Wierd Science - Turn Tracking Thread

[Googlie]

This is a SMAX Game

Players, in turn order, are:

Black Sunrise - Gaians - indra@blacksunrise.com
Northswordsman - Hive - northswordsman@yahoo.com
Radman - Peacekeepers - bferdy@cs.com
Flubber - Drones - sharris4141@yahoo.com

Custom rules activated are:
all five winning conditions;
do or die;
look first;
spoils of war - steal tech when conquering base;
no Unity survey - world map not visible;
bell curve - no random events

Huge Planet, 50 - 70% water, average everything else, but here's the kick:

The evil Zakharov, together with his two submissive cronies, Aki-Zeta 5 and Datakjack Roze, have somehow already tapped into Planet's neural net and have established the Planetary Datalinks. In doing so, however, they somehow destroyed mankind's ability to build the Empath Guild - and not only that, their tampering results in an inability to find a tech in the Unity seed pods.

There's worse. Inadvertently they have also managed to render Council inoperative. You cannot elect a Governor, salvage the Unity core, launch a Solar Shade or enact a Global Trade Pact.

Truly you are on your own - battling not only each other for supremacy, but also trying to avoid succumbing to the fiendish experiments of wierd science run amuck.

Enjoy

G.

[Flubber]

thanks googlie -- looks interesting. you seem to be getting more inventive and fiendish with each game you establish

Oh and are the rules "tournament" standard or are there some variations? I will play under any set but its nice to have them clear at the outset.

[Black Sunrise]

Googlie, You are Weird.

I look forward to playing!

Indra
Black Sunrise

[Googlie]

As a suggestion, here are the Forum Wars rules (amended to reflect the lack of council, etc for this game)

• Communications - none till contact or obtain commlink
• Total freedom in Design Workshop (upgrades anytime, during turn or on-field)
• Retro-engineering - OK, except for using the probe rover chassis before discovering Doc. Mobility
• SE switches "quickies" forbidden - (obviously you can experiment to see what effect various SE choices have, but cannot change, play moves, then change back in the same turn)
• Stockpiling in Qs anytime - OK
• Crawlers Upgrade anytime - OK (see Design Workshop, earlier)
• Probe actions: Must choose vendetta option when probing other players, rebuke when probing pactmates (OK to probe teammate at any time)
• Demanding withdrawal through the menus rather than by negotiation is prohibited
• Multiple drops - cannot use the right click mouse feature to extend range of drop units beyond the 8 tiles (pre Space Elevator)
• Base growth through Colony Pods - can be used to increase a base size up to the applicable pre-facility limit, but cannot be used to breach that limit without the facility being built.
• Psi units cannot be assigned multiple waypoint patrol routes (to avoid instant demon boil bug)
• Cannot accept pending treaties/pacts after declaring vendetta in the same turn
• Cannot change an infiltrated faction's workers to specialists, for example by using the F4 screen (or the bases icon of the F2 screen)

Seems to work OK there

G.

[Black Sunrise]

Received
6:28 PM
Sent
7:04 PM

Had to reboot my system a few times.
Glad to be aboard! Lets get started!

[NorthSwordsman]

Yikes! Googlie, where DO you come up with these ideas?

Turn to Radman, 7:12 pm Eastern US time.

[Radman]

Hi all:

Move received at 5:15 pm, played and sent on to the Drones at 5:26 pm MST. Eleven minutes!!! Not bad, wish they were all so quick!!!!

Radman

[Black Sunrise]

36 minutes
8 minutes
11 minutes

Not bad, so far!

[Flubber]

2102 to indra

well my post was 7 minutes after his but 13 after his stated send time

[Black Sunrise]

Found a Monolith, ugrading units.


Move sent
3 minutes.
Eat my dust.

[Flubber]

well I won't even try to beat 3 minutes

hmmm I wonder when I should take the bus home (40 minutes)

[Black Sunrise]

I've been trying to get down to 1 minute for a while.
Never seems to work out.

[NorthSwordsman]

rec'd 7:43, sent 7:48.

[Googlie]

I should share with you all what I relayed to Flubber (in response to the vacancy in the Strife game)

I had so much fun with playtesting Wierd Science that after 20 turns (when all seemed balanced) I exited and then opened it as a single player scenario, playing as the PKs.

I got my butt royally kicked by Zak and his wenches. He was fusion needlejets when I was discovering ind auto - the other free AI's wouldn't talk to me (I was in vendetta with the Hive almost from first contact), and his probe defenses - sheesh (there's a scenario tweak you can give in the faction strategy section "build lotsa missiles', build lotsa arty", build lotsa probes". I set it up with the probe option, and he did !!!

I'm going to try again tonight, this time as the Gaians.

G.

[Black Sunrise]

I've learned some lessons on how to come behind when your enemy has a tech lead in my KeygensX game. There, I've been no closer than 15 techs behind the leader all game, but I'm rapidly on my way up.
Do we have other players com frequencies, or are we exploring to find them first?

[Radman]

WOW!!!

Move 2102 received at 5:51 MST and sent on at 6:01 pm MST. Its the fastest my machine will go!!! 10 minutes still not bad but not as good as the others. I'll see if I can get it down!!!

Radman

[NorthSwordsman]

Googlie, thanks for telling us in advance we are dead.

Seriously, have you thought about rewritting the AI section for Smax, to give everyone a run for his money?

[Black Sunrise]

I'm trying for 1 minute this time!

[NorthSwordsman]

Originally posted by Black Sunrise

Do we have other players com frequencies, or are we exploring to find them first?

Contact first, I think. Look up!

[Flubber]

2103 to indra

Turn was sent at 6:06 so 5-6 minutes

[Black Sunrise]

nutrient resources
energy resourses

move sent

4 minutes! Damn!
Tried hard, too.

[Radman]

Hi all:

Machine smoking! My system hasn't been used this much since, well, I don't know when!!

Radman

[NorthSwordsman]

Rec'd: 8:11
Sent: 8:12

WHOOOOOO! 1 minute! Whoo hoo!

Keep 'em coming!

[Black Sunrise]

Good job!

I'd better close some TSRs, my systems moving too slow for this!

By the way guys, this time of day, and the time 12 hours away from now, are my best times to play.
Evening EST, and 8-10 am EST. I work nights, so I am always unavailable then, and I sleep most days.
Technically, I should be napping right now, but this is fun!
Maybe just a few more turns....

[Radman]

Hi all:

Move received at 6:19 pm and sent 6:24 pm. Still not good enough

Radman

[Black Sunrise]

Aw, man! That's too slow! Somebody is going to have to exterminate your faction, you're holding us up!

[Flubber]

2104 at 6:25

and I work days and am still at the office as we speak since I can't break away to catch my bus. I play early mornin 6am MST and then whenever I get a chance during the day-- sometimes a lot-- sometimes not at all-- then evenings I always play what I haven't played during the day.

[Black Sunrise]

First former unit.
Love the terrain. Great starting location, nice rivers.

2 minutes, BTW

[Radman]

Hi all:

I thought while I had the chance since everytime I've tried to leave a note on the board I get a new move, to let you all know that my best times for playing is usually 6-10 pm MST or on weekends. Get up at 4-4:30 am to go to work and return home about 6 pm.

Radman

[NorthSwordsman]

rec'd: 8:26
Sent: 8:27.

Whoo, twice in a row. (tired expression). This is worse than a RTS game, makes you think fast.