Turns of ACT040 game in Apolyton PBEM Tournament

Turn turned to WhiteElephants!

No its not me Buster, its someone else. Anyone else. But not me. Go away. [Having the Hive as a neighbour is bad enough.]

Hobbes- the hidden

[buster]

2126 to Gaia.

Life is tough when one has to do ones own research and the scientists already "know" planet is flat because the revised bible says so.

Turn turned.

Hobbes

[buster]

2127 to gaia

[Jacques De Carufel]

So I am out!

This is cruel, even more so that I did not have the chance to obliterate my last base myself before the Believers could destroy it...

Yes Tau, I would really like to start a game on this tournament map w University...(especially if Buster is also in the game, with any faction).

Thanks, and good luck to the survivors of ACT040 !

Jacques De Carufel.

Turn turned.

Hobbes

[buster]

2127 to Gaia

If Tau reads this I am in for another game as long as I do not again get believers. Sorry but the only the way I know how to play them is with a twitchy trigger- finger and if I end up having to kill off Jacques again he will probably never forgive me.

Why do I have the feeling that anyway I may end up spending more time battling off Jacques than building up my own faction? Probably its just my imagination running too wild.

Turn turned.

Hobbes

[buster]

2129 to gaia.

Damm this island is big and there is noone around.

Turn turned.

Don't you mean Buster, that there is no-one around anymore......

LOL

Hobbes

[WhiteElephants]

I realize that you two had some miscommunication, but the fact of the matter is that if you (Buster) didn't take out Jacques ASAP he would eventually knock you out or make you his submissive. I also realize it is kind of humiliating to be taken out early, but he (Jacques) should know that the Believers need to capitalize on an opportunity such as this in order to be successfull in the future. I hope he doesn't hold a grudge because of this.

[buster]

2130 to Gaia.

Hobbes and I are in other games, this one is the second one where after not long conflict broke out.

I think Jacques main frustration was that he apparently made me an offer, only it did not arrive to me as he had overfilled the thee comm link and what i could read (the end of it) sounded less friendly.

I would also point out, that I did not just attck but gave him a chance to offer me something first. As believer ones choices for getting ahead are pretty limited and thus - thinking he was taking a "no way" stance - anything else but using my chance of a quick attack before he had time to prepare - would have made my chances very slim.

That I am now in a situation where I will have to compete builder style is course the inevitable consequence.

Other than that I think Hobbes and mine mutual teasing should not be take too seriously. Besides this I am aware that he probably is becoming a more experienced general. Isn't that right Hobbes?

[WhiteElephants]

2200! Wow, the game might be over by then. I think the immortal Kenny Rodgers said it best when he said, "You have to know when to hold em', know when to fold em', know when to walk away when the dealins' done."

Turn turned. Great rejoicing at Hobbit bases upon surving another day. With the Hive next door, MW's galore, & the ravening hordes of Buster growing with every turn, survival is not a given.

Hobbes

[Jacques De Carufel]

Please don't sweat this and keep-on enjoying this game...

You are both right... I knew about Believer's need to be agressive, and I had made an offer to Buster, which apparently did not reach him.

The offer was that I give him my techs as requested, but in exchange for a Pact not to be broken until 2200 (I think)... I further explained that, otherwise he would find nothing but hopeless adversity, no cities for him to keep (too small pop) and relatively few stolen techs.

I still believe that, as a result, Buster might well end-up way behind in tech next time he runs into another neighbor and that he will then probably be hurting...

But all in all, it was mainly bad luck for me being his neighbor.

I will continue watching this tread to see if my prophecy will materialise and hope to meet you guys again under better circumstances (can't be that much out of luck 2 times in a row... I hope !)

Cheers !

Jacques De Carufel.

[buster]

2131 to Gaia

The ravaging hordes are bored stiff. Expected to take around 276 years to develop flexibility and by the then we will be lucky if a combined assault will even make a dent in former.

Turn turned.

Upon hearing the above news, the Hobbit citizens declared a weeks holiday filled with feasting, carousing and lots of reggae.

(Can we have it in writing though please? ie I Buster hereby promise not to show up near any Hobbit bases for a minimum of 276 years.....) LOL

Hobbes

[buster]

2132 to gaia.

Found a mindworm to kill and the troops brightened up a bit.

