How active is the team game?

MrWhereItsAt · August 21, 2003, 05:06

OK, I found myself recently longing for a SMAC/X DG, and so was considering joining a team and seeing if I could catch up.

Then Darkness' Edge turned up in chat (right now!) and we started discussing the idea of a REAL DG again. No crap teams, no subforums - just a game like the first one.

There is a lot of scope here - many untried factions, many victory conditions unexplored.... so what do people think? If you just want to have a good ole' traditional DG like everywhere else on the site, let us know, and we'll see if there's enough interest to sort out a new one.

Should we go without SPs this time? Or without certain SE choices? Or do we have to win a certain way? No crawlers..?

Darkness' Edge · August 21, 2003, 05:13

I'd really like to see this happen. I've got a lot of spare time at the moment, and I'd like to get another game going along the lines of the original.

Different faction, for starters. No crawlers, no SPs...would make things more challenging.

Anyone else interested?

Kody · August 21, 2003, 05:35

It would certainly start the public forum moving again.

Maybe you could enlist a few people, then run it in the main forum. I'm sure that some people from the ACDG2 will play while they're waiting for the turns.

GeneralTacticus · August 21, 2003, 05:58

Yes, if you could find a way to make this work alongside the current team DG, I'd be up for it - and commandeering the main forum might at least induce the Hive to stop spamming it with their endless issues of Pravda...

Kody · August 21, 2003, 06:10

Yeah some of the pravda issues are pretty desperate.

Although it's better than having an inactive forum.

Drogue · August 21, 2003, 06:25

I'm up for it too

I'd keep SPs in, they're good. How about simply getting Googlie tp beef up the AI a lot. Normal DG, but with very hard AI?

Although nothing that will take away from the team ACDG2. I don't think it will, but I just wanted to say

Kody · August 21, 2003, 06:31

What could be interesting would be having a few human players playing some of the opponents, and then having one faction being run by the ACDG.

The human players will be much more challenging.

Vev · August 21, 2003, 06:44

I wonder if the play & switch scheme is workable under ACDG in order to help give the AI some solid base.

Darkness' Edge · August 21, 2003, 07:52

What I'm proposing (and I believe MWIA is with me on this) is to create a new forum if need be (I'd prefer this one was renamed to "Team DG" or something to match other games, but whatever), and run an original-style game alongside this one. I'd be against having any human teams in that - lets leave them for the team game.

Harder AI would be cool. I also like the idea of disallowing crawlers as well though.

Drogue · August 21, 2003, 09:25

I agree with DE on all but the name. Not sure about disallowing crawlers with harder AI. Have you seen how souped up Googlie can do them?

Vander · August 21, 2003, 10:42

Whatever we do, I'm up for joining in on the fun.

Snowflake · August 21, 2003, 10:51

Sounds like fun!

Maniac · August 21, 2003, 12:47

Quote:

and commandeering the main forum might at least induce the Hive to stop spamming it with their endless issues of Pravda...

Well I prefer endless issues of Pravda over no issues of the PUT newspaper.

But sometimes I agree they are emphasizing quantity over quality too much.

Anyway, I don't think I would be participating in another original-style ACDG. Not only would the low level of AI competition make it way more boring than a team game, I also wouldn't like to play a plain SMAC ACDG, which I assume it would be if Darkness' Edge joins. Therefore, if you guys want me, I would be available to play a rival faction (on my own, so not as another team), giving you some more serious competition than the AIs.

Sure, the AI could be beefed up a little as well, but they would only be competitive because they can cheat so much.

Googlie · August 21, 2003, 15:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Maniac
Sure, the AI could be beefed up a little as well, but they would only be competitive because they can cheat so much.

Well - now there's a challenge for a scenario designer (assuming, of course, that you're not equating "beefing up" with "cheating" ....

)

eg: a scenario'd PBEM can be created whereby an AI Morgan is almost a sure lock to corner the energy market, or where Santiago will make a mid 2200's chop and drop attack on an enemy faction

It all depends on how humiliated the human players want to be

G.

Drogue · August 21, 2003, 15:52

As humiliated as possible

I like a challenge

Jamski · August 21, 2003, 16:05

Go WILD Googlie, make it almost impossible, start the faction in the desert dunes, on a small island with no bonuses, give all the AI +5 econ and free faculties rec tanks, rec commons and network node. Muck around with the files so they build masses of choppers and probe foils, etc etc. Lets see what you're capable of...

I really like the idea of all the SMAC players on this board together agaist the evilness of Googlie

-Jam

Drogue · August 21, 2003, 16:29

Nah. That's a bit cheating. But you could RP that they land near the Unity Wreckage, and so can salvage the computer whereas we can't (they get map). Then you could give them a better start, and get them to use their advantages better. That sorta thing

Jamski · August 21, 2003, 16:32

The AI knows the map anyway Drogue, its the only way the pathfinding can cope. nice RP idea though. Perhaps if the AI is set into two big perma-pacts of 3 factions then they won't waste so much time and so many resources fighting each other FOR THE WHOLE FLIPPING GAME! (sorry just my current SMAC thing)

-Jam

Maniac · August 21, 2003, 16:45

Quote:

eg: a scenario'd PBEM can be created whereby an AI Morgan is almost a sure lock to corner the energy market, or where Santiago will make a mid 2200's chop and drop attack on an enemy faction

Without giving them extra bases, energy, formers or terraformations at the start? Without making submissive research factions for Santiago? Just, starting in the same position as humans, with only modifying the AI preferences or adding some prebuilt units to the alphax.txt (eg a probe cruiser)?

Octavian X · August 21, 2003, 20:09

So, we've gone from mad about spam to pure suicidal.

Sounds like fun. I might be in.

Vev · August 21, 2003, 20:12

I love a challenge. Perhaps we can place bets on when we would be crushed by Googlie's hordes.

Darkness' Edge · August 21, 2003, 20:37

So, in favour of doing this, we have...

Darkness' Edge
MrWhereItsAt
GeneralTacticus
Drogue
Vander
HongHu
Vev
Jamski?
Octavian X?

It'd be good if we could get a forum for this, so it doesn't get mixed up with the team ACDG.

Kody · August 21, 2003, 20:43

I wouldn't mind joining in, but whether I stay depends on how much I enjoy it.

johndmuller · August 21, 2003, 20:54

If you go with the variation Drogue suggested earlier, I'd be willing to play another faction too; you wouldn't even need to give me a beefed up faction (As Googs would for the AI)

.

(Would the single players get to look at all the ~~spam~~ discussions about what to do and all?)

Kody · August 21, 2003, 20:56

Hey that was my idea!!!

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...76#post2277676

Ofcourse I realise there will be a plumenting popularity for the idea now.

Vev · August 21, 2003, 21:00

If it is a pure single player, Googlie can perform an odd tweak now and then to nudge the AI from doing something stupid.

Voltaire · August 21, 2003, 21:53

Not a bad idea, I would support it. The team game, though fun, lacks the politics of the first game. Only this time we keep the parties.

Octavian X · August 21, 2003, 22:04

I expect that once all the teams have met (in game) and planetary council votes go into full swing, the politicking and bickering between the teams will come back, with a vengance.

Voltaire · August 21, 2003, 22:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Octavian X
I expect that once all the teams have met (in game) and planetary council votes go into full swing, the politicking and bickering between the teams will come back, with a vengance.

I certainly hope so.

Hercules · August 21, 2003, 22:25

That's my view also.