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Home » Stars! 2.6/7 » New Game Announcements » Musical Chairs (All races allowed!)
Musical Chairs Wed, 03 June 2020 10:58 Go to next message
Ludi Magister is currently offline Ludi Magister

 
Master Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 103
Registered: April 2019
Looking for a game with no restrictions on the PRT you use? CA with TT? JoaT with NAS? -f HE?
You've found it!

Looking for a game without time-consuming diplomacy? All races set to enemy at all times? Absolutely no communications in the game or outside?
You've found it!

Looking for a game with very normal settings? AccBBs - yes, No Random Events - yes, all else - no? Size so that each race has about 30 planets?
You've found it!

Looking for the catch?
There is one...

You will not be playing the race you designed. After all races are submitted, XAPBob will randomly reassign the races to the players. This process is described below. Basically, there is a small chance that you will be assigned the race you have submitted. But the odds are against it.

This would normally lead to a contest who can design the most flawed or completely broken race. Hoping that someone else will have to play it. This is not what we want. Your race should be the best you can do. To ensure this, XAPBob will check the races for obvious flaws. I don't have to detail them here, you know them... If he finds such a race, the player who submitted it will be taken out of the random assignation. Instead he will play exactly the race he designed. Flaws and all. What constitutes a flawed or broken race is left to XAPBob's discretion. I trust you know that he is competent to judge this and that he is a fair arbitrator. I am not involved in this as I want to play in the game myself.

The random assignation will be as follows: XAPBob receives the race files. He will then allocate the races and players each a random number and sort each list - so the top of each list are paired, down to the bottom of each list.

If the players are in favour of it, there will be a second stage: a check whether reversing one of the lists reduces the number of players allocated their own race and if it does XAPBob will sort that list in reverse.

The race you actually play will have the name you use for the race you submit. The race names should have exactly 6 letters. (This makes changing the race names easier) Please do not use a race name that you always use. Other players should not know who they are facing.

You are welcome to discuss the game idea here. But I don't think there will be many changes...

Please do not publicly state if you want to play. Instead send a PM to XAPBob (or a mail, if you know his address).


[Updated on: Wed, 03 June 2020 11:00]

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Re: Musical Chairs Wed, 03 June 2020 11:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
XAPBob is currently offline XAPBob

 
Lt. Commander

Messages: 957
Registered: August 2012
Anyone using the race name "Random" or "Modnar" will suffer some fate as yet to be determined Twisted Evil

(Case insensitive

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Re: Musical Chairs Wed, 03 June 2020 12:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
vmanuel is currently offline vmanuel

 
Chief Warrant Officer 3

Messages: 187
Registered: October 2004
Location: Dallas, TX USA
Box universe or circle, and will the placings be completely left to the computer (such as OMITB) or managed by the host?


Editor in Chief of the Kaynan Space News.
All Space, All The Time - Kaynan!
www.myhood.biz

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Re: Musical Chairs Wed, 03 June 2020 13:27 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ludi Magister is currently offline Ludi Magister

 
Master Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 103
Registered: April 2019
Box universe.

If we have a large number of players, I would ask XAPBob to have a look at the placement of the HWs - but only to avoid things like we're seeing in Once More. I might also fiddle with the universe size or density to avoid a crush, but that would be put to the vote before it is implemented and the universe is genned.

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Re: Musical Chairs Thu, 04 June 2020 04:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
XAPBob is currently offline XAPBob

 
Lt. Commander

Messages: 957
Registered: August 2012
2 player names in the virtual hat.

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Re: Musical Chairs Fri, 05 June 2020 10:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ccmaster is currently offline ccmaster

 
Lt. Commander
Dueling Club Administrator

Messages: 985
Registered: November 2002
Location: Germany

Hi,

the gameidea is nice but there are a lot of problems with it. Here are some of the Problems in such kind of games:

1. Skill-level of players should be "even" , playing a race or even PRT you don't know change here a lot
2. Players who have time to play a game without diplomacy, because they have low time , but then forced to play SD or -f HE can not handle the MM what is needed and will drop soon or later
3. Check the desine of races from one player is not good as he only could check for "big mistakes"
4. before you desine a Race you have to know how big the univers is and what dense
5. Nice game idea , but the 2 games i saw like that never played to an end. It is real hard work for the Host and the one who checks races.
6. You should restriced some races for some players, for this you should show who is playing and give the players a handicap on skillevel, maybe skillevel voted by the other players.

ccmaster

PS : there is much more to think about, but dont want to spam you

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Re: Musical Chairs Fri, 05 June 2020 20:42 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Braindead is currently offline Braindead

 
Officer Cadet 2nd Year

Messages: 237
Registered: April 2005
Location: Ohio
Hmmm... I've always wanted to play against a 3i CA with TT and a 4% GR. They are very powerful in the late game. This might be that once in a lifetime opportunity...

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Re: Musical Chairs Fri, 05 June 2020 20:47 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Braindead is currently offline Braindead

 
Officer Cadet 2nd Year

Messages: 237
Registered: April 2005
Location: Ohio
Braindead wrote on Fri, 05 June 2020 17:42
Hmmm... I've always wanted to play against a 3i CA with TT and a 4% GR. They are very powerful in the late game. This might be that once in a lifetime opportunity...

