New PBEM Classic SMAC

[zsozso]

OK, this should be clarified. The picture posted by vyeh matches my starting location and it also matches what mmontgomery said it should be: jungle square on top of a mountain with a road leading to it. However, that tile is definitely not in the corner of the map, it has full city radius well within the map -- of course, the full radius is not visible at start, you need to explore around. BTW, the plain map that can be downloaded from the link vyeh has given us earlier in this thread can be loaded into the game in scenario editing mode and then everybody can see exactly where the starting location should be: it is marked with text like "Player X starting location". So, FriendlyFire, could you please download that map file, load it into scenario editor and check if your starting location matches one of those marked jungle cells ? If it is not, then something really went wrong and we need to restart.

[vyeh]

I was very careful to place the 4 human factions in the spots listed as "Player X starting location."

I need some advice. Does Mart provide games where the full base radius is visible?

I think there is some confusion about the word "corner." When FriendlyFire talks about corner, I think he is talking about the general location of the start locations, which are in the corner (rather than the center) of a map that does not wrap around.

I went into the game that was posted at the top of the TTT and checked FriendlyFire's location. There was a road leading to the location (I didn't show it because someone experienced with the map could have figured out which corner FriendlyFire was).

[mmontgomery]

Probably the easiest way to clarify this is with the unique Jungle tile.

Friendly Fire, did you build your base on the starting jungle tile? You can easily tell this by looking at your production, and seeing if you have 3 food on your city tile. Or if you moved first, you should be able to see if you started on a jungle tile, by just looking at the tile you moved from. If you started on a jungle tile, you are in the correct starting location. There is only on jungle tile on each of the corner continents.

One must always explore to get the full value of your city radius. Myself, I sent one until exploring down the adjacent road, and the other scout in exactly the oppositite direction, which exposed the cities full site radius on the first turn. If one side of your city is dark, it is not necessasrily a board edge, it just means you have not explored those tiles yet.

Regardless of this, I encourage everyone to load the map into the map editior and take a look around, since Florin and I already have played on this map, it would be unfair if everyone else did not know the geography of this map. This way you can plan the direction for your initial expansion.

[zsozso]

FriendlyFire, did you verify your starting tile by loading the map into the editor ?
I'd like to make sure you have been started from the right position before we get too deep into the game. If something bad happened and you got started in the wrong tile, we need to restart the game and it is better to do that sooner rather than later. I know vyeh checked again the original starting save file, but something could have gone wrong during the conversion from Mac to Win. The last info from FF in this thread about his starting location is still : "I am not in the corner tile - I would have noticed that even from the CP's vision but just 1 tile away so that I have lost productive radius from my 1st base which is a pain." -- which sounds like he is indeed in the wrong place.

[vyeh]

If someone posted a save for me in this thread, I could look at FriendlyFire's start position. I do have the passwords and I have no problem opening a Windows file.

[vyeh]

Another strange thing I noticed: are we playing at Transcend difficulty ? I thought we were supposed to, but I just had a base reach pop 2 without police or Rec.commons and the second citizen is NOT drone. AFAIK in transcend level it should be. I was fully expecting a drone riot and did not get one...

I confirm the problem.

It seems that it isn't enough to simply set "force current difficulty levels" in scenario rules (as Googlie's procedure in the SMAC Academy implied). You have to go into the scenario rules under each faction and toggle it (I wondered why Mart insisted I do it for each faction when I was setting up ACDG6).

What I can do is attempt to replicate your current game (I need the latest game save, could someone post or PM it to me).

I can't use the scenario editor on a MP game, but what I could do is run the scenario on automatic to see what the AI's are doing. It won't be exactly what happened in your game because of random events.

[St Jon]

Sorry guys, I didn't even notice these later posts.

I think we cannot be on Transcend as Morgan is fussiest of all and I now got a size 3 Base and everyone is happy.

I reckon I am on the correct starting Tile as life is peaceful, apart from worms but that is the price you pay for being a raging capitalist!

I don't have the latest save but if zsozso has passed to Florin I will send you a copy before I play my Turn.

[vyeh]

I only need the very latest (one save from the last person to play a turn); I don't need 4 saves.

[St Jon]

I don't know how to attach a file to a PM and sending an email via Poly doesn't give that option.

Here's the latest save.

[vyeh]

Thanks. You might post a message in the TTT that you've received it and suggesting that everyone go to this thread. I'd like everyone to be on the same page.

[zsozso]

Vyeh, could you clarify what you are suggesting to fix the problem ? I do not understand.
Admittedly, I do not have much experience with the scenario editor or PBEM game preparations ala CMN, so probably that's why I do not get how you could reproduce the game state if you cannot use the scenario editor to set units to the right places. While one can reproduce city productions and units movements, I do not see how can you reproduce bug killing / catching events.

[vyeh]

I can see all four of your positions since I have the passwords. What I can do is set up another scenario advanced to the year you are. I will be able to replicate the units, the techs, any terraforming, but I will make sure that the difficulty issue is remedied.

For the AIs, I was thinking that I could start with the original scenario and have the game play automatically. I could then replicate the AI position in the new setup.

As the game stands, the Hive is getting a drone on the second citizen while the rest of the human players are able to get 3 workers, so I hope that by replicating what each of you see, we can continue the game with little loss of time.

If you're talking about mindworm capturing/killing, I can replicate any captured mindworms down to lifecycle, home base (if any).

If there were killed mindworms, that would show up in the energy reserves and increased morale of the killing unit.

[florin79c]

Well, i did get one drone at a base of 2. I hope you ca nfix this so they get some drones as well

[zsozso]

Thanks vyeh, that sound good. I really appreciate all the effort you put into this game for us!
I was about to suggest that we go forward as is -- if everybody is affected the same way (just to avoid the trouble of re-creating the status), but since florin79c is running at Transcend difficulty that is not an option clearly.

So, my vote is for vyeh to go ahead with his suggestion and do not worry about exactly replicating the state of the AI factions. As long as the human player states are reproduced, I am fine with it.

[St Jon]

Thanks vyeh, this seems the only fair solution and as long as the AI are still there it doesn't matter which one is winning between themselves.

And again thank you very much for all the hard work and effort you have put into this game for us!