki, it's been your turn for a couple of months now, you might want to pass the save...!

--Kon--

[Theseus]

I think what jshelr is proposing is a bit different... the previous efforts were succesion games, whereas I think he small-scale team games.

Interesting idea. I voted for SP as well, although there will be DAR issues.

[Aqualung71]

I've always wanted to get into MP games, but my dial-up connection and time-zone issues prevents me. Also, I just wouldn't want to commit if there's a chance I would let others down by not being available to play at certain times. So PBEM is a possible solution, though I've never tried it before. It would need flexible timing for the email submissions.

Someone please explain - PBEM means you email your move (as in, one turn only) to everyone? Wouldn't this potentially take a huge amount of time to get a game moving even into the middle ages? If so, by this time the SP's will have done their DAR's and moved on to the next AU game.

[ducki]

If you mean the old PtW PBEMs, one day I just stopped getting SAVs and sent an email or two but never heard anything. Fatherhood prevented me from following up more aggressively, but after a while, I just assumed it dissolved.
Sorry 'bout that.

[jshelr]

The existing au pbem games are, as Theseus says, completely different. The idea here is to have another human lurking about somewhere out there in your University course game. It's doable, but definitely requires real committment from pairs who try it.

[vmxa1]

If I follow what jshelr was saying, it could be handled like the Moo2 demo game.

If say two people teamed up, then you could agree that one will do X turns and then send it to the other guy. This could move along quickly.

I don't know if that is appealing or not, but it would speed it up.

[Dominae]

I would definitely participate in one of these.

[Rhothaerill]

I would be happy to participate as well. I had asked a while back whether any would be getting started with the new Conquests AU mod. This sounds like an excellent idea to keep the flavor of the mod while still being able to pit your skills against other players (which honestly is where my tastes lay nowadays).

[Aqualung71]

How would it work? If you play several turns each then load each others' saves, the AI turns during each of your turns will probably be different due to different RNG rolls.....or maybe I'm just thick!

[jshelr]

I was thinking of 6 to 8 AI civs and two humans in each AU game. If we had 5 to 10 pairs of humans, the outcome would be a bit like a duplicate bridge session.

In pbem you play one turn at a time. So, a pair would have to get together and work pretty intensively through the early game.

[Arrian]

I'm not up for it. I like the demogames because I don't have to make sure I'm around to play the save. I've played the save in ptwdgII a bunch of times, but mostly I'm not turnplayer, and that's a good thing. I'm online with civ access erratically, and apparently there are issues with my emails not getting to the next player until 2 days later in some cases.

But I'm all for others doing it and writing up DARs for me to read

-Arrian

[ZargonX]

It's an interesting idea, but I wouldn't do it in place of a "normal" AU course. Dividing into pairs would be the best way to go, to ensure a quick pace of game. However, even with just 2 people, a PBEM can still take a loooooong time.

[Master Zen]

PBEM takes a loooooooong time. I mean, a really long time. I'm not sure we'd effectively be able to handle it in terms of the AU spirit.

However, I'm still rather amazed at why a good number of the strat forum comunity doesn't play PBEMs. They give a whole new perspective on Civ. Hell, I don't even play SP civ anymore, only PBEMs and demogames (and AU 501 )

Maybe an idea is for those of us who do play PBEMs to eventually post DARs or something like that on the games we are playing.

[Fosse]

I would be willing to do it, but probably not on a large or huge map.

I can turn out up to six turns per day, given the right partner. Realistically more like 1 or 2.

Would there be some sort of ranking system, so that a veteran Sid player doesn't square off against a guy who struggles on monarch? Or in-map handicapping?

I think that the DARs would take a lot longer than four weeks to come in though, especially since Side A wouldn't want to tip their hand (or their counterparts' hands) to Side B.