Democracy Game 2-faction Multiplayer

[Mart]

A question, if there would be enough will to make one such game. Singleplayer apparently does not work, it quickly turns into AAR. Maybe now a MP game would be possible?


In short:
1) 2-factions/human players teams.
2) SMAX: expansion.
3) We can play for larger possible pool of players, scient's patch, which uses unmodified alphax.txt
4) Turns are due after 3-days. Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and holidays excluding. Turns can be faster, if teams manage to do it, but we would have at slow pace 1 turn a week, which should not destroy our RL (Real Life). Too slow? No, we enjoy playing, not rushing to game completion.

[Mart]

Map size.


I was thinking standard size is maybe the best way to go, as for playability. We will not have too many bases in advanced game later, so less micromanagement, but there is also benefit of larger map. We would have more builder game. Large size selected, not huge! Huge maps are hardly playable in mid to late game.

[Mart]

Faction voting:

http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=20952.0

[Mart]

As I read description of kyrubs patch for SMACX, I think it may be the way to go. There are some additional bugs fixed, and it uses unmodified alphax.txt.


3) We would use scient's kyrubs patch for SMAX as the main version, meant to be used by turn players. It is unmodified alphax.txt, so anyone with official exe, kyrub's (scient's) or similar would be able to view the game.
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=108
* changed to scient's patch - kyrub's has some bugs, that may not be acceptable by players.

and other settings, that I think of:
5) we can play directed research, although I would vote for this setting, it may be, that majority would prefer Blind Research. It might be more interesting in DG (democracy game).

[Kirov]

I was thinking also about a limit to the number of bases. Otherwise people will build 20 bases and then drift off from managing them.

[Mart]

Might be very faction strategy changing. What about end-game and conquest?

Another problem is copters. There are more than one good rules to offset their overpowering. What would be the best to try here?

[Kirov]

Might be very faction strategy changing. What about end-game and conquest?

Another problem is copters. There are more than one good rules to offset their overpowering. What would be the best to try here?

I think the factions can be split into several categories, depending on how many bases they need. Lal is a separate faction, the only one which actually favours vertical growth (I remember this was my main mistake in the Rising Sun game, too many Lal's bases). The rest either greatly benefit from more bases or desperately require them for optimum growth (here obviously the Hive, but also Morgan (Hab ca, energy per base square bonus) or Zak (more bases = more Nodes)). So as long as the opposing factions are from the same category, you're good. We can write a list of factions in the descending order of ICS-relying strategies.

I agree that the conquest is the most problematic issue here. Dunno, maybe when you take a base, you need to put the AI base governor 'on'? Just a thought.

As for the choppers - I believe restricting attack to A4 works better than restricting attacks to non-base tiles, but it's still trying to put out fire with a bottle of coke. As is tradition, the game will be won either by who's first to D:AP or who has better industry if they get AP at relatively the same time.

[Mart]

... As is tradition, the game will be won either by who's first to D:AP or who has better industry if they get AP at relatively the same time.

The second possibility would be played for longer time, and make some interesting game. Democracy game lasting over 100, or 150 turns would be already quite long.

SMACX gives us many ways to deal with problems as they appear. D:AP would be bigger problem, but skillful players would deal with it properly, so it could be discovered close to the same time. Good point to remember during the play and plan strategy accordingly.

We do not know which factions would be chosen finally, but having Cult in the game as human faction might give us native life massive armies. Fighting against classic troops, in democracy game, that would be interesting.