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Are you up for a challenge? Religious empire with angry neighbours needs new dictator

These two empires needs new leaders:

1. A Religious race with some enemies, score position 13/20.
2. A smaller organic Vorlon race with no conflicts, score position 19/20.

2 more players are on the verge of being kicked due to not uploading the Last 4 turns and not leaving any notice as to why.

The game is 20 players, primarily newbies but alos intermediates and more experianced. The goal is to have fun, see other game info:

THE PLAYERS USES NO MODS: STANDARD 1.84 GOLD!
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This game is aimed at newbies and intermediates primarily.

Experts and seasoned players are welcome aswell, but then please try not to make a partnership with another expert player. If you are an expert player on PBW you know the others experianced players, try to gang up with a newbie and share your knowledge about the game.

This is the rules below in a condensed view:
Only partnership with one other player at a time and have fun!.

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All shipsets used in this game will be collected into a single zipfile when all players have uploaded their empire files. This zip file will be availible for download to ease the setup on the game on your computer.
Alot of the shipsets availible aren't compatible with SE4 Gold patch 3. I will fix those shipsets before uploading the zipfile containing all shipsets.
So if you get errors when starting SE4, download the ZIP file I'll put up on the net before we start instead of the individual shipsets.

If you have any questions regarding the game, the play or whatever, dont hesitate to mail the host, the mailbox is always open.

SETTINGS:

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1. Huge galaxy, 250+ systems and 3000+ planets, created with standard Fyrons Quadrant Mod, not needed by the players.

2. 20 players at start.

3. No tech trading, No gifts/tributes. Only trading of materials (i e ships, resources etc). (This way we don't get high tech immediatly.)

4. Player uses standard un-modded Gold patch 3 (stock 1.84). Host uses No Ai-mod (you don't have to worry that the AI will mess things up, the Ai has limited capacity, check bottom of this post)

5. Low tech start.

6. High tech cost.

7. No surrendering.

8. Only own score is shown. (Use intel if you need more info on your neighbours)

9. 0 Starting race points. (harder to maximize and minimize racial traits.

10. Win condition 300% higher score than second player, starts after 80 turns. (Last man standing can take years, 300% then you're practicly set on the path to becoming Last man anyway)

11. Intel allowed. (with max 1 partner we won't get ridicilus high intel points)

12. Max 100 mines/sector.

13. Max units 20000

14. Max Ships 8000

15. 1 Starting planets.

16. 72 Hours timed fully automatic turns. (If all players upload before then the game turn will be executed)

17. First 5 players ranking will be shown on the PBW site.

18. Starting Resources 100000

19. Home planet Value: Good

20. Event Frequency: None
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Pre-Game Rules:

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1. Always have a valid e-mail adress where the host can reach you.

2. Maximizian/minimizaing of racial traits is allowed (if you want to do it you'll have to pay the prize by lowering something else) (RECOMMENDATION: Increase defence, offense and maintnance reduction)

3. Roleplaying is encouraged aswell as in-game stories.

4. The aim of this game is to have FUN.
If you see a fellow player making an obvious fatal mistake, alert them instead of taking advantage of it. This is no rule just a recommandation.

5. No omnipresent view. (explore instead)

6. When uploading your empire mark wich shipset you are using. No duplicate shipsets allowed. If you are using a stock shipset select "STOCK SHIPSET -XXXXXX" Where XXXXX is the shipset you are using, it must be the same as when you created your empire file.

7. I will need an e-mail from each player before you are allowed to join, when you apply to the game I'll mail you about that.

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GAME RULES

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1. Max partnership two players. Military alliances with how many you want, research and trade alliances with how many you like. (This way we won't get superalliances, making it impossible to be a lone wolf. Now you still have a chance on your own).

2. Alliance victories are allowed. If you win the game and have a partner that partner is viewed as an equal winner. Max partnership alliances are two players, so there can as a max be two winners.

