MP Game - Live and Learn (newbie game)-running

[Thufir]

Schmoe said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the cost to dispel is related to the extra gems put into an enchantment, but not directly equal. In order to Dispel, you have to spend the cost of the Dispel (30), plus an amount equal to the amount originally spent above the base cost of the enchantment you are dispelling. For example, let's say opponent X casts Well of Misery, spending a total of 100 death gems (80 base + 20 extra). The cost to dispel would then be 50 astral gems (30 base +20 extra). Most globals have a base cost higher than 30 gems, so you can effectively dispel for fewer gems than the amount spent on the global.

Here's a clip from a thread somewhere that I saved:


AFAIK if both the global spell and the Dispel pay the base cost, there is about a 50% dispel chance. This is however modified, depending upon (for both spells) :
- extra gems spent,
- difference in skill of the caster and the level of the spell.
There is also an open-ended d6 added to the gem input of every global and dispelling attempt.
Exemple : a lvl 10 nature mage casts Gift of Health (lvl 5) with 25 extra gems. Sum=25+5+D6(oe). Dispelling astrologer has astral lvl 3 only but uses 35 extra gems. Sum=35+D6(oe). Dispel will probably succeed (35+d6 vs 30+d6) : it's hard to beat a difference of 5 with one (even open-ended) d6.

[Thufir]

We're waiting on Arco, and I know he staled Last turn. J Henry, are you still with us?

[Thufir]

J Henry has had two consecutive stales on us now, unless he shows up in the next 12 hrs, or unless someone objects, I'm going to change him to AI sometime tomorrow.

[Schmoe]

I say we give him another 24 hours. Since it's on 48h quickhost, and usually somebody takes more than 24 hours, it shouldn't be a big deal.

I know, it's a longshot, but it would be better than setting him to AI.

You know Thufir, the more experience I'm getting with this game the worse I feel about going AI in the Last game we played. I know that me doing so really screwed you over. I realize now I should have at the very least tried to find a sub, so consider this an apology.

[Yvelina]

With him stalling every turn, it's just as if we had 48h with quickhost disabled. My term has started, and I really like it this way. And to make things even better, I know it is not Arco who is throwing spells at me. I really do not get it. Machaka, Abysia, and C'tis are fighting. Pythium should be happy to let me join the fray, so he can remain at peace and build up. Who the hell is testing my domes every turn? I wish I could throw a few fire domes

[Thufir]

Yvelina said:
With him stalling every turn, it's just as if we had 48h with quickhost disabled. My term has started, and I really like it this way.

We can certainly disable quickhost - I'm fine with that. Is anyone opposed to turning off quickhost? If do that would it be ok to set it to host about 11pm PDT (which I think is GMT-7, since we're on daylight savings time).

And to make things even better, I know it is not Arco who is throwing spells at me. I really do not get it. Machaka, Abysia, and C'tis are fighting. Pythium should be happy to let me join the fray, so he can remain at peace and build up. Who the hell is testing my domes every turn? I wish I could throw a few fire domes

Ah, fire domes are nice! Wouldn't a world where all the mysteries of life are removed be so boring!

[Schmoe]

Yvelina said:
With him stalling every turn, it's just as if we had 48h with quickhost disabled. My term has started, and I really like it this way.

Yeah, I don't have a problem with going to no quickhost. I'm in the middle of a very busy semester, too. But I'm fine with quickhost enabled, if people want to keep it that way.

I wish I could throw a few fire domes

Don't we all...

[Thufir]

Schmoe said:
I say we give him another 24 hours. Since it's on 48h quickhost, and usually somebody takes more than 24 hours, it shouldn't be a big deal.

I know, it's a longshot, but it would be better than setting him to AI.

Well, I'm in no rush here, but I believe that it has been more than 4 days now since J Henry took a turn. IMO, Arco has been very static the entire game, and other than further perplexing Yvelina as to the source of hostile spell casting (which actually was of considerable value - but thats permanently lost now, no matter whether he shows up or not ), I don't see that he was likely to have much impact on the outcome of the game.

