Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Some (perhaps empty) pointers for KOTH players in case you didn't know.

First of all, I don't like to be presumptious but forgetting all that, I will offer some tips to the newer players in case they haven't thought of them. These may be small things but things I feel have gotten me as far as I have gotten. I don't want to sound like a genius 'cause people who know me know I'm not that great...just adequate.

(1) Design your colony ships with a variety of engines. There is no need to build a colony ship with 5 engines if the target planet is 5 sectors away...use the design with 3 engines on it 'cause it's going to take 2 turns to colonize it anyway. Of course, adjust this if you have taken "propulsion" as a trait. In other words, don't waste resources on engines if you don't need it.

(2) Don't settle the colony with the most facilities on it in the early game. Settle the one with a single or double fac ability. Build a SY immediately. Later, settle those 5 or 6 fac places and build minerals or resources as you need them. But get those "worthless" single fac places into shipyards as soon as possible.

(3) Spend a 1,000 points for ancient ability if you and your opponent don't agree to outlaw it. It's the best 1,000 points you can spend besides Advanced Storage. Why?

(a) If your opponent has the same colony type as you, you can watch his colony growth by clicking on the appropriate icon;
(b) You don't have to stop at unexplored warp points...keep moving to where you want to go and don't waste movement points...especially useful when you are 1 sector away from a warp point and would otherwise stop after warping.
(c) You can see where the opponent is located and plan your game accordingly. He may be far away or close but knowing is your advantage.
(d) If the game should get to the stellar manipulation point...which it has for me sevaeral times, you know just where to open warp points and move in to attack planets in the same turn. Remember...the game plots your movement at the beginning of each day of the month for the shortest route to the destination. So you can open a hole and move to a planet on the same turn.
(e) You know exactly where the choke points are and exactly where the best planets are to colonize. NO need to run around guessing just to see a nebula.

(4) Destroyers. Best ship design you can get. Why? Defensive bonus. Make them into a colony ship (they move faster than colony ships or transports in the early game). Give them a fierce name so that your opponent will guess if they are warships or colony ships. LCs are good later...just because of the larger mount but find the right spot for them. A game can be won with destroyers! Just ask Rex.

(5) Mines, then PD. Of course, this is not a solid rule. If you have taken Ancient and see that your opponent is far away...make other decisions. But if he is nearby...this is your best choice to protect colonys, warp points, and defend against fighters. PD 4's are enough. 5's are expensive and can wait for some time.

(6) Deception. Several reasons for this. As I mentioned above, "mean" ship names on colonizing destroyers. Empty sats in orbit (nothing like making the enemy guess if they are loaded or not). Ships with no weapons if "facing off" with an enemy who has a colony with you in the same system. Bluff him!

(7) Expand, expand, expand. Expand till your colonizers get killed.

(8) Find that "sweet" planet during expansion. The one that can have 2 facilities...a SY and a resupply point. Make sure you choose the right one...the one that is in the path you expect your ships to journey past on the way to the front.

(9) Where to build the Space Port. If you haven't chosen Natural Merchant, you need to consider where to put that Space Port. Do NOT put it at the point in the system you expect the enemy to enter. Put it in the rear. No need to have your enemy take out the nearb planets if he should invade a system and take out your Space Port. Make him travel the distance to get to it.

(10) Training! NEVER neglect it! When expanding, look for the "sweet spot" where you can double or triple your training facilities. I love to see those planets with 2 moons that I can settle on. Ship training is the most important. You can always keep a "ghost fleet" training but getting ships trained is a different matter. Sometimes, I build what I call a "Fleeter" ship that has no engines and sits above a fleet fac just to train...then I swap ships out and put the "Fleeter" ship into a new fleet to start "ghost fleet training" again.

(11) Empire design. Forget happiness! Put it at 51% I will not go into explanation. Forget Environmental Resistance. Forget Repair. All others, you can adjust as your empire/game dictates. Keep your total offense/defense somwhere around 130% Remember the KOTH "clone"...but don't "live" by it. But get close to it. Intel? Depends on your game play...but remember it takes a lot of points to really make a difference in intel work...level 2. Anything else is just a nuissance. That's a lot of points that are easily countered. Better spent somewhere else. Just my opinion.

(12) ECM 1 and 2 and sensor 1 and 2. Candidates for research as early as it is possible. As soon as possible, get your ships to ECM 2, Sensor 2, and 20/20 training. Doesn't matter if you have LCs yet. Refitting ships with either component is worth the one-turn wait. It will hit better or NOT be hit as easily...depending on what you are refitting to.