3. Don't share comm channels or system maps.(More focus on individual exploration), not a rule but a recommendation.

4. Retroseries are allowed. (If you want to pay for it use it)

5. Absolutely no e-mail diplomacy prior to in-game contact. You may mail eachother on all other issues but not concerning in-game events and strategies prior to in-game contact.

6. Alliances are to be based upon in-game events and considerations only, no external friendship or such may come into play when deciding alliances.

7. Total turtelling is forbidden!
(You may shut down worm-holes and build system gravitational shields but there must always be atleast one way to enter a system. If it doesn't have any worm-holes it can't have a system gravitational shield.
This goes for individual systems aswell as your entire empire.
You may shutdown all wormholes into your empire, then you may build system gravitational shields in all systems but one!)

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Hosting

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1. Breaking the rules may result in a warning, or being kicked from the game. Depending on the nature and severity of the transgression. Decided by the host.

2. When an empire becomes without player the host will go in and check that empire every fifth turn until a replacement i sfound. he will then see to it that the empire builds defences. He will not start or continue offensive actions.
in the case of a conflict between the hosts empire and the playerless empire the host must accept peace with that empire until a replacement has been found. (This is becouse of the No-Ai Mod)

3. Missing four consecutive turns without notifying the host will get you kicked.
(Mail the host if you're going to be away a longer time)

4. We will try to run automated turns, bear in mind the No-AI mod will prevent the AI from messing up too much of your game. So try to avoid asking for "Last player upload turns". If you do ask for this it will most likely be accepted.
So before asking for the game to be taken off automatic timed turns consider it thouroghly!

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It's considered good maner to introduce yourself at the game forum at the PBW site.

Please state which players you know who has already entered the game and where you live.
It's ok to be friends with other players and to live near them. But be open with it so it won't raise questions later.
And write whatever else that others can find interesting about you! We might be in this game together for a loong time.

No-AI Mod readme file.

One of the most frustrating things about playing Space Empires IV PBW, or any PBEM for that matter, is in the event you miss a turn, or if your turn file gets scrambled somehow, the ai will take your turn for you. As we all know the ai does a particularly awful job of handling things.

We all have horror stories I am sure. I was in a game once where the AI, broke several trade and research treaties, declared war on my closest neighbor, took control of my fleets in that system and wiped out three of his planets, not to mention filling my construction queues with worthless junk, and obsoleting and replacing all of my carefully thought out ship designs.

All his dirty work was done in one turn. But it took me 7 or 8 turns to undo the damage. Particularly because I was close to the limit on maintenance anyway, and loosing all that treaty income meant several ships being abandoned.

There is a setting in empire options "AI should not make changes during simultaneous games." As we all know, that does little or nothing to help the problem. Jimbob and I have come up with a solution. It involves replacing the files that control what the ministers do during your turn. More on how it does it later.

These files, will eliminate the problem as much as is possible. By using these files, the ai will NOT:
1. Obsolete your designs
2. Design new ships or units
3. Put ANYTHING in your construction queue
4. Become angry at other races, for ANY reason
5. Break existing treaties
6. Offer or accept new treaties
7. Declare war
8. Attack colonies of empires you are not at war with

Using these files the AI still MIGHT:
1. Fill your research queue if empty (I figured this is about the only thing it does decently)
2. Reply to Messages from other empires, but only to refuse any requests. (But I have modified the speech.txt file so that it is clear the refusals are coming from the AI and not the player)
3. Move your ships around somewhat
4. Attack colonies of Empires you are at war with.
5. Attack ships of Empires you are at war with.
6. Send colony ships that do not have previous orders.

It is very important that if that player leaves the game a human replacement is found. Turning them over to the ai will result in a useless do-nothing empire.

Do not use AI or Neutral players with this mod. It is not recommended that you allow the AI to take several turns for you using this mod. Basically it is for short term absences. It will continue doing nothing during a long term absence, and that could be worse than letteing the normal Ai run things for you.

[ September 05, 2003, 08:26: Message edited by: Ruatha ]