Looking for PBEM game!

Belvadave · December 31, 2003, 02:45

I'm looking for any number of people to play a PBEM game of SMAC. I can set it up, but seeing as this is my first time doing the multiplayer thing i'd be more than happy to let someone else handle it. All factions are up for grabs (i'll play whatever no one else wants.)
My email is belvadave@shaw.ca

Themonger · January 1, 2004, 19:42

I'm up for a game!

I call Morgan

Belvadave · January 2, 2004, 04:37

alrighty, good stuff, how many people do you want to wait for, before we get this shindig going? any preference?

Jamski · January 2, 2004, 09:36

I'd like the University, if you need another player.

-Jam

Belvadave · January 2, 2004, 15:25

Definitely, definitely, the more the merrier as they say. so that's gaians, morganites and the university taken.... and like i said, i'll take whatevers left. that's four people now, so we can start the game or wait for more, whatever you guys prefer.

Googlie · January 3, 2004, 02:13

I'm up for another game - as the Spartans or the Believers

Googlie

Mr. Harley · January 3, 2004, 04:35

I'll take the Hive given what's left. Or the Peacekeepers if it's a large map.

Belvadave · January 3, 2004, 04:50

okay so that's

themonger : morgan
jamski : university
mike : gaians
googlie : spartan/believers
shawnmmcc : hive/peacekeepers

looking good, i figured i'd just use a huge random map, transcend diff., with all normal settings, so lemme know if that sounds good

Mr. Harley · January 3, 2004, 05:16

Sounds good - peacekeepers for sure. Do you want to ask someone like Sikader to moderate, to make sure of roughly equal placement?

Crisler · January 3, 2004, 10:17

I can add one as either the hive or the believers...

Jamski · January 3, 2004, 15:54

Yay, this will be a nice game

Googlie as momentum baddie

Well, whenever its ready :

j_maunders AT yahoo.co.uk

-Jam

Crisler · January 3, 2004, 17:30

edward.crisler@mchsi.com

Send it away...

Googlie · January 3, 2004, 21:27

WOW - now we have 7

themonger : morgan
jamski : university
mike : gaians
googlie : spartans
shawnmmcc : hive
Crisler: believers
belvadave: PeaceKeepers

Do we want it CMN'd (I'd suggest darsnan) or are we happy with the crappy positions the game gives us and with setting our own passwords?

(If we do go the CMN route, I'd vote for the Darsnan faststart - we each start with 4 colony pods and 4 scouts (sparta with 3 scouts plus a rover) which gives much more to do in those early turns)

G.

(googlie@canada.com)

Phat Tire · January 3, 2004, 22:03

I'm Mike and will be leading the Gaians, good luck everyone.

phattire12@yahoo.com

Themonger · January 3, 2004, 22:15

Quote:

Originally posted by Googlie
Do we want it CMN'd (I'd suggest darsnan) or are we happy with the crappy positions the game gives us and with setting our own passwords?

(If we do go the CMN route, I'd vote for the Darsnan faststart - we each start with 4 colony pods and 4 scouts (sparta with 3 scouts plus a rover) which gives much more to do in those early turns)

G.

(googlie@canada.com)

I would prefer to have the game CMN'd (cause I know I'll be the one screwed over by starting positions if I don't vote

)

The faststart thing sounds good as long as I don't start right next to you Googlie :P

email:no1inparticular@graffiti.net

Belvadave · January 3, 2004, 23:15

haha, i don't mind if the games cmn'ed.... not quite sure what that is, but if that's the plan someone else is going to have to handle it, since this is my first pbem game. (personally i like random starts, even if it screws me over), but whatever you guys like. so in short if you guys don't mind random starts, i can send the game out right away, otherwise someone else is going to have to start it. just lemme know!

Mr. Harley · January 4, 2004, 02:14

I have a preference for cmn'd - but I'm willing to go with random, and would defer to Belvadave, he started the thread. I definite prefer traditional start, but if the majority go with fast start, again I'll be OK.

Shawnmmcc

email - hjcarr01@athena.louisville.edu

Googlie · January 4, 2004, 03:03

Well, a "faststart" needs a CMN to set it up with the extra colony pods and scouts, etc, which is different from the "accelerated start" option when you self-start a game - that one (the latter) just puts you somewhere between 2120 and 2170, with an SP each and a bunch of headaches with the AI's mismanagement of your faction for x years.

A regular player in the game can't act as a CMN, as then he'd know all the start positions, etc, so it would need a neutral 3rd party.

but ............. it does take time to set up a CMN'd game - 2 to 3 days or so, so if we want to get off the ground quickly, then the Gaians should just kick it off and get it going.

but................ (and there's always a "but" ) it relies a lot on the honesty of the first six players in passing on the completed turn (which at that point isn't password protected for the next faction) without just hitting enter to see where that faction is starting (the only exception is the poor PK's who come last in sequence, when everyone's passwords have by then been set. The Gaians would know all players start positions, the Hive just the next five, etc as the turn moves along until it reaches the poor PK's who would be playing "blind")

Hence the desireability of having a game CMN'd. That temptation is removed.

