18-06-2004 21:49									#31
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quote: Originally posted by Maniac With Drogue and Jamski leaving, perhaps I should join the rank of the undecided too. That way I can wait and see if the Spartans get enough members and are active enough, and if not, join another faction.

What's this all about? Leaving? Spartans dissolving?

Or is this just to get us interested?

	18-06-2004 22:01									#32
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quote: Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt Or is this just to get us interested?

I doubt being a whiner would attract new members.

	18-06-2004 22:04									#33
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quote: Originally posted by Maniac I doubt being a whiner would attract new members.

You are right about that. I managed to get most of people through other ways.

	18-06-2004 23:36									#34
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quote: Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt Voltaire - hello there! I am undecided as well, and wary of the spam and copious meta-game stuff that many factions seem to be implementing to (IMO) the detriment of the game and learning experience itself. You could always do what I intend to do - wait until the game starts to see which faction(s) are actually getting along and playing well, as opposed to delaying the save, spamming uncontrollably and bogging everyone down in minigames.

Very good point, I hadn't thought of this. I don't have to decide now, I can always wait and see how things develop.

	18-06-2004 23:37									#35
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quote: Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt What's this all about? Leaving? Spartans dissolving? Or is this just to get us interested?

Somehow I had a feeling this might happen, not the Spartans dissolving, but the drop in enthusiasm and activity. Everyone is really excited before the game beings, but once it is underway people seem to drop like flies.

	19-06-2004 00:29									#36
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quote: Originally posted by Voltaire Somehow I had a feeling this might happen, not the Spartans dissolving, but the drop in enthusiasm and activity. Everyone is really excited before the game beings, but once it is underway people seem to drop like flies.

It is a large time commitment if you choose to participate fully. Thats why I'm sitting this one out for now . i could join someone later but I only want to do so if I actually have the time

	19-06-2004 00:48									#37
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You can still join in now, just make sure you don't take any significant roles.

	19-06-2004 04:26									#38
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We could always remove one of the teams if necessary, to help keep team size large. Or we can hope, like in this game, new members are attracted.

Voltaire: It's not about activity droppign really, I look like becoming Mod, so I can't be a Spartan, and Jamski may well come back, after his NWN playing spree is over.

	19-06-2004 08:05									#39
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Spartans are so cool. I mean they get to run around the planet before anybody could.

Jamski's quit all his SMAC/X pbems I think Drogue.

	19-06-2004 13:19									#40
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Sign me up for 'undecided'.

I intend to join the winning team, and make it more of a winning team.

Gaia's Stepdaughters went on an indiscriminate recruiting drive, getting the wrong type of players as well as the right.
A Popularity faction isn't necessarily the winning faction - just ask Machiavelli.
My main opponent on Apolyton is also in the Gaian faction. It's unlikely that he and I could work together.
That, and all the RP BS - Gaians will be a spam faction.

Morgan Industries will be the best faction, if all players are equal.
The problem is - Morgan has a substantial minigame that will lead to decentralised management.
Bases all tie in together to make a faction - 'specially when you do the crawler shuffling that I do.
Morgan also has a -lot- of people. I prefer small factions, so we're more play-based and less spam-based.

Sparta contains the best turnplayers, and is a sensible choice. Unfortunately, it contains 4 people who dislike working with me.
Consider also that it's the -worst- playable faction in the ACDG3.

Angels contain a great amount of Spammers, and not as many good turnplayers as the other factions. Unless I have the power to put effort into the faction, the faction is likely to lose.

Lots of pros and cons there.
I evaluate:
Gaians and Angels are out.
Based on this, I'll re-read this thread and choose between Morgan and Sparta.

	19-06-2004 13:38									#41
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EDIT:
I read the morgan recruitment thread, and the minigame is going too far.
Better to try doing something else, then...

* Enigma_Nova reads the Spartan recruitment thread

Last edited by Enigma_Nova on 19-06-2004 at 18:11

	19-06-2004 18:20									#42
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And I have officially joined the Spartans

(E_N: I doubt that the Morgan minigame/share-ownership game-within-a-game will go as far as the recruitment thread discusses with me out of it - I was one of the prime proponents of devolution to the nth degree ( individual base management, capitalization of the faction - and bases, with shareholder investments in each, stock options for performing managers, etc etc)

	19-06-2004 20:08									#43
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Is it just me, or is the tone of ACDG getting a little unfriendly? One can have a competitive game that is still positive, right? Or is the ACDG an exercise in blood-makes-grass-grow competitiveness?

And with regard to role-playing, I thought that was the point of the ACDG. After all, that is the main strength of SMAC/X, since it certainly isn’t game mechanics (which are easily exploited), yielding a mediocre empire game and a rather poor military game. Edit those two out and all you have left is using the game mechanics to affect the faction play style via role-playing.

Hydro

	19-06-2004 20:14									#44
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quote: Originally posted by Hydro Is it just me, or is the tone of ACDG getting a little unfriendly? One can have a competitive game that is still positive, right? Or is the ACDG an exercise in blood-makes-grass-grow competitiveness?

Hydro, you are taking EN too seriously.

quote: And with regard to role-playing, I thought that was the point of the ACDG. After all, that is the main strength of SMAC/X, since it certainly isn’t game mechanics (which are easily exploited), yielding a mediocre empire game and a rather poor military game. Edit those two out and all you have left is using the game mechanics to affect the faction play style via role-playing.

Roleplay is the main strength of ACDG. It is just EN, who was already kicked a couple of times from such manifestations. It is him alone. Victory would be welcome, but fun is our priority.

	19-06-2004 20:20									#45
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quote: Originally posted by obstructor Victory would be welcome, but fun is our priority.

Hear hear!

Going for the win is great, and expect us to do that, but not at the expense of fun, friendship or finances (I really can't think of a better third "f" )

Googlie, we're saddened by your leaving, but wish you well in the spartan faction. Just don't pass on all our best secrets!

	19-06-2004 20:23									#46
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quote: Originally posted by Chaunk Hear hear! Going for the win is great, and expect us to do that, but not at the expense of fun, friendship or finances (I really can't think of a better third "f" )

Expect us going for the win too, just not blindly at the expense of fun.

	20-06-2004 05:51									#47
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Hydro,

Once we get the background story decided. I hope to start the interfactional roleplay story.

I wanted to do it since back in ACDGII. I reckon it'll be fun because while you're taking part in the story, you don't know all of the story threads. So you'll be working blindly at some things just like a real character. I couldn't do it last ACDG because it needs a narrator to guide the story threads together.

Also factions should consider debating teams.

PS: I'm going to keep the histories seperate, because I don't want to be accused of leaking information to other factions. Rather the roleplay story will be very loosely based on what is happening in the game.

	20-06-2004 06:51									#48
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quote: Originally posted by Kody Once we get the background story decided...............

The Spartan Chronicles is required reading for all Spartan team members as an integral part of the backstory

	20-06-2004 07:24									#49
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Goog - really? Well, then Team Deirdre has a leg up on the Spartans since I probably know SC as well as anyone!

hehe

Hydro

	20-06-2004 07:30									#50
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Roleplaying story wise is there any particular direction people want to go?

	20-06-2004 08:38									#51
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Where is Paula Forbes when we need her?

	20-06-2004 12:04									#52
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Roleplaying means I should join the mods

	20-06-2004 23:36									#53
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Also sad to see you go Googlie, you have been a real help in organising Morgan Industires, we will none the less equip you with a Golden Pahachute in which to float gently down into Sparta with.

As Googlie stated the Morga-Corp Mini game will continue to be altered (its never realy been nailed down very well). The original Plan was for all players to buy and sell bases/units/energy Credits amongst each other and if you own a controling share (50%) of a base/unit you get to dictate its actions. Elected officials would manage only the assets that no one owns a controling share in, make sugjestions and deside faction wide pollicy. Elections could even be desided by wealth. Esentialy a bottom up means of managing the whole faction. A bit like a Morganite version of the Police State game that was tried with the Hive.

I now belive that would make an interesting game vs 6 AI but for the fiercly competitive team game most of our members have been interested in a more traditional structure like that found in the Hive or Cycon last game, basicaly well asigned positions like Finance, Terraforming, Diplomacy ect ect. We then began to haggle over how much power would be given to the traditional structres and how much would be in the hands of the base owners. With Googlie now out of the picture the pendulum swings back towards a more traditional role which is what I would advocate. At most I think we might have regional Govenors as part of the corporate structure but they would be under a very strong central goverment with clear departments and divisions and the faction as a whole rather then individuals will manage bases. Its still quite debatable at this point but its already far less grand then what was postulated in our HQ thread.

	21-06-2004 06:11									#54
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Impaler! How could you!

We all know a golden parachute would be too heavy to break Googlie's fall.

	21-06-2004 06:31									#55
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It's a Gossamer Golden Chute, 200 feet square, and only 20 lbs. Quite an impressive sight, even for the non-materialists among the Spartans.

(Same material we are planning to use for Orbital Energy Collection.)

	21-06-2004 06:38									#56
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*points out that gold doesn't have a very good tensile strength*

You don't make parachutes out of metals, not only because the weight, but also because unless you make a special alloy the tensile strength is very low and you're likely to suffer necking problems with the material. Having it gossamer will just increase the tensile problems.

	21-06-2004 06:44									#57
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It's design is similar to Solar Sails... there is a light polymer substrate for structure, and the metal is atomized onto the substrate in a very thin layer.

BTW, that was a typo... I meant 2 lbs.

	21-06-2004 07:47									#58
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quote: Originally posted by Kody Impaler! How could you! We all know a golden parachute would be too heavy to break Googlie's fall.

Actually it wasn't made of gold.
We had previously had a hard time coming up with an excuse for creating the Uranium Flats in the next ACDG. Googlie's defection to the Spartans gave us a prime opportunity to provide the Uranium Flats for the next ACDG. The last two words Googlie muttered after pulling the cord on his Uranium Parachute were "Oh - splat".......


D

	21-06-2004 09:48									#59
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Ah - that's only what it sounded like to watchers/listeners on the ground. What actually left my mouth, in between screams, was " Oh - ****** #@&^%##"

G.

	21-06-2004 10:09									#60
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Ahh and I thought the Uranium was just rusty.