Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Hey guys
I got a great idea...but I dont know if anyone would go for it.
Why dont we create a Galaxy , by creating a set number of quadrants with a fixed map. Then have a persistent galaxy, that is at war, which we as players of course can handle it like in King of the Hill. (if someone invades my quadrant then I have to attack, or we can have some way of figuring out how empires gain control of quadrants and expand their sphere of control? Have like about 80 or 100 peeps?
then have each quadrant battle? Well just thinking of a new way...and have maybe an up to date map of the Galaxy?
I dont know, does it sound interesting or am I just blowing smoke?

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

There are roleplaying forums set up around that sort of idea.

I don't think it would work too well as a simple competitive thing...

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Might I suggest the Space Empires Legacies Roleplay Community? We will have several galaxies with full maps and rules up as soon as we finish hammering out the details. The link can be found in my signiture.

-Kodos Out

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

I don't know. From my experience with the past role play communities and with Koth, I think it might work better as a purely competative thing. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I don't think it's a bad idea at all Rojero.

Geoschmo

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Yea mabye we can discuss it as a Forum topic? After all I would like to hear about it from you ancients anyways since i am a newb when it comes the experience of everyone else...hehe after all i am only a corporal! We can also have a separate forum in which we can display alliances..and such, the only problems is how we can handle trades? or better yet elimate it since it will essential be useless if we do 1 on 1 KOTH. only problems is what if 2 people attack the same quadrant? what i can see there is that 2 people who attack the same quadrant and there is a 3rd person owning the quadrant, then the two people attacking cannot be allies (a kind of dispute)..agh sorry to sound long winded.

[ July 09, 2003, 03:46: Message edited by: Rojero ]

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Or you could go with the original structured RP community, the Universe Ladder, though it is currently undergoing renovation...

This is one of many ideas that were proposed for the new Version of the Universe Ladder. It has some good points, but it eliminates a lot of the randomnes of games, which many people find preferable to consistent maps for the galaxy.

[ July 09, 2003, 09:01: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

To Rojero's point, I think this would work well with nice html map with hyperlinks to areas of controlled galaxy as a backdrop.

Perhaps this can be added to the existing Legacies format?

The backdrop map would have static systems maps. If a player controls an area of the galaxy, he or she controls that specific map, and must defend it when the neighbor elects to advance.

At the beginning of a macro "turn" all empire declarations should be simultaneous, then all games resolved, and then the backdrop map adjusted.

Has possibilities? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Would the games be starting from scratch each time?

Should the number of colonies, ships, bases and minefields present in each map be remembered and set up as a scenario, with the invading forces being required to specify the ships present in the invasion fleet?

With a low-to-zero construction, no research/intel, and zero maintenance mod, this could be pretty interesting. (Since the above items are all done during RP rounds)

Once the invading force is defeated, retreats, or takes over the map, the remaining objects on the map would be tallied up and written down for the next conflict.

Between RP rounds, players could build ships, facilities, collect funds for other areas of their empire, etc in an RP way, which would be placed in the scenario for the next conflict.

Probably best to use tiny maps with sparce habitable regions.
The maps could be randomly generated upon exploration, and then saved to be used in all conflict games involving that area of the RP space.

[ July 09, 2003, 14:52: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

That is a very interesting idea, S_J...

I guess when I suggested the macro map idea, I was thinking that it was a layer outside of actual game terms. To ease administration and set-up, the games would start from scratch. Roleplaying occurred outside of actual SEIV turns.

Some cool possibilities include multi-border systems where 2 players ally against a third (should the map dictate the engagement).

However, I was just throwing the idea out there, and it can be used in a few different models. I'd like to hear more elaboration of how the game can be used in a roleplaying capacity...

and of course, the simpler, the better. But of course all good things require some kind of effort.

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Generally, the game is used to resolve wars when they break out in the RP.

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

The easiest way by far would be to start each conflict from scratch. Using the end conditions as a scenario for the next battle would be a fascinating idea, but I am afraid it would just be too terribly complex.

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Dosen't that make it a bit too abstract, though?

There is no way to boost your defense of a certain map other than adding allies; if the other player is a bit better, they will almost always win since you start on even terms...

With the scenario, you could actually arrange stronger defenses for certain systems, and have persistent a persistent universe at the planetary level.
The invader could turn it into a raiding party by attacking only a few lightly defended planets, and then retreating, or make it a full scale invasion with troops and colony ships.

In order to simplify the job of the Moderators & admins, the scenario could be set up by the two conflicting players.
First, the game is started with the two or more players as regular empires.
An appointed leader for the defending side will generate the defender's colonies (predefined) and ship distributions (flexible).
The attacking side's leader will then get the savegame, and generate their ship distributions based on the declared forces from the RP.
Both sides will review the savegame, and once ready, the game will be uploaded as a scenario by an admin to PBW, whereupon the battle starts.

