Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Really? OK. I'm going camping then. I'll see you all in a few days.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

23 is enough. If we wait more players will start drifting away. rdonj, I suggest you just start the game.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

I just posted a sub thread. Sorry if I did anything wrong.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Hi, I'm Tir. I thought the game was not still created. Today I will send my pretender, don't worry.

I will do it when I get home, ASAP.

The funny thing is that I created my Pretender this weekend but I don't visit Llamaserver to see if the game was already created. Sorry.


See you.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

I think contacting rdonj so he posts your explanation here would have been a better idea. However, since only 1 player removed the mask, I don't think we should reroll nations now. Let's just start the game already.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Agusti, this game’s most important house rules are no diplomacy and anonymity. This was stated in the OP and mentioned more than once throughout this thread. By posting your nation’s ID you broke the game rules. I’m certain this was by mistake and that’s why I tend to agree with Dimaz and allow you to play nonetheless.
Please make sure not to post anything re. your identity here anymore. Further breaches of the house rules are not acceptable.

EDIT: oh and plz make sure to send your pretender ASAP. Tomorrow the game would be started either way since it's not fair to keep everyone waiting.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Ok. Sorry :doh:

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

NP. I would have preferred a perfect, by the rules, start but as they say: war plans are only good before the war starts, after which you do with what you got :)

let's just get the game rolling.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

I see a lot has happened since I went to sleep :) Yes, in the future, if you (anyone) want to say something in this thread that could expose your identity, please say it through me. I'll do it as quickly as possible and the other players will understand any delay or censoring involved.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

All pretenders are in and the game is on. If you did not get a turn, request a resend from the llamaserver. Here is the game page to do that: http://www.llamaserver.net/gameinfo.cgi?game=YARG2

If you STILL do not get a turn, let me know and we'll try to sort things out.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

@ Rytek - Did you manage to unpack the map file ok?


@ All - For all those who haven't yet done so, can you please make sure you have downloaded the map AND successfully unzipped it asap. Since the last thing rdonj needs as admin is someone PM-ing him (or worse, posting in this thread) an hour before hosting asking how to unzip the map file.

This thread should go very quiet from now on apart from posts by the admin (as is the usual for RAND games). So I'll take this last opportunity to wish everyone the best of luck. Hope you all enjoy the game. And a final reminder to everyone to only PM rdonj regarding anything to do with admin jobs for this game (delay requests etc), and please DO NOT post admin requests in this thread (don't PM WraithLord either for that matter, as he is a player and not the admin).

And of course if you do need to drop out of the game for any reason, please don't just set your nation AI, as that affects the game negatively for everyone who is still playing. Instead, please PM rdonj so that a sub can (hopefully) be found to take over your nation. Even if you think your position is hopeless, some players actually enjoy taking on these hopeless positions to perfect their fort defending skills :) YARG1 had a good record for keeping nations out of the hands of the AI, and I'm pretty sure a lot of the players who have signed up for this sequel will be hoping for a continuation of that trend.


Right, talking over, the battlefield awaits us all :fight:

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

So we have already found a pre-game issue :) I'm going to unstart the game and get that fixed... then wait for the next one :)

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

@ Calahan--> Yes, figured it out. I err, clicked on one of the google ads below the link and dl the wrong program while waiting on the D7 link to start uploading. File Helper. I am a bit embarrased, but the stupid ad was misleading and it was late and I wasnt paying attention.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Guys, we have had a disturbing number of stales for just the first 4 turns. 3 stales on turn 4 is 3 too many! If you need extensions, ASK FOR THEM. I will not be watching the game status page very closely, and especially at this stage of the game I have no intention of granting delays for people whose turns are looking like they won't get in on time who do not ask me for an extension. I also highly advise you to check the game status page shortly after sending in your turn! The llamaserver sometimes has issues and needs a little extra prodding to make sure things move smoothly. One or more of the current stales is/are confirmed to be due to turn files that were thought to have been turned in. Probably not a llamaserver issue at this point, but please, practice safe playing.