(13) Pay attention to your shipyards in the rear of the conflict. IF (IIIFFFF!!!) you have the resources to spend, build warshjps and send them to the front. If not...let them sit. No need to spend resources on ships when resources are tight only to have them take 5 or 6 turns to get to the front. For me, these shipyard served their purposes by building colony ships to colonize things close by. Sometimes, depending, I scrap the SY and build a mineral fac if needed.

(14) How are things going? By turn 25 - 30...if you are doing things as you should...assuming your opponent was not "next" to you, you should have a number of colonies close to the number of turns that have elapsed. You should also have an amount of research in thousands equal or better to the number of turns. After turn 30, things start to go up wildly. Expansion is usually nearing an end. You've met your enemy and have made decisions on attack or defense points. So, after turn 30, depending on your position, research should start going up fast. For example, in my current KOTH game with Parabolize, it is turn 43 and I have 80,000 in research. I haven't neglected resources and neither should you. But, don't build research facs and neglect minerals! Minerals are very important! Besides building ships, they are the most important component in building more facs.

Well, hope I have helped some. The vets among us probably know this already. Given equal starting positions and systems, the winner will be the first to recognize the strategic points on the map, the time to defend and the time to attack, the time to upgrade shipyards or mineral facs, the time to use fighters or not, the time to recognize things are at a standstill and to work on stellar manipulation ("openers"), and the time to get another colony type. For me...I choose mineral 2 followed by SY 2. I get the resources updated in order to upgrade the SYs right after. But knowing it is the right time to spend those several turns is crucial. Again, all things equal and everyone practicing some variation of what I have said, the winner will be the first to recognize important points in the map and the right time to attack/defend/upgrade.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Don't get your hopes up too high, I have not given up on that Sweet spot in the rankings yet http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif
The Hordes are on the move. Raiding fleet (s) are breaking into Timmyspace as we speak (write) and if they are succesfull:....... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

We have a huuuge Tesco Map with one good planet start. The Primitive Hordes has gathered the slightly larger part of the map, and has also come out better in the initial exchanges.
The Primitive one has discovered a new favorite toy; cloacked mine layers http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif . Kudos to Gramps for cleaning up the minefields nicely, but for a minimal investment I got about 20 of his ships and forced him to build a larg fleet of sweepers. While I'm up, this one is far from over http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Thanks for the update, Primitive. I've always figured you for a quick game and that if it's not...things would be going bad for you. I see now it's just a bigger map than usual.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Yeah, and about a dozen points of contact which made those cloaked minelayers a real headache. Couple mines here, couple mines there. Grrrr...

Anyway, I'm saving a bundle now NOT building minesweepers for my fleets. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

thats a rather defencive attitude isint it?

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I think that was the point. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

You see, se5a, I already have the sweepers. Now I just have to build fleets around them. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Or better yet learn the trick to avoid stopping like this and spend the 1000 points on something better. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Or better yet learn the trick to avoid stopping like this and spend the 1000 points on something better. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Well, yes, but you can't know where the planets are in the system and you can only get a rough guess where the warp points are. So you still waste some movement.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">A good rule and certain to result in an early death should you start VERY near (as in adjacent) your enemy as proven by most of my losses. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Edit: Assuming that is that your opponent has gone for military tech like ship construction

[ January 03, 2004, 23:41: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">...which is exactly why you need to take Ancient Race, so you don't make that mistake.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

I rarely take Ancient race in Koth games. I agree it is a quite useful trait, but I can easily find many better uses for the 1000 points. It's almost always the Last decision I make when creating my empire, whether or not to take it, but I usually decide not to. In a 3K or 5K game I will almost always take it though. Sometimes with 3 or 5 good planets I will take it in a 2K game as well because I can lower my production a bit more and raise my construction a bit less to get the points.

I find the value of the Ancient race in a 2-man game is in a fairly narrow window. I tend to prepare enough to deal with a very close enemy even without ancient race, and if we are far enough apart I have enough time to build my empire that the ancient race loses much of it's value. Only in a small range of medium distances does it cause me a problem. Where the enemy has time to prepare a heavy frigate and destroyer force that he can send against me with very little warning. Even then though it's a close thing because they have to allow for ships running out of fuel or hitting my mines.

I have beaten many opponents that have taken ancient race. I have lost to a few as well. But I have never lost to someone and felt like the reason I lost was because they took the trait. They still have to do a lot of things right, and an opponent that does that will be dangerous with or without it.