Meanwhile we are praying for a miracle. As is well known, God is on our side and we are hoping for an illust.. - let me rephrase - demonstration of his trust in us such as a "rain of tech" or "two-turn special projects".

A landbridge to Gaia would of course also be appreciated. I am sure we would get along fine.

[WhiteElephants]

This information has been declassified from the Morgan Datalinks, although the exact date of this entry is still highly classified.

Morgan expansionist Colony Morgan Trust and Terraformer 62-52-13 were ruthlessly attacked and deystroyed today by an alien speciemen of this planet. Citizens are encouraged to stay clear of the fungus fields and within the perimeter of our sensor arrays to ensure protection.

Turn turned.

Tell you what Buster, if those prayers of yours are answered- "rain of tech" or "two-turn special projects", we will convert immediately.

Hobbes

[buster]

2133 to Gaia.

No luck so far. Also wish uni had done more terraforming.

Will I have to do everything myself in this game?

Turn not received yet- but I am a long way away!

Has everyone seen the thread: http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum27/HTML/000326.html?9

It affects our game- unless Uni was on transcend, in which case the point is moot though it may give JDC some comfort to know he was labouring under a handicap.

Please post what level you are playing by checking the cost of an SE change: 40 for Transcend, 24 for librarian?

Hobbes

[WhiteElephants]

Well piss up a rope! Actually Hobbes, I think you are the one under the handicap because it is the Gaians who have the first turn. Anyway I couldn't figure out why the screen with the picture of Morgan wasn't popping up when I loaded our game and why when I moved my scout out of my size 2 city it didn't riot. I was waiting for more proof and haven't changed SE setting yet. I actually hadn't even thought to look. Well crap. What do we do?

[Googlie]

In one of the affected games I'm in I've suggested that we play on, but that each lower diff player remits ten credits/turn to the affected starter, and also gives a free tech every 25 turns or so (or maybe a 2 for 1 every second trade).

Doesn't help the drone problem he'll face, but will slightly redress the extra cost of building units/facilities and the slower tech development.

Imperfect and somewhat arbitrary, but better than undoing three months of invested time.

G.

[buster]

I will leave it to Hobbes. I will understand if he wants to restart as I wanted to in another.

The arbitrary solutions of giving tech or energy now and then I just do not like. In the end it may end up to mean more for who wins if we decide its ever 8th or 15th turn a free tech is given than how one plays. It just has too much of an impact and does not address the real problem, which is that things behave differently on transcend.
If anything I can better live with giving energy than tech (besides that I probably wont have much tech to give for a long while).

Hobbes can take the challenge to play with a handicap (which I have little doubt will eventually bring him down)or we can restart.

To me restarting is no great loss. I enjoy the beginning phase as much as the later ones. The need to make the best of what one is given is as strong there as later.

We can also go on if Hobbes wishes it. If it will be fun to him to try to pull it off despite the odds, fine with me. As long as we do not have to restart then in thirty or fifty turns once it starts to impact.

Playing a game where the behaviour of the whole game is radically changed (like I think the arbitrary solutions will do)do not hold much appeal. It does not show much, teach much or really say anything about anything.

Personally I was looking forward to this tournament. I feel I have a good understanding of SMAC but here is where one can really see. Introducing arbitraries will to me pretty much ruin the idea.

If I were hobbes I would restart. After all we are only about 15% into the game.
If he thinks it will be interesting to move on, fine with me too as long as he goes to the end.

There are/were still three others and we will all know why he had a hard time. But some in between solution, which I cannot really tell if its only little help, actually makes up for the problem or ends up tipping the scale the other way have little interest.

I have asked Tau for a restart of this game.

Hobbes

[WhiteElephants]

I'm not too keen on the idea of restarting, but I'm even less keen on giving away tech and what not. I'm up for a restart, but what do we do about Jacques? My guess is that he is going to get his chance for revenge. I'll email him and see if he is interested.

[Jacques De Carufel]

I would obviously love to... but was not affected by the bug.

If it's OK with everyone, then yes.

Jacques.

[buster]

One little comment. When we restart - if it is same map and factions, I would appreciate new starting positions.

Otherwise it could get messy from the start now that a few of us where each others are and may have been practicing saying "payback time" for a while.

[Tau Ceti]

I am going to give you a new map but the same factions.

(Though it would have been an interesting experiment to use the same setup and see what had happened... )