Re: Small Talk
 

I'm actually waiting for some more nasty spells to finish being researched http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Small Talk
 

Oh, crap.

I had a massive ambush set up for you if you entered my territory. I'll let you know how it goes.

Re: Small Talk
 

This is getting a little hectic trying to wake up so early in the morning just so I don't stale. Llamabeast, is it possible you could extend the hosting time like 4 or 5 hours so I don't have to get up at this ungodly hour?

Re: Small Talk
 

Llamabeast is on vacation now, AFAIK.
What kind of hosting scheme do you have in mind, exactly?

Re: Small Talk
 

Pretty much the same thing really, 24 hour hosting, possibly nixing quickhost. However, you see how the next turn is due at 11:00 GMT? Well that is literally 6:00 in the morning where I am. I was thinking he could extend that a few hours so I actually have time to wake up.

Re: Small Talk
 

I play the night before, myself.

Re: Small Talk
 

Well I kind of can't, unless I want to stay awake until 3:00 AM. This is still my dad's computer and when he's using it, he usually doesn't give it up. It would really help me a lot if we could at least nix quickhosting.

Re: Small Talk
 

Well, any game with quickhost on will get it's hosting time drifting a little. I'd rather not switch quickhost off though. What i think we can do is extend the normal host interval from 24h to 36h or 48h - that should make it possible to make your turn everytime - and is more reasonable for game in 30+ turn anyway.

So, opinions everyone? Leave host interval at 24h, change to 36h or change to 48h?

Re: Small Talk
 

If all that's available is 12 hour increments, I'll fully support 36 hours. In several of my games, I've made it in by five seconds.

Re: Small Talk
 

I do think the hosting interval should be set to something a bit over a day because it's going to creep earlier and earlier otherwise. Being in PDT it can get quite early for me if I don't do it the night before.

My inclination would be something like 26 or 28 hours but if that's not an option, make it whatever it needs to be to be at least that long.

Re: Small Talk
 

Well, my poor troops decided to rout just as the battle was coming into deciding phase http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif
Twelve commanders and 229 units lost, and only 1 commander and 116 units killed. Nicely done Agartha, can't deny that.

At least you got a few horror marks for your pretender though http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

As for hosting timer, it can be set with 1 hour precision.

Re: Small Talk
 

Hmm... For me, personally, 28 hours would be just perfect. Though if quickhost is still on, I wouldn't mind as high as 36.

How does 30 hour quickhost sound to you, Starshine Monarch?

Thank you, Szumo. Your spell-sassinations were quite effective, you know, and dramatically hindered my formations and battle plans. I'd meant for the Golems to be in first, and the Ice Drakes did nothing I could see. Instead, I went in as an unruly mob. You bastard, you killed Kenny! (j/k Southpark)

It amuses me- you've beat ME, Agartha, to Curse of Stones. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif. That really confused me for a while. I had to watch the battle a few times to figure that out.

Yeah. Even madmen will rout at 75% army loss.

I lost both my Thugs, dammit. I'd invested quite a bit into them, and you even killed one with a lead shield, with soul slay, I expect. In battle, one was helped along with a Magma Bolt to the back. The other one was remotely killed outside of battle. My Arena Champion. Now I've got no heroic abilities whatsoever. Oh well. At least all my mages now have at least +1 precision thanks to experience. Though they're also getting old age to go along with it.

I'm a bit disappointed my mages wasted my gems summoning earth elementals who never got close enough to trample.

I've gotta figure out some way to open up some of those anti-spell domes, or else I needn't worry at all about your Star Children Assassins...

Re: Small Talk
 

Ooh. That wasn't nice. Remotely assassinating so many of my leaders.

I'm going to have to return the favor, somehow, since you've made this personal.

Re: Small Talk
 

Hey, i told you i was waiting on research for some nasty spells http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

War gets more interesting strategically now, doesn't it?
You can propably beat my armies in the field.. but only if your leaders live long enough to get the troops to the battle.

Re: Small Talk
 

I really, really, should have expected that, by the way. But at least I have a couple ways to counter that. The block being Lead Shields (expensive at 10 gems), the counterpunch isn't as nasty as leader assassination, but then nothing really ever is.

Re: Small Talk
 

I've submitted my turn twice and so far the server isn't taking it, no confirmation email or reply back saying there is a problem with the file.

Re: Small Talk
 

I had some problems recently myself. I'd thought I'd sent it off this morning/noon, but didn't see it this night.. I did just get it in, though, within the last hour. It may be worth trying one last time.

Re: Small Talk
 

About 100 dai bakmeno/O-bakmeno destroyed at the cost of 62 alae legionaires.

Not a bad trade, on the whole http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Small Talk
 

I'm only facing a communion involving close to forty Star Children. I'll have to think on this, dammit.

