Megatherium - MA PBEM. Started.
 

Greetings all readers!

Megatherium is a MA PBEM game, and as you can tell from the name it will be hosted (with llamabeasts kind permission) on llamaserver.

Megatherium will be a slower-running game than most, as it is intended for those Dom3 players who have to work their games in around other major time commitments (small children, jobs in the medical profession, or just several other ongoing PBEM games). It will therefore spend most of its lifetime on a 96 hour (4 day) quickhost. How quickly the first 10-15 turns can be run through is a matter for negotiation. Extensions on individual turns will be granted freely.

Skill level: This game is intended for players with roughly 5 games under their belt.

Map: Currently undecided, and dependent on the number of players interested in joining.

Mods: This game will use the Worthy Heroes and Epic Heroes mods - I believe they're compatible with each other. It's worth toying around a little with these mods before starting if you haven't used them before. I believe they place a little more value on luck scales and higher dominion scores.

Players:

1. Greenaris - Vanheim
2. LDiCesare - Arcoscephale
3. Aapeli - Ulm
4. Gregstrom - Pangaea
5. Thrawn - Abysia
6. Niarg - Czelum
7. Agema - Pythium
8. PAR - Machaka
9. Semigall - A water nation.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

I'd really like to join, but I'm probally a bit overloaded right now. I your like the idea of "slower" games and I hope you'll consider organizing more in the future.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

I certainly shall. I'm not sure how often would be ideal at the moment.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

I'd be interested. Not sure about the nation yet, let's say C'tis?

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Thanks Gregstrom and lamabeast. How do I use the mods?

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Download the files, unzip them into the dominions3/mods directory and then start the game. Go into Preferences, then Mod Preferences, then click on the mod titles to enable them.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

I could join. I was in the epic heroes game and would like to give Ulm and the black duke another shot. Ive got about 5 games (wich two im playing) in tough I didnt go over mid game more than in just one of them (suricate wich is still running).

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

When do you plan to start? I could consider joining that one too as Pythium. I got extremely bad luck in Epic Heroes II.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

I don't have expectations on a start time, beyond 'when we have about enough players'. The game setup is slightly unusual (turn time, mods), so I'm not going to set an arbitrary deadline when I'm not sure what demand will be like.

Joiners have been added to the top post, btw.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Gregstrom:

You could also use Conceptual Balance Mod.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Gregstrom,

I would like to play as Abysia, if possible.

Re: CBM
 

Sorry Zeldor, but I'm not interested in running a CBM game at this time.

Re: CBM
 

OK, I changed my mind. I'll take Arcoscephale.

Change of nation
 

Duly noted. The proud nation of mystics and prophetesses has replaced the dodgy bunch of bog-living lizards in the starting line-up.

Re: Change of nation
 

I'd like to play as Caelum.

Re: Change of nation
 

Oh, I forgot to note the staling policy.

Once we're in 96 hour quickhost, there will be a fairly tough staling policy in place. 4 days is plenty of time to get a turn in, after all.

If a player goes 6 days without submitting a turn (a turn and a half), I'll post a note looking for a sub. At that point, the staling player will have until the next turn is generated to make a post in this thread or PM me. After that, either a sub will take over or the nation will be AI'd.

My experiences in SlowBoat thus far are that repeat staling on a slower game (without the staling player popping up to talk about it) is very frustrating for the other players, and I'd like to keep delays to a minimum.

Re: Change of nation
 

I'll play, not sure of race yet.

Re: Change of nation
 

Ok, 7 players up. One more and I guess we'll have enough to start.

A quick question to all: How quickly do we want to take the first few turns?

Re: Change of nation
 

I'll take Pythium, by the way.

Re: Change of nation
 

Duly noted.

I'll go Pan.

Re: Change of nation
 

Speaking of which:

The people of Pangaea greet the other folk of the world in friendship, but offer a warning: The fabric of Nature has been disturbed. Cities scar the grasslands, and mines burrow into the hills and mountains like maggots. The plants and beasts of the world are becoming angry, and you must limit the damage you do to the world's fabric if they are not to become savage.

Re: Change of nation
 

What's the point of a forest, if not to supply the wood needed to make spears to kill damn tree-huggers more worried about forests than the greater glory of civilisation?

