25-01-2001 21:45									#31
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Well, I guess that is a solution.

Just a couple of world settings left before we are ready to go, then: pods and random events.

My votes:
Pods on
Random events off

	26-01-2001 10:42									#32
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Well, but exactly, why do you zip the PBEM turns? In CtP, we never do, as Zip, at best, decreases size by 10 KB, so it's not just worth the effor in CtP.
And now, also, I think that we have all the questions cleared, and can start the game with our CMN in place.

------------------
Solver - http://www.aok.20m.com

	26-01-2001 10:55									#33
	Inflate your Upload Space

Pod's on
Random events off

SMAC turn size is about 3-4 times bigger than CTP.
About 500KB, less or more.
Zipped= 40-50KB.

	25-01-2001 23:04									#34
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I vote:

pods on
random events on

(Random events are, to recap:

Asteroid strikes base (base destroyed
Biology lab event (blight if no lab, +1 nut for ten years if one)
Bumper crop (+1 nut for 10 years)
Childrens Creche event (if noe, extra drone for 5 years, if one, pop surge for as long as sustainable)
Energy Bank event (if none, all nearby mines destroyed, if one, +50 credits)
Market crash/boom (reduction of 75%, or if 4th place or lower, doubling if <500)
Resource lifecycle (a reseource will peter out)
Famine (-1 nut for 10 years)
Hail storm (all solar collectors near base are wiped out)
Haze (-1 energy for 10 years)
Heat wave (+1 energy for 10 years)
Industrial boom (+1 min for 10 years)
Industrial collapse (-1 min for 10 years)
Network Node event (if none, then all current research credits wiped out; if one, free tech granted
New resource (a new resoiurce pops up)
Prometheus Virus (if base has a research or nanohospital, no effect -or if faction ahs one of the "medical" SP's - otherwise base pop reduces by 1/2, and any base within a radius of affected base former pop also reduced by 1/2 - unless it too has a research or nano hospital)
Sea Beetles (wipe out