Pre-thread for polls about options

[Harry Seldon]

Sounds good.

[Gilgamensch]

I think we'll leave this pre-selection open for a week or something like that.......

[Harry Seldon]

In a new thread, right?

[Old n Slow]

I haven’t tried the poll route so I don’t know how sophisticated we can get. I still have version 1.2, but can upgrade -- I don’t remember anyone else posting anything except for 1.31, so that may not be an issue (i.e. if someone desperately wants 1.2, speak up…)

I think that the first decision screen has the space size, game difficulty, age (org rich, min rich, average), game start (pre-warp, etc.) and the mixed choice of Antarans, events, etc.

I recommend that we somehow group these decisions together because a couple of them interrelate (game start & space size -- huge gives the player more time to at least get space ships, making pre-warp a little more interesting.)

(For my two cents -- if we go with impossible, then I think we should have a large or huge size to get us up & running -- folks seem to think that impossible, small is too difficult -- I haven’t done it, but I really haven’t played that much either. If we go with Hard, then any size is OK -- but it is a different game & some luck comes into play regarding the first star system. Age -- I usually go with average for the variety. Game start -- I usually go with pre-warp; also I don’t mind the Antarans, but I find that the “luck” factor of the events are annoying more so than interesting, so I often leave that toggle off.)

Second phase is the race pick -- here I think that we are all agreed -- something custom (I usually pick my face to be the Elorans -- might as well enjoy looking at them as any other -- unless Genghisfarb has some substitutes…)

Again, I think that we may have to make this decision as a combined one -- the dis-ads and ads need to sync up or else the final choice won’t work as well as otherwise. I recall seeing a thread or two discussing the basic “theme” -- productive (Uni, +1Pro, etc.) vs research (Dem, +1 Res,…) Note that the “theme” idea guides the choices and helps to limit them -- so a poll could be just the three -- productive, scientific, banana.

[Whoha]

no we want a random race where no one gets what they want, and the race sucks as a result :P

[The Mad Monk]

At this point, let me just say that Uni combined with Creative would be a waste. With creative we would eventually have morale boosters out the wazoo, which would be rendered useless by Uni.

I would like to see subterranean and aquatic.

[The Mad Monk]

My preferred galaxy would be huge average, eight players, all options on. Hard or average difficulty.

[The Mad Monk]

Restart allowed for really sucky system.

[Whoha]

hmm, going to have to work up the courage to start a government poll...

[wervdon]

Restart allowed for really sucky system.

I'd say stick it out, if it sucks enough we'll probally lose in a few days anyways. If we don't, then we can feel like we accomplished something.

Oh and Mad Monk, Subt. is my favorite trait too I don't think I ever tried it with aquatic though

[GhengisFarb™]

This is going to be complicated. Let's have a poll on the General Settings first (Galaxy size, etc.) then have a final poll on our race settings.

[vmxa1]

I think you got to play on at least hard. I just finished two test games for someone at hard and it was no fun as the AI is too weak and never even mustered an attack.
If you play on med you would have to use only negative picks to make interesting.
My two cents on creative is that it eliminates some of the fun. You do not have to think about tech choices, only the order of them.
IOW you may need to go with one field earlier than normally, but you never have worry about which one of the items to select.
I am not saying you can't lose with a creative race, but it plays itself.
Map size are all fine, except that the bigger it is the easy it is to play the game. So if the difficulty goes down from impossible the map size should go down with it.
I mean what is the easy game of all, huge map with lowest level of difficulty. What is the hardest, impossible on small map (IMO).

[Whoha]

I don't see how creative plays itself, my tech choices never vary when i'm playing a non-creative race. All it does is give you a bunch of "oh thats nice" techs that are worthless otherwise.

similarly uni/tol constrains the tech tree in such a way as to almost be creative. The only tough choices for a uni/tol race come after the game would have been won.

[vmxa1]

You never have to choose at all as a creative race. You may elect to change the order of the fields from time to time, but that is all.
UniTol is just one race, there are a lot of other non creative races.
Here is one tough choice (IMO):
FORCE FIELD 900 rp

Planetary Radiation Shields
Class III Shields

If you have a bunch of radiated planets and are not a lith, you sure want the shield, but you want that new class III shield as well, especially if you skipped class I. Creatives do not face that choice. They did not face teh first choice of Class I or Mass Drivers, they get them all.
I know there are others, but yes once you know how to play the game the choices are pretty much autumatic.
That is not to say painless. It is painless for a creative race.

[vmxa1]

So I meant by it plays itself is you have no concern about the tech tree and do not even have to bother stealing, only defend against spies.
You can sit on one system and build away till late in the game and the attacks start and still win. You do not have to make any choice of any type in that game, except when to start cranking up the military to take over the map.
I have done it many times and Balakov has posted a step by step log of just such a game.
It plays itself.