Home » Stars! 2.6/7 » New Game Announcements » Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark |
Wed, 29 September 2004 22:05 |
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Concept: **Restricted scanners game**
The idea is to increase paranoia by minimising knowledge of the other races. It also should dramatically encourage offensive play. It will be possible (at significant cost in terms of fleet numbers) to provide a minimal scanner net to protect your inner worlds, but you will still be highly vulnerable to cloakers.
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Race Wizard:
PRT: AR, JOAT, SD and PP are all banned due to inherant scanning abilities. CA banned as monster econ.
LRT: NAS trait banned
Hab: 3i banned
PRT specific restrictions (for balancing):
IS speed trap mines are not permitted
IT must remove all colonists from it's extra start star for one year on or before turn 2410. They can of course recolonise afterwards.
SS is the only race permitted to build Super-Stealth Cloaks (i.e. other races can only bulid the most basic Stealth Cloak.)
Planetary scanner restriction:
Planetary scanners are only permitted on HW stars. You are not permitted to build any new planetary scanners. If you capture a (HW) star you *are* permitted to build a scanner there.
Ship scanner restrictions:
Battle scanner, Rhino scanner and Pick Pocket scanner are the ONLY permitted ship scanners at the start of the game.
Mole scanner is permitted on and after turn 40 (by which time you should have cloaks...)
No other scanners are permitted.
[update: MT item - Multi-contained-munition is NOT permitted]
[update: MT item - Mega-Poly-Shell (80/40 armour) is permitted after 2450]
[update: MT item - Langston Shell (50/25, shield) is permitted at any time]
Approximate max scanning table:
Hull \ Scanner . . Rhino . Mole . . . Pick Pocket
Scout (1) . . . . . 50 . . . . 100 . . . 80
Frigate (3) . . . . . 66 . . . . 132 . . . 105
Rogue (5) . . . . . 75 . . . . 150 . . . 120
Galleon (8 ) . . . . 84 . . . . 168 . . . 135
Metamorph (17) . 102 . . . 203 . . . n/a
Nub (36) . . . . . . 122 . . . 245 . . . 196
Minefields:
Standard minefields are permitted. Speed trap minefields banned.
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Universe:
4-6 players = Small universe, normal density (around 128 stars)
7-9 players = Medium universe, sparse density (around 216 stars)
10+ players = Medium universe, normal density (around 288 stars)
Global settings:
ACCBBS = on
Random events = on
PPS = off at start, but enabled from 2480 (using victory condition)
Starting positions: "further"
Cheats:
Chaff permitted
Split fleet permitted
All other known (and unknown) cheats and exploits are banned. If you are not sure if something is within the rules, mail me.
Victory: Solo victory by highest score at turn 2500. PPS will be enabled from 2480.
Game will be hosted on autohost.
Game will use donjon's ranking system, probably at level 3 (LI).
Turn gens will be set to generate as soon as all turns are submitted, with a maximum of 48 hours. On the 22nd December turn gens will be reduced to 72 hour intervals (max) until the 2nd January. If a player does not submit for 2 gens in a row they will be set to inactive. If a player does not submit for 5 gens in a row a replacement will be sought immediately.
The host will be playing.
Please send PASSWORDED race files to me at dogthinker AT gmail DOT com with the subject line "dark". Please do NOT send me your password. Please check your race carefully to make sure if fits the description above. Once the game has started you will be REQUIRED to send your passwords to a neutral 3rd party (donjon). If you have to change your password during the game you must inform the nuetral 3rd party immediately and provide the new password. All passwords will be made available to all players at the end of the game, so please don't choose a password you commonly use in other games.
If anybody is suspected of cheating the neutral 3rd party (donjon) will be asked check the relevant turn files.
Phew.
Good luck.
[update: fixed typo - PPS is on from 2480.]
[update: clarification - if you manage to capture a HW star, you are permitted to build a planetary scanner there]
[update: increased IT penalty, by reducing the time limit to 2410]
[update: MT item - Multi-contained-munition is NOT permitted]
[update: MT item - Mega-Poly-Shell (80/40 armour) is permitted after 2450]
[update: MT item - Langston Shell (50/25, shield) is permitted at any time]
[Updated on: Thu, 30 September 2004 22:33] Report message to a moderator
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Re: Alone in the Dark |
Thu, 30 September 2004 05:17 |
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Steve1 | | Officer Cadet 2nd Year | Messages: 240
Registered: January 2003 Location: Australia | |
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Quote: | IT must remove all colonists from it's extra start star for one year on or before turn 2415. They can of course recolonise afterwards.
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You might want to ban IT from re-colonising for a few years. At present all they have to do is gate a couple of MF's/Privateers and a coloniser of some sort, lift the pop for one year and re-colonise the year after. If this was done closer to 2415, a gate could be rebuilt almost immediately due to plenty of facs/mines being built in the meanwhile.
In the period leading up to 2415, the gate would have been used rather handily to colonise other worlds in the vicinity of the secondary world.
It would hardly make any difference to impose such a penalty on an IT.
Quote: | SS is the only race permitted to build Super-Stealth Cloaks (i.e. other races can only bulid the most basic Stealth Cloak.)
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Presumedly SS can also utilise the Ultra stealth cloaks?
Quote: | PPS = off at start, but enabled from 2485 (using victory condition)
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Quote: | PPS will be enabled from 2480.
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I think I spotted a typo
Quote: | Starting positions: "further"
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IMHO "distant" is better.
"Further" will still give a couple of players a small amount of extra real estate.
Quote: | Planetary scanner restriction:
Planetary scanners are only permitted on HW stars. You are not permitted to build any new planetary scanners.
