New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

OK, NOW HERE'S THE DEAL...

Everybody says that ringworlds and sphereworlds never get built in Multiplayer games. Well that won't be true in this game, cause the object of this game, and the only way to win, is to build a ringworld, colonize it, and keep it alive for 10 years. (100 turns) If it gets glassed the clock starts again when you recolonize it. If it gets conqured, the clock starts from zero for the empire that took it from you.

Here's the catch. Once you build it, you have to announce to the other empires that you have. You don't have to say where it is, but you better have it well defended, cause they are going to come looking for it.

Starting resources: 100000
Starting planets: 5
Home planet value: Average
Score display: Own
Technology level: Medium
Racial points: 2000 (No Ancient races)
Quadrant type: ANY
Quadrant size: REAL BIG (Not sure yet how big, will depend on how many players)
Event frequency: Low
Event severity: High
Technology cost: Low
Victory conditions: SEE ABOVE
Maximum units: MAX
Maximum ships: MAX
Computer players: None
Computer difficulty: N/A
Computer player bonus: N/A
Neutral empires: No
Other game settings: No Mines. (You wanna have to clear a minefield with 1000 mines? I didn't think so.)

No tech trading.

Everybody is going to be required to keep their empire passwords current with PBW for this game. Until PBW is updated to allow you to change it yourself that means you will have to notify a PBW Admin if you change it.

I haven't decided if I will play this game or not. It depends on a couple of things. I'll let you know. If I do play I am sure we can get a non-onvolved third party to handle verification of ringworld exsistance.

Go to PBW and look for "If you build it, they will come..." in the open game list. Looking for ten players. Will take more if there is a lot of interest, less if not.

Geoschmo

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

Er...what stops someone from blowing all the warp-points the turn before the ringworld is built and completing a system grav shield thingy the turn after the ringworld is built? At that point they could even abandon all their worlds outside the system to remove even the possibility of intel. Would the game have to be played for 100 turns after that?

And...is intel allowed? Can people just PPP the ringworld back and forth?

And...as is often said, most people never get to build a ringworld/sphereworld because the game is practically over by the time you can do it usually. Now, if I am in the position to build one and am way ahead of the other empires, either I would do as above, or I would just wipe out everyone else as I know that could be done in less than 100 turns. Then I can build the ringworld at my leisure.

But I do like the concept...any chance you can rig it so people start the game with the knowledge of how to build a ringworld? Then all you have to do is research starbases and cruisers which is still a fair bit of research and you must of course be able to afford the ringworld. But chances are you will just barely be able to afford it, making it hard to defend the construction project. Which again leads to the easier choice of not spending resources on it and instead building more ships to go crush your opponents.

I dunno. It's kind of like you need to force players to build one, or provide one for free somewhere that is equally distant from all races.

Well, enough of my ramblings...time to decide if I have enough time for another game... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by geoschmo:
OK, NOW HERE'S THE DEAL...

Everybody says that ringworlds and sphereworlds never get built in Multiplayer games. Well that won't be true in this game, cause the object of this game, and the only way to win, is to build a ringworld, colonize it, and keep it alive for 10 years. (100 turns) If it gets glassed the clock starts again when you recolonize it. If it gets conqured, the clock starts from zero for the empire that took it from you.

Here's the catch. Once you build it, you have to announce to the other empires that you have. You don't have to say where it is, but you better have it well defended, cause they are going to come looking for it.

Starting resources: 100000
Starting planets: 5
Home planet value: Average
Score display: Own
Technology level: Medium
Racial points: 2000 (No Ancient races)
Quadrant type: ANY
Quadrant size: REAL BIG (Not sure yet how big, will depend on how many players)
Event frequency: Low
Event severity: High
Technology cost: Low
Victory conditions: SEE ABOVE
Maximum units: MAX
Maximum ships: MAX
Computer players: None
Computer difficulty: N/A
Computer player bonus: N/A
Neutral empires: No
Other game settings: No Mines. (You wanna have to clear a minefield with 1000 mines? I didn't think so.)

No tech trading.

Everybody is going to be required to keep their empire passwords current with PBW for this game. Until PBW is updated to allow you to change it yourself that means you will have to notify a PBW Admin if you change it.

I haven't decided if I will play this game or not. It depends on a couple of things. I'll let you know. If I do play I am sure we can get a non-onvolved third party to handle verification of ringworld exsistance.

Go to PBW and look for "If you build it, they will come..." in the open game list. Looking for ten players. Will take more if there is a lot of interest, less if not.

Geoschmo<hr></blockquote>

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

Allright darn it. Stop coming up with reasons why my game won't work. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

All good points. I guess maybe I'll have to disallow intel, or at least do a mod and remove the ppp project.

