Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Doh! Thanks for pointing me straight.
-SSJ

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

seems the server is down. i'm not getting a conformation when i send in my turn.

same thing on the other game i'm involved in.

anybody else have this problem?

EDIT: other threads using llamaserver confirm, it is down.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I just noticed the crowns on some provinces. Reading a little I found that those are Victory Points. Does that means that we are playing an VP game? How many VPs are needed to win?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Yeah, server was down. I have to turn it off to start new games. When I did the final restart last night I was knackered, and forgot to restart it. D'oh!

Anyway, fixed.

The crowns are VPs but we're not playing a VP point game, so they don't bring you victory. They do have some value though: each one produces one candle a turn for its owner.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I don't know who started that rumor. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Isn't a VP the equivalent of a dom-strength 5 temple? That's not always a candle a turn.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I thought it was the equivalent of a dom-10 temple.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

If you click on a temple of yours, you'll see something like:

God 0 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/redface.gif
Prophet 10
Home Province 10
Temples 30
Victory Points 5

Depends on how many Temples and Victory Points you have of course. I'm sure a while back I heard VP's were a dom-strength 5 temple, but I lost the thread. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Not a thread(well probably is)--in 'da rules' pg 93. Am I the only maroon who actually purchased this game?(no wait actually 'hinted' it with website address for x-mas gift from the wife http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif) Anyway it spreads as if you had Max Dom of 5. But according to rules ONLY if 'victory points' special victory condition is selected at game set-up. As Im new to this game, havent really paid attention when Ive played against the computer.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

The manual needs some updating. It's wrong on this for sure. If you see a crown on the map, it's spreading dominion. The only question is how much.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

someone needs to poke Ermor, they're taking over 24 hours to do turn 1.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

vfb seems you are right on that one---2006 for copywrite!! It does say doesnt matter how many VPs same spread but guess the peeps who've played this for years would have a better idea of how much. Either way, appears they are free temples for dominion so assuming we'll be fighting over them. Sure hope my blood sacrifices work!!!!

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

There are reasons that newbies get 48 hours on the first turn, we need to learn a few things about the system!

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

"The first turn has 48 hours on the clock in case of problems, subsequent turns will have 24 hours."

"Next turn due: 00:16 GMT on Sunday February 10th"

The deadline isn't passed so it's a bit early to poke anyone.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I wanted to make sure you knew the game was running and you were involved. I can understand if you are experiencing real life or technical issues.

the quickhost is scheduled in 6 hours though.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Sure is easy to grow impatient... I´ll take the opportunity to make a little presentation of my pretender.

He is a freely interpreted reincarnation of Nero (this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero)

After the trachery of the senate. Nero, seeing his very closest men turn their backs to him, committed suicide cursing his betrayers. So vast was his anger, and so powerful the curse, that his soul would not disperse and fade but stayed to witness the lives of those he hated. And the slow fall of the great empire he had once ruled (Rome/Ermor).

The decades passed, and when Pythium broke free parts of the old imperial archives were brought along to the new land, including Neros screenplays and poetry.

Short after the Pantokrators disappearence in the middle age Claudia, a young historican decided to dig through the old archives and finds Neros manuscripts. She is moved by his poetry and grand visions and allows herself to daydream herself as Claudia Octavia, Neros stepsister and wife.

Neros deranged and tormented soul confuses her with his long since murdered wife and enters Claudias dreams to proclaim his love.

Their meeting is powerful and devastating. When Nero realizes she is not his beloved wife he enters a state of madness and rage. He reaches into claudias body and exchanges her life force for his own and is born anew into the physical world.

Having mastered death, Neros arrogance and twisted genius grows beyond human proportions. He now seeks godhood to revive his murdered family and reunite the broken empire.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

nice backstory. I've never managed to create something so creative for my pretenders. I am usually more concerned with making the scales match with the theme of the nation.

I always try and picture the respective society, how it would work, and how the scales should reflect this. I guess that comes from being a sociologist. It even kind of bothers me sometimes when it comes to min/maxing, and I tweak scales for points and efficiency. I put them at a value that doesn't feel thematically correct; but is gameplay-wise technically better.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Here is the story of Heinrich Kruger, Prince of Metals:

As an alchemist, Heinrich dedicated his life to the study of the transmutation of common metals into gold.

To reach his goal he invested much effort on the search for the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance that was believed to be an essential ingredient for the transmutation. The Philosopher's Stone was believed to mystically amplify the user's knowledge of alchemy so much that anything was attainable.

After a whole life of research he managed to acomplish The Great Work once. The result was the creation of a "panacea" or "elixir of life", a remedy that cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely.