By the way, I think it could be a very fun game if everyone DID come up with the worst possible design.

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Re: Musical Chairs Sat, 06 June 2020 08:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
magic9mushroom is currently offline magic9mushroom

 
Commander

Messages: 1361
Registered: May 2008
Ludi Magister wrote on Thu, 04 June 2020 03:27
Box universe.

If we have a large number of players, I would ask XAPBob to have a look at the placement of the HWs - but only to avoid things like we're seeing in Once More.


Sad

I sorries.

Also, to slightly let the cat out of the bag, the trick here appears to be "design a race that's powerful but extremely irritating to play". CE and -f HE are obvious candidates for this.

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Re: Musical Chairs Sat, 06 June 2020 10:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ludi Magister is currently offline Ludi Magister

 
Master Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 103
Registered: April 2019
Braindead wrote on Fri, 05 June 2020 20:47
...
By the way, I think it could be a very fun game if everyone DID come up with the worst possible design.


That would be a different game, it is definitely not what is intended here. And to tell you the truth, I wouldn't enjoy it.

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Re: Musical Chairs Sat, 06 June 2020 11:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ludi Magister is currently offline Ludi Magister

 
Master Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 103
Registered: April 2019
As I said:
Ludi Magister wrote on Wed, 03 June 2020 10:58
...
You are welcome to discuss the game idea here. But I don't think there will be many changes...


CCmaster:
1) and 2) Since the conditions of the game have been quite clearly stated and the consequences should be obvious, your points 1 and 2 don't seem to be valid. If someone joins the game, he should know that he might face very experienced players. And he should know that he might be playing a race that needs a lot of MM.
3)XAPBob has agreed to check the races. He will not only check for "big mistakes".
4)As I said, there will be around 30 planets per player. What perimeters that boils down to will be announced when if and when there are enough players to start.
5)See under 3)
6) Why? Who knows what race somebody will be playing? If you decide to join and fate bestows you with a -f HE, the others are up excrement brook. They better start looking for a paddle.

Players in the game will remain anonymous. Race names will be checked for being nondescript.

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Re: Musical Chairs Sat, 06 June 2020 11:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ludi Magister is currently offline Ludi Magister

 
Master Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 103
Registered: April 2019
magic9mushroom wrote on Sat, 06 June 2020 08:05

...
Also, to slightly let the cat out of the bag, the trick here appears to be "design a race that's powerful but extremely irritating to play". CE and -f HE are obvious candidates for this.


I guess that was meant to be "CA" instead of CE... (If you did mean Cheap Engines, I would regard that as a flawed race...)
But anyway, there are some other choices not quite as obvious.
And there's always the possibility of just designing a good race and hoping chance drops it in your own lap to play.


[Updated on: Sat, 06 June 2020 11:42]

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Re: Musical Chairs Sat, 06 June 2020 11:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scottsch is currently offline scottsch

 
Petty Officer 1st Class

Messages: 61
Registered: September 2012
Location: Los Angeles, CA
magic9mushroom wrote on Sat, 06 June 2020 08:05
Also, to slightly let the cat out of the bag, the trick here appears to be "design a race that's powerful but extremely irritating to play". CE and -f HE are obvious candidates for this.


Maybe XAPBob will count that against the player to avoid having a rash of irritating races.

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Re: Musical Chairs Sat, 06 June 2020 12:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
XAPBob is currently offline XAPBob

 
Lt. Commander

Messages: 957
Registered: August 2012
If the races aren't in the spirit I might have to tweak them, and nerf the race received by that player.

I'm not averse to seeing MM heavy races, I think a OWW is probably not viable in 30/player...

Nerfing is likely to involve annoying things like CE, or PGR penalties.

One tool I will likely use is to ask for a test bed of the race in the appropriate density.

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Re: Musical Chairs Sun, 07 June 2020 07:04 Go to previous messageGo to next message
magic9mushroom is currently offline magic9mushroom

 
Commander

Messages: 1361
Registered: May 2008
Ludi Magister wrote on Sun, 07 June 2020 01:22
I guess that was meant to be "CA" instead of CE... (If you did mean Cheap Engines, I would regard that as a flawed race...)

No, CE is CE. CE is not actually a poor LRT - it gives 80 points and the cost break on warships - particularly pre-BB ones - is not small (Cancer in RWIAB had CE, for instance, and was #1 for the vast majority of the game). The reason (almost) nobody takes it is because it makes MM much more annoying, not because it's actually legitimately bad the way, say, UR is.

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Re: Musical Chairs Sun, 07 June 2020 08:50 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ludi Magister is currently offline Ludi Magister

 
Master Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 103
Registered: April 2019
OK, I suppose that is, as most other things, a question of taste. I would hate to play a race with CE.
Anyways, it's not up to me. XAPBob is the one who will decide if a race is flawed.

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Re: Musical Chairs Wed, 10 June 2020 04:16 Go to previous message
magic9mushroom is currently offline magic9mushroom

 
Commander

Messages: 1361
Registered: May 2008
Ludi Magister wrote on Sun, 07 June 2020 22:50
I would hate to play a race with CE.

As I said, "extremely irritating to play". Laughing

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