Marky's Excellent Adventure (MEA) - TTT

[florin79c]

2154 to monty

this is the second time i lose a Project that i finish in the same turn with another player. i really want to know why this hapens. any ideea?

[Marky]

2155 to Dan

[mmontgomery]

Florin, the way I understand it, it is based on turn order. If you were slated to finish a project the next turn, but before your turn comes around, someone else's turn comes who already had enough resources allocated to finish it on their turn, they build the project.

In the case of our game, you and Dan have a very slight advantage, in that your turns come earlier than ours. So for you to lose the project, Marky or I must have allocated enough resources to finish the project on the previous turn.

I know the disappointment myself. I have lost my share of projects in various games as well. I remember losing Virtual World as University, which I could have completed earlier by cashing an AA, and I was just kicking myself the rest of the game.

[bdanv]

2155 to Florin

[florin79c]

thx monty.

turn send


EDIT: but if he finished with a turn before me, why i still had the project with on turn before? this is hard to explain so i'l let it go this time as well. same thing happen in a TCP/IP game we dont know why. i wish to know on what it's based on when it gives the project

[Marky]

2156 to Dan

[florin79c]

2156 to florin

Dan

[florin79c]

thatwas Dan, this is me

2156 to monty

[mmontgomery]

I think a time line will help to clear up the confusion. We will use our game as an example, since we all know the turn order.

Hypothetical example:

2160 - Marky has accumulated enough resources so that the Empath Guild will be built on his next turn.
2161 - Florin has accumulated enough resources so that the Empath Guild will be completed on his next turn. Note that Marky has not had his 2161 turn yet, so Florin still sees the Empath Guild as available.
2161 - On Marky's turn, he builds the Empath Guild.
2162 - Florin's turn comes, with massive disappointment. Though it was supposed to be completed this turn, the Empath Guild is no longer available! He sees that Marky has built it.

Note that the only reason Marky won this race is that he actually had the resources accumulated the year prior to when Florin accumulated the resources to build. Florin had no way of knowing this.

Another hypothetical example:

2180 - Florin has accumulated enough resources to build Cloudbase Academy next turn
2180 - Marky has accumulated enough resources to build Cloudbase Academy next turn
2181 - Florin builds Cloudbase Academy
2181 - Now Marky has massive disappoint, that though it was supposed to be completed this turn, Cloudbase Academy is no longer available, because Florin's turn came first.

Note that even though they both had acumulated enough resources to build on 2181, Florin's build came first because of turn order. This is why I said that there is a slight advantage for being earlier in the turn order, since if both factions would complete a project on the same turn, the one which is earlier in the turn order actually gets the project.

I hope this explains the mystery of who gets the project when two factions are competing for the same project.

[Marky]

2157 to Dan

I was going to build Virtual World this turn, and got beat out.

[bdanv]

it happends ... i know the feeling too.

2157 to Florin

[florin79c]

turn send

In SMAC there is this order, based on who gets to move first, but on SMACX there is not, so this is why i ask what is based on?On that TCP/IP game that i lost a project though it was finished, i was first to move and the guy that finish it was 4th, so this is why i say it's not based on turn order.

I will look more in to this an let you know

[Mart]

As far as I know, the assignment of Secret Projects is as Mmontgomery described. In multiplayer it is straightforward. Note, that whether on e.g. 2160 you have indicated SP as:
195/200 1 turn to complete
or
200/200 0 turns to complete
the SP is not in fact completed. It will be next turn, if still no one else completes before. and this is for hot seat/pbem.

Single player games are preferential for a human player and this may confuse you. When you have 1 or 0 turns to go, even if AI has the same situation, game preferentially gives SP to human.

Now, TCP/IP is another story. afaik, there are two modes off play:
- non-simultaneous moves
- simultaneous moves.
I played only little TCP/IP. But I know it's very bug infested. I don't know exactly how both cases assign SP, but I would expect differences between them both and also between MP in hot seat/pbem. I'm not very knowledgable here.

Smax has the same 8 slots for factions as smac. First is Aliens, then 2 - 7 is for players/AI. Smac engine though is less flexible to assign variations in the faction arrangement. Modding is though possible, so changing alpha.txt you can change faction list. In smax they had to put more options cause of 7 new factions, but still you distinguish the faction order. eg this game has the following assignment:
1.Aliens
2.Angels
3.Gaians
4.PK
5.Hive
6.angels-2
7.Univ
8.Drones

And this is the order. From this list 3 factions had no units from the start, it's like they are eliminated.

alpha Centauri.ini list only factions 2-7. this is used though for graphics, i know in order to change faction order you have to modify the game in scenario editor, there is an option to reload faction file.

If that explains more the issue.

[Marky]

2158 to Dan

[bdanv]

2158 to Florin. sorry for the delay. i'm back to normal speed now.