Now that he has mastered his own mortality he seeks godhood to realise the Universal Panacea evolution from an imperfect, diseased, corruptible and ephemeral state towards a perfect, healthy, incorruptible and everlasting state.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

You folks are way more creative than me. I enjoyed reading your back-stories.

My Crone's name is "Fred" so I'll just leave it at that...

Sheepishly,
SSJ

PS Perhaps Fred's story will reveal itself as I play. Stay tuned.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

All I can tell you about my pretender is that I somehow managed to name him quite stupidly...

I also just noticed that I completely forgot what he was like...

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

somebody staled again...

I wasn't paying enough attention to see who exactly it was, but if it was Ermor, that would make twice in a row. I suggest we consider turning that nation over to computer controlled.

With your consent of coursse, Saxon. If you are willing and able to play, I see no reason you can't. But IF it was you who staled again, it seems your not able to play.

comments?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

If you go to "admin options", and "show staling data", you can see who's staled. This doesn't need a password, incidentally.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Ermor staled both times it seems. But we should give Saxon a chance to respond. I´ll send him a PM too.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Two things for sure in life, death in taxes. I know you are taxing your people and Death will arrive soon!

More seriously, I am having techincal problems. I downloaded Wirthy Heroes and it turned out to be Burning heros, not 1.8. Then I got a virus. Then my wife had her birthday, which suggested that I focus on something else than the computer. I have internet access at work, but not at home, which complicates things.

If I can not get this sorted out tonight, switching to AI makes sense, but let me see if I can fix it first.

Also, no one should accept any excuse on my part for losing based on missing the first turns! Own goals still count...

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

life before game.

let us know.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Being as it sounds like Saxon is on the case, I'd recommend postponing hosting if he looks like staling again. It'd be a shame to go out of a game right at the beginning because of technical issues.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I agree, that's a newbie game after all. We all need ot learn. There is no interest if someone can't even have a try.

By the way, here is the Worthy Heroes mod. In case you didn't find it.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

quickhost for the next turn delayed an extra 12 hours then.

If anyone needs more than that, please post in the thread.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I´m also in favor of postponing this turn if it helps Saxon out, now that we know he wants to stay in.

Besides, reuniting the ermorian empire is one of Neros primary goals, I would hate trying to roleplay that against the computer. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

looks like Saxon is up and running. good to have you sir!

you are, unfortunately, two turns behind everyone. It is certainly a setback, but you were still accruing income.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Thank you all for the consideration. Looking at the graphs, I can see you were not lazing around those first two turns, but that is fine. The living can run around all they want, but they will lie dead for far longer when Ermor rules…

More seriously, while I appreciated the offer of the delay, I would suggest that we do not hold off turns. With the large number of us, someone will always have a real life problem that will delay them. Perhaps later in the game, when we are down to just a few key players, but early on we need to keep the momentum of the game going.

I played a couple of games of Space Empires IV in the past and all of them fell apart when people got tired of waiting days for delayed turns. It was disappointing for everyone, but the fun went out of it. While it is no fun to miss your turn, at least the larger game continues.

I write this knowing that I will be one of the people challenged to meet all his turns. I give you my commitment to do my very best to play 100% of the time, but fear that I will miss one or two turns. If you see Kenya in the news again, please send good thoughts my way, but do not stop the game. I do not think that I, or any of us, should hold back the rest because we will miss a turn or two.

Anyway, that is just my opinion, but it is based on experience in other multiplayer games. This is my first MP in Dom, so perhaps things are different here, but I suspect the underlying structure is the same.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

"A great evil is sleeping"

We could see that as your roleplaying way to play the decadent and corrupt empire of ermor: too busy dealing with internal treasons and infamous curse.

Or is it the secret goal of The Unhappy One to let us think he is inoffensive?
Remember: "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist"

We must be ready to face evil!

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Excellent post by Sheap on MP code of conduct. As our nations meet (and turn each other to meat) one will begin to appreciate his points...
-SSJ


http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...?Number=511258

Sheap's MP code of conduct

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Death is not evil, it is part of Nature, perhaps the most powerful part. It is not offensive, any more than the wind or rain is offensive. There is no corruption, it is just the continuing cycle of the world. This is visible for all to see, there is no hidden agenda.

It is men who seek to distort the world by bending and bashing it into hard metallic shapes that violate the natural order. It is those that heat and burn things to create unnatural and corrupt items who are evil. The smoke of their forges are like a blanket, hiding their twisted ideas, dreams and ambitions. We must be ready to blow the smoke away and cleanse our world of these evils.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Alchemy is the daughter of Science.

The only ambition of Alchemy is to help humanity, to switch an imperfect, diseased, corruptible and ephemeral state towards a perfect, healthy, incorruptible and everlasting state.

