NEW PBW Game : Galactic Realism

[Intimidator]

With the end of SEIV in sight (SEV is coming http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif )
I want to start an last huge PBW game , with an huge emphasis on Roleplay and realism..........


My purposse with this game is to create an realistic as possible environment.
Therefor we will use Proportions mod 3.05 with medium tech cost and lowtech start.

But the largest impact in this game will be :
- The INDEPENDENT RACE(s)

I will give an short explanation from what I mean with those Independent Races, but it will be deepened out in the game forum.

The I.R. will be played by the gamehost (me).
Starting in an system with only outgoing WP's and hundreds of ruine techs. So I will be able to create every thinkable ship or unit from turn 1. But don't be afraid, I will use it to create/simulate and more realistic Galaxy !!

HOW ? by spreading the universe with small independent colonies, pirate groups, abandon ships/bases, forgotten minefield, havoc AI ships and all sorts of random surprises for YOU..

example 1: entering an system you notice an small group of 3 vessels (named : Independent/ ? ?)
The next turn they attack and capture your coloniser and the ship names are changed in Independent/Hwansul system pirate group

example 2: entering an system you notice an small transport ship (named : Independent/ ? ?)
and the next turn you get an message : ' we refugees bla bla bla.....(named:Independent/ Allorian Refugees)
What do you do and how do you interact ? ? ?

Are you interested in this sort of game (by my knowledge it is never done before ...??)

Sign in and start sending me ideas to improve this concept of playing


I will put an set of gamerules in the forum for how to handle and interact with the I.R.


So, if interested please sign up, and offcourse any comments are welcome .........

[geoschmo]

It sounds very interesting. There have been games with independant races before. Sometimes called uber races, sometimes observers, etc.

The main thing I can see as being a problem with this is it really depends on you as game owner maintaining you interest and activity in the game. Epic SE4 games like this can go on for months easy. We've had games running on PBW literally for years with regular, or at least semi-regular turns.

It's difficult for every player to maintain a continual interest in the game for that long. What normally happens is players will occasionally "drop-out" where they keep submitting turns more or less consistantly but "mechanically", where they don't really get involved in the RP aspects. Maybe just rebuilding after a big war or doing a phase of exploration. Or maybe just because sometimes real life takes a lot of time and you lose interest.

This is ok for a player because the game can continue more or less around them as the other empires get heavy into the interaction. But hen things depend heavily on the game owner like this if the game owner goes into a low involvment phase it pretty much ruins it for everybody else. It would be awesome if SE4 had the ability to have a computer controlled race that could follow logical scripts or whatever and fulfill this purpose. But it's not possible unfortunatly.

Just my two cents though. If you are up for the task it should be quite an experience for the players.

[Intimidator]

Yep, thanks....

Know what you mean, and offcourse you are right...
But is and always will be the problem with SIEV and in a few months with SEV.......

Nevertheless I wanna go for this one, because it is on my mind for over a year now (but wasn't able to start it untill now)

Also I can add for my credit that the preparations for this game are in full progress.
Am already writting (and wrote) a lot of scenarios for different factions, added with premade messages. so when the event occurs it's mostly cut&paste for me (will save me a lot of time http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif )

BTW. I know that there are a lot of other game with Independent races before , but this will be the first one (I think) in which the gamehost will simulate tens of small factions (none related to each other), with different intentions (pirates, smugglers, mining coorporations, Mercenaries, nomads, refugees (and their foes), Independent shipyards etc etc....)

So again, sign up if you are fully interested and commited http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Inti,

[narf poit chez BOOM]

SEV AI is scripted...

[PvK]

Sounds good. Of course I'm partial to Proportions Mod myself http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif, but I think it'd be a good mod for something like this, and all of my Proportions game seem to go on and on and on and on, though players come and go.

You'd also be welcome to join my epic Proportions games and do interesting stuff in them. We have a player or two having trouble keeping up due to real-life, and there are open healthy nations.

PvK

[Gozra]

I will do may part

[Intimidator]

PvK said:
Sounds good. Of course I'm partial to Proportions Mod myself http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif, but I think it'd be a good mod for something like this, and all of my Proportions game seem to go on and on and on and on, though players come and go.

PvK




That's why I picked Proportions at the first place, very good for RPG and longterm playing http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
BTW. I needed a Ruine in the map I'm creating with 800 tech points (instead of the 300 in stock) to get all of the techs for the Independent Races. is lot of extra techs in Prop.Mod.

[Intimidator]

Come on guys , I need a few more players.....

[Suicide Junkie]

Could you not simply have one unique ruins (with all the techs it opens being dirt cheap), or maybe just a racial trait which will give all those techs at game start?

[Intimidator]

Could be possible , but I must change the mod for it, and that's not what I want.

