[PBW] A House Divided - Discussion thread (PBW Setup Online!) [Archive]

General Woundwort

April 26th, 2004, 03:24 PM

Step right up, I got enough positive feedback to ask for sign-ups! (see thread I'm Feeling Ambitious... (http://www.shrapnelgames.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=23;t=011566) for background)

Interested players
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

======

Starting resources: special
Starting planets: special
Home planet value: Good

Score display: All

Technology level: Low
Racial points: 2000
(All Humans, rock/oxygen, no racial techs)

Quadrant type: Mid Life
Quadrant size: Medium

Event frequency: Low
Event severity: Medium

Technology cost: High
Victory conditions: 200% of second-place empire/team AND conquest of Imperial Homeworld

Maximum units: 20,000
Maximum ships: 10,000

I anticipate using Universal Strategies and PvK Balance, do the interested players have any other suggestions?

I anticipate having one shipset for all (with player-submitted race and main pics for their factions), but I wouldn't stop someone from using a separate shipset if they justify it.

I anticipate a game heavy on the diplomacy, roleplay and treachery (with a separate news/story thread to accompany the game), so plan accordingly. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[ May 22, 2004, 19:35: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

Randallw

April 26th, 2004, 04:05 PM

I was following the other thread. I for one would be interested in joining. For now I am off to bed, I'll check progress tomorrow.

Alneyan

April 26th, 2004, 08:06 PM

Treachery, betrayal and plotting! What an appealing prospect indeed!

So I would be interested by such a game, and I would only have one suggestion for now: what about using a mod such as the one in Strange Races, in order to make some changes to balance the game a bit? (For example, weakning the strength of the Three, DUC, PPB and APB in this order)

And speaking of mods, I would second your mention of PvK Balance Mod as well, especially if you decided to make varied Empires as it was aluded to in the other thread.

General Woundwort

April 26th, 2004, 10:13 PM

Interested players
1. Alneyan
2. Randallw
3.
4.
5.
6.
One vote for StrangeMod.

Any ideas/suggestions for a shipset?

TerranC

April 26th, 2004, 10:32 PM

Sign me up.

Loser

April 26th, 2004, 11:26 PM

I want in.

I'd lean against modding the techs, but it's not a terrible idea.

I vote for a nice, simple shipset: Stock Terran.

The portraits... that'll be fun. If we're going FASA on this one I want dibs on Steiner.

[ April 26, 2004, 22:28: Message edited by: Loser ]

Joachim

April 27th, 2004, 01:03 AM

Ohh Ahhhh, treachery? diplomacy? backstabbing?

Mee too!!

I would love to play this one.

General Woundwort

April 27th, 2004, 02:08 AM

Interested players
1. Alneyan
2. Randallw
3. TerranC
4. Loser
5. Joachim
6.
One slot left! Step right up!

As far as race pics go, if you want FASA Steiner (or whatever), go right ahead. One vote for stock Terran, any other suggestions for the shipset? Speak now...

I was leaning against using a major tech mod myself. Colony mod is irrelevant given all players will be human. Racial techs are out, same reason. However, Strategies Mod and Balance Mod would be most useful for our purposes IMHO.

[ April 27, 2004, 01:47: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

Randallw

April 27th, 2004, 10:16 AM

Incidentally, I just realised I read a book recently with this situation.Praxis. Its a large empire with conquered races. The heads of the empire all commit suicide (apparently when you make yourself immortal you run out of space in your head to remember things after a few hundred years). With the rulers dead the different races decide to keep the empire, but the oldest conquered race reckon they deserve to be the new leaders and civil war breaks out.

Edit: If we go the Inner sphere route, I grab Kurita.

[ April 27, 2004, 09:18: Message edited by: Randallw ]

General Woundwort

April 28th, 2004, 01:38 AM

Bada-BUMP bada bing

Joachim

April 29th, 2004, 12:57 AM

Boing!

One slot left in what promises to be a very interesting game.. Step up!

BTW, I dont mind about ship sets.

General Woundwort

April 29th, 2004, 10:09 AM

To the Big Five (and you know who you are...)

