does the "place empires evenly throughout galaxy" work?

Silent Sorrow · #1 July 20th, 2003, 11:07 PM

You can set this in the setup options before a game but I don't think it's working. I set up a TDM game in a huge galactic edge galaxy. There are three AIs plus myself. I was placed very near the lower left corner. It's now become apparent that one of the AIs, the Tessellate, was also placed there--in other words, nothing at all like spacing four players evenly throughout the galaxy. We're pretty much on top of each other.

Anyone have thoughts on this? Does that setup option not really do anything? (I've noticed it before but this was the first time I made a point of noting where the other AIs were.)

Ed Kolis · #2 July 20th, 2003, 11:45 PM

The rest of the galaxy wasn't filled with uninhabitable systems (nebulas, black holes, etc.) was it?

geoschmo · #3 July 20th, 2003, 11:52 PM

Does it work? No, absolutly not. Setting the option or not setting it makes no dif. Placement is practically random.

[ July 20, 2003, 22:52: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

Master Belisarius · #4 July 21st, 2003, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Silent Sorrow:
You can set this in the setup options before a game but I don't think it's working. I set up a TDM game in a huge galactic edge galaxy. There are three AIs plus myself. I was placed very near the lower left corner. It's now become apparent that one of the AIs, the Tessellate, was also placed there--in other words, nothing at all like spacing four players evenly throughout the galaxy. We're pretty much on top of each other.

Anyone have thoughts on this? Does that setup option not really do anything? (I've noticed it before but this was the first time I made a point of noting where the other AIs were.)

Like Geo said, it doesn't work.
By the way, are you playing with "bonus"?
Would be great to me, know how the Tessellate performed starting close to you.

Slynky · #5 July 21st, 2003, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Does it work? No, absolutly not. Setting the option or not setting it makes no dif. Placement is practically random.

See? Geo is nice. Full of explanations. But I can answer your question easily:

NO

Andr�s · #6 July 21st, 2003, 01:58 AM

Most quadrants aren�t even to begin with.

Krsqk · #7 July 21st, 2003, 03:39 AM

Does it evenly space empires, but not across the quadrant?

geoschmo · #8 July 21st, 2003, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Krsqk:
Does it evenly space empires, but not across the quadrant?

No. I have seen it stick five empires together on one half of the quad with one or two systems between and stick the Last empire by themself 8 systems away from anyone else.

It just flat doesn't work at all.

Geoschmo

deccan · #9 July 21st, 2003, 05:36 AM

I have to say that this is a really big problem.

I just quit playing my first single-player TDM because of this. I've heard good things about the TDM AIs, particularly the United Flora and the Rage, so I made sure that they were in my game. However, as it turned out, I started out at the very eastern end of the map and had taken control of over a dozen systems before I met the first AI. I was far and away the leading player throughout the entire game.

I took control of some of the AIs to see what they were up to and discovered that they were all bunched together. The Rage had started in a system with two warp points, with a Neutral on one side, and another AI empire on the other, and had gotten nowhere (DUC 3 when I had PPB 5 ).

I've just started a second TDM game, and this time I've started with two neighbors very close to me, and things are much more interesting and challenging.

oleg · #10 July 21st, 2003, 02:15 PM

Yeah, I hate it too. I like to play Proportions or AIC with many AIs. But given the insane starting pace of bonused AI, I prefer to have some buffer spece for long entertaining games. Unfortunately, that means low number of AIs

May be i should generate map, place starting positions manualy and load it ? But that will reduce the joy of exploration