War of the Worlds - Nov. 20th 2004 Bang!

[aeturneus]

The War of the Worlds: Return of Apolyton game has started!

Visit the server site at http://www.waroftheworlds.ath.cx for a java client to connect to the game.

The practice game has been re-banged and will continue to run alongside the WotW game as a place for people to try new strategies and practice their skills. It is set to unlimited turns.

Please register in the pre-registration thread

To get detailed settings for the game, press "*" at the main menu after selecting a game but before logging in.

3 Rules:

Newbie Friendly Rule: Please, please do not attack players that have little to no experience playing Trade Wars. It's hard enough to get people to try the game, without them getting *SD* the first time they log on. If you see someone new doing something really really dumb, tell them how they can do better, and thereby improve the quality of our game. Try to pick on people your own size as much as possible. We all win if the game improves the TW community we have here. Traditionally, Apolytoners have towed new players into fedspace rather than destroying them should they find them logged off and defenseless in a corner of the galaxy.

Corporation Rule:If you join a corp, you must stay corped for the duration of the game. Backstabbing is not allowed. Leaving your mixed corp before extern to avoid losing experience is not allowed. Leaving your corp so someone can attack you for alignment isn't allowed.

Exploits / Cheating Rule:It's come to my attention that there are several exploits in the game circulating around the net - for the record, exploitative behaviour that capitalizes on some of the bugs on the engine will certainly not be tolerated. You'll know if you're doing it, I'll know if you're doing it; if you don't know what I'm talking about don't ask.

General Settings:

4000 Sectors

1000 Turns

Ferrengi Enabled

Photons: multiple fire enabled, wave duration of 10, standard cost, disabled for the first 5 days of play.

Planetary Trade: 75%

Rob/Steal Factor: 60%

Busts Clear: Every 5 days

Port Regen: 25% per day, maximum 100% per visit

Maximum 5 Planets per Sector

Maximum 5 Traders per Corp

Startup Settings:

Merchant Cruiser, 20 holds, 10,000 credits, 100 fighters.

[Solarwind2]

And I shall return to the wars, under the name of Solarwind. All hail the return of McBurbles!!

[aeturneus]

Welcome back to the galaxy, Solarwind!

Please sign up in the official, universal, pre-registration thread thread

This is gonna be great...

[aeturneus]

We're getting closer to the Nov. 20th rebang, and you've all had time to play on the practice server, so I thought I'd start asking about settings.

The practice server is set to 2000 turns; I intend to set the actual number of turns at 700. Hopefully this will make it possible for everyone to play all their turns every day; it doesn't take long with a pair-port script and a colonize script and a bit of experience.

The practice server is set to 1000 sectors. I think we can all agree that with 10 players we will need more space than that - it's already very hard to find any port pairs that aren't completely traded down, and if money is so hard to get, the game is less fun imho. However, 5000 sectors is probably too large for us. With only 700 turns, and about 10 players, a universe size of 3500 sectors seems more reasonable. If you have an opinion on universe size, now is the time to speak up.

Like always, War of the Worlds will reward the colonization of planets with high planet trading percentage of 80%. However, on the advice of Burbel, I will also be making evil settings slightly more forgiving - busts will be cleared every 3 days, and ports will regenerate at a 33% rate, so every 3 days you will be able to return to a fresh port pair.

Ferrengi will be in (of course), but photons wont be enabled until day 10, so nobody can A) take me out before I have sufficient protection on my ISS or B) take ferrengal before the Ferrengi even have a chance (don't laugh, it's been done).

Nav-haz will clear at 5% per day.

Starting settings will be a merchant cruiser with 30 holds, 100 fighters, and 10,000 credits. No startup planet; you'll have to make your own.

Let me know your thoughts on these proposed settings

[Dinner]

I always thought 1000 turns was the standard game setting. Also I would be against giving evil any more advantages, I mean really against as evil players already make way more money then the good players.

You are talking about tilting things even more in the evil players favor. The game is balanced as is.

[Dinner]

BTW what's the default nav-haz clear and the default money setting? With no starting planet, a low nav-haz clear, and everyone starting with deep pockets it would be easy for a corp to set up a blockade on day one. Are we sure we want to do that?

[aeturneus]

Originally posted by Oerdin
...it would be easy for a corp to set up a blockade on day one. Are we sure we want to do that?

Good point - I would say no, we don't want to do that. Now that you've brought it up, I remember that in the past SD has been next to fedspace to prevent blockades from going up.

I like that, but then again I prefer longish games and people who love blockade tactics will obviously disagree. However, for the purposes of this game, where at least 40% of players have little to no experience with TW, I submit that a fedspaced SD is the way to go.

[Dinner]

Ok, though I'm not sure that would solve the problem of the 100% nav haz SD blockade. Still, I think that is the best we can get.

[Solarwind2]

In my opinion, SD should be in fedspace, after all, it helps the newbs a lot, and it kinda makes it a little interesting for those evil players, like me and Burbel.
As for sectors, we want a big game. 5000 might be a little too large, but 3000-4000 sounds about right.
In turns, 1000 tops, and no less than 600.
Busts should be cleared every 5 days. and ports should regen at around 30% a day.

[aeturneus]

Originally posted by Oerdin
BTW what's the default nav-haz clear and the default money setting? With no starting planet, a low nav-haz clear, and everyone starting with deep pockets it would be easy for a corp to set up a blockade on day one. Are we sure we want to do that?

Defaults:
initial fighters: 100 / credits: 10,000 / holds: 20
nav haz dispersion: 3% per day

so... the WOTW game will be stock credits, holds and figs, and, I think I'll go with stock nav haz dispersion as well.

I think fedspace nav haz gets cleared at extern.

[aeturneus]

At midnight MST tonight (17th Nov) I will be editing the practice game and adding 3 million credits to all existing accounts. The boom is approaching, and this is your last chance to test out whatever it is you want to try prior to the game

The final settings will be posted tomorrow - post now if you have any comments to add to the discussion above. The boom will take place at 12:00 MST on the 19th, Friday night / Saturday morning, unless there are any reasonable objections.

Please note the server registration I have is limited to 4 simultaneous access slots only, so if there is a crush of traffic at the boom, it may impede access for others; I will advise on the forum and on the server should this happen, and may limit access to half an hour per hour in the eventuality that this sort of traffic does occur. It's never happened in the past

[burbel]

Just figured I'd chime in here; I would think 1000 turns is good, 4,000 sectors sounds nice (a nice, round, even number), might port regen at 25% or so (4 day regen), stock settings. Is it possible to increase the amount of product that ports buy, though?

Just so you know, Oerdin, in all the games Ive played there hasn't been a super-strong evil player, no one has blockaded the SD (not sure how that happens, anyway), etc.

I personally vote photons should be up on day 1, but that's just me.

[Dinner]

Big Bang is tonight.

[Solarwind2]

Yep. Just one question for Aeturneus though. Is there a set time limit for the game, or will we just play until one corp or trader is the only one left?

[aeturneus]

Originally posted by Solarwind2
Yep. Just one question for Aeturneus though. Is there a set time limit for the game, or will we just play until one corp or trader is the only one left?

Past games have ended when participants decided it was over, usually by conceding victory.