To keep things moving, here's the plan re: starting the game (also giving time for that one Last victim to volunteer...)

1) Get The BALANCE Mod (http://g2.latibulum.com/pvk/pvkbalance/) if you don't already have it. The Default Strategies Mod from Fyron's USM will also be used, but not until the game actually "begins".

2) Make your race's Main and Race pics. If you don't/can't make one, I'll make a race/main for you based on your empire file, and send it to you for approval. Also indicate if you want a shipset OTHER THAN the stock Terrans.

3) Make your race's empire file - 2000 points, rock/oxygen, no racial abilites or techs that are not "human". A little background on your faction would also be helpful (more on that below).

4) E-mail me the EMP file and pics. I'll set up the shipsets and post them to PBW for you. Then I'll set up the game in PBW for you to join.

Background - I'm trying to keep it as "generic" as possible, but the basic outline is that a human world inhabiting an isolated star cluster sent out 5 (or 6 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ) colony ships after astronomically surveying their surroundings. These ships colonized the most desirable worlds in the cluster, and formed the core of the competing factions. At the time, travel and communications were primitive, so they had a chance to "develop" with a certain degree of freedom, but they still owed allegiance to the Empire back on homeworld (think feudalism). Now, communications and travel are much faster, and there is a power struggle between the regional governments and Homeworld (think transition from feudalism to modern nation-state). A particularly power-hungry (and also inept) Emperor has recently attempted to consolidate power - and got removed in a spectacular fashion (watch for upcoming story thread). This leaves the players to fight out who will run the show, and the game begins...

EDIT - The BALANCE Mod, NOT THE PROPORTIONS MOD. (Smacks forehead repeatedly...)

[ April 29, 2004, 11:18: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

Joachim

April 29th, 2004, 11:26 AM

Originally posted by General Woundwort:
To the Big Five (and you know who you are...)

To keep things moving, here's the plan re: starting the game (also giving time for that one Last victim to volunteer...)

1) Get The Proportions Mod (http://g2.latibulum.com/pvk/proportions/) if you don't already have it. The Default Strategies Mod from Fyron's USM will also be used, but not until the game actually "begins".

We playing proportions? I dont recall that bit, it is a big change is it not? I have not played it before will that be a problem?

Loser

April 29th, 2004, 11:27 AM

Wait, we're using Proportions?
I thought it was just the PvK Balance Mod...

is everything going to be colonized, or will it just be that our shipsets are the same?

Perhaps I misunderstood the original message.

Joachim

April 29th, 2004, 12:16 PM

General Woundwort

April 29th, 2004, 12:16 PM

ACK!

Note to self: don't post at 4:30 in the morning.

I meant The BALANCE Mod (http://g2.latibulum.com/pvk/pvkbalance/).

Sorry.

Alneyan

April 29th, 2004, 04:44 PM

3) Make your race's empire file - 2000 points, rock/oxygen, no racial abilites or techs that are not "human". A little background on your faction would also be helpful (more on that below). What kind of abilities should we not take when making our empire files? Or rather, what would qualify as being adequate settings? (For example, Temporal Knowledge wouldn't quite qualify as being human, but what about the characteristics?)

Thanks in advance!

General Woundwort

April 29th, 2004, 04:57 PM

Originally posted by Alneyan:
What kind of abilities should we not take when making our empire files? Or rather, what would qualify as being adequate settings? (For example, Temporal Knowledge wouldn't quite qualify as being human, but what about the characteristics?)

Thanks in advance! Organic/Crystaline/Temporal Technology, Mechanoids, and Emotionless would probably be out of bounds.

Characteristics I'm less worried about.

EDIT - since this is a basic SEIV setup other than the Balance items, better nix Religous as well. That Talisman would be just too... well...

[ April 29, 2004, 15:58: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

Alneyan

April 29th, 2004, 06:56 PM

Thanks for the quick answer!

Incidentally, I seem to recall that you *may* need the USM mod when creating your Empire in order to have access to these formations during the game. Or rather, Fyron eluded to this, as he said that you could play a vanilla game with these extra formations provided you made your Empire with this mod. Don't quote me on that though, since my memory is likely faulty.