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How about this scenario:
It's late, you have to be up early in the morning, and you're feeling very tired right now. All you want to do is quickly finish your turn for this year and then head straight to bed.
Next evening you check out your new turn file and discover to your horror that you accidentally built a couple of planetary scanners on other planets
Of course planetary scanners can't be removed once built, so would the penalty be to force the player to upload all colonists from the planet?
Not a bad penalty, but what if someone was going to lose the planet anyway and decided to gain some free intel?
<sorry, just trying to be the devils advocate>
[Updated on: Thu, 30 September 2004 05:32] Report message to a moderator
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Re: Alone in the Dark |
Thu, 30 September 2004 20:18 |
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[update: fixed typo - PPS is on from 2480.]
[update: clarification - if you manage to capture a HW star, you are permitted to build a planetary scanner there]
[update: increased IT penalty, by reducing the time limit to 2410]
I've increased the IT penalty slighty, as I do intend it to hurt them a little as well as remove the scanner.
Regarding penalties for cheating, they will be decided based on teh situation, so I'm not going to add that to the description. Suffice to say that intentional breaking of the rules is going to result in a penalty greater than the advantage gained.
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Re: Alone in the Dark |
Thu, 30 September 2004 22:33 |
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[update: MT item - Multi-contained-munition is NOT permitted]
[update: MT item - Mega-Poly-Shell (80/40 armour) is permitted after 2450]
[update: MT item - Langston Shell (50/25, shield) is permitted at any time]
MCM has too much range. But the others are OK. Limited MPS to 2450 onwards.
If they are lucky enough to get them, a WM DN has the potential to get a scan range of 173ly using 16 MPS, 8 Langston, and 2 Rhino scanners. HE MM and WM DN can both potentially get a penscan of just over 81 ly using MPS. This could lead to some interesting fights over passing Mystery Traders.
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Re: Alone in the Dark |
Fri, 01 October 2004 02:54 |
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Steve1 | | Officer Cadet 2nd Year | Messages: 240
Registered: January 2003 Location: Australia | |
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Quote: | I know you're playing devil's advocate, but I'm playing honorable player's advocate. Besides, bad reputation goes much furthere then a good one. Isn't the AKA "Cheater" a good one detterent of being dishonorable?
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Yes very good point, but if someone did this accidentally, as per the situation as described previously in this thread, and then you accused them of Cheating and/or being of disreputable character, then that would be unreasonable .... Yes?
If you consider the amount of mistakes you've made throughout games over the ages, things that you had absolutely no intention of doing, but then you look at your turn file and go huh???
Sometimes it might even seem like the Gremlins have got in and deliberately sabotaged your game
So the point being is that it's possible for someone to make a mistake and how are you to know whether it really is an error or not???
Therefore since you can't tell whether this hypothetical person made a mistake or did it deliberately, it's probably best to have a suitable punishment that will most certainly disadvantage them either way. Whether the host decides what's to be done at the time or whether it's stated upfront, is totally up to the host, but since he's also playing in the game then perhaps stating the penalty upfront is more advisable.
[Updated on: Fri, 01 October 2004 02:57] Report message to a moderator
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Re: Alone in the Dark |
Fri, 01 October 2004 04:12 |
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Steve1 wrote on Fri, 01 October 2004 16:54 |
Therefore since you can't tell whether this hypothetical person made a mistake or did it deliberately, it's probably best to have a suitable punishment that will most certainly disadvantage them either way. Whether the host decides what's to be done at the time or whether it's stated upfront, is totally up to the host, but since he's also playing in the game then perhaps stating the penalty upfront is more advisable.
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2c well spent, wise words indeed.
I would, of course, defer to a third party decision in any disputed case. They would be the ones checking the turn files, so would be the most appropriate to decide punishment.
In the hypothetical case of planetary scanner building, then if no advantage was gained then I would suggest that lifting the pop off for a turn is enough. If strategic advantage has been gained, then I would suggest blocking the player from uploading for the next 1 or 2 turns, to prevent them from acting on the information.
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Re: Alone in the Dark |
Sun, 10 October 2004 14:11 |
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Some food for thought on this game-idea. While I wouldn't demand payment to play such a game, I would never seriously consider playing in it.
For this game, as I see it there are really only a couple really useful PRTs. IMO, IT will be the most useful, due to inherent gate and of course CA, since there is nothing done to penalize CAs massive resource advantage. (I would simply ban CA, personally.) SS is almost entirely useless, as standard scanners will give more than the necessary benefit to avoid detection. You'll probably be fine simply using the first available cloak. Beam weapon strategies will be most effective as it'll allow you to spread your strength better. Simply building mine fields is generally enough for early detection. I generally send out hordes of scouts to all planets to avoid the possibility of getting caught pants-down by any planet-hopping cloakers.
As for encouraging more offensive plans, IMO, you're really missing the boat on this. This game is mroe likely to encourage defensive postures. Offensive plans usually involve having more intel than the guy you're fighting, that means getting through those mine fields and scanning the planets you're planning to hit--who throughs dice at an assault, simply assuming your opponent will not have a fleet waiting to kill you?
If no one has intel, in my experience the other guy will usually spend more resources on consolidating what is known rather than throwing away resources and minerals to be obliterated by the unknown.
g.e./Gakl on #stars!
[EDIT - removed comment on SD as irrelevant.]
[Updated on: Sun, 10 October 2004 14:32]
g.e.
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"When the newspapers have been read, the TV sets shut off, the cars parked
in their various garages. Then, faintly, I hear voices from another star.
(I clocked it once, and the reception is best between 3:00 A.M. and 4:45
A.M.). Of course, I don't usually tell people this when they ask, "Say,
where do you get your ideas?" I just say I don't know. It's safer."
-P. K. DickReport message to a moderator
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