The only ambition of Science is to bring knowlegde to mankind, to fight obscurantism and superstitions.

The essential element in the black art of obscurantism is not that it wants to darken individual understanding but that it wants to blacken our picture of the world, and darken our idea of existence.

Do not listen to those false prophets!

Those who pretend to godhood while they are only usurpers.
Those who pretend to defend nature while they only seek to break the natural cycle of life and death.
Those who seek to disturb the fallen men, to enslave their souls, to control their corrupted bodies and rotting flesh in order to satisfy their secret desire to rule the world.

Those ones are truly evil, we cannot let those false gods plunge mankind into obscurantism and darkness as that's the complete opposite of Science.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Hear the dryness of dust-covered scientists! How little do they understand of divine essense! The key to godhood is not ambition, but faith! The key to faith is not facts, but vision!

Knoweth thee not this?:

The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. stone crumbles. wood rots. people, well, they die. but things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on.

I am Nero! Vision, legend. Naught but superstition in the eyes of science. Will you defeat me alchemist, by proving I do not exist when lying under my divine heel?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

It is the eternal and divine fire within that is the true driver of this world.

Within you all, the divine fire of passion, conflict, and contradiction burns; pushing you ever forward, always inspiring you to action. Scientist and god alike, both moved and driven by their internal fire. Fire is the most divine and basic essence. Fire will rule all.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Guys, I have to back out from my nation Caelum. Just got the call to go on a business roadshow in Africa, so would not be able to log on for 2 weeks. Best I go into admin, rather than slow the game down. Good luck to everyone else!

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Nero, it seems you have lost reason.

Recently, a messenger of mine told me about the atrocities commited, in your name, in Pythium. What's happening?

Where is the enlighted ruler the books deal with?

By the way, aren't you supposed to be dead?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Curse this wretched scale bug / feature http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif And ludicriously powerful independents http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif And other players starting within two of my capital and venturing forth from their watery lairs far too early http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

My last place position is just to lull you all in to a false sense of security http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Long live my elephant http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif I mean elephants, lots and lots of them. Of course. Oh yes http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Oh, dear Heinrich! I am so sorry for such lies to reach your ears!

Germanicus, the former head of senate is jealous of my righteous claims and shamelessly spreads his awful rumors.

Does he not see how he hurts me? How sensitive I am?

I do trust your enlightened self to see through the smoke, to se that I wish nothing but the best for my people.

Supposed to be dead? Ah, but yes of course I am. Dead as a rock, dead as a clock. But i could not stay dead when my people suffers the corruption of unjust rulership in Pythium and unholy decay in Ermor. Could not rest when my poetry might be forgotten.

And on the subject of fire and passion: Might I be so bold as to say "Been there, done that"

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Regarding Borum, Can´t we find a sub for him?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I suppose. If that nation is set to AI, can it be given back over to player control in the event that a sub is found?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

As I say, Death is nothing to be feared. Nero is dead, but happy. I am dead and happy. It is the living who are unhappy.

As for the chauvanisim of the human race, I must implore Ulm to remember that this material plane is shared with many species, not just humans. To be so focused on one race may be seen as evil. All are united in death, it is a much more equitable system than the humancentric views of the smoking forges.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

I am quite happy as well of being alive for 323 years now and I intend to keep on that way as long as possible.

Besides, I fear the horrible smell of rotting flesh wouldn't sit well with my taste. Do not insist, i'm sure.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

There seems to be lots of anger between the nations of Ulm and Ermor. From the lizards point of wiew the nasty stench of the forges covers the sweet smell of the bog. There fore it seems that I must get rid of this nasty next door nation of mine as they happened to declare a war on me. You said you offered peace Heinric? I didnt receive an offer (probably my mistake as I made my first turns quite carelessly).
There seems to be a lots and lots of nations in this game and very little room for my little snakes to play.
Oh yes by the way it seems that players tend to deal diplomacy with pms rather than with ingame messages as its faster and more convinient.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/shock.gif
Wow, Vanheim is dead. I figured the skinshifters would be a deadly foe.

Did someone attack him so early? Or is it a matter of self-domkill?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Why did I log in to find all my stuff gone without any battles?

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Sounds like dominion kill to me.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

So you can just boom kill a nation at a distance on turn 7 like that? What fun. How well balanced.

Re: Acouchi - MA game for new players (full)
 

Actually, this wasn't caused by someone else.

You should read section (VII - Dominion) of your manual. The part of how you died should be made clear in the last part of that section.

So to prevent that sort of thing, either take a strong dominion (7+), prioritize building temples, or start preaching with your prophet early on. Or if you're a blood nation, you can also start sacrificing blood slaves in your temples.