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Re: Stars Encryption Fri, 13 April 2007 15:07 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Dolphin

 
Crewman 1st Class

Messages: 21
Registered: February 2005
Location: Germany
 Being in my first game of Stars!, I was reluctant to comment on this threat, especially as my experience with other strategy games like VGA Planets is shaping my view of Stars! After reading this discussion, I have to give my my 2 cents nonetheless:

1. Cheaters:
Stars! does not adequately check for cheating. It would seem natural to me that someone with the programming skill for such a task would be willing and able to develop a host side cheat checking program. Keeping information confidential is unlikely to stop cheaters (they tend to have a lot of criminal energy). Keeping the relevant information secret, will just make their detection harder. Hit Computer

2. Micromanagement:
The game's own routines for reducing micromanagement are helping a little but I am shocked Shocked by the amount of MM still needed for playing Stars! on a decent level. I assume that few players appreciate repetitive tasks, yet, there seems no external tool available relieving players of these tasks. Workarounds like setting scouts to "colonize" to optimize their flight patterns clearly show that Stars! misses out on something here.
I am certain that programming MM tools would be easy for skilled and interested players. Yet, if they had to first decipher the data format all by themselves, few potential programmers would have the time and dedication left thereafter to provide the Stars! community with tools for reducing micromanagement.

3. Information:
The sheer number of Excel sheets, databases and third party programs shows that the display of information in Stars! is utterly inadequate.
The fact that practically all of them are in some kind of early beta despite being years old shows that the task of writing such a program is currently not esasy enough. Having all the file formats/decryption routines available would make it much easier to write a program that distills information from the load of game data available. Work at computer
Good players read an opponents PRT/LRTs/hab range/settings/ship designs based on the information provided. Yet, for now this seems a time-consuming manual process. Experience might help but this game needs to attract fresh blood so anything giving a huge benefit to the old hands ensures that Stars! remains a dying game. Arguing
There is an urgent need for improving information management. I understand from this forum that many of the better players have a background in informatics and several seem to have programmed their own private tools. If Stars! is to remain attractive, this community should strive to level the battle field by making it a battle of wits, not computer skills. Whisper

If we want Stars! to survive, the community should work on ways to put all the knowledge and hidden tricks into a program that allows players to focus on economic and military strategy instead of being forced to spend hours moving pop and guessing at freighter weights and directions. Yuck

Best regards,
Dolphin

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