After the game is over, the admin tallies up the surviving planets and ships, and updates the RP as appropriate.

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Ok while sitting in traffic trying to get home, I wrote down a few tid bit ideas. The game setup should be an updated type, maybe Java script run map and a forum for people to discuss things, if we make alliances, trades, thru email (like good old Avalon Hill Diplomacy), then update thru the game masters ok heres the breakdown of a typical turn:
Resource Gathering
1. Previous turns production, trades, and tributes
Home System produces like 300 resources, 100 for each type.
Then if any bonus from trades from others, could be a bonus of say 10 for each trading partner (this could be termed as a generic resource ( which can be used like other resources but cannot replace for certain specific things.
2. Empire Maintenance
a. Research - we can purchase certain resources (if of course we have the monies) and develop our technology/(now this can be a shortened list, because not all technologies could be useful in this type of game.
b. Espionage - now this could be more intersting, depending on your technology in the area. Like research, this of course is purchased with your resources as well http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
c. Purchase of units - Base cost for all types of units + any extra technology = final cost.
IE Escort (10 resources) + engine type + Weapons per type and amount + any special componets etc. We can use like an excel spread sheet i am sure to calcuate cost.
d. Movement/Exploration - Self explanatory
e. Complete turn and await confirmation by game masters.
f. Galactic Council (if needed can be done like every 10 turns?) - Discuss certain things like the banning of certain weapon types (heh black hole generators)And we can use the #SE4 on Gamesnet for this feature
Combat Phase
Now the game masters will notify who is involved any number, and amount of ships and placed in a specific scenario. with all invovled and all combat is a specific number of turns, maybe 25 turns? or 50? no more than that...which will end IE Long engagements are not beneficial, we can hash this out in some way.
Then results can be posted for the week
I can see us doing this in like 1 week intervals,
seeing as there will be a large amount of players, so every other week is an actual turn and then the biweek is all the battles that take place between the players, if a battle of course is unresolved it is a draw. we can discuss ways of saying how a battle is won. Amount of ships left, planets destroyed...that can all be discussed..heh i think i wrote to much and now my brain is fried. Anywhoo any comments will be more than welcomed.

[ July 10, 2003, 02:53: Message edited by: Rojero ]

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well, I prefer abstract actually. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif But if you wanted an easy way to "handicap" games liek that you could allow the players a different level of racial points. Saw you are attacking a well developed system. In that case the defender could be allowed 5000 racial points and the attacker only 2000.

Just an idea. Another idea I had was you could specify each race take a deficit on their ship maintenance characteristic to reflect fighting a battle in a system far from their own territory.

Geoschmo

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Geo I like it. The overlay map would give the owner or defender bonus racial points for their empire, depending on the quality of the quadrant.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

I'm curious:
Why do you want these RP combats to go with simple VS play in SE4? Even with racial point modifiers for map/zone values/development, it has only the slightest relation to what's "really" going on.

It isn't hard to generate scenarios, and with racial traits chosen upon joining the RP game, you can easily maintain a small set of proto-scenarios for any conflict with your 2 or 3 neighbours.
Even generating the scenario for each conflict from scratch (using only the background map and starting a new game with it) would be easy with an appropriate mod.

Not to mention that SE4 could use a nice set of scenarios, and they would form a very nice historical record for the RP universe.

[ July 10, 2003, 04:12: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Because it works better that way.

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ditto and its a slight twist to interaction a little of Space Empires gaming, and good roleplaying, and Grand scale strategic schemeing (like Avalon Hill's Diplomacy)

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

Has a persistent universe / scenarios ever even been tried before?

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

i just wanted once again to plug in that this is basicly how the roleplay forums work, except that as Geo stated in the past there had been too many issues with them... we're still trying, me and others at my side and the Ladder team on the other side. The thing is, however, that there you are expected to roleplay your empire, at least once in a while. I dont know about the ladder (where, for all i know, it is more system-oriented, and by system i mean the php or whatever system), but at the Legacies thats the point - that your expected to be roleplaying.

Overall the idea is good and might well attract some interest, though i dont know who might go to the lenghts needed to make it done.

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ditto and its a slight twist to interaction a little of Space Empires gaming, and good roleplaying, and Grand scale strategic schemeing (like Avalon Hill's Diplomacy)</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Called the SE Universe Ladder. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

i dont believe that grand scheming had took place anywhere in the RP community lately...

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

What about Eve?

http://www.eve-Online.com/

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

isnt Eve P2P?

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

hmm quite interesting, grand scheming I have yet to really see, or some premeditated plans..Now, what would you guys suggest to get this going? Programs? Sites? what could u use? Does Legacies have some way of doing this as well?

Re: Hey I got a great Idea! or maybe it was stated long ago?
 

it depends what do you mean by 'way', as of the moment there is at least one grand scheme being prepared by me there. Plus, tensions are growing against the human races, promising to be rather fun pretty soon.