Re: Change of nation
 

Big words for someone with a nature reserve right next to their capital.

Re: Change of nation
 

i would like to play if it is still open

machaka if there is still room

PAR

Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

No problem. I'll add you in.

Now we have 8 players in, I'm going to say we're okay to plan the game start. I'll aim for getting everything settled to start submitting Pretenders by Monday UK time.

To do that, I'll need a couple of points of order settled.

Firstly, the map. Aran is about the right size, although I don't know how it plays. Suggestions will be welome, so please chime in with opinions.

Secondly, scheduling of the early turns. To get things started quickly, I suggest doing the first 5 turns on a 30 hour quickhost (1 day with a small safety margin), then the next 10 on a 50 hour quickhost (2 days, effectively), and after that going to 96 hour quickhost.

Note for the new: quickhost means that a turn automatically generates when all files have been mailed in, no matter how long it has been since the last turn was generated.

Third, game settings. I'm thinking standard MA, with 15 slots in the HOF.

Please respond on these two points (and raise any others that come to mind). All opinions will be considered. Plus, if you respond I'll know you still intend to play. So post even if it's to say 'I agree on all points'.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

Aran looks ok to me, although there are no water nations if I'm correct, so it may bias things a bit (someone starting near the coast with a wyrm or other awake ampjibious pretender could take all water regions for instance without being contested). I don't know of land only maps however.
Schedule's ok for me although I may ask more time for the first week end (actually depends on when turns are hosted but I'll be 36 hours without internet access).
Settings ok.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

Well, I guess we could go for a random map if necessary.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

There are eight gates and Infinite Sands on http://dom3maps.wikidot.com/system:newmed
that are usable for 8 land players but I'm afraid the latter is way too big and the former is quite big too (about 29 prov per player).

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

29 provinces/player is rather too large, I fear. On 96 hour turns that'd take nearly forever.

8 Gates can be a VP game, can't it?

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

I suppose it could be. I just browsed for maps without too much water. There are some which would be too small, most are too big.
Random maps can be ok, the only thing is sometimes two players start near one another and that can lead to a fast death in case of rush.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

We could just play Aran with the understanding that nobody enters the water before turn 20?

I think Aran is about the right size for 8.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

Parganos is good for 8. I have a modified version that has less unfairness in the distribution of terrain.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

I agree to the terms suggested.

There shouldn't be that much trouble with someone taking the seas, as Shambler Reefs and Merman Villages are not uncommon; some creative conjuring or items on a thug or SC can also get into the water. Once you're in the recruitment is never that tough. Secondly, you could take an amphibious pretender, but you've no guarantee of being near the water.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

Well, I can cheerfully do Aran or Parganos - I understand that the balanced version of Parganos is pretty good.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Would love to play, but:

I'm new to the game, so... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Well, we could go for Aran with you as a water nation. Water is a good shield for a newbie.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Ok, sounds good enough, count me in then http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

OK.

With that, it looks like the best bet is Aran with Semigall as a water nation. I'll mark the game up as full.

Semigall, could you look at a nation choice?

I'll contact llamabeast with our map choice and hopefully we'll be ready to start uploading pretenders soon.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Ok, i'll take Atlantis http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

I saw on llamaserver the game's waiting for pretenders. Can we start sending them or is there anything special to wait for before?

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Nope - I've just been afk all day.

Upload pretenders now, guys.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

How do i do it ? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Read all about it here http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[edit] Hey, clickable smiley! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Just checking the thread out, looks it will make a nice game. Too slow for me though.

@Semigall: To balance your lack of experience, you could read Baalz exellent guide to MA atlantis: http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...vc=#Post576620

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Ok, i sent my pretender http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

You should have received some sort of acknowledgement email, then.

Remember peeps, pretender emails need to have the word megatherium in the subject line, and you need to run turns in a folder called megatherium.

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Ok, there was a mistake, i had sent wrong age pretender, sorry http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Now i did everything correctly http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Re: NEW! Megatherium - MA PBEM game. Open.
 

Only two pretenders left until we start the game. Aapeli, Agema - this means you!

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

No worries mates Ill send it today and we shall be ready.

Re: Okay, we\'re about ready.
 

One to go!