I can't very well disallow stellar manip, or you won't be able to build the ringworld to begin with. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I guess if I am doing a mod anyway I could remove the warp point closers.

I thought of the fact that someone may get the bright idea to just kill everybody else and thus win by default. I suppose there isn't anything I can do about that. I hoped that if I made the the quadrant big enough we could avoid that.

Grrr. Ok, so much for problems, now how about solutions. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Geoschmo

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

Hehe - you could make a super-anti-evil AI empire with its own hyperpowerful techs, that will kick the *** of anyone who gets to be Mega Evil, but otherwise is completely benign. Then no one player could achieve domination without getting hunted by the anti-evil AI. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

PvK

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

lol. good idea with the AI. Have it be uberpowerful but never attacks and never trades/gifts. And make sure its ships are fairly immune to ship capture which i guess they would be if they were uber powerful. But you need to make it go megaevil on your butt when you are dominating the other *human* players. By definition, the AI needs to be more powerful than you already. I don't think the mega-evil setting will ever kick in.

Actually PPP is not really a game breaker. It *can* be defended against by either your own intel or by crushing the guy with the intel facilities. And I'd hate to not have warp-closers. What if you just modd'ed out the system shield facility? Tell people not to lock up a system by taking advantage of the the 10-warppoint limit. If they do, you go mega-evil on their butt...

Instead of building a ringworld, place one in the center of the map with no warp-points leading to it. Make sure all the starting positions are an equal distance from the center. Now people just need to develop warp-opener tech to reach it. It does not require a large construction investment, so there is incentive for people to strive for it, since owning it gives a definate advantage. Your same rules apply as far as how to win.

For extra grins, tell everyone it will be rock/oxy. Then people can choose to be rock/oxy for the mega-population if they get it or they can be something different and hope everyone else is rock/oxy (so they get more worlds to colonize)
That would be fun.

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

Well, the uber race and ringworld in the center are ideas I guess. They have been done, and weren't really what I was going for here. I wanted to setup a game where you have to build a ringworld yourself.

Maybe we could have a one starting planet but go with high tech tech level start. Or high enough tech that you could build the ringworld. I could do that simply enough with a modified tech area file. Then you'd still need to develop the resources to build the thing.

I was also think maybe ten years is too long to hold it. Maybe go for five instead.

Geoschmo

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

"I thought of the fact that someone may get the bright idea to just kill everybody else and thus win by default. I suppose there isn't anything I can do about that. I hoped that if I made the the quadrant big enough we could avoid that."

Actually, this CAN be avoided. Put the homeworld in a system connected to the outside by only a one-way warp point. Then put a system grav shield in that system, or make a level 5 obsure nebula there (can't kill it if you can't see it) That way, they can be beat down to one world.. but no one can ever destroy the homeworld. So they can't kill the race.

Phoenix-D

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
Actually, this CAN be avoided. Put the homeworld in a system connected to the outside by only a one-way warp point. Then put a system grav shield in that system, or make a level 5 obsure nebula there (can't kill it if you can't see it) That way, they can be beat down to one world.. but no one can ever destroy the homeworld. So they can't kill the race.
<hr></blockquote>

That would be quite effective. You could probably make system grav shield an ability of the home system, and if you take a hint from MM's recent typo, you can make a system type that is Ztorm or something, so storm clearers won't even clear the storm. Will the grav shield ability block the possible attempt to turn the home system's star into a ringworld? If not, you could just specify that the "winning" ringworld can't be in the safe home system. You could also put some good colonizable planets in the same home systems, to allow a good safe and productive base area for each player.

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bman:
lol. good idea with the AI. Have it be uberpowerful but never attacks and never trades/gifts. And make sure its ships are fairly immune to ship capture which i guess they would be if they were uber powerful. But you need to make it go megaevil on your butt when you are dominating the other *human* players. By definition, the AI needs to be more powerful than you already. I don't think the mega-evil setting will ever kick in.<hr></blockquote>

Nah, because it wouldn't have to have a lot of ships, since they'd be hyper-powerful, and it wouldn't need to colonize or build resources or research, so its score would be minescule, even though its few ships would be able to mulch entire late-game warfleets.

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

PvK

[ 17 April 2002: Message edited by: PvK ]</p>

Re: New PBW game starting: "If you build it, they will come..."
 

Actually MEE isn't really a good indicator of whether you are trying to wipe out another player. And wouldn't someone that is strong enough to build a ringworld probably trigger it? Although that is an intersting idea for a scenario. I wonder if you could get an AI race to lay dormant like that unless a player got strong and then swoop in an knock them down a peg.

I thought about putting the players in nebulaes. And keeping them from building their ringwolrds in the nebulae is simply a matter of not putting a star in the nebulae too.

Geoschmo