This has been a message from your friendly neighborhood admin. Thank you and have a nice day.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

For future reference, difficult research is probably a mistake, especially for the EA.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Why?

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Because it gives a big advantage to the giant races that don't rely on research. I think that's what he is saying.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

not just giants but pretty much all heavy bless/thug nations, including Mictlan, Lanka, Yomi, etc... also EA doesn't have as good national armies as later eras, so getting stuck with them for too long, especially if not a bless nation, you're at a severe disadvantage. thinking mainly about Ermor, Ulm, C'tis, Marverni, etc...

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

I was hoping for something more insightful than this conventional wisdom.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Its conventional wisdom because its true. People complain about bless rush nations even at normal research settings. Arguably an EA RAND game should be set to easy research, since there are no diplomatic solutions available.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

But in YARG1 with hard research settings, early bless rush nations weren't particularly effective.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

*YARG1 was LA. LA has less exceedingly good early bless rush nations, so the problem is smaller. And many of the potential bless rush nations also have other interesting things they can choose to do.
*I am forced to conclude nations like Mictlan were played by total n00bs if that is the case. (I did not play in YARG1, I do not know how it turned out, but if Mictlan failed to kill someone fast under difficult research, then they sucked.)

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

conventional wisdom, perhaps, but you failed to understand it :rolleyes: there's a huge difference between EA and LA... not only does EA have a lot more bless rush nations, it also has much weaker national armies which means that all nations are more reliant on magic than in LA. so with hard research in EA, nations without good sacreds are at an even larger disadvantage because they can't rush research fast enough to compete with a nation with bless rush potential.

yes, I know that the difference between the eras is conventional wisdom, it even says so in the guide itself... so it either slipped your mind or for some reason you failed to grasp it :doh:

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

There are indies 9 out there, aren't they slowing rushes a bit?

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

I'm aware about LA and EA differences, and if we are talking about ideal game with equally skilled players you're right, bless nations will have some advantage under these settings. However we are talking about real game and real players here, and my point (sorry for not making it clear in the first post) is that player skill (with particular nation, since nations are assigned and not chosen) plays greater role than the bless rush ability.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Ahmm, we shall see as the game progresses how effective indeed are the bless nations under these research settings.

This discussion is being conducted on too many general lines. Like bless nations like this and EA nations are that, etc. Not all bless nations are same, not all EA nations armies are same. There's a lot of room for nuances.

Hvy bless is very good early in the game and later gives diminishing returns. This is always true, no argument here.
With hard research it would seem as though the "early" game takes longer thus favoring bless nations.
However, to counter that are: a- bless nations struggle even more with research and b- If you don't have a bless nation and prepare for hard research you can get to the key spells your nation needs real fast. Like take awake research pretender +M2/3 scales.

Let's see what conclusions we'll be able to draw from this game. If we find that bless nations ruled the day I will certainly consider hard research a mistake. Meantime I ask for your patience. Let the game develop a bit before reaching conclusions.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Indies 9 hurts nations who have a rougher time of early expansion under normal conditions far more than it hurts nations who have an easy time expanding. Bless rush nations should hardly be slowed.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

According to scoregraphs of this game Mictlan, Lanka and Hinnom do not expand as fast as C'tis and Arco do so far.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Of course, I see you were careful to omit Niefl.

I can't really say anything without drawing conclusions from the scoregraphs, which is saying too much, at this point.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

And other 18 nations as well.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Wow people, lots of chat that IMO is bordering on getting too relevant for this current game, and therefore running the risk, even if unintentional, of revealing those secret superhero identities we are all carrying around with us.

Research settings v Bless nations v Era, etc. etc. is a fascinating subject for sure, but can I warmly recommend that a separate thread on the main forum be created for those who wish to bash-out the arguments relating to this issue.

On this topic though, Burnsaber created a mod for the very purpose of helping nations fight bless rushes in games that have higher research requirements.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=43893

Maybe this thread is a good one to move the current conversation to.


And some of you........it's turn 5/6 FFS! How anyone can draw any conclusions on this issue based on just this game, and from just the first 5 turns, truly amazes me. I'd be very frightened if anyone drawing conclusions at this stage had any real life jobs that involved doing rigorous and intensive research in any way.