Re: Small Talk
 

Hey, I'm back! Did the problems with the server accepting e-mails go away in the end?

Re: Small Talk
 

Yikes!

Declaration of Militant Therapy to Man
 

Dear Man:

The mighty nation of Pythium is famed far and wide for its generosity. Recognizing the onerous task involved in managing provinces, we propose to relieve you of this task by means of reorganizing the distribution of security forces along our shared border. By thus reformatting the political alignments of the local terrain, we hope to enact mutually beneficial developments, as the renovation of the religious structures in that vicinity will introduce somewhat superior scales. These happy developments shouldn't trouble your nation, but as we know, change may lead to anxiety in some cases. Thus, our legionnaires have volunteered to introduce you to their excellent therapy devices, which will enable you to relax in a once in a lifetime fashion- just ask any bakemeno you see! It's so relaxing, that only a few turns ago we nearly succumbed to a deluge of bakemeno seeking to take part in our revolutionary methods, but our therapy forces were able to deal with it, just as they may deal with any stressed individuals you send our way.

Needless to say, given the generosity of our offer, we felt compelled to allow you to take part in it as soon as possible, and have therefore already initiated the first steps of this marvelous program.

OOC: If I had an NAP from man, and didn't know it, I apologize. I trawled through my pms, and couldn't find one, and don't remember receiving in game messages from man, either.

Re: Declaration of Militant Therapy to Man
 

There was no NAP.

You're probably going to win but you're going to lose those armies you sent down in the process.

I never had a chance in this game, the only province with any decent income is my capital. Everything around me is either swamp or forest.

Re: Declaration of Militant Therapy to Man
 

Eh, I had to expand south because my income is as bad as yours- forests and mountains, with a couple swamps. If I had the choice, I wouldn't be going against you- I don't relish fighting the longbow-knight armies that man always seems to field.

Re: Declaration of Militant Therapy to Man
 

Yeah, that's exactly what's going to smash into you. We'll probably end up taking each other out.

Re: Declaration of Militant Therapy to Man
 

Not if me and R'lyeh are fighting each other until the end of time. I think you could have five men left alive, and we'd be to busy throwing spells at each other to go out of our way and conquer you.

And if you'd attacked one of us, who knows what would happen. You'd have R'lyeh expanding all the way up the western edge of the map with the world's highest gem income, or you'd have me moving my decrepit mages and golems oh so so slowly southward behind an easily defended mountain range. While a turtle or snail passes me in traffic.

Re: Declaration of Militant Therapy to Man
 

Oh come on Lazy Perfectionist, you have the pretty much the same gem income as i do and your recruitable troops are way better than mine on the land.
I just wonder whether you'll move before i Mind Hunt most of your commanders to death ;P

Anyway, i'm happy that you (Pythium and Man) decided to duke it out between yourselves, one on one wars are usually fun while i assume no one likes to be gangbanged http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Damn. Why the hell can't I 'continue construction' on the damn fort? Now I've lost 2400 gold as my builder has been remotely assassinated twice, and can't have two guys work on it simultaneously without paying double.

Also, attack me already, R'lyeh. Apparently, a Lead Shield isn't a reliable antidote to Mind Hunts. And I'm not getting a fort up, ever, dammit.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

I'd prefer to attack you after all your commanders are killed ;P

As for Lead Shields, they just about cancel penetration items on my casters. It was a big investment to set up those (30 gems per caster or so) so i'd say Lead Shield work quite well.

What's definitely helps me is magic +3 dominion though.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

To atlantis: Go ahead and keep the province. However, next time you plan on attacking a province which is directly adjacent to another player's army, when said army has been steamrolling in that direction and that is the only province left, try to make sure that your intentions are known. If you did mean that as an act of war, I'd like it if you said so. If you didn't, I'd like it if you said so, and had just warned me ahead of time. Nobody likes to lose 40 vestals for no gain.

Otherwise:

It appears that ermor plans on stalling. Again.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Um, something seems to be wrong with the server. The last turn I sent in was 37, but it says it's turn 42 now. That and it isn't showing the nation list.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Yeah, that's my fault sorry. Should be sorted in a minute. I made an unreasonable number of mistakes in a row while trying to start up Mara and Chupacabra.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Okay. It's fixed... I hope. There's some chance some turns may have been missed, in which case everyone will have staled, I think that's not the case though - I hope not.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Stale here. My opponent didn't do anything, either.

I would like it if it were redone but it's not a big deal--I'm doomed no matter what, I'm just seeing how much damage I can do to Pythium for their groundless war with me.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

plenty of ground, just most of it without value. Swamps and such.