Just give myself an ruine with 800 tech points will do the trick. (My pc needed 8 minutes to process the turn and accept all those techs http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif )

[PvK]

That's hilarious! I didn't realize at first what you were suggesting with the ruins... wow.

[Intimidator]

yeah sorry, my English isn't perfect I know.
Sometimes I find it hard to express myself properly.....

[RCCCL]

I'm bumping this so we can hopefully get some more players.....cmon people it'll be fun http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[dogscoff]

How many turns/week do you think you'll be running at? I'm definitely interested, but I'd have trouble keeping up if I had to play more than 2 or 3 turns per week.

[Intimidator]

I hope to get some faster game pace at start (you know that Proportions is SLOOOOOOOOOOW, so wanna do those first 20 turns asap)

But later I will be a lower game pace because I (gamehost / Independent Races) have to do a lot of communications at that time, I hope)

So 2 turns a week will be the maximum that is possible for me to handle, I guess...........

Inti,

BTW. thanks RCCCL http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[dogscoff]

OK then, count me in. Can't wait to start playing with 3.05 against real peoples.

[dogscoff]

OK, I've applied to join the game. I can handle the turnload, and I'm a pretty reliable player.

Will you hold out for a full complement of 20 players or are you prepared to start with less?
If you have any spare slots, maybe you could dump a load of AI-controlled races (neutrals?) in your "gamesmaster" system to provide you with additional populations and ship/ unit designs to send out into the "real" galaxy. Might cause problems with diplomacy though, unless you conquered them all on turn 3, in which case you lose the ability to own ships in those AI's 'colours'.

What size is the galaxy? Big, small or secret?

[Intimidator]

Galaxy will be medium+ , but will make sure that every player will be in contact with at least one other player, and 3 or 4 I.R.'s on his path soon in the game...

[Intimidator]

dogscoff said:
OK, I've applied to join the game. I can handle the turnload, and I'm a pretty reliable player.

Will you hold out for a full complement of 20 players or are you prepared to start with less?
If you have any spare slots, maybe you could dump a load of AI-controlled races (neutrals?) in your "gamesmaster" system to provide you with additional populations and ship/ unit designs to send out into the "real" galaxy. Might cause problems with diplomacy though, unless you conquered them all on turn 3, in which case you lose the ability to own ships in those AI's 'colours'.




See what you mean, thanks.... good thinking , could be used. Atleast it could give me some other breathers to use.

[RCCCL]

Bumpity Bump http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Cmon people come get your roleplaying urge satisfied. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif
/threads/images/Graemlins/PointUp.gif /threads/images/Graemlins/PointUp.gif /threads/images/Graemlins/PointUp.gif

[dogscoff]

In response to your email Intimidator:
I can't get to my email until later tonight, so I thought I'd upload my race description here and now for you and the other players. I don't seem to have left you much scope for "personalising" the game experience per your email, but maybe you can come up with something. The shipset I will be using is my own KanesS (http://www.dogscoff.co.uk/KanesS.htm) set, which just happens to be fully optimised for Proportions =-)

Biological Description := The KanesS are up to a metre long, thin and snake-like. They use their highly-developped tails to grip and manipulate objects. They have powerful jaws capable of digging through ice or shattering bone, a sensitive sense of smell, a keen sonar sense and a refined palate. The KanesS evolved on an ice world, where they live in vast tunnel sytems bored into the thick ice layer. They are as at home above the ice in the thin CO2 atmosphere as they are below, where a warm ocean nurtures a wide variety of life forms. The KanesS are scavengers, feeding on any dead or nearly-dead thing they can find, and are not averse to cannibalism. They breed rapidly and adapt very quickly to adverse environments.

Society Description := The KanesS Conspiracy are much like other KanesS, but with a somewhat better idea of how to properly interact with aliens than their forebears. Their actions are still very much governed by their appetites, and the higher qualities like mercy and empathy that they aspire to will often be overridden by their baser instincts to undermine, deceive, divide, weaken and devour anyone who looks like they might make a decent meal. Nonetheless they are highly sociable and organised, living under the rule of a crown prince who is descended directly from the true KanesS monarchy.

General History Description := The KanesS Conspiracy is actually a lost colony of the original KanesS Society. During the violent social upheaval that surrounded their discovery of spaceflight, (http://wiki.spaceempires.net/index.php/Xenology) the ruling powers needed to eliminate a certain rebel princess and her supporters, who believed in dangerous and unnatural concepts such as "compassion". These troublemakers were tricked into boarding a coloniser fleet and then flung headlong into deepest space. Somehow they survived and found a suitable world to colonise, and after many lifetimes in cryogenic storage and hundreds of generations spent developping their new home, the descendents of the KanesS Conspiracy are ready to take to the stars once more.

BTW, just writing the above has got me pining for Xenology yet again. I love writing for the KanesS, and I may have to do some game-driven fanfic for this game. I might also have to bug a certain someone else into joining us...