All that being said, I am certainly happy when my opponent doesn't take it, especially since I don't normally. So I am more then happy to agree to no ancient race and will suggest it myself often. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ January 04, 2004, 01:31: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I've only played two games, but both times it was Ancient Race that gave me the victory. (well, the second game is still on, but I already blew up the enemy homeworld). Both games had close starting positions (6 sectors for the first game, 30 or so for the second) which gives a huge advantage to the Ancient Race empire. I suspect if starting positions are further apart, then Ancient Race will play less of a role. Still, though, I can't imagine playing without it. (well, unless it was Banned, of course...)

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

I don't doubt it's served you well Spoon. I've played a bit more then two games though. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

My record in games where I start out in close proximity is pretty good. Most recently I started 2 systems away (probably about 25 sectors). He had ancient race and I did not, and I won. It was exciting for a few turns, I don't mind telling you. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Slynky vs Parabolize: 2405.4

Boundaries have been established and the majority of planets have been claimed by me. I have been in 1st place for most of the game BUT:

Though I have nearly 150 ships, I keep seeing all these destroyers and LCs heading toward one system. Around 70-80 total ships should be there by now and he can attack out of that system to either of 2 points...so I have to defend both of them...which splits my ships up. I've been preparing for either place but have less ships than he does...will my first shot even out the combat if he comes through?

Interesting game. Given what I see that he has in the universe, it must be another one of his masterful empire management tools/abilities to maintain that kind of fleet!

I have my own surprises but I wonder if it will be enough.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">You should take the initiative and attack through one warp point with your full force. This is a good instance why attack is the best defence. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Thanks for the suggestion, Asmala.

Sometimes, things just happen and you get caught up in it:

Legend

1 2 and 3 - Where defensive/offensive buildup started.
Orange triangles - Places where I managed to get a colony (and could see his ship movements) and have small skirmishes.
Blue Arrow - His constant ship movement toward point #2...50 ships or so...to fleet up in the system marked in blue.
Red arrow - where I made an attack because of the number of ships I saw heading to point #2.
Gray - Worthless systems.

So, it's hard to put 150 ships together when they are so far apart and it seems you have to keep "feeding the fronts" to defend...hoping your first shot will save the day. I finally attacked on the left side hoping he was neglecting that area...I was surprised to find nearly 40 ships http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif but managed to destroy all of them losing only 10+ of mine (leaving me with 20 warships there).

I've posted the entire map because I don't think I need to worry so much now that I'm invading on the left and I have the other places defended well. I got a better-than-average position to work with and will begin making another type of colony ships in 2 turns. SYs and Mineral extraction have been updated and I can easily support my 140 ships (while building more) now. He has a hard time hitting my ships as it is and hasn't fought my LCs yet with the added armor bonus on them.

Frankly, though, I'm amazed at his economy and how many ships he can support! Though he has less of the system than I do, he has managed it very well. So, one thing I have learned, though, is never to count anyone out...so, I'm still building at points #2 and #3.

http://se4-gaming.net\images\SE4-Game-2.jpg

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

i cant see the map http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Does anyone else have a problem? That's weird. It links to the Ratings site. Hmmmmm.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Does anyone else have a problem? That's weird. It links to the Ratings site. Hmmmmm. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I can see the map without problems.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">...which is exactly why you need to take Ancient Race, so you don't make that mistake. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Well yea it is a 1000 point security blanket in that case. If you take a chance and assume you will start further apart then I think there are better ways to spend the points.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

I hear that the 1,000 points isn't worth it yet I've had more than one player, when deciding settings, ask to exclude it. If it's not worth the 1,000 points, then it would seem people would WANT me to waste them. I can spend those 1,000 points and still get around 130% off/def, and 3 other special traits. So, in the future, if it's a waste of points, then let me waste them and don't propose we exclude it from choice... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

There, that's all that needs to be said on ancient in KOTH from me.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Slynky vs Parabolize: 2405.5

Parabolize surrenders.

The fleet that I invaded with is set, by looking at the surrender map, to invade without much of a problem. Anticipating a successful invasion, I built a colonizer to move in behind me to settle and make me a resupply center (though I had supply mods on the sweepers, they wouldn't get me too far).

As to the fleet of his in the middle of the map (I guessed correctly when I said 50 or so), it would have had a hard time breaking through either of the warp points it could have chosen as I had fighters, sats, and a fleet of 40 (trained) ships as both places.