I had some severe messing with my strategy, though, as I lost control of the mercenary company, and several guys failed to research. If you can't fix, thats all well and good, but I'd really like it if you could- perhaps by simply allowing us to resubmit the prior turn? Unless we take the next turn, the 4h file should still have what you need.

I imagine that Rl'yeh was hit even worse...

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Okay, hang on a sec. I'll see if there's anything I can do.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Okay guys, I can set it back a turn. Hopefully none of you gained information you shouldn't have with this false turn being sent out. Please resubmit your turns.

Edit: I just wrote a really long explanation about how it had all gone wrong and I couldn't fix it and I'd been at it 3 hours and so I had been trying even if incompetently. But then I realised I could sort of fix it - although I have lost your 2h files, so you'll need to send them in again.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Man that was stressful. *breathes* I think I've got a better strategy sorted for starting new games at least now - turn every other aspect of the server OFF!

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Need to resend still?
I'll be able at 11:00 PM, EST.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

If already hosted, you can access your old .2h through your sent messages...

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Not if I have set my email not to save a copy to sent. I'll have to head back home first. Fortunately, I haven't overwrit anything.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

If anyone has lost their 2h I'll be able to dig it out - I keep all the e-mails the LlamaServer ever receives in a gmail account. It'll just take a bit of digging is all, so I'd prefer people to resend themselves if they can.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

I think you need either a test enviromnent or a full automated backup (including .2h files) for each turn llamabeast. Preferably both http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

It does have a fully automated backup including 2h files.

What happened yesterday was a bit convoluted, but basically I changed some stuff while getting the new games started which made Jaguar unable to host. But it kept on trying anyway, and cycling through the backups. Since it "hosted" about 8 times, the 2h backups were long gone.

Anyway, it was a mistake I won't make again.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Is all well with the rehosted turn?

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Seems to be ok (with the turn).

And i had an epic battle... 250+ casualties, and both mine and LP's pretenders killed - not that it hurts mine much http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

You have Lich I'm guessing. I wonder if there's any way you can save battle replays and share them with others?

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

i'd happily do so, but I don't know how.

Bah... The only commander I lost was my pretender. Everyone of my oracles survived to fight another day. If I was just a little further forward, I would have taken out more than a quarter of his leaders, with massive Blade Winds. Unfortunately, my oracles were already all the way to the front. And some overlooked and not yet understood fatigue and get math meant each only got off 2 Blade winds, instead of four each, as I planned. I think 16 would have been devestating, but even with a late Earthpower and 2 gems apiece, Reinvig boots, I wasn't able to pull it off.

I was so close... I can't use that tactic again in this game, esp w/o a laboratory. But I came close to making it work, though it was certainly risky with all those assassin spells. Sigh... it was fun to play, but saddening in that I can't experiment in endless variation and replay the same battle with different orders, learning much.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

Well, your pretender dying was a bit of bad luck indeed - she was hit twice by Gifts from Heaven (meteors).
I was watching the replay and was very concerned when the Blade Winds started to fall amongst my mages.

There is no way of saving battle replays that i know - except using Fraps or similar which is not really practical due to file size.

Re: RE: 2400 gold down the drain.
 

I'm considering saving this turn file, putting it in a password protected zip, uploading it as an attachment, then revealing the password later, so people can watch it directly. It might reveal unfortunate information about my forces, hence the delay. Now if I could mod my turn file to just display the battle, and remove the most sensitive information... While its not the brightest idea to reveal my situation, I'm not to worried about it, given I'm already at war with R'lyeh, and my neighbor Pythium is at war with Man. The informations only really dangerous if the war with R'lyeh continues at a stalemate. If I win, the additional land changes my position greatly, if I lose, well, it goes without saying.

What I could have done differently, part one, untested, speculation. - Getting closer approach
Earthpower-> Attack (once) -> Blade Wind
By scripting Blade Wind first, I hoped to take out your Star Children right away - they are hardly well armored or as damage absorbent as my Oracles. I could have gotten more casts in by earthing first, though I'm surprised I wasn't able to get in all four. I presume that spellcasting encumbrance is taken into account after gem discounts.

I'd rushed the cast in the hope to BW you before you got communions AND ethereal form up, since most earth spells are mundane. But that was a waste as I didn't quite have the range to reach you anyway, and ended up exhausted anyways.

My pretender probably would have survived if I had set her as fire support. 26 paralysis is a bit much for even MR 22 to handle, and gift of heavens would had that much more range deviation to deal with.

I also probably would have seen benefits from Sermon of Courage or Fanaticism. Certainly, enough of my troops ran off, though with the limited review time I didn't figure out why they ran, but was focusing on the star children, then my pretender. I was disappointed to see those 'Legions of Steel cast by the AI... at that point they were a bit late to the game.