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Quick description:
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6 players. Each player is awarded a kick start in a different tech. The tech and tech level will be determined via a bidding system. Solo victory. Medium Sparse. Some diplomacy and race restrictions. 25 hour gens, extended by majority request. Non-playing, but very attentive host.


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Much longer description:
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Exactly 6 players required.

Advanced and high-intermediate players preferred, due to the probably unforgiving nature of the start. I would also prefer players that are doggedly persistent even when they suffer early setbacks - early, and probably quite one-sided combat is very likely. Consider how you plan to survive if you fail to secure the weapons or construcion tech boost, and find yourself up against someone who did.

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Special Rule:
Each race will be given a head start in one unique tech field. The specific field and tech level will be allocated by a system of bidding, which will proceed as follows:

(1) Each player will send host a list of the six fields, with the lowest value they would accept for each (the bid.)
(2) Host will then determine the current best (lowest) bid in each field and advise the players of these numbers only.
(3) Players will then get an opportunity to improve (lower) their bids, after which the host will recalulate the current minimum bids.
(4) Repeat step 3 (3rd round bidding.)
(5) Repeat step 3 (4th and final round of bidding.)
(6) The tech field with the lowest winning bid will then be assigned to it's winner*, who will be removed from the remaining bids. This tech field will have the value of the second best bid** less one level, or the minimum bid, whichever is higher.
(7) The current winning bids for the remaining fields will then be recalculated and step (6) will be repeated. This will repeat until all fields have been awarded.

*Ties in the bidding at step 6/7 will be resolved by these methods, in order:
(a) Who placed the lower bid in step (3) (3rd round of bidding.)
(b) Who placed the lower bid in step (3) (2nd round of bidding.)
(c) Who placed the lower bid in step (2) (1st round of bidding.)
(d) Final opportunity to place a lower bid on that tech, between the tied bidders only.
(e) Random

**The final field will be allocated at level 26, as no other bidders remain.

The values of the won techs will be posted, but the winning bidders will remain anonymous to protect race designs.

Races will be submitted AFTER bidding.

The techs will be allocated to the races using direct hst file manipulation, courtesy of Wumpus, who has kindly agreed to make the modifications.

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Universe settings:
Size = Medium
Density = Sparse
Starting Positions = Distant
ACCBBS is ON
Random Events is ON
All other settings OFF
Starting HW Germ will be between 50 and 70 concentration.

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Races:
CA may not take TT and must leave at least 200 points to defenses.
JOAT may not take OBRM and may not take NAS.
IT must leave at least 50 points to defenses.

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Victory conditions:
Strictly solo victory only. Victory by surrender of all active players.

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Diplomacy:
Diplomacy is permitted, but with some harsh restrictions, since the the player count is quite low:
- The top two ranks must have each other set to enemy and any pre-existing agreements with each other are voided. This diplomatic state will be fixed for 10 year intervals starting at 2420. The top two players will be announced each decade.
- No pre-game alliances.
- The players starting with weap and con must compete with each other until at least 2450. Specifically, they must have each other set to enemy, they must not tech trade with each other, they may not form diplomatic agreements with each other. You are asked to play to the spirit of this (i.e. don't find a third race to trade through...)

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Cheats:
- No cheating. I don't need to list them... If in doubt, ASK the host.
- Chaff is a permitted tactic.
- Splitting fleets is a permitted tactic, but please try to avoid the 'split fleet exploit' (i.e. don't intentionally use boranium freighters to manipulate the pursuit.)
- Crash sweeping is permitted, but, take care to avoid battle board overload or waypoint targeting problems for your opponent by having too many fleets at any one place.

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Hosting:
- I will be the non-playing host of this game.
- I will require player passwords to check races, to check player rankings each decade, and to assist in the case of dropouts.

- I want to keep a good pace going, with no host-imposed hold expected.
- Game will be set to max 25 hour gens initially.
- Game speed can be reduced at any time if at least 50% of active players request it.
- Holiday schedules by consensus.

- Please try to let host know in advance if you expect to miss more than 1 turn.
- Failure to upload for 2 consecutive turns will result in being set inactive until you upload.
- Failure to upload for 4 consecutive turns will result in a replacement being sought (no hold.)

- If AH goes offline, when it returns the max gen time will be extended to ensure at least 25 hours from AH coming online until the next force gen. Gen time will not be increased if uploads were still possible but game pages not updating. Common sense really. You can always email the host your turn if you expect to have trouble uploading, and then the host can worry about getting it up in time!

Game will start as soon as we have six players. It may take a while to gather the players as there are a number of games currently advertising. Spots are strictly limited to six.

Host email: dogthinker AT gmail DOT com

Nuff said.

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[Updated on: Mon, 06 March 2006 21:26]

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I'd like to try out my hand at this game, but...
I can't upload turns on the weekends. This is a serious enough problem that I won't play if there are gens on the weekends.