I''m still amazed at his empire management and how he could build and maintain over 100 ships! I guess I still need to learn more. As tough an opponent as he is, I don't understand why his rating is so low. I wonder if he has had too much bad luck in other games (though, after a while, the luck should be averaged out).

Good game, Parabolize! I was on the edge of my computer seat till the end.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Looks like Spoon and I are up. And the winner gets to get in a longgggg line for the throne... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif .

Spoon, my preferences are standard setup with one GOOD planet instead of an average one. What are your suggestions?

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">And people wonder why I sit on the bottom, I never have to wait for a game! (For Sale: 1 bridge, slightly used...) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">And people wonder why I sit on the bottom, I never have to wait for a game! (For Sale: 1 bridge, slightly used...) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I hear that!

(what makes it worse is looking at my email and seeing all the games I created running like crazy and me sitting here typing stupid things in the forum while gazing longingly at the inbox... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif )

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">My preference is for you to take Crystaline, Emotionless, and 150% repair. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Failing that, your suggestion sounds good to me. Good luck!

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Woosies and cowards all of them! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif Real supreme rulers don't need the fuzzy wozzy comfort of ancient race.

[ January 05, 2004, 13:25: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Any of you guys stuck in the line waiting for a game and feel like a practice game let me know. Note that I'm no longer in the hill because I don't want to commit the time and the KOTH clone thing is getting a bit boring. So if anyone wants a game possibly like the following let me know at dgunsten@sympatico.ca :

expect at least a turn a day but maybe not much more.
Ruins (unbalancing? who cares it's fun)
No mines
No training
any other wierd settings you want.
such as:
must take a racial and use only racial weapons

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">It's all part of the mental game Slynk. You think ancient race is crucial. If I can get you to not use it then in your mind you are playing at a disadvantage. Even if I don't really think it's that big of an advantage having it, the important thing is how much it screws with your head not to have it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Is there a way to prohibit training?

I try to keep my games to rated ones but I might enjoy a rematch.

By the way, chess uses the same pieces on the same board and the same settings. Why is KOTH such a clone?

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">It's all part of the mental game Slynk. You think ancient race is crucial. If I can get you to not use it then in your mind you are playing at a disadvantage. Even if I don't really think it's that big of an advantage having it, the important thing is how much it screws with your head not to have it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Leave it to you to go "mental" with me... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif .

Of course, I think, I play just as well without it...I mean within what it contricts me to...which is the same as it constricts the opponent. You DID whomp me in our KOTH game, though...I think having ancient in that game may have helped but who knows for sure.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">You could turn off advanced military tech and psychic tech. Or simply a gentleman's agreement.

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Hear hear. Even if everybody did use exactly the same empire setup there is still enough variety in game play style and the random element to keep me interested. SE4 IROC, so to speak. But beyond that, the "koth clone" isn't exactly a firmly defined set of characteristics. People mostly agree on the basics, but not all the specifics. There are many differences in degree.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">99% of opening chess moves P-KP4. how much more cloned can you get? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Please don't make me list the ways how all SE4 games are similar.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">99% of opening chess moves P-KP4. how much more cloned can you get? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Please don't make me list the ways how all SE4 games are similar. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">It's P-K4 (which, by the way is the old way of notation). It's written that way to save time while on the clock. After all, only one pawn can get there.

But you display a strange attitude...chess has, for years, been considered the greated game of all. I'm sure there are "Go" enthusiasts among us (and I used to give a 3-stone handicap for anyone I played 'cause the chances of them being any good at "Japan's chess" were slight) who might disagree.

But, disregarding chess, SE4 offers the same thing (with the inclusion of some luck...which chess doesn't really have to deal with). You have a board layed out in front of you and though you might do some of the same things, you generally find you have to adapt to the map (board), and ships (pieces) and opponent in order to get a win.

But, that aside, don't throw chess into the same bucket as SE4. Until you have studied the game as much as I have, know as much as I do, understand it is a worldwide game, Don't assume it is a boring and redundant game. I forget the statistics but in the hundreds of thousands of games that have been recorded for history, there has been about .0001% occurance of a repeated game. And those were short.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Yes, Geo, but by turning off Adv Mil Tech, you take away hyper optics. As to gentleman's agreement, I suspect most anyone would prefer something that is more "enforceable" and "verifiable". For my part...I could handle it with the appropriate honesty but the first time that a fleet of mine destroyed a fleet of the opponent, I wouldn't want to have to undergo the "accusation" of "you must have trained them!". God knows I hate spending time training ships/fleets anyway! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Anyway, back to the subject...there is no way to turn off JUST training.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">True enough, but what of it? There are other components that can do the job of hyper optics. You can research gravatic sensors in about the same time you'd have hyper optics, and tachyeon sensors in just a few more turns then that. Or if you take the temporal race trait you could have temporal sensors in less time then any of them. There are psychic sensors as well, but I already suggested turning off psychic technology to eliminate the psychic training facility.
<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not without a mod, no. However, a mod to turn them off only would be a very simple one.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

if there is four perhaps a rule that another level gets added http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif So the four can fight it out and then the two winners fight it out http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