You know Thufir, the more experience I'm getting with this game the worse I feel about going AI in the Last game we played. I know that me doing so really screwed you over. I realize now I should have at the very least tried to find a sub, so consider this an apology.

Actually, I just went through my list of games, and I don't see that you went AI in any of them, unless you were using a different ID? There were a couple of positions that went AI prematurely in Pandemonium (they were owned by "Jarenko" and "odd_enuf"), so I guess your apology is going to the wrong person?

In all the games I have created, I've never seen the need to be that "hardcore" about going AI or not. I can see the fun in creating a "no quitter" game, and I'd have a different opinion in that case, but none of my games to date have been declared as no quitter games.

In our game, it would certainly be bad if any of yourself, Yvelina or Bleach went AI. And if the game became unbearable for any of you, I'd certainly work to find a sub. But for the rest of us, it doesn't seem that we are likely to play a major role in the outcome.

OTOH, I've also never gone AI myself. If I become uncompetitive in a game, the level of fun in it does drop, but I usually find it pretty easy to crank out turns that are far better than what the AI could do, without a large amount of effort. I can also maintain a line of diplomacy that's consistent with the history of the nation I've created. I'm sometimes surprised by how many players go AI when they're down to their Last two or three provinces. It take so little effort to play at that point, and I usually value the opportunity to experiment tactically, w/o any great consequence hinging on the result. If I can drag out my ending for 1-2 turns longer than the AI could've then I congratulate myself for having contributed to the game.

So, generally, fighting it out to the bitter end is a good thing, but I've never felt it should be required. What *does* get me torqued is when a player just disappears w/o any notice whatsoever. It takes 5 minutes to post a PM to the game owner w/ your password and say "I'm gone". It takes maybe half an hour to post on the forum a note looking for subs, and doing a bit of follow up. Simply disappearing is totally lame, IMO.

[Schmoe]

Thufir said:
Actually, I just went through my list of games, and I don't see that you went AI in any of them, unless you were using a different ID? There were a couple of positions that went AI prematurely in Pandemonium (they were owned by "Jarenko" and "odd_enuf"), so I guess your apology is going to the wrong person?

Didn't you host a PBEM game back in May or June? I was Machaka, I thought you were Abyssia, and Ulm and Pythium had jumped out in the lead. Abyssia and Machaka had an alliance, and the turn I went AI, the AI decided to attack Abyssia, even though Ulm was seiging two Machakan fortresses! That was my first MP game. This is my second.

Anyway, I don't have a real problem with people going AI, but I think it's polite to at least try to find another resolution.

I'm sometimes surprised by how many players go AI when they're down to their Last two or three provinces. It take so little effort to play at that point, and I usually value the opportunity to experiment tactically, w/o any great consequence hinging on the result. If I can drag out my ending for 1-2 turns longer than the AI could've then I congratulate myself for having contributed to the game.

So, generally, fighting it out to the bitter end is a good thing, but I've never felt it should be required. What *does* get me torqued is when a player just disappears w/o any notice whatsoever. It takes 5 minutes to post a PM to the game owner w/ your password and say "I'm gone". It takes maybe half an hour to post on the forum a note looking for subs, and doing a bit of follow up. Simply disappearing is totally lame, IMO.

Agreed.

[Schmoe]

Schmoe said:
Didn't you host a PBEM game back in May or June? I was Machaka, I thought you were Abyssia, and Ulm and Pythium had jumped out in the lead. Abyssia and Machaka had an alliance, and the turn I went AI, the AI decided to attack Abyssia, even though Ulm was seiging two Machakan fortresses! That was my first MP game. This is my second.

Erk! I double-checked, and it appears you were not the Thufir I was speaking of Mea culpa. But still, if you had been that guy, and I had gone AI on you, I would have felt bad. Heh.