General Woundwort

April 29th, 2004, 09:03 PM

That doesn't make much sense, as the DefaultStrategies file doesn't really affect any other data files - but it wouldn't hurt to have it set up before you do your empire file anyways.

Randallw

April 30th, 2004, 11:28 AM

Im a bit confused. I have downloaded the Balance Mod but how do I use it AND the US Mod?. Do I need to copy the US Mod data files into a copy of the Balance Mod so I effectively have the Balance Mod using the US Mod data files for formations and strategies ?.

General Woundwort

April 30th, 2004, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by Randallw:
Im a bit confused. I have downloaded the Balance Mod but how do I use it AND the US Mod?. Do I need to copy the US Mod data files into a copy of the Balance Mod so I effectively have the Balance Mod using the US Mod data files for formations and strategies ?. Yeah, just copy USM's formations and strategies files into the Balance Mod data folder.

Loser

April 30th, 2004, 02:01 PM

I suggest that we do this as the Inner Sphere from FASA's Battletech universe. We don't have to follow their timeline or their specifics, I just think it'd be cool to use their flags, colors, and portraits.

And maybe, just maybe, a gentleman's agreement against glassing. That's a bit out there, but it's something I'd like to propose.

TerranC

April 30th, 2004, 09:42 PM

Originally posted by Loser:
And maybe, just maybe, a gentleman's agreement against glassing. That's a bit out there, but it's something I'd like to propose. No maybes about it; I agree, and hope others do too.

Randallw

May 1st, 2004, 06:44 AM

I prefer to capture planets rather than glass them, so I have no problem with it. Perhaps if some dastardly warlord does glass a planet they will be considered a war criminal. Might we have a limit though. There is a difference between totally destroying a military base of 1 M (1 million is a lot, but its the minimum) and commiting genocide on 4 Billion civilians.

Joachim

May 1st, 2004, 10:51 AM

Originally posted by Randallw:
I prefer to capture planets rather than glass them, so I have no problem with it. Perhaps if some dastardly warlord does glass a planet they will be considered a war criminal. Might we have a limit though. There is a difference between totally destroying a military base of 1 M (1 million is a lot, but its the minimum) and commiting genocide on 4 Billion civilians. Good idea on the capture only. We are fighting our own distant relatives so wholesale genocide is not as likely.

Alneyan

May 1st, 2004, 10:59 AM

In case there is someone else who is as bad with strategical battles as myself, would it be possible to make a few tweaks making planets almost impossible to glass by a mistake?

Basically, it would basically be an increase of the amount of damage needed to kill one million settlers, to prevent from unintended disasters when there are weapon platforms on the planet. Incidentally, are the settlers killed when the platforms are damaged, or are they only in danger once all cargo is gone from the planet?

General Woundwort

May 1st, 2004, 11:13 AM

That can be easily arranged...

Go to your data folder in the Balance Mod, open "Settings", and change this line...

Damage Points To Kill One Population := 10to this...

Damage Points To Kill One Population := 100We can add this to the "gentleman's agreement".

Has anybody started on their pics and EMP files yet?

astruskustuvas

May 1st, 2004, 11:50 AM

i wana play this game too. Sign me in.

General Woundwort

May 1st, 2004, 12:00 PM

1. Alneyan
2. Randallw
3. TerranC
4. Loser
5. Joachim
6. astruskustuvas

OK - all slots are filled! Just to review, here are the steps to set-up...

1) Get The BALANCE Mod (http://g2.latibulum.com/pvk/pvkbalance/) and the Ultimate Strategies Mod (http://usm.spaceempires.net/). Copy the defaultstrategies and formations files from USM into the Balance Mod data folder. Also, change this line in the settings file...

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damage Points To Kill One Population := 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to this...

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damage Points To Kill One Population := 100
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) Make your race's Main and Race pics. If you don't/can't make one, I'll make a race/main for you based on your empire file (use stock terran as a default in step 3), and send it to you for approval. Also, indicate if you want to use a shipset OTHER THAN the stock Terrans.

