Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

We're harvesting it, silly.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

May we have a 6 hour delay?

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I've asked Gandalf to put an extra 8 hours on the clock since for some reason we've still got a large number of turns outstanding. Let's remember the words of encouragement that were offered by our patron saint, Lingchih, on these occasions "Get those turns in, you worthless slackers!" :D

I've decided to allow Captains to choose a moniker/cognomen/title after their usernames if they wish, just for fun, which will be reflected on the roster in our opening post. Acceptable examples include but are not limited to:

DrPraetorious "The Evil Doctor"
Agema "The Noble"
Chrispedersen "King of Curmudgeons"
Algae Nymph "Baron of the Brave"

Or any of your favorite pretender cognomens.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I now I perceive it is time to begin publishing my Thread Bumper Interview Series, an exclusive and inside look at the Noobs and Vets world told through the eyes of some of it's leading personalities:

"Recently, I had an opportunity to sit down with the venerable Gandalf Parker, designer of the incredible AI opponents used in the NaV series and the admin of the Dom3Minions server which hosts the series. Gandalf was gracious enough to take few moments out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Q: Gandalf, how do you think the AI is/has fared in this game overall? Has it lived up to your expectations?

A: Keeping in mind that its the first level of a planned three tier game, then yes. The first level of AI was basically built around player level to give some of the newer players a feel for what its like to play against a designed AI.

Q: Do you think AI opponents are tougher to beat than say static level 9 indies? If so, why?

A: Yes, because the AI has more options. Primarily the ability to use multiple provinces to its advantage. That would of course be static AI vs static Indies. The game has the ability to boost the indies as much as it does to boost the AI players. Designed independent provinces can be quite rough.

Q: It has been leaked to the press that the third game in the series will be subtitled 'The Wrath of Gandalf' and will be without a doubt the toughest game in the series. You have been quoted as saying that you plan on 'getting medieval' on the players buttocks in that game. Is this true and can players expect any mercy from the AI in game 3?

A: Not me! The AI.
Im pretty non-competitive. But being asked to program the killer AI allows me to free my dark side. There are many features about the game and the AI which can only be accessed this way. The 3rd game will definitely be an example of as many of those as I can logically fit into it. MUAHahahahaha! * evil laugh *

Thank you for your time, Gandalf, I am sure everyone appreciates your contributions to the Dom3 online community.

Thank you for bringing this to me. Its been awhile since anyone requested anything interesting. I know I could get more traffic if I had a menu but Id rather people considered the full range of the game and got creative. Thanks again for this one."

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

tsk, tsk. Yomi, helheim, you're about to stale.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Gandalf, Sept.

I like the update of the status so that it now shows
Copy x of x for early arcocephale. But I'm guessing (hoping) that you indended something more like.. copy 2/2?

I can't think of any time that it won't be the last number of a series being used... So wouldn't simply saying arco version X be slightly better?

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I didnt do that.

That showed up on the report because someone made a copy of the file on their machine called that then sent it in. Since it wasnt named the same, it didnt overwrite the real 2h file. It would have created another "16 of 16 received" and another rollback situation except that we hit the forced-host timeout first.

It also probably did not process for the game so if that was meant to be the actual actions Im afraid they did not process. The file previously in place called early_arcosphale.2h did

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

God chris, your gem income has burst through the roof of your castle and is spilling out onto the hovels of your peasants. You should write a book, "101 Ways to Find Gems and Crush the Peasantry".

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Ugh, the wages of arrogance!

I was afraid Saur was going to try something like that, and I would've won if I'd waited a turn or two. Very foolish on my part to walk into that trap.

Anyway - this gives me credibility! It's team ACHOO that is the great threat. Kill them all!

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Yes, we actually do pave the streets with pure gold here in Mictlanville. I actually just got around do doing some site searching..

Sadly, I'm still behind two of your team mates......
Apparently they use rubies....

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Following a grand feast to celebrate the victory, the witch kings have decided Niefl Giant is a delicacy, and prices for fresh Nieflheimr has risen dramatically across Sauromatia.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

The fact that youl would have won if you'd waited a turn or turn does give you credibility. Most nations can not afford even one such mistake. The fact is that it will take 3-4 more to even seriously damage your team is ... what makes hinnom/niefle/caelum/ulm.. scary.. well that and the fact that the current score is... you're up 7 of our provinces, we're up 2 of yours....