RexTorres, BBegemott, how the King match is going? Any estimations how much left? There is a nice queue and I'm thinking if I should do something to that.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not that I ever get to be a Contender http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif , but IMO there should never be more than one Contender. I would like to see levels added and deleted as conditons change.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

[quote]Originally posted by Geckomlis:

Quote:

I would like to see levels added and deleted as conditons change.

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Agree with you Gecko.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

While I am all for constant competition and all, the idea of adding and deleting levels willy nilly seems to me to be a bit drastic. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif You could end up with one poor sap having to play a lot more games to get a shot at the King, simply for no other reason than the King is taking longer than normal to finish off the current contender. My own situation for example. I don't get to the rarified air up here that often. While I hold little hope of actually winning a King match against any of my possible opponents, I'd still like to get a shot at it. If we stick another level in here and make me play Asmala and/or Belisarius my stock will be dropping faster then Enron. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

As an alternative I will suggest again the possibility of simultaneous matches. We don't know yet whether Rex or Bbegmott will be King. If both of them will agree to play a one on one game againt Asmala now, assuming Asmala is willing to get into 2 more games, then we can get a head start on the next King match.

[ January 05, 2004, 17:08: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

[quote]Originally posted by Master Belisarius:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Geckomlis:

Quote:

I would like to see levels added and deleted as conditons change.

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Agree with you Gecko. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">The unscrupulous might drag their feet in a Top of the Hill match just so they would be able to avoid having to play an extra game to be King.
What about Multiple Kings?

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

I think people who have earned a shot that the King should stay that way. We had another level for a while and went back to the original 3 (bottome, middle, top) so the people in line for the throne earned the right to be there. Just my 2 Pence worth http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif .

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Why not start a bracket similar to the NFL playoffs? You have X number of people on the hill currently. Take the number and devide it by 2 and then start two hills. Sort of like a East and West hill. The winners of their respect hill (either east or west (name can be changed)) will face one another in a match to win it all and be the best of both hills, until someone knocks them off.

One drawback that I see is when you go through the two hills again and the current king stays on top, suddenly you have 2 more plus the current king on the top. What to do in this situation I haven't thought of yet but given time I'm sure I can think of something.

Another way to do things is to start seasons. Create a schedule and each player has a set schedule in who they must play. The top X amount of teams make the playoffs and battle from there. Making it that much tougher to defend your title by the fact that you have to make it through another full season of games and then all the playoffs to make it. At the same time, you eliminate the chance of having just 1 game reuin your trip to the top. You can now rebound and still make a run at the title.

Yet another way is to create a system in which the computer ranks your wins and losses and strength of schedule and then the top two teams make it. You call it something like HCS (Hill Champion Series).... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif
Of course that was just a joke and I'm sure you all know what I refer to in those comments. (BCS Sucks)

Just some thoughts. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Rags, something league-like with seasons and playoffs was what I was going for with the original idea of the Koth leage. However I discarded the idea fairly early in the process as I realized it has a major shortcoming. People tend to drift in and out of theses sorts of things. We have a core of players that is always playing of course, but a good number of people on the Hill join and play a few games and drop back off for a while. You can't do that with fixed leagues with divisions and seasons.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">That's exactly the reason why I don't like the idea of varying Hill levels. Also Spoon has a good point.

I've no problem with simultaneous matches, that would be one solution. And the current King match is over 80 turns so perhaps other of the players is winning so it's necessarily to start only one match.

But I'd like to hear more suggestions and opinions for this problem. Current views have some dispersion. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Where were all you guys when I was #2 contender and we added another level? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

Ragnarok, your suggestions are too restricted. The length of games vary greatly, from one day to months, and players come and go. The current Hill is great for that since there can't be many people waiting for opponent (except contenders http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif ) and players can join and leave as they want. A season would be a way too long for KOTH games.

Re: Are you tough enough to be the "King of the Hill"?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Simultaneous matches sounds like a good idea to keep things moving. How I am supposed to learn to play better if the top players never get recycled? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif