MP Game - Artifact Game - running 48hr qh

[Cainehill]

If that's the case, color me disgusted, especially as it seems that the jerrymandering, er, diplomacy that decided the game took place largely on IRC. Thus disadvantaging all the players who thought it was a normal game with diplo happening via PMs and in game messages as opposed to chatting away interminably.

Especially considering that, unlike other games where spying and espionage might be used to discover hidden / secret alliances, there's essentially no way for players to figure it out unless they also started living on irc.

[Morkilus]

Cainehill said:

If that's the case, color me disgusted, especially as it seems that the jerrymandering, er, diplomacy that decided the game took place largely on IRC. Thus disadvantaging all the players who thought it was a normal game with diplo happening via PMs and in game messages as opposed to chatting away interminably.

From the perspective of a player that is simply surprised to be still kicking, I was surprised that archaeolept wanted to give up the game because of an alliance. I was one of the first players to try to organize against Ulm, but my decision was based upon the score graphs (of which he was a clear leader) and the fate of several smaller nations on which I was spying. Isn't this normal multiplayer behavior? And why is conducting diplomacy on IRC considered disgusting behavior?

[archaeolept]

no, the alliance was not it - i could hold out against a regular alliance. But it turns out, secretly, behind the scenes, the two other major powers were also in collusion.

also, mork, due to your inexperience, you likely give far too much weight to certain of the graphs. the two major determiners of power, outside the early game, are gems and research, of which taken together qm ih and I were all fairly close - so, part of the question is, which of the experienced players were encouraging you to think that?

an alliance which works solely to the benefit of the "secret partner", and where the other major player seems to have undertaken to front the other's interest, forsaking his own... that's throwing the game, w/ the sole purpose I would guess, just to deny me a chance - now, denying me a chance is ok, but working for another's interest is against the spirit of the game (see "throwing", as per above).

Its clearly not worth my time playing such a game. Reminds we of the old "stacked deck" norfleet days...

[Cainehill]

I'm getting more and more fond of the "team" games, where there's publicly known alliances from the get go - much more straightforward, not to mention fun.

[archaeolept]

yah - they have their own problems though; namely, highly organized trading routines - player one takes high scales and feeds all the cash to teammate w/ the insane uber-bless, for instance.

[Cainehill]

So you do the alliances randomly, after pretenders are uploaded, making it a lot rougher to do that min-maxing : after all, what happens if _all_ your team has horrible scale uber-blesses and can't afford to buy any troops?

Actually, I'd love to see a "no-trade" option in Dom3 to prevent this - maybe "sending items good, money bad" options.

[Boron]

A new total random no diplomacy game would be cool too i think. I hate Diplomacy in Dominions too since i always think it needs the least skill. In order to keep it easy and short i prefer to do my diplomacy if i have to do it in IRC instead though because this is quicker and more reliable than via PMs.

What about a new Random no Diplomacy game with 7 or 8 players?
This way every player could get the choice to pick one of 2 nations. The host would offer the nations semirandom then by selecting them sane, i.e. not offering two similiar nations which are both considered weak but rather 2 different nations to each player that they have lots of choices.

Like player a would get the choice between Abysia and Caelum, player b between Machaka and Ermor, player c between Ryleh and Jotunheim etc. .
So the chance is smaller that you get assigned a nation you really dislike and with 8 players the game isn't that large neither and no diplomacy.

In the last random game i played it was on orania with 15 players and i was unlucky enough to get assigned Mictlan.
If a sane host would offer 2 nations for each of the 7 or 8 participating players such a cruel assignment could be avoided.
Such a game i would find interesting enough to break my intention to not play any more longterm games till dom3.