[Possum]

Mmmmm, sounds very very interesting, and I sure have the time, but I have no clue about the Proportions mod...

What's it about?

[Captain Kwok]

Proportions is a mod by PvK that focuses on a slow and steady tech progression, with increased emphasis on the homeworld and nurturing colonies into productive centers from the backwaters they start as. You can learn more about it here:

http://www.latibulum.com/pvk/proportions/

[PvK]

I am going to resist the urge to join now since you have a bunch of players already. But when and if someone drops and no one can be found to replace them, ask me and I will probably be willing to take over their nation.

I may also post an update to Proportions Mod soon.

[Intimidator]

Yep, got a lot of players the last week.
A few more would be great........

[Intimidator]

Just need one other player so please gelp me out !!!!

PvK isn't it possible that you quit resisting http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
Or maybe Possum ...........

Let me know

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Well, I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm not reliable enough by far..... Chances are I'll miss two out of three turns in the first few game years, and eventually I'll forget my turns entirely..... so I think it's a very attractive concept, but I'm just not reliable enough. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif Sorry.

[Ed Kolis]

The other Proportions game (Proportional Empires) just started, and I foolishly joined a 24-hour stock game (almost forgot yesterday's turn, and I hadn't bothered to turn the AI off since I rarely miss turns anyway! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif) Not to mention the other dozen or so games I'm in... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif So while I'd love to join, I think I've got my hands full for now - man, what will I do when SE5 comes out??? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[PvK]

I am very tempted, but I have way too many games to keep up with on top of my life/work load. If someone wants to take over one of my empires in one of the ongoing Proportions games, though, I could rationalize it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[EaX]

i'm tempted too, but i've never play proportions and i'm not very creative for RP...

[dogscoff]

This game appears to have fallen off of PBW altogether. What's going on? Has the game been written off without anyone telling me, or is this a by-product of Geo's housekeeping?

Gots to gets my fix, people! Please don't let it be gone!

[geoschmo]

The game was deleted by the game owner. The last game news item was:

Dec 11, 2006 4:06:23 PM EST: Hi,

Bad news from my side........
I decided to stop the game.............. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Problem is, it's almost impossible for me to handle the I.R. Races as it is now.
-I loose contact with players sometimes because my homesystem is not linked to the rest of the map.
-every turn , an player is accidently (or by A.I.) declaring war on me.

So I think it is wise to stop it now and start thinking of how to do this in the future and maybe with SEV, because it's still an good idea but not with SEIV.

Sorry but thanks to all for your time and interest.

Gr,

Inti, (intimidator)



Since the game is only deleted and has not yet been purged yo ushould still be able to access the game forum. Go to PBW (Text UI) and click "Forums", scroll to the bottom and click "Show all game forums too".

[Intimidator]

Glad you liked it Dogscoff (liked it myself), and don't worry, I will set it up again (soon I hope).
But now I know what went wrong, I will make some changes. Just give me some time........

[DeadMilkman]

I am interested in starting PBW, but my main concern is my limited time. I really would have a difficult time commiting to more than 1 or 2 turns a day, except on days off (Rare).

What is the average turn cycle of most PBW games?

[Randallw]

PBW turns are usually days per turn, not turns per day.

In my experience a game will usually have 1 turn a day for maybe the first 30-40 turns. After that, when empires start getting complicated, it goes to a turn every 48 hrs. Eventually the game reaches the stage where the players agree to longer, maybe every 72 hrs. Games that have gone for really long like maybe 1-2 years get longer, like once a week, as people need longer while certain players lose interest and stop playing.

I have seen games offering multiple turns a day but I don't bother with them, mostly because they are US centric and I would be asleep during their day.

[RCCCL]

I was enjoying the game, and can't wait for you to start another.

Although I never ran into any of the I.R.s, and only met 3 races, one through actual contact and the other 2 through a comm channel gift.

I had explored the whole cluster I started in, met my first contact in the cluster to the south, and had started exploring the cluster to the left of mine.

Maybe in the next game you could have a second player also be involved with the IRs.

[Intimidator]

RCCCL said:
I was enjoying the game, and can't wait for you to start another.

Although I never ran into any of the I.R.s, and only met 3 races, one through actual contact and the other 2 through a comm channel gift.

I had explored the whole cluster I started in, met my first contact in the cluster to the south, and had started exploring the cluster to the left of mine.

Maybe in the next game you could have a second player also be involved with the IRs.




Yes, good idea...... some extra I.R.
But main isue is for now, must I set up an new one in SEIV or SEV (no map editor yet for SEV)


And do we still have to use proportions (that was an major problem for the I.R., Golden eclipse mod is an good proportion substitute for SEV)

So please keep me all informed about your intentions !!

Inti,