CivIII at 'poly

[vmxa1]

Am I the only one that see a problem with doing much with a forum that can not stay available?

[Rhothaerill]

Originally posted by vmxa1
Am I the only one that see a problem with doing much with a forum that can not stay available?

No, but we're hoping that in the future 'Poly will fully restabilize.

[TheArsenal]

Originally posted by Mad Bomber [/SIZE]

"... I'm not saying that the members themselves are eliteist but that the 'poly community in general feels that it is. Many of the best players belong to the Au community and it seems to many (or at least to myself) that it is basically for players at emperor or above level..."

Far from an elite level player*, I participated in one (208?) and only stopped because the parameters of all war all the time kicked my behind. And I will tackle 402 once I finish my current game. That said, the AU games do have a feel as though they are geared to Monarch players and above. But much that goes on with these boards do.

Originally posted by vmxa1
Am I the only one that see a problem with doing much with a forum that can not stay available?

It is tough to participate in something when you are shut off of the server for a full day.

Competition: I played in some CTP2 SP (a game I am better at) tournaments here on 'poly. They are very good for a couple of reasons. Even more so than AU games, competition makes one consider the game and one's gameplay more closely. They discourage static play, but encourage taking gambles to further one's gain. And it is always good to see how one stacks up against other players to find out where his strengths and weaknesses are.

*Regent level making the move to Monarch. The only reason I mention this is I am - apparently - quite pleased with myself.

[alva]

Why don't we try something more simple and on a smaller scale. Let it grow naturally and see wherre we end up (or not).

Say, start with a few succesion games ??
We often get questions like "hey I'm new to this game, now what?", instead of linking them to Crackers (him again ) opening turns, we set up a similar game and see what happens every 10-20 turns.
(similar to AU402, but something of a more limited time scale).
The new players could see what they are doing wrong and improve on their game, the better ones can get a change to see what actually works best.. and point and laugh

The advantage is that we would be targetting a different group, instead of competing with CFC.
Let us take take the novices on and turn them into good players (so then they can go and compete in the GOTM competition )

That would leave us with a less rivalry approach but still have some form of competition and maintain 'Polys anarchy and general more casual place while still have a common base/interest.

Just a thought.

Good initiative Theseus

[vmxa1]

I am not sure about the elitist stuff, why do you say that? Most of the people that are real AU hard core players are very helpful and seem easy going.
Names that come to mind are Arrian, Theseus, Dom, Axelman and Catt. I know I have missed many, but these are players that are involved in most of the games.


Edit OK I have been admonished for my spelling so here is the correction.

[Konquest02]

Far from an elite level player*, I participated in one (208?) and only stopped because the parameters of all war all the time kicked my behind. And I will tackle 402 once I finish my current game. That said, the AU games do have a feel as though they are geared to Monarch players and above. But much that goes on with these boards do.

Emphasis added

Keep in mind that AU 208 was a total war scenario and was REALLY tough. Only 2 people recorded a victory so far, most got wiped and many abandonned. Please do not judge all of AU scenarios based on this one...

[Konquest02]

I think what we need for AU is a little more structure and a LOT more visibility. I lost count of the times I've directed people to the AU History 101 (which is great btw) because they heard about AU and wanted to know what was going on. A link on the main page, a seperate web page, a civgroup icon, a separate forum (maybe not...), but SOMETHING...

I think that AU games have to remain non-competitive and based on learning. This is the main reason why I play those games (I've only missed 5-6...). It helped me tremendously to improve my level of play (I abandonned my first AU game because I was trailing horribly on regent and now I can beat monarch almost anytime and am taking a shot at emperor. All of this because of AU. )

Great initiative Theseus!

[Theseus]

Thank you, everyone, for contributing to the discussion.

First, I'd like to say that I wasn't trying to overly focus on AU, that just sorta naturally happened as it is pretty near and dear to me, and I think it's one of the outstanding features of what we have and have done at 'poly.

But there are certainly others!! (which pre-date CivIII I might add)

It seems to me that there are some themes developing here... but first, I apologize if I am repetitive of the first post, or are looking at the discussion through my own biases, and second, be warned that I have a tendency to keep introducing new thoughts while reviewing the recently stated ( ).

1) AU should be highlighted / marketed as part of CivIII on 'poly. (New thought: Anyone willing to contribute a few bucks for a Google listing?) BTW, the discussion about the complexity of AU versus GOTM was enlightening... as far as I'm concerned, the general perception is *ss-backward (i.e., I also think AU is much more easily played however one wants), and that bugs the living cr*p outta me.