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Squirrels never were very good at math.. prices go down when there is a great availability... I mean really.. exactly how much giant can one squirrel eat.

Of course, I expect we're about to find that out....

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

The witch kings were hungry after all that hard work. They now need to replenish the supply.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I've received a delay request from rdonj for 24 hours, absent any objections, it will be granted forthwith.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

sheesh sept whats the absent objection bit about - its liberal delays. We don't want to administer a game we want you to =).

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Guys, if you don't have your turns in I wouldn't trust the timer to be correct. I'm not 100% sure that it's updating properly at the moment.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Yeah.. I've commented on this before.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Well it started out manual. But now its totally automated.
Seems to be correct. Keep in mind that the hours-till-hosting has been changed frequently.
Even in this turn. Presently its set to 80 hours.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I'd like to ask for a delay of 3 hours. Two of my team mates have work constraints.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Johan has decided that the messages thing was a problem but apparently it was easier to raise the limit than to fix the interface to not allow extra sends. That only puts off the problem IMHO but at least its something. The number of messages a player can send will be raised in the next patch.

Gandalf Parker

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Any word on the delay request?

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I'm okay with it.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Hmm. Sept might not see this delay request in time.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

yes, I know... I'm trying to get *any turn in- but I requested the delay with like.. 15 hours??? to go?

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Well!

Hinnom continues its unfettered race to the top....

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Hey, it's not my fault you're concentrating so much on me!

I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Pyg on his hearty endorsement of the Easy-Slay(TM) brand.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Well, seeing as you are arrained across our lands like a horde of cockroaches (very big cockroaches) it seems only natural to go after you. It seems rather silly to go looking for MORE problems.

Sufficient for each day is its evils...

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Sorry, had been away for part of the weekend. As regards the previous turn, in addition to the 24 hour delay instituted on rdonj's behalf, I had left word with Gandalf to use his discretion regarding if he saw anything else. 80 hours should have been enough though.

On the current turn looks like something a bit odd on the next scheduled hosting time. Have to send an e-mail to Gandalf about that.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Team Update:

For those inquiring minds who may be wondering, the Mysterios team is seeking a sub for Yomi and will possibly need at least a short term sub for our Captain currently playing Lanka, due to time conflicts. We have many options available to us and are exploring them at this time. Whatever the decision or outcome, I can assure you all, that our team will leave it's mark on this game and possibly change the balance of power. We shall gather our friends to our bosom and our enemies will receive the heel of our boot. :D

Commentary (I do so love this):

In other news, those dastardly devastating Deva's and their slave-o-matic machine seem to have opened up a can of you-know-what upon the haughty/hapless/heroic ACGHHS. Will ACGHHS respond in kind or will they go quietly to the graves assigned to them by the Deva's? Will they laugh and show the enemy their collective arse or will there tongues tire of the endless bootlicking?
:haha:

Actually ACGHHS is creaming us this turn, or at least making the good dr scramble to defend himself. It is really the blessed ones collective buttocks which we are kicking. They are resisting though, and actually caused at least one casualty this turn. :)

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Ye gods! Your right. Perhaps it is DrP who should be preparing his concession speech and up to Chris to decide whether he prefers the Devas on their knees or on their faces when delivering it.:bow:

The Blessed Ones are a proud and brave folk.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Ok, I only got back from being away for the weekend last night, had a small pile of other turns to slog through, and really am not going to have enough time to think about the NaV turn before its due. Can we get a 24h extension so my brain de-fries and I can actually talk productively with my team about what's going on?

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Scratches head.. and wonders if y'all are looking at the same turns I am. taking a province or 3 is hardly material...

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Lies!

:)

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Sept, hello? Extension?

(~8.5h to go until hosting, asked ~7h ago - surely 15h notice was enough time to at least hear something ahead of time if not get the extension)

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Thanks Squirrel for doing both a forum post and a PM. I am more likely to see the PM since it goes to my e-mail but the forum post is very important as well. Request received and conveyed to Gandalf.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

1st round script storm - 2 air gems
2nd round script storm power - 5 fatigue
3rd round script wrathful skies - 2 air gems
4th round script thuderstrike - 30 fatigue
5th round script thuderstrike - 30 fatigue
6th round watch the ai cast ironskin turning a clear victory into a disaster - priceless.

nth round - watch all the enemies artifacts run away - :mad:

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I take it the extension requests did not get through?

