Dont feed the Troll turn tracking thread

[Chaunk]

I'd say wait a couple more days. I've resent today, so lets just wait and see.

What usually happens depends on the group of players and how long the game has been going. This is a fairly new game so generally a shorter time is allowed to elapse before players are replaced. In longer games, a player is usually cut more slack before being replaced; they have a history in the game and also a history of not delaying the game.

I think that if Humphrey doesn't drop by in the next couple of days then we should either look for a replacement, or my preference, start a new game without him. I say I prefer to start a new game seeing as 4 players games tend to be considerably faster - and therefore easier to get into - than 5 or more player games. I can't remember squat from this game now, so it'll take me quite a while to remember why I was building a fusion lab network node at a base for example.

Edit: I started a new job a couple of weeks ago which is leaving me with less time for poly than I previously anticipated. If you see that I've not posted on the thread in a discussion, then please drop me an email and I'll be sure to drop by. New job + wedding planning (Even though its a year away!) = busy me!

[mmontgomery]

Is it possible for a moderator to just kill the Spartans in the current game, so the current game reverts to a 4 player game?

If nothing else, one of us could play the Spartans self-destructively until the Spartans suicide. I would be willing to do it, but it would be faster if someone already on either side of the Spartans did it, either Chaunk or Gramps. (To suicide, don't let anyone work any squares or only unproductive squares, sell off any base improvements, disband units, make and disband a colony pod to eliminate the base once it is down to 1 pop, etc.) If Spartans suicide, they would then be skipped in the sequence, right?

If we are worried that Chaunk or Gramps get an unfair advantage from seeing the Spartan territory, then maybe we can get a volunteer to play the Spartans self destructively until they are gone. Should not take more than 10 turns tops, I would think.

I don't really want to start over, seeing that we are two months into the current game already. Let's just suicide the Spartans and move on.

All we need for this is for a moderator to give the Spartan password to the volunteer or to Chaunk or Gramps, right?

EDIT: Since Chaunk is particularly busy now, perhaps Gramps can do the suicide job for Spartans? Or if someone not in the game wants to voluneer?

[Grandpa Troll]

I'll make it easy

I have been given additional responsibilities at work

I must regretfully decline continuing this game

Another day and game folks

Thanks for the efforts and best of fortunes with continued gaming


This was a pleasure playing with all here

GT

[Lobo7922]

I hope you dont give up with AC as this is a very good game, i hope you can continue playing another AC soon, good luck in the work

[mmontgomery]

Yes, AC is perhaps the best multiplayer strategy game ever. I hope you get a chance to play again.

Good luck with work and life!

[Senethro]

Does this mean yet another game I've CMNed has died?

I'm cursed!

[Lobo7922]

And here im proposing that we start the next one as soon as possible and that Senethro be our CMN just to beat that curse

[mmontgomery]

Sounds good to me. Do we want to just go with 3 players, or do we want to recruit someone else?

For that matter, we need to hear from Chuank. I know he said he was busy. We need to make sure he still wants to restart.

[Chaunk]

Sorry to hear that Gramps, I too hope you can find time to play a game of SMAX again sometime.

A restart with 3 sounds good to me. Do we all have SMAX and if so can we play with that? Either way, I think I'd like to change my faction to (In order) University (Assuming SMAX, otherwise Lobo can continue and I have no desire to push him off the faction. In SMAX, however, we can load 2 of the same faction in one game which would be my preference), Angels, Peacekeepers.

With 3, I would suggest we have AI in the game though. Otherwise, the map becomes very empty.

[Senethro]

What feedback would you give me on my maps?

[Chaunk]

I haven't seen enough to comment fully, but I liked the starting position a lot. I managed to get my first six bases all on rivers, and I think my next 2(3?) would also have been on rivers too. A great help in the early stage.

I'd have to see more of the map to comment properlly though.

[mmontgomery]

1. I have SMACX, and would prefer that also.

2. There are several interesting possibilities. We could all play University, with a no-tech-trading rule. (All highly proprietary researchers.) Of course, there would still be tech stealing through various means. I have seen a similar game with Hive, and I thought it was a cool idea.

3. Having AI is fine, but this can often provide an advantage to those nearby. (Of course, this can also be a disadvantage, if you have a very aggressive AI neighbor.) If we have no tech trading, this will include the AI as well. If we have AI, it might be interesting for them to all be University as well, if we are ourselves all playing University. Otherwise, I'd rather not have Believers, Spartans, Pirates, or Data Angels for the AI. I would rather not have Data Angels in the game period, since I like to turn on tech stealing when capturing a city, but you really can't do this if Data Angels is in the game.