2) AU needs some better organization.

3) We need to maintain the tradition of AU, but also introduce the new. I like alva's idea of succession games for newer players... maybe with an interestingly designed map / scenario? And it does feel like we need some kind of competition / ranking. Have people seen the 'loose' / semi-humorous awards system that Master Zen proposed at MZO for the Boot Camp games? I liked that, directionally.

4) AU, and the Strat forum, needs an attitude adjustment. We Strat forum regulars may think we are welcoming (and we really are), but there is some disconnect.

5) The DGs... ahhh, one thing at a time. Let us at least, however, try to highlight them, and try to make them more inviting / exciting to the new visitor to 'poly, even to the semi-regular visitor who isn't quite sure or aware of all the cool and fun things that are going on around here.

6) Other / new thoughts: a) I moved a couple of months ago, and didn't really have access to manuals and my reference print-outs (I know, horrible planning )... do you know what I use as my standard reference beyond the Civilopedia? CFC. b) How many of us have trouble keeping track of the teams and teammembers in the DGs? I f*cking well do... what a pain it is to track all that down when I need to. c) Does the gaming world / press know that Firaxis, ostensibly including Sid Meier, is in the ISDG? And that Soren is, ostensibly, part of GS in the PTWDG? I don;t keep up on gaming as much as I used to, but isn't this a bit unusual? d) If you are a CivIII player poking around on the Internet, and get to www.apolyton.net, what do you see? No disrespect, but 2003 is vastly different than the late 90s... then, forums and some news was cool sh*t, whereas now, new visitors' expectations are vastly greater. Think about that for a sec, and think about 'poly... the more I do, the more it hits me.
______________________________

I'm not quite certain how to lay out my thoughts on what to actually *do*...

ps: And I just gotta add this for ALL of the people who type as badly as I do, but don;t go back and look at the horror... THERE IS AN 'E' IN THESEUS!!! (j/k)

[Aramis]

Excuse the brief intrusion. I just wanted to thank Frustrated Poet for responding to my post here earlier with

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Rob_S: This thread should tell you all you need to know about AU: http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=83557

exactly what I needed. This 'AU' should be more easily accessible. Thanks, FP: for a poet you're not so bad.

[Theseus]

Welcome aboard, Rob!!

NOT AN INTRUSION!!

Sorta my point: you are part of the 'test audience' and anything as simple as that (i.e., not knowing what AU is or where to find out about it) is what I want us to address. Keep'em coming!

I'm starting to pick up on some of the ideas previously stated.. a CivIII page? Simply presented... "Here's where to find what", with simple descriptions. Sorta the coolest CivIII things on 'poly... but hey, why not point to other sites too? CFC for the reference stuff and cracker's opening play tutorial and the GOTM, CIV3PLAYERS Ladder League for MP games, Realms Beyond for the esoteric...

People will have to volunteer for all the stuff we are talking about, but it can be manageable in chunks.

[Konquest02]

Originally posted by Theseus
3) We need to maintain the tradition of AU, but also introduce the new. I like alva's idea of succession games for newer players... maybe with an interestingly designed map / scenario? And it does feel like we need some kind of competition / ranking. Have people seen the 'loose' / semi-humorous awards system that Master Zen proposed at MZO for the Boot Camp games? I liked that, directionally.

When I created the Boot Camp at MZO, I was thinking exactly like you are right now Theseus. I wanted a game that is a bit competitive, but mostly based on learning. Awards instead of a ranking system was then the obvious choice.

For those who do not know what the Boot Camp is, please visit this thread and its own forum, which Master Zen set up with a big smile.

[Shameless plug]
You can join in for BCII which is scheduled to start next saturday. It's a scenario proposed to us by Master Zen. For those who played the first one, you have until friday night to submit your final save...
[/shameless plug]

--Kon--

[Theseus]

OOOPS, sorry Kon, credit where it's due.

[alva]

d) If you are a CivIII player poking around on the Internet, and get to www.apolyton.net, what do you see? No disrespect,

Only for those who like a bit of irony .

Theseus, the link has a komma too much at the end.

[Theseus]

That's ugly... fixed.

[Tassadar500]

Well I think I have an idea. Lets say the AU is split in two. One is competitive and one is for learning. In the learning one there will be "professors" there that help with the learners game and stuff like that. Also how to improve. In the competitive side well that could be worked out later. How does that sound?