I doubt that you'll have trouble filling this game, but it does sound neat, so if the schedual were to be changed for some reason...

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Quote:

I was exposed as (covertly) playing and hosting in the same game

If you were planning to cheat, you'd have gotten another user id like that greg vabooboo guy. Happy to see you trying to host again.

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Icebird:
If all players agree I can run a 'weekends off' schedule, so I'll provisionally put your name down.
However, because the game is advertised as max-25-hours, then if 6 players apply that wish to run with the fast schedule I will need to give them priority.

Multilis:
Thanks!
It'd mean a lot to me if you gave another of my hosted games a chance, would you like to join? I think CLFKIAB went rather well for you - wasn't that your first victory? So that's a 100% victory record for dogthinker-hosted games... Can you keep it up?

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MortonHQ wrote on Thu, 09 March 2006 00:29

I'd be happy with a weekends only game. Please put me down as well.

Hi MortonHQ, I see you are a recent signup, welcome to the forum.

I've sent you a short PM asking a couple of questions about your multiplayer experience, as I hope to fill this game with upper-intermediate or better players (due to the unforgiving start given by the game concept.)

[edit: Hi again, I see on the game announcement for "Variety of experience" you've identified yourself as a beginner, so I'm afraid I'll have to knock you back for this particular game. Good Luck with your first game though! I look forward to seeing you around here!]

[Updated on: Wed, 08 March 2006 18:49]

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I'm not exactly upper intermediate myself; more of lower-intermediate, as the case may be. So I'm doubly provisional: Weekends, and not too high a skill level.

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PricklyPea wrote on Sat, 11 March 2006 01:52

why such a complex bidding process? can you not get a 6 field bid from each player and then take lowest bid in order: weap con en elec prop bio winner of weap is eliminated then remaining players go into the con bid etc. to the extent that a bid is drawn, the person with the lowest total techs wins. in the unlikely event that this is also a tie, then go down list in order and first lowest wins. if bids are identical, then player who submits race first wins.

Firstly, I don't want to arbitrarily decide the order in which the fields are chosen. How do I know which field the players will decide is 'worst'? I've got a suspicion that it won't be bio. I'll let the players decide the order, through the aggressiveness of their bidding.

Secondly, I want several rounds of bidding to give players an opportunity to react to other's bids. I'm hoping most players will start with genuine bids, because the resolution system for tied bids gives preference to lower early bids. The bidding is so crucial, it should be fun to draw it out over a couple of days. After all, games of stars take so long to play.

It is not really very complex, really just similar to an online auction, except I can't run it in real time. Description runs a little long because I tried to make sure I described everything.


If the players wish we can do a dummy round of bidding first, to make sure there is no confusion over the rules.

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ok. also, with only 6 players wouldn't small universe be better?

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PricklyPea wrote on Sat, 11 March 2006 12:05

ok. also, with only 6 players wouldn't small universe be better?

We're going with Medium-Sparse for two reasons:
1) So there is enough space between worlds to make prop tech attractive - warp 10 at start is nice in sparse!
2) To make OWW con/weap rush races into a bit more of a challenging choice...

[Updated on: Sun, 12 March 2006 05:12]

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Roster so far:

1) Icebird (conditional on gen schedule)
2) Dethdukk
3) ...
4) ...
5) ...
6) ...

Multilis and PricklyPea have both posted questions... I wonder if their interest will rise to the point of joining... I hope so, this game concept seems to me to be almost written for their attitudes to gaming

[Updated on: Mon, 13 March 2006 23:46]

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Just thought, have you considered a jump start? e.g. only action allowed pre-jump start is to select a tech to research (no build queues, no movement of ships). Then jump # of years less one. Then modify for techs won. Then generate final year and give out game files. This also removes the scanner problem mentioned by wumpus.

This would make the game more deadly and also allow other races to catch up a bit in weap or some other tech. Thinking of 25-50 year jump

[Updated on: Wed, 15 March 2006 08:00]

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Roster so far:

1) Icebird (conditional on gen schedule)
2) Dethdukk
3) PricklyPea
4) ...
5) ...
6) ...

Half way there

Somebody please kick multilis's butt in "Not Too Busy for Stars" so he's not too busy for Bidding for Techs

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[Updated on: Wed, 15 March 2006 23:31]

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Certainly needs to be considered. Don't underestimate the advantages of miniturisation as well, on some of the mid-range components.

Are you toying with signing up, NingunOtro?
I think you are in one or two large/huge games, so perhaps your time is too tight
But you would be very welcome.

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I am in a game that seems to have stopped due to technical difficulties.
If we are allowed to redesign race after bidding for tech then count me in for this game.
If the other game starts again then we will see if my marriage will survive me playing 2 stars games at once

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