| Protocol for initial communication with a race - newbie question |
Sun, 03 June 2007 15:34  |
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This may be a silly question, but I sense there is an unwritten policy (or perhaps it is written and I just can't find it - wouldn't be the first time) that direct communication (in game, email or PM) with another race during a game should only occur after first contact.
First contact could occur by sending or receiving an in game broadcast to all races or sighting a race's ship, planet or other artifact (packet, minefield, etc). In other words, it's not OK to send a message directly to a race without first seeing them within the game. Put more succinctly, if you see the race's name in the score dialog you can send them a direct message.
Is that the case? I want to make sure I'm playing fairly without unnecessarily restricting myself.
Cheers,
Thor
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| Re: Protocol for initial communication with a race - newbie question |
Mon, 04 June 2007 02:21  |
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 goober |
 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 |
Messages: 175
Registered: December 2003
Location: +10 | |
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| Thor wrote on Sun, 03 June 2007 15:34 |
This may be a silly question, but I sense there is an unwritten policy (or perhaps it is written and I just can't find it - wouldn't be the first time) that direct communication (in game, email or PM) with another race during a game should only occur after first contact.
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It is probably more a case of practicalities and common sense that create the impression that such a rule exists. Direct communications and the ensuing diplomacy require you to invest time and effort to maintain it. That being the case, surely it is wise to limit those you engage in communication with. Surely you'd like it to be immediate neighbours in the first instance as they will have more of an impact on your immediate future than those further afield i.e. those you first observe.
Furthermore, contacting all and sundry may mean you end up contacting your next conquest. It is always noticeable when you suddenly cease contacting someone. Now why would that be I wonder? Could it be that I should be keeping a close eye on fleet movements of the guy who stopped talking to me?
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First contact could occur by sending or receiving an in game broadcast to all races or sighting a race's ship, planet or other artifact (packet, minefield, etc). In other words, it's not OK to send a message directly to a race without first seeing them within the game. Put more succinctly, if you see the race's name in the score dialog you can send them a direct message.
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That's generally how it works, yes.
However, in some themed games it may be appropriate to contact another race without first observing them, in some way, beforehand.
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Is that the case? I want to make sure I'm playing fairly without unnecessarily restricting myself.
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Not sure how not getting embroiled in unnecessary and time consuming communications is a restriction.
Although you may wish to have yourself deliberately stamped with the "Newbie" tag so that others underestimate your abilities by sending out a greeting to everyone at the start of the game. In which case, you certainly should send out a message to everyone at the start. The more moronic the better 
Goober.Report message to a moderator
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| Re: Protocol for initial communication with a race - newbie question |
Mon, 04 June 2007 18:23 |
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So far in my 1st game, I have only contacted races that I have either seen 1st hand (ships or colonies), or been introduced to by 3rd parties. So I send messages to the to players I met in the 1st few turns right away, and then once they made contact with others and told me about them I send a message. There are still 3 races I have yet to contact, on turn 12 (small universe).
All this was more about roll playing than stratergy, just trying to have fun. Also, as much as possible I have been role playing in my diplomacy, but it often breaks down because of the detail required.
[Updated on: Mon, 04 June 2007 18:24] Report message to a moderator
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| Re: Protocol for initial communication with a race - newbie question |
Tue, 05 June 2007 11:13 |
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| vonKreedon |
 | Lieutenant |
Messages: 610
Registered: March 2003
Location: Seattle, WA USA | |
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Role playing can be a tool in diplomacy, as well as being a impediment. You have to understand your race design and strategy from the beginning of the game to choose a correct role to play with your race, otherwise you will find yourself tangled up and conflicted between your races role play and your races strategic needs. To give an example of role playing meshing with strategic diplomacy:
I won a game playing an IS that could live virtually everywhere from the beginning, had high growth (IIRC it was 18%), and good factory settings. This race was absolute meat on a plate for any agressive QS, or really any race that became aware of my race settings. So I role played that the race was sadly xenophobic, that we saw this as a problem, but really could not stand the idea of other races anywhere near us. I used this role playing, along with showing what appeared to be advanced warships, to negotiate solid borders with my three neighbors that gave me what appeared to be a fairly small territory. I then occupied everything in my territory and set up cloaked flying orgies. As the game progressed my race "progressed" in its attempts to lessen its xenophobia, the result being tech trading with neighbors to keep them from exiting from our NAPs. Since I appeared to be a small but tough nut that was uninterested in expanding and I was helping my neighbors with tech I was left alone until late in the mid-game. By that time I was a late game monster and unstoppable.
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| Re: Protocol for initial communication with a race - newbie question |
Thu, 14 June 2007 14:14 |
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How did you create | Quote: |
an IS that could live virtually everywhere from the beginning, had high growth (IIRC it was 18%), and good factory settings.
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What I mean is, wide hab, high growth and good factories are expensive ... were you an HP (pop efficiency of 1/2500)? Where else could you get the points?
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| Re: Protocol for initial communication with a race - newbie question |
Thu, 14 June 2007 18:01 |
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| vonKreedon |
| Lieutenant |
Messages: 610
Registered: March 2003
Location: Seattle, WA USA | |
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I was an HP. The race, IIRC, was much like Kotk's example, but HP. Something like:
IFE, NRSE, OBRM, NAS, RS
.20-6.80 / -148-188 / 12-96 (virtually all)
18% GR
2500, 12/6/17 checked
10/3/17
all expensive w/ start at 3 (I needed to show good tech immediately in order to convince neighbors to leave me alone)
As Kotk notes, this race is absolute meat if anyone decides to eat it in the early game until some point in the mid-game. But if it survives to the late mid-game it starts to simply eat everyone around it. That's where the role playing came in handy.
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but in other games I will never speak to a race without having seen a fleet or planet of that race (unless they contact me first).
