First time MPer looking for game!

[Trumanator]

Sorry if this post is wrong, but I am wanting to start doing some MP and I can't find any open newbie games

I don't want to run one myself b/c of my lack of xp, but if anyone else is starting one plz let me know, especially if it's using CBM.

Thanks

[archaeolept]

there'll likely be one soon - just keep an eye open on these boards

also, you can try subbing - it's a good way to learn, even as the empire you take over collapses - and no one minds that, since any human player is better than having a nation run by the "AI"

[GrudgeBringer]

I am also looking for a nesbie game EA if possible...LOL, I looked into starting one but I am somewhat computer Challenged and don't think it would be a good idea if I did admin one.

See if this idea would fly eith you as your new also...

Magic seems to be what just beats me to death when playing this game..I always run into stuff that i am learning but it is costing me a game a lesson...(sigh).

What if we picked a game that had Research set on the hardest level and gems set to lowest (while Late Era would seem to be best because of the watered down magic anyway)I thought EA gives us a better range of troops we are all used to playing. And there will be SOME magic in the end game so we will get a lesson anyway.

We would probably want to ban some of the better races or perhaps make them all humsan ect...

I don't know, just a thought and am open to suggestions.

If you think this would be a good idea that would make 2 and if we went with a smaller game (like 8 or so) I might try and admin it...let me know

[cleveland]

In retrospect, I wish I'd subbed before I tried leading a nation from scratch in MP.

The reason is that the early-game for MP is pretty close to SP, but the mid-game is COMPLETELY different. So I spent a month carefully growing and nurturing a nation that was, from moment 1, destined to fail. As soon as the mid-game hit, it became very obvious how lame and uncompetitive my Pretender and Grand Strategy really were, and I had the depressing experience of floundering with my sorry nation till it's much appreciated demise.

So I suppose my advice to the new players (welcome!) is that you're going to do very poorly your first game...no big deal! So you might as well get through the Baptism by Fire as fast as possible by stepping in for a nation already at the mid-game (and that was hopefully designed by a non-novice). See how cleaver & vicious your cohorts can be. Get trounced in a few big fights. Send scouts in all directions to observe as many battles as possible. Track the score graphs to see who's winning and try to figure out why. Once you have your bearings, then go for a real MP game, and REALLY start learning!

[Gandalf Parker]

You can also start one.
There are two servers which will host a game for you. Llamaserver.net for play-by-email games, and Dom3Minions.com for direct connect. Starting one can be as simple as posting the name of the game, which server and port, and asking others to join you there.

Check the MP server sticky at the top of this forum.

[alhorro]

@cleveland
I can't agree that subbing is a best way to learn — you don't have an idea how has your nation been evolving and what were your predecessor's plans (of course sometimes you'd be given some instructions, but it's impossible to describe everything). IMHO the best way to learn is to obtain a turns archive from some finished game and follow turns carefully. Examining several games with skilled players has helped me greatly.

@GrudgeBringer
All the nations are balanced for default magic settings. Of course it's possible to play with hard research and minimum gems, but actually it requires much more skill than using defaults, and it's definitely not for a newbie game.

[Omnirizon]

Originally Posted by alhorro

@GrudgeBringer
All the nations are balanced for default magic settings. Of course it's possible to play with hard research and minimum gems, but actually it requires much more skill than using defaults, and it's definitely not for a newbie game.

I'm not so sure the nations are balanced towards any particular data points like that. some effort is made to give them a semblance of equality, but I think theme is a more important deciding factor in game effecting choices made by the developers than is balance.

consequently, settings are largely arbitrary (and in the case of magic gems, the default is even for thematic reasons!). more money/resources/magic probably lessen the benefit of strong bless nations a bit, while difficult research only improves their benefit. however, in the end, there isn't much of a ratio of benefit on these scales between nations, and their effect from nation to nation ends up being pretty flat. that being said, many players practice on default research, and aren't prepared for the different dynamics that difficult research introduces.

there also seems to be a tendency for games to feature difficult research to delay the onset of game-breaking magic power. players also like to have money and stuff, so beefed up money/resource/magic settings are popular

[Gandalf Parker]

Subbing might not be the "best" way to learn. But I do like it as a way to get into MPing. Take over someone elses nation and play however you want to. If you win, then you will surprise everyone (including probably yourself) and if you lose then you have a ready-made excuse to not take it too hard. After all, it wasnt your preferred nation, god, scales, etc. All that is usually expected of you as a sub is that you be a better player than turning it AI.

[Tifone]

I don't think anyone here needs an "excuse" for losing. Expecially in the first games. We're learning, we're having fun. Losing happens (there are a lot of excellent players) and, to steal Dwarf Fortress' motto, losing is fun

I also think subbing wouldn't be the best way to enter MP. Better to try a strategy that gave nice results in SP, see how it fails (it will fail ) and understand why, make considerations and changes. If you sub, maybe subbing even an experienced player's nation, you'll probably find a strange and creative setup you will not understand what was it supposed to be used for (scales that were giving up much to provide points for something else, magic levels of the pretender set in a specific way to build some boosters or items or cast some key spell...) and it will probably be only frustrating.

BTW Trumanator I'm starting an MA game as soon as Principe ends (probably in late February), which should have mostly newbies I'll send you a PM when I start it if you're interested. Here is Principe's page, give a look, the setup of the upcoming game (Principe's sequel) will be more or less the same: http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=40824

[Incabulos]

Originally Posted by Tifone

I don't think anyone here needs an "excuse" for losing. Expecially in the first games. We're learning, we're having fun. Losing happens (there are a lot of excellent players) and, to steal Dwarf Fortress' motto, losing is fun

I also think subbing wouldn't be the best way to enter MP. Better to try a strategy that gave nice results in SP, see how it fails (it will fail ) and understand why, make considerations and changes. If you sub, maybe subbing even an experienced player's nation, you'll probably find a strange and creative setup you will not understand what was it supposed to be used for (scales that were giving up much to provide points for something else, magic levels of the pretender set in a specific way to build some boosters or items or cast some key spell...) and it will probably be only frustrating.

BTW Trumanator I'm starting an MA game as soon as Principe ends (probably in late February), which should have mostly newbies I'll send you a PM when I start it if you're interested. Here is Principe's page, give a look, the setup of the upcoming game (Principe's sequel) will be more or less the same: http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=40824

curse you now I have to go and install DF on my laptop!