The perfect PBW game?

[geoschmo]

Well, I explained why I like a low ship limit in my original post.

As far as playing with so many ai, I understand your point, but lot's of players and 24 hour turns is frankly impossible to achieve, unless you leave on auto turns. And then you end up playing the Ai anyway when the players miss their turns. What's the difference if you are playing against an AI running a humans turn because he missed the time limit, and playing an AI outright? Actually there is a big difference, since the AI controlling the human empire doesn't get the bonus, it's actually more inept then the regular AI player.

Ai as "spice" is difficult to acchieve in practice. You either have to make them some kind of uber race, and the players gang up on them, or they end up being free bonus planets for the human players lucky enough to start close to them. Many AI in a game is ok beacuse everyone has equal access to them, but few AI in a game can be wildly unbalancing.

Of course, as I said this is all just an opinion of mine.

Geoschmo

[Scipio]

I agree, but I think the problem is you have the choice between faster turns and more human players.. I like more human players better and still like the game even if the turns come in in 30h-50h. Sure I dont like it but for me its better than play a singelplayer game (where I get my turns in seconds).

I think many AIs are fine, just like you but then they are the spice for me . The AIs should be just a barrier for humans not real opponents. At least in my view.

Sorry I overread the low ship limit part, sorry.

[Unknown_Enemy]

Funny you wrote that Geo, I opened a few days ago a game for me and 2 friends with no trades/alliances etc..etc... But we left the units and ship limits to high level. Anyway the settings seem very similar.



In our game the AI are just hindrance, while with a *5 bonus, they can be deadly, especially with patch 1.84. So I disagree with this setting, the main goal should be survive other human players, not survive the AI.

Last with this setting, the game is a direct onslaught. Few roleplay, much fighting.

It's a style.

[Thermodyne]

Perhaps we need to reinstate the old practice of challenging the opposition. 2 or 4 or even 6 players can do <24-hour turns. If all of the players agree at the start, the game could run quite fast for the early turns. We used to set these games up at the old Borg Forum; perhaps someone could set up some sort of a challenge site {Hint Hint}. I know where some free server space can be had

[geoschmo]

Maybe I'll just see if I can interest my next Koth opponent in this. Would make killing each other pretty interesting if we had to go through AI players to do it I think.

[Gryphin]

What about imposing parts of the Gryphin Convention such as:
No Weapons of Mass Destruction
No Deliherate Glassing of Planets
No Treaties
No Trades
No Mines
No Intel
Slyky, what do you think of the limits?

No Shoes, No Shirts, No Problem, (sorry, wrong thread)

[geoschmo]

No mines or intel? Not sure about those personally, but I can see whay some would like that.