Proportions Mod: Multiplayer anyone?

[PvK]

We were saying we'd do a small quadrant, or medium if we get to eight players ( I think we have seven now ). In Proportions, size has far less effect on the amount of resources and research available, but you have enough to start building and maintaining a fleet from the beginning, just from a homeworld. However, in the interest of getting players interacting sooner, a small or medium quadrant probably makes sense.

The rate of expansion and development, and the number of production decisions per turn, is much much lower in Proportions, because you can hardly ever build an entire facility in one turn. However you can build small ships and fly them around. :-) Although, in 1.5 there are even more marked differences involving trade-offs of ship size and engine efficiency. And, with the work I'm finishing up now, troops may become actually important and useful.

As for events, that's why I suggested we didn't do catastrophic, because they really can be catastrophic.

High still includes rebellions, terrible plagues, and warp point closure, but I think the only total wipe-out one would be rebellion on a homeworld <g>. Although, even that, the player might be able to recover from via re-capture - it'd be interesting to see.

I actually really like how major events can cause the need for major reaction in Proportions (exodus via a swarm of starliners, for instance), although some of the catastrophic ones could really plough someone's game, so that's why I suggested High.

PvK

[PsychoTechFreak]

quote:

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Originally posted by PvK:
We were saying we'd do a small quadrant, or medium if we get to eight players ( I think we have seven now ).

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Based on 100 max. or 255 ?

And, as for the major-looking changes in ver 1.5, could we get two or three days to become familiar with it before we start ?

I agree with the events setup, but it could be that if someone with a real bad luck, -666 , looses his homeworld due to a rebellion, maybe even cannot afford a fleet to re-capture it any more.

[Gorgo]

Now we're eight players:

Arak Koba
Dogscoff
Gorgo
Osweld
PsychoTechFreak
PVK
Krsq
Imperator Fryon,

so we could use a medium qudrant.

[PvK]

quote:

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Originally posted by PsychoTechFreak:
Based on 100 max. or 255 ?

And, as for the major-looking changes in ver 1.5, could we get two or three days to become familiar with it before we start ?

I agree with the events setup, but it could be that if someone with a real bad luck, -666 , looses his homeworld due to a rebellion, maybe even cannot afford a fleet to re-capture it any more.

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Based on 100 max systems.

Yes, I will be posting 1.5 today, it'll may SJ a day or so to get it on PBW, one of our players needed to wait till after Sunday, we need to choose shipsets without conflicts, etc., so you should get a few days to pre-learn, if you want to.

I guess I'm evil, but I'll be amused if someone's homeworld rebels. If they took Cursed for -666, maybe they'll learn some respect for omens.
Or, as gamemaster, I could let them take over the rebelled homeworld, and maybe assign a new player to their original empire <g>. Sounds kinda fun, actually.

PvK

[Osweld]

Can't wait.


Might aswell get the shipsets and stuff out of the way now. I plan on using the "seorfleet" shipset.

By the way, will altering the "default" files (strategies, formations, empire titles, ect...) cause any problems in multiplayer?

[PvK]

quote:

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Originally posted by Osweld:
By the way, will altering the "default" files (strategies, formations, empire titles, ect...) cause any problems in multiplayer?

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Have to answer on a case-by-case basis:

1. Strategies. I don't know for sure - I think it might confuse the game if a player has altered their strategy files and expects them to work as they are defined on his computer. The worst this would do, though, is have it so your ships won't really follow the orders you think you are giving them. So, unless someone knows this causes no problems, I would say you should start with the default strategies, and then alter them during play.
OTOH, if you gave the server the same AI strategy file as you are playing with, it should work, but the server will be on PBW, so probably not.

2. Formations. These are per game, so you should have the same ones the game is using, or you will be giving orders that may get mixed up by the host.

3. Empire titles and ship names files. These you can mess with as much as you like on the player side, and the host computer won't care, since it deals in actual names, and those files are just pick lists for players. Only exception is if you use your design minister - it will use the names file on the host computer.

PvK

[PvK]

Ok, I think 1.5 is ready, and I'm about to post the readme it on a new thread, and the file on PBW.

PvK

[Fyron]

Altering formations.txt will definitely cause problems. Altering strategies.txt shouldn't cause too much of a problem, because you can alter your empire's strategies within the game. Emporertitle.txt, empirenames.txt, and those like them are only accessed when games are created, so having modified ones on your computer will not cause a problem.

I plan on using the Vorlon Empire ship set.

Edit:
Hmm... seems as if PvK responded at the same time I did. Oh well.

[ 17 March 2002: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[PsychoTechFreak]

I have already read the FAQ section of PBW, but I still have two semi-newbie questions about shipset and AI.

1. PvK, in your mod there are some altered ship classes, isn't there any need to upload some special shipsets for this Mod ?

2. In the rare case, I would miss a turn, the AI takes over my action. I guess it takes the strategies out of the downloaded shipset, right ? Do you recommend to take one of the AI files out of the Proportions Mod ?

[Fyron]

You can make the AI not do anything if you miss a turn. Inside SEIV, go into the empire options window and select Ministers. Scroll all the way to the bottom and select the option about the AI not making any changes in a simultaneous move game.