As well, the CMN can disable the Empath Guild, which in multiplayer is almost a gamebreaker (postgame analysis shows that the player whio gets the EG wins over 80% of the time)

So the 3 questions really are:

1) do we want it CMN'd?

2) if yes, do we want extra colony pods and exploring units?

3) if yes, do we want the EG disabled?

I vote "yes" to all 3, even if it means a slight delay in starting - worth waiting 2 or 3 days in a 300-day game to get it "right" first time

There also needs to be some agreement on rules such as stockpiling energy, probe actions, SE flips. etc etc - see the topped thread on Apolyton PBEM rules.

G.

Mr. Harley · January 4, 2004, 05:06

I would prefer the straight Apolyton PBEM rules. Honors system on the Probe/rating 4 glitch - for the benefit of the Miriam player, only fair.

Prefer CMN.

No extra pods and exploring units - it helps momentum types more :P

Quick question, Googlie. From your experience, is it that the Empath Guild gives them the win, or that good players go for it? I would suspect the Weather Paradgim is almost as big. Thanks for the tip on players cheating on random starts - didn't know about that.

Game parameters - medium everything, no tech via conquest (that's why you build probe teams

), no restart. Again, most of this is only preferences and I'm pretty flexible, but I'm definitely against the fast start, though I'll work around it if we vote for it. I'm also pretty new to PBEM, I've started up once, and then dropped because of some medical complications. I have tried to read some of the threads, though.

Belvadave · January 4, 2004, 11:33

like googlie said, i would rather wait a few days to get the game started right.
but i'd still prefer a traditional start, and i was kind of just assuming no one would look at the start positions, so either way is fine.
as far as disabling things goes, i'd prefer to not, if something is a strong tactic in the game, i'd prefer to have to deal with it. (and since i'm basically a newbie, i'm sure i'll end up on the wrong end of that)
i'm also curious what the "Probe/rating 4 glitch" glitch is. probably a good idea to make me aware so i don't end up exploiting it, heh

Jamski · January 4, 2004, 11:44

Trad start, CMN, etc etc

Probe rating 4 should make you immune to probes, but it rolls over to -3(?) so we must be honourable and not probe people who have probe rating 4.

EG disable fine by me.

-Jam

Phat Tire · January 4, 2004, 12:17

Since I'll be unable to continue playing after school gets out in May, and this game looks like it will be far from completed by then, I'm going to withdraw now. Looks like this will be a good game when it gets off, but I'd like to get into one that I could actually finish after starting.

Sorry for any inconvience,

Phat Tire

Mr. Harley · January 5, 2004, 02:49

Gaians - I'll take Gaians!

So far
CMN yes 3
tradional start 3 fast start 1
Empath Guild for 2 disable 2 (I'll vote for)
probe +4 glitch workaround - 3 for
tech by conquest. 1 against
all victories enabled 1 for
look first 1 for
unity survey 1 abstain
bell curve (no random events) 1 against

planetary conditions? I request medium everything (OK, I'd like abundant lifeforms if I get Gaians

- I'm also not going to get it).

Themonger · January 5, 2004, 04:28

Like I said I prefer to have the game CMN'd. I would like no tech by conquest and no random events. Everything else I am impartial to really.

Mr. Harley · January 5, 2004, 06:08

Looks like CMN it is - 4 is guaranteed majority. Googlie, can you please contact Drasnan, as you apparently know him?

Toiletman · January 5, 2004, 10:33

Errrm, is there a hive spot open coz Phat Tire resigned? If so, I'd like to play
email: rDOTcDOTwitATstudentDOTutwenteDOTnl

Belvadave · January 5, 2004, 13:03

ahh, good, looks a full house again then. as soon as we have a CMN and have all voted on the rules we can get started i guess.
for my part i'm for random events, for all victory conditions, against unity survey , against look first, and against tech conquest.
mmm, tastes like democracy... just like us peace keepers like it.

Toiletman · January 5, 2004, 16:03

As for rules and bugs and stuff,
I advice everyone who isn't aware of the bugs to read this doc:
http://www.civgaming.net/smac/acad_buglist.shtml

As for rules and stuff
I'm in favor of a CMN
for the rest, I favor using the tournament rules for random maps, that is:

Do or Die: eliminated players are not restarted
Spoils of War off
Non-Blind (directed) research
No random events
All victory conditions allowed including cooperative. Coop victory is limited to two non-submissive players.
Unity survey off - map is unknown
Look first on
Normal starting conditions

What kind of map are we gonna play?
What version of SMAC are we using? I Got SMAX installed here atm, but I got the SMAC CD here, so do I need an install of that with patch, or can I play using SMAX?

Belvadave · January 5, 2004, 21:26

unfortunately i haven't been able to find smax, so it will have to be smac. unless i find it within the next little while i suppose... (doesn't seem likely)

Googlie · January 6, 2004, 01:57

I've e-mailed Darsnan to see if he'd be willing to do the honours as our CMN

G.