3) Make your race's empire file using Balance Mod - 2000 points, rock/oxygen, no racial abilites or techs that are not "human". A little background on your faction would also be helpful (more on that below).

4) E-mail me the EMP file and pics. I'll set up the shipsets and post them to PBW for you. Then I'll set up the game in PBW for you to join.

Background - I'm trying to keep it as "generic" as possible, but the basic outline is that a human world inhabiting an isolated star cluster sent out 6 colony ships after astronomically surveying their surroundings. These ships colonized the most desirable worlds in the cluster, and formed the core of the competing factions. At the time, travel and communications were primitive, so they had a chance to "develop" with a certain degree of freedom, but they still owed allegiance to the Empire back on homeworld (think feudalism). Now, communications and travel are much faster, and there is a power struggle between the regional governments and Homeworld (think transition from feudalism to modern nation-state). A particularly power-hungry (and also inept) Emperor has recently attempted to consolidate power - and got removed in a spectacular fashion (watch for upcoming story thread). This leaves the players to fight out who will run the show, and the game begins...

[ May 01, 2004, 11:02: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

Joachim

May 1st, 2004, 12:44 PM

OK, got the mods, all good (I hope!)

Will email you what I would like for a race pic and empire flag. I would do it myself but I have no ability in that department.

Loser

May 1st, 2004, 02:21 PM

Originally posted by Joachim:
Can I have some more background on the empire so as to develop my renegade House?

It would be good if we can have a quick history, name of race/empire etc. I'm all for taking the FASA, Battletech, Inner Sphere for our background.

Basically the Star League resulted from the unification of distant colonial empires under the Terran Hegemony. It was a Golden Age of Man, but all things come to an end, you know.

SOme traitor kills the young ruler of the Star League at some point and tries to take over. There is a spilt in the military, and a war that this traitor loses. He is killed.

At this point the various Great Houses of the Star League, remnants, I belive, of the colonial empires, begin to war amongst themselves at the head of each house declares him or herself ruler of the Star League.

The Star League military gathers itself under its great leader, Kerensky, and just leaves, buggs out and heads for uncharted space. They left so they could not be used in the succession wars that followed.

For the most part the Great Houses kept to a rule, for many ages past, agianst orbital bombadment and nuclear weapons, and fought amongs themselves with limited space battles and extensive ground campaigns featuring great war machines called Battlemechs.

The territories of the five Great Houses of the Inner Sphere are layed out like slices of a pie from the center, Earth. This reflects the spread of people of similar ethnic and national backgrounds that made up the pre-Star League empires. The worlds that were once part of the Terran Hegemomy were taken by whatever House could hold them in the beginning. Earth itself is held by a quasi-religious decendant of the Star League Communications Authority, calling itself ComStar.

I'm sure, if we take this route, I can find more links for further details on the matter.

The five Great Houses of the Inner Sphere are as follows.

House Davion, the The Federated Commonwealth

House Liao, the Cappelan Confederation

House Kurita, the Draconis Combine

House Marik, the Free Worlds League

House Steiner, the Lyran Alliance

Of course, we don't have to take this path. We could be much more vague on the background and let each player build their own history... at least build it back to the point of our common place in the Old Empire.

Randallw

May 1st, 2004, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by Loser:

The five Great Houses of the Inner Sphere are as follows.

House Davion, the The Federated Commonwealth

House Liao, the Cappelan Confederation

House Kurita, the Draconis Combine

House Marik, the Free Worlds League

House Steiner, the Lyran Alliance
Been ages since I looked at my Battletech books but...House Davion is the Federated wolds who merged with the Lyran Commonwealth, House Steiner, to form the Federated Commonwealth. By this time Liao had split into the Capellan confederation and another, Liao I think, and The Rasalhauge republic left the Draconis Combine. Then of course the Clans turn up. Basically the houses are as such
Davion- Federated worlds- America
Steiner- Lyran commonwealth- Europe
Kurita- Draconis combine- Japan.
Liao- Capellans- China
Marik- Free worlds- Africa (I always thought. Also the weakest house who basically do nothing)
Rasalhauge, who form later, are Scandinavia.

