The perfect PBW game?

[geoschmo]

Ok, I know this is subjective and pretty much everybody is going to have their own impresion of what the perfect game is. But I have some ideas.

1. The turns must be done quickly.
Any longer then 24 hour turns and I really have trouble staying interested in what is going on.

2. There should be a lot of players.
While I like the 1 on 1 of Koth, it's just so cutthroat. As soon as you meet you are at war and the war usually doesn't Last long.

The big problem is that number 2 contradicts number one. As a rule the more players you have the longer between turns. So here's what I am thinking.

3 players and a dozen high bonus TDM AI on a medium-large map.
3 good starting planets.
Human players cannot ally with each other, and cannot trade/gift anything with each other. Resources, ships, planets, tech. Nothing.
Humans can ally with AI and can do any trades/gifts they can get the AI to do.
High unit limit/low ship limit.
Victory is Last human player standing, even if he is behind ai players in the standings.

Using TDM and giving the AI high bonus should counter the problem with them being to easy.
I know interacting with the AI isn't that fun, but how often do you really relate to EVERY player in the game on a regular basis. Don't you normally have a couple of allies/enemies you talk to a lot and pretty much ignore everyone else?
Not allowing the players to ally and trade will help alleviate the problem with most 3 player games. That is, two ganging up on one. It also alleviates the main problem with Human/AI games. That is, the tendency for the humans to gang up and eliminate the AI first.
I like a low ship limit. I think it makes the end game more interesting. It makes it harder to keep a handle on your entire empire, and this way if you lose a big fleet and you still have a sizeable empire you have a chance of rebuilding and remaining competative.

So, whatcha think?

Geoschmo

[Scipio]

I dont like the idea, I too like as many players as possible and best 24h turns. But 3 players are just to few in my oppinion. This game would be more handling the AI than handling other humans. Why a low ship limit?
I like the AI as spice in a PBW game, not more.

[geoschmo]

Well, I explained why I like a low ship limit in my original post.

As far as playing with so many ai, I understand your point, but lot's of players and 24 hour turns is frankly impossible to achieve, unless you leave on auto turns. And then you end up playing the Ai anyway when the players miss their turns. What's the difference if you are playing against an AI running a humans turn because he missed the time limit, and playing an AI outright? Actually there is a big difference, since the AI controlling the human empire doesn't get the bonus, it's actually more inept then the regular AI player.

Ai as "spice" is difficult to acchieve in practice. You either have to make them some kind of uber race, and the players gang up on them, or they end up being free bonus planets for the human players lucky enough to start close to them. Many AI in a game is ok beacuse everyone has equal access to them, but few AI in a game can be wildly unbalancing.

Of course, as I said this is all just an opinion of mine.

Geoschmo

[Scipio]

I agree, but I think the problem is you have the choice between faster turns and more human players.. I like more human players better and still like the game even if the turns come in in 30h-50h. Sure I dont like it but for me its better than play a singelplayer game (where I get my turns in seconds).

I think many AIs are fine, just like you but then they are the spice for me . The AIs should be just a barrier for humans not real opponents. At least in my view.

Sorry I overread the low ship limit part, sorry.

[Unknown_Enemy]

Funny you wrote that Geo, I opened a few days ago a game for me and 2 friends with no trades/alliances etc..etc... But we left the units and ship limits to high level. Anyway the settings seem very similar.



In our game the AI are just hindrance, while with a *5 bonus, they can be deadly, especially with patch 1.84. So I disagree with this setting, the main goal should be survive other human players, not survive the AI.

Last with this setting, the game is a direct onslaught. Few roleplay, much fighting.

It's a style.

[Thermodyne]

Perhaps we need to reinstate the old practice of challenging the opposition. 2 or 4 or even 6 players can do <24-hour turns. If all of the players agree at the start, the game could run quite fast for the early turns. We used to set these games up at the old Borg Forum; perhaps someone could set up some sort of a challenge site {Hint Hint}. I know where some free server space can be had