Anyone willing to playtest a map?

Slimehorse · February 1, 2001, 17:19

Hello everyone- I've been skulking around these boards for a few weeks without saying anything (primarily because most topics would not be enriched by my input). But one thing I'd like to mention is the real scarcity (as far as I can tell from the various SMAC sites) of good maps. People have generated balanced maps, and scenario maps, but maps with the personality and the potential for narrative, a la Official Map of Planet, are few and far between. Another problem is the monontony of the ocean tiles... huge oceans where every tile is 1000m.
Anyway, I've designed what I think is a very attractive map (huge size), certainly one which is fun for narrativizing, but which I don't claim is super balanced with respect to starting positions, but if anyone is willing to give the map a whirl and tell me what you think (in the forums) I think it would be fun. Just figured I'd contribute to the SMAC community what little original stuff I've done (several orders of magnitude less than the Vel guide, obviously).
Of course, the other thing is that I need someone who can distribute the file for me. It's 300K and since I only have internet at work, and no personal web page (and no real interest in having one either) if someone else w/ a web page would be willing to download it from me and then post here with a link to it... I think you get my drift. I can just email that kind soul the file.
Thanks. I'm curious to know if my map cuts the mustard.

Googlie · February 2, 2001, 02:28

Slimehorse:

Fire it to me and I'll playtest it as well as hang it in the downloads section of the Spartan Chronicles website

googlie@mybc.com

G.

Lord Maxwell · February 2, 2001, 03:17

Slimehorse: Feel free to email me the map at maka1981@student.uu.se

Googlie: What is the addy to the spartan chronicles?

Slimehorse · February 3, 2001, 01:12

Okay, I'll send it to both of you- and Googlie, thanks for putting it up. Hope you like it.

Googlie · February 4, 2001, 02:00

Slimehorse:

Good job on the map.

I played about 50 turns yesterday on it, then opened up the Scenario Editor to see how the AI had fared re starting locations, builds, expansion, etc.

Quite will balanced IMO

(Interestingly, the Jungle remained pristine - maybe the algorithm used to alloocate start positions thought it a bit strong, being a large island/small continent).

I had trouble yesterday and again today with the Lycos server for the website - I'll try again tomorrow and hammer away until I can edit it to add the map.

And Lord Maxwell:

The URL is:

http://clik.to/sparta

Googlie

[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited February 04, 2001).]

Slimehorse · February 6, 2001, 01:13

Googlie: glad you liked it. The jungle remaining pristine was part of the plan... although the human has a big advantage in knowing where it is so as soon as doc:flex shows up he can head there. But quite often by the time you do, if yr playing with the pirates, they've already surrounded the whole thing. That inner sea is pirate heaven.

In other news, has anyone noticed that David Bowie might have landed on Planet well before any of us? In "Oh! You Pretty Things" (track 2 on "Hunky Dory") he claims we "gotta make way for the Homo Superior." The man was prescient.

networknode · February 6, 2001, 21:06

Hi, I'm trying to get a maps section up and running on my site, I'd be glad to post it for you as well.

------------------
–III THE NETWORKNODE III–
Custom Factions for SMAC & SMACX
Submit your own Faction!
www.civgaming.net/citizens/networknode
networknode@lycos.net

Googlie · February 6, 2001, 21:59

*** SUCCESS ***

Finally able to edit the SC site.

Map is now downloadable from the Maps page, go to:

http://clik.to/sparta

and move to the Maps page, where you'll find it.

G.

Lord Maxwell · February 7, 2001, 06:15

Played 100 turns on your map. SMACX, all random factions. I ended up as Datajack Roze in a world with Gaia, Sparta, Hive, Consciousness, Cult and Drones. Playin Ironman and tech stag.

I landed on a massive northern continent, and after 30 years I was certain that I had landed on it all alone. (Later on it turns out that four AI factions landed on the same continent. But Drones and Cult have their own landmasses, after 100 turns Drones have not build more than 10 bases on a landmass capable of holding 30 of his bases with his current spacing.)

I built WP and HGP in 2149.
VW in 2158
2192 I built empath guild, which got me elected planetary governor 2193. (Finally making up for all those early techs I beelined past.)
2195 I built the neural amplifier, and pacted with consciosness and gaia. (Gaia won't last long, I run FM)
2200 I built Maritime control center and finally got the tech for tree farms. (Got lost on my beeline, wasting two techs.) 5 turns left to clean reactors, then a truly massive terraforming campaign will commence. Saving up cash for upgrading my existing 30 formers.

I also built the planteray transit system somewhere in the 80's.

I've got 32 cities, and 4 colony pods en route. I think I will manage to get to about 60 cities on my own landmass, then I will turtle.

Gotta say that the map look fine. And just as Googlie I found the jungle untouched. Just hoping to get orbital insertion before any of the silly ai factions go there...

Lord Maxwell · February 7, 2001, 19:03

Sorry, I expressed myself badly. The four AI factions didn't share my continent, I have it all by myself. They share "the third middle continent", ie the one east of the one east of the jungle. It's pretty crowded actually. (Well, by now Sparta dominates it, but she has some interesting base graphics.)

Only bizarre thing to happen is that I often get to start with a foil or two in multiplay. (It counts both the southern continent and the continent east of the jungle as so small that you need a boat.

As Yang in MP I have 50 bases by 2175. (7 of which are in the jungle, the rest on the landmass east of the jungle. Miriam west of jungle (ai faction) has started to launch some nettle missions at the jungle bases.)

Probably the foil issue is related to how large the map is. Not a real complaint though, everything that speeds up the slooow start of mp is good.

Slimehorse · February 8, 2001, 01:32

I have to say that it's quite odd that on your first game 4 people landed on the long narrow northern continent. Usually it's well spaced out, with say three factions on the two parts of the horseshoe, three more on the continent w/ the nexus and the dunes (in homage to the coolest thing to see between L.A. and Las Vegas I renamed it the Devil's Playground), and one on the long northern one with the Unity wreckage and the flats.
Often if you play against the Cult, they will get the whole of the northern continent, which tends to work in their favor because by the time you get around to heading up there, they've sprawled across the whole thing.

I have played plenty of games on my map and you never EVER start in the jungle, which personally I like. Although what's fun is how fast the Pirates often find it. When I play I often (even tho' I'm pure builder) I beeline for Flex just so I can send a CP to the jungle ASAP.

But I'm glad people like it, and of course feel free to edit it, rename it, repost it, take credit for it, whatever. I'm just trying to do my part to keep the game novel. (I almost wrote "fun" instead of "novel" but that game still and will always be fun).

Slimehorse · February 8, 2001, 01:34

Oh, and Googlie, thanks again for putting up the map. I really appreciate it, not having a web page of my own.

LoD · February 10, 2001, 17:33

Slimehorse: I'd be willing to put it up on my site. Can you mail it to me?

LoD