4. If we just want to do another SMAC game, I'd prefer Morgan and Hive, in that order. So that would probably mean University (Lobo), Peacekeepers (Chaunk), and Morgan (Mmontgomery). I'm fine with that as well, including all the AI players, but I would still rather get rid of the stinking Believers.

5. With none of us playing Gaia, I'd just as soon have Rare Alien lifeforms.

So, we can play SMAC as above, SMACX all University, or SMACX with some other combo. What do you think?

[mmontgomery]

Originally posted by Senethro
What feedback would you give me on my maps?

I liked your map very much, what little I got to see of it in 20 turns. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but as Hive, which starts out pretty energy deprived, I appreciated the number of energy bonus squares, monoliths, and rivers. You provided at least 3 very good city spots in close proximity, which was one concern I had starting with 3 colony pods and only two scouts.

Despite being surprised by the tech path (and now I know what to expect for the future), I don't think I ever had a map that provided the opportunity for such a good start for the Hive.

I hope you will agree to do the map for our next game!

[Chaunk]

Originally posted by Senethro
What feedback would you give me on my maps?

I just remembered reading this on another thread:

Originally posted by Senethro Flubber may like flexible starting positions but I don't believe hes played on one of my maps. I go to quite some lengths to heavily engineer the entire planets surface but most especially the starting positions. Theres no way that you'd want to start anywhere except where I put you.

I certainly wanted to move my colony pods! The +1 energy/turn from the river far outweighed the turn taken to get it, and so moving was the logical choice. I'd need to go back and re-examine the first turn to see what your choice of start would have given me though.

It's a balance thing though. Giving lots of early energy to all factions is a great thing, but removes some effect from the morganite +1 econ bonus and greatly helping the hive overcome their -2 econ. Lots of nuts removes some of the hive's bonus (And the Gaian ability to boom on fungus) and lots of mins helps to amplify the spartan -1 industry penalty (Since all factions can produce faster, more expensive units are penalised further) whilst minimising the hives +1 industry. It's hard to strike the balance in my opinion.

Originally posted by mmontgomery1. I have SMACX, and would prefer that also.

2. There are several interesting possibilities. We could all play University, with a no-tech-trading rule. (All highly proprietary researchers.) Of course, there would still be tech stealing through various means. I have seen a similar game with Hive, and I thought it was a cool idea.

All university would be interesting. Some SPs would be highly fought over, and I suspect the mineral would be king for a long while. I'm game if you two are though. (On a side note, I'm starting an all spartan game soon, and this would be an extremely interesting comparison. I strongly suspect the all spartan game would be alot closer than an all university game, as the extra research of the uni amplifies good play to a huge extent. It'd be curious to see the differences.)

Originally posted by mmontgomery3. Having AI is fine, but this can often provide an advantage to those nearby. (Of course, this can also be a disadvantage, if you have a very aggressive AI neighbor.) If we have no tech trading, this will include the AI as well. If we have AI, it might be interesting for them to all be University as well, if we are ourselves all playing University. Otherwise, I'd rather not have Believers, Spartans, Pirates, or Data Angels for the AI. I would rather not have Data Angels in the game period, since I like to turn on tech stealing when capturing a city, but you really can't do this if Data Angels is in the game.

This is absolutely true. I'm currently in a game where, much to my chargrin, the Hive has been placed across a short span of water from the peacekeepers in the jungle, where I have no ai nearby to exploit in such a fashion. Suffice to say I am not amused (But staging bases will be going in shortly )

No Ai would be acceptable to me, but I'd strongly press for a smallish map in that case. 3 factions on even a standard map is a HUGE amount of room to fill.

(By the way, I think you meant CyCon not Data Angels with regard to tech stealing on base capture, as it is the cybernetic ones who have that factional advantage)

Originally posted by mmontgomery4. If we just want to do another SMAC game, I'd prefer Morgan and Hive, in that order. So that would probably mean University (Lobo), Peacekeepers (Chaunk), and Morgan (Mmontgomery). I'm fine with that as well, including all the AI players, but I would still rather get rid of the stinking Believers.

Why the believer hatred!? I love the believers, and I think they're one of my stronger factions. 2130 pop booming is lovely

Originally posted by mmontgomery5. With none of us playing Gaia, I'd just as soon have Rare Alien lifeforms.

Agreed.

[Lobo7922]

Well, good stuff i also have smacx but the bad stuff is that i have been having problems whit the disc, but yesterday was working, i dont know if is the disc or my cd-room unit, but i say that we try it.
I like to play whit the University firstly, then the cyborgs, then the angels, later the pirates, and finally Domai or the cult; i know everybody think they are the worst but what can i say i like the challenge
About the map of Senethto, what can i say? i was winning