Are we going to - shudder - attempt another rollback?

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I think my team all got turns in. Hell if I know what we actually did. My turn made sense in my head at the time...

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Hmm... you know, I think we hosted twice in one go, because I got a stale message and am not seeing some rituals that I cast show up in my messages, but I seem to have all of the items I forged. I also have much more gold than I should have.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I did seem to see that. Apparently the rush to send in turns caused it to host again while already hosting.

Time to write in more checks. Not at all what I planned to do today.
At the same time I will try to come up with some sort of remote admining to avoid the problem with adding extensions.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Staling data says we all played last turn. Last turn was turn 0, right? ;)

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Okay, so it hosted twice.

The second host, it appears that everyone staled.

SO:
roll back *the second host*, but not the first. Even if the extension didn't get through.
Then, *resend* the .trn files! So that no-one is too confused.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Wow a double host! Well the free spirited casual admin and player in me says lets just roll on. Onward, upward! One can always use more gold, random events and AI actions aside renders a stale for everyone pretty much neutral. But I'm fine with DrP's sage and wisened suggestion as well, that is of a single turn rollback as distasteful as it is to me.

Still, I can't shake this nagging feeling that though that at least some of our other players (not naming anyone) may be angry. Stewing and brewing. :mad: Though the post has not yet come, I can already hear it now. All of their detailed and micromanaged plans and commands not having been executed. Battles lost. Opportunities missed. Oh the heartache. :rolleyes:

But no my friends, I give you my word, the universe shall not end because of a stale or because we lose a battle or a game or were for some reason or other that really uncontrollable due to circumstance of time and space, unable to do everything we wanted in a particular turn. :D

I will hear the counsel of the players in the next few posts in a sort of mini poll, pending no objections I say we just keep going.

Note: We are scheduled to move to a 64 hour host at turn 40 (based on consensus poll). If any player or team feels at this juncture that 56 hours is not sufficient time and would like to move that regularly scheduled vote up, that is fine with me. I'd rather people do this and we get it over with than have people worrying about time or having delay requests every turn. Not that it is a problem mind you. We just need to find a good balance.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

Well, with about 45 minutes left we didn't have 3 team members turns in.

So I did three turns in the space of 40 minutes or so. Did they suck, yes probably so. At least I think I avoided us attacking each other.

Were they what we agreed to do.. no.

Gandalf, Sept, what can we do to avoid this again. This is two turns in a row when delay requests were missed, with both requests being made with 15 hours? to go. And yes I would expect further comment / protest.

Any chance we can grab llamas script or modify it or something to let sept/melnorjr directly admin the game.

Hell, even a good rdp to the server would help.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I'm pretty sure it would be easy for Gandalf to have the game correctly hosted and send the correct .trn.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

How much are we seeking?
The request by Chris would require rolling back 2 turns.
The request by DrP requires rolling back 1 turn.

The second hosting was a host error, but the only ones who benefited were the AIs.
And any rollback at all tends to ripple the waters making another problem (and rollback) a possiblity.

The previous hosting to that one was on forced timer so rolling that one back would be to allow more time for a team captain to do turns for the entire team (which I think recorded a problem anyway due to matching serials)

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

I suppose everyone has the correct file (i.e. the turn where he didn't stale)? So we could move on without a rollback at all by using the correct files to do the turn.

Re: Noobs & Vets: Rise of the AI Menace. EA, BI, Running.
 

You will live to fight another day. Trust in your loving admin. Cleave to my breast. I know what is best for you. :D Any other comments/suggestions/objections?

Don't sweat such things friend Gandalf. Some players must know that I am only on my computer twice a day (once in the afternoon, once in the late evening). Without an active co-admin to watch out for these things and because of no direct control of the server and the relaying of messages, there is a twighlight zone. But yes, an admin panel via web or an e-mail control of some sort is definately in order and would make things easier in future games. Without it, a good rule of thumb for advance notice will have to be 1/2 of the current hosting interval. :)