Team Babylon Discussion Thread

[Daddy-O]

I like the idea of being a culture based on science, faith, and progressiove relations. Is it possible to win that way? Too many strategies I see in the threads are WAR WAR WAR!

Let's do this.

Blue, red, yellow, orange, whatever - as long as I get to be the car in Monopoly, I don't care.

[Beta]

Micha - you are in and welcome aboard!

Skro - the car is yours, my friend.

Now - what level do we want to play on. I have to vote for the team. Regent, Monarch, or Emperor.

I've been giving it some thought, and Emperor works. The argument being that luxuries are worth fighting for. And barbs are a bit tougher. And research a bit longer. I like it.

Is that OK with you folks?

[Micha]

I am not that good in Civ3, so for me anything above chieftain is a challenge...

Nah, really, I´m ok with emperor. We plan on building culture, which means things that improve happiness. The higher the difficulty, the larger our advantage over the other civs...

[Micha]

Though we might have to leave the tech path some time, since on emperor the AI will be able to outtech us (especially if we´re not gonna fight them)...
So maybe a super-rich, densely populated merchant empire?

[Daddy-O]

Again, whatever the others want. I'm still new enough that I don't know what is different between the levels. The harder the better. It can only make me a better player.

So, I vote for Emperor.

No chieftain. Err Regent.

Emperor. That's my vote.

[Beta]

Emperor it is.

[Daddy-O]

Silly question. How does a team democracy pbem work?

[joncnunn]

Originally posted by skrobism
Silly question. How does a team democracy pbem work?

Basically what goes on is that the turn is emailed to the team leader(s) along with a tracking thread for that.
In addition, a combat thread is formed for tracking combat.

Those take care of the PBEM asspects.

For the Democracy aspects:

Basically, the player will post screen shots and orders will be posted. Players on the team comment on them, there's often a person taking the lead role on different aspects. And there may be players in chat mode while making the actual turn.

The threads allow those that can't make the chat input.

Unlike a pure Democracy mode, all polls are considered advisory only. This allows the leader(s) to override them when it becomes obvious of a changed cirsumatances enough to render it invalid but not rising to the level of requesting a hold on the game.

A private forum for each team will be set up so that the other teams can't view our discussions.

[joncnunn]

With no AI's, Emperor and above are almost identical. [Emperor & Above all have the same only one citizen content by default]

(Minor differences are global science rate & global OCN)

I sugest Emperor level, and maybe an AU multiplayer Mod + Diasters on. I'd give the map creator a wide landitude, as long as they don't get too cute like the Aztec starting location on the last Single Player DG.

[Beta]

Originally posted by joncnunn


Basically what goes on is that the turn is emailed to the team leader(s) along with a tracking thread for that.
In addition, a combat thread is formed for tracking combat.

Those take care of the PBEM asspects.

For the Democracy aspects:

Basically, the player will post screen shots and orders will be posted. Players on the team comment on them, there's often a person taking the lead role on different aspects. And there may be players in chat mode while making the actual turn.

The threads allow those that can't make the chat input.

Unlike a pure Democracy mode, all polls are considered advisory only. This allows the leader(s) to override them when it becomes obvious of a changed cirsumatances enough to render it invalid but not rising to the level of requesting a hold on the game.

A private forum for each team will be set up so that the other teams can't view our discussions.

Yup - that summarizes it pretty well. It is a bit like 6 demo games (the Roman one) all running concurrently.

One modification I will be asking for is that the save be sent to all players. Given that we are shooting for faster play times than has been the norm on the other demo games this should help in two ways.

1. Everyone gets a chance to see the situation and make comments without waiting for the 'player' or 'leader' to send it around.

2. This allows a second player quick access to play the save in case RL interferes with the first player.

Which raises a question about who will be playing our turns. I can start just to get it going, but we should discuss.

Also, in terms of threads and forum set-up - we can wait until our private forum, or start chatting about it here.

[Daddy-O]

re: landitude
a pun?

re: the Demo part and forums
With the quick turn around times that I saw suggested - 24-48 hours - do we set up a time to meet online and vote or give input?

[Krill]

Which raises a question about who will be playing our turns. I can start just to get it going, but we should discuss.

I'll play it!!

[joncnunn]

I'm a bad speller.

If the issue is big enough and discussion on forum doesn't result in consensus, there can be an advisory poll set up within the team forum initated by a team leader.

It's going to be important for as many issues as possible to be dealt between the time we hand a turn off and the time we get the new turn so we don't hold up the game for no apprenent reason.

There's also a few tricks that can be used to disquise wonder builds. On a non-capital, can be hiden for a while as a Palace.

And anywhere, it can be semi-hidden by being any wonder.

And don't dismiss the semi-stealth of actualy hiding it as itself if it's an unpopular wonder out of hand. Those that always hide their wonder builds may think it's anything other than what we say it is.

Originally posted by skrobism
re: landitude
a pun?

re: the Demo part and forums
With the quick turn around times that I saw suggested - 24-48 hours - do we set up a time to meet online and vote or give input?

[Beta]

Originally posted by joncnunn

If the issue is big enough and discussion on forum doesn't result in consensus, there can be an advisory poll set up within the team forum initated by a team leader.

It's going to be important for as many issues as possible to be dealt between the time we hand a turn off and the time we get the new turn so we don't hold up the game for no apprenent reason.

Right on jon. That will be the key - the between-the-turns dialogue. There is no reason city-planning, builds, etc can't be discussed in advance. Clearly some stuff you will need to react to when the save comes in, but a lot can be planned in advance.

[Beta]

snoop and Dom need map settings. I say middle of the road - or random. Probably middle of the road. Everyone OK with that?