All that said I would prefer something other than Inner Sphere. All the houses are basically the same technologically (culturally they are different) and they all use the same weapons.
It would be more interesting to develop our own houses.

Loser

May 1st, 2004, 07:39 PM

Originally posted by Randallw:
House Davion is the Federated wolds who merged with the Lyran Commonwealth, House Steiner, to form the Federated Commonwealth.They spilt back up again. I guess it just didn't work out.

I've no problem with taking a strictly non-Inner Sphere route. But I would like to see a few things nailed down.

Especially this "no glassing" thing.

Oh, and some history.

Just to keep things simple, let's say we're human. Maybe some of us and a little different, a little changed with time. But we all started human.

General Woundwort

May 1st, 2004, 09:38 PM

I think (from the files I'm getting so far) that this is not going to be a strictly Battletech history. That's fine by me, as I want to do some things for game mechanics that don't totally fit into that story. However, I do happen to have some Battletech main pics lying around if you want to have one of them, Loser.

I sent this litte extra background to Joachim earlier. If you guys want more specifics I can post them before we start...

The background is pretty much what I set out in the forums. The idea is a human homeworld, through advanced astronomy (Ancient race in game terms), charted out their star cluster (sector in game terms) and sent out six colony ships (one founding each player's "homeworld") with the understanding that the leaders/feudal lords of those colonies would remain loyal to the Emperor back home. Due to political apathy and cultural decline the homeworld settled nothing else outside of its own system. The feudal lords themselves didn't advance much in technology, but did expand out from their settled worlds. I'm assuming that subspace communications have only been available in the Last 20 or so years before the game "begins", and because of the potential for integration that opens up, the central government attempts to gain greater control over the outer territories. However, they don't have the chutzpah to back it up, and the Imperial family gets "wacked" in the process (watch for story thread in the forums). Doesn't matter who did it, the central cultural symbol of unity is removed, and the six players get to fight out who will consolidate the sector under their rule.

General Woundwort

May 1st, 2004, 09:42 PM

EDIT - double-post due to dial-up hiccup

[ May 01, 2004, 20:43: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

Joachim

May 2nd, 2004, 01:14 AM

Can I have some more background on the empire so as to develop my renegade House?

It would be good if we can have a quick history, name of race/empire etc.

General Woundwort

May 3rd, 2004, 09:34 PM

So far, I have tenative pics and EMP files from Randallw and TerranC, and pics for Joachim. The sooner I get your files, the sooner I can start the pregame set-up, and the sooner you can get after one another's throats. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

General Woundwort

May 5th, 2004, 02:11 AM

If I don't hear from the rest of you guys soon, I may just have to go back to working on the Mother of All Mods mod - and I know you all don't want that...

Joachim

May 5th, 2004, 03:20 PM

Originally posted by General Woundwort:
If I don't hear from the rest of you guys soon, I may just have to go back to working on the Mother of All Mods mod - and I know you all don't want that... emp. sent - C'mon everyone!

Alneyan

May 5th, 2004, 04:03 PM

My own Empire file should come once it is finalized (in half an hour or so). My apologizes for the delay!

General Woundwort

May 7th, 2004, 09:53 AM

Paging Loser and astruskustuvas...

Please e-mail me your EMP files as soon as possible!

Thanks! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

astruskustuvas

May 8th, 2004, 01:14 AM

ok i sent EMP file and Pics.

Loser

May 8th, 2004, 01:27 AM

whoa... forgot all about this. Sorry.

I'll be back in a minute.

[edit: okay, sent]

[ May 08, 2004, 02:53: Message edited by: Loser ]

General Woundwort

May 8th, 2004, 12:58 PM

We're just about there. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I'll be posting everyone's shipsets to the PBW server over the weekend. I'll also start running the game setup. Check this thread for regular updates.