"Hurray, I've found a cure for the common cold!!! I gave one person some medicine, and his cold went away. I conclude from this that this medicine will forever save the world from runny noses and sore throats!".

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

I haven't concluded anything based on this game. I'm drawing conclusions based on year 1 tests with various nations and other games I've played in. What I've said only relates to this game insofar as the era and research difficulty are as specified.

I could draw conclusions about what people are doing based on this game, but that would be inappropriate, and would not necessarily be a conclusion about the nation but about the activities of the person playing it.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Hey guys! I hear some of you didn't quite follow pretender naming instructions. No one seems to have given anything away, but you were supposed to give your pretender the same name as your nation. Watch out for this kind of thing, okay?

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

A number of people are asking me for weekend extensions, so this is just heads up to everyone that when the current turn hosts, I'm adding a 48 hour delay to the timer. I believe this will be sufficient to allow everyone to complete their turns.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

What's up with the delay? I see no requests for one.

This game is going to take like 19 years to finish. I would hope that we could at least get the initial turns done in a timely matter.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

So it was stated from the beginning that 1) this is NOT going to be fast-paced game 2) all delay requests (as they can potentially reveal the identity by looking at the list of received turns) should be sent to rdonj only, and he decides if he make the public delay announcement or not.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Yeah, I've not been posting to tell about all delays I've been asked to grant. I think I've had about a half dozen delay requests at this point. I only mentioned the one because I felt that, being so early, a 48 hour delay might prove a bit controversial ;). So I just wanted you lot to know about it, just in case.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Castigation noted. I'll shut up now, and I apologize. I actually had not noticed the slow pace of the game until I went back and re-read the OP. My bad.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

It's alright ling, I was not offended.

Also, as per the OP the hosting interval for the game has been increased to 48 hours (just in case no one noticed yet). Thanks wraithlord for pointing that out to me. I always forget about those....

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Guys - it has come to my attention that a few of you have been talking a little too much in one or more current forum threads that can be traced back to this game, and may be giving your identities away. I guess we have already made an exception for a player this game, but much of the point of a rand game is that no one knows who you are. It would really be best not to engage in such discussions, even if there has already been more than one breach of secrecy.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

¿Why so many days to finish a turn? ¿Four, five days to send a turn? :sick:

I know that is not a fast paced game but 4 o 5 days/turns is too many and we're in the early stage of the game.:shock:

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

That was a one-time delay of 48h. We are on 48h schedule now.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Due to the structure of this game, not everything is posted in the thread. Any questions about timing will best be answered by the non-player admin rdonj, who is trusted with all knowledge, and has always been extremely helpful. :)

There was a national celebration in some countries last weekend, so posibly 48 hours delay was connected with this fact.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Or you have a British politician in the game :D

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Yeah, a few people had requested a 48 hour delay over the weekend.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Someone is in need of a sub, so I'm opening a sub thread. Delays to the current turn are likely to apply, and there will be a minimum of a 24 hour delay for the sub to get acquainted with their nation.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Alright, with memorial day weekend coming up, it looks as though some players are looking for delays on tturns running during that time period. If you plan on being gone during that period of time, pm me to let me know so I can work out a reasonable delay schedule. One person I've heard from was willing to take a stale since they plan on being gone for much of a week, but I would rather avoid that.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Thanks again rdonj for all the selfless work you are doing for us in this game.

As no rdonj = no YARG games. So much appreciation is due :up:

I must say that since I recently lost my day job of going around calling people bigots, I've had a lot more time to play Dominions :)

My job also involved making a few trivial social and economic type decisions now and again, but I could just wing them all the time as they weren't that important to me. Other people thought they were important, which I found a bit weird to be honest. But then again the same people also tended to just blow everything out of all proportion, so I was just ignoring them by the end. All bloody bigots anyway.

Re: YARG2 , 24 players EA RAND game [send your pretenders!]
 

Postponement added while looking for sub. I have someone talking to me but they have yet to make a commitment.