General Woundwort

May 15th, 2004, 01:31 AM

Gentlemen,

Game setup continues to chug along. Your shipsets are now available on PBW for download...

http://seiv.pbw.cc/graphic/shipsets.jsp?type=0&all=true

Eylsian - http://seiv.pbw.cc/Download/filelib/999/eylsian.zip - for Alneyan

Bakolov - http://seiv.pbw.cc/Download/filelib/1000/bakolov.zip - for Loser

House Genus - http://seiv.pbw.cc/Download/filelib/1001/housegenus.zip - for Randallw

Hyveria - http://seiv.pbw.cc/Download/filelib/998/Hyveria.zip - for TerranC

SocRep - http://seiv.pbw.cc/Download/filelib/995/socrep.zip - for Joachim

Also, there are two NPC races to download...

Homeworld - http://seiv.pbw.cc/Download/filelib/996/homeworld.zip - the Grand Prize

Traders - http://seiv.pbw.cc/Download/filelib/997/traders.zip - my cheap, lame excuse to keep an eye on you while the game unfolds. ;-}

I'll keep you informed as the game setup continues. Your patience is appreciated. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

General Woundwort

May 22nd, 2004, 08:36 PM

I have the PBW game setup ready. I've sent you all e-mails with your updated EMP files. Just go to PBW, look for "A House Divided", and sign up.

Joachim

May 23rd, 2004, 03:56 AM

Originally posted by General Woundwort:
I have the PBW game setup ready. I've sent you all e-mails with your updated EMP files. Just go to PBW, look for "A House Divided", and sign up. Excellent!!!
Thanks http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Joachim

June 14th, 2004, 05:10 AM

Heh Ho Lets Go!

Just a gentle prod to get the game going....

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Randallw

June 14th, 2004, 09:36 AM

Woundwort's gone away for most of the week.

General Woundwort

June 17th, 2004, 07:28 PM

Indeed I have been. But I'm back now. Just to give you all a status report...

The game set-up is running (I'll be devoting time on Sat evening and Sunday morn that will hopefully wrap it up), and two of you guys still need to upload your empires to PBW (just a formality, as I already have them). That done, we'll be ready to rock and roll.

Thanks for your patience.

[ June 17, 2004, 18:28: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

TerranC

June 17th, 2004, 11:33 PM

You have to let us (Me and Loser) Join first.

Originally posted by General Woundwort:
Indeed I have been. But I'm back now. Just to give you all a status report...

The game set-up is running (I'll be devoting time on Sat evening and Sunday morn that will hopefully wrap it up), and two of you guys still need to upload your empires to PBW (just a formality, as I already have them). That done, we'll be ready to rock and roll.

Thanks for your patience.

General Woundwort

June 18th, 2004, 01:45 AM

Oh, rats, I forgot the repair of PBW meant that you couldn't just load up. I'll fix that straight away.

EDIT - done and done.

[ June 18, 2004, 00:47: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

TerranC

June 18th, 2004, 03:53 AM

EMP file sent. Now all we need's Loser's emp file and we can begin.

*TerranC makes that Mr. Burn's pose with his hands and snidely says excellent*

[ June 18, 2004, 02:54: Message edited by: TerranC ]

TerranC

September 28th, 2004, 08:54 PM

Well, since SJ carelessly http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif dug this thread back up, if GW is reading (and I assume you are since you posted a week ago on the bar and grill thread), I don't suppose you would give this idea a go once more? I wouldn't mind joining and waiting again, and I'm sure the others wouldn't, if they were still here.

General Woundwort

September 29th, 2004, 07:38 AM

Yes, I am still lurking (though less often than before), but sadly, no, I cannot pick back up on this. There are several reasons, the biggest being I will be moving to CA for grad school work starting in January. It will be full-time and very intensive work, and I doubt I'll have very much free time for SEIV at that point. And right now, I'm working on tying up loose ends here in Ol' Virginny (work, school, packing up my library, prepping for the grad program, etc), and that's pretty much taking up my entire life. I'll probably put my Last PBW game slots (Highliner, QuadsConflict, Intro101) on the auction block in the near future.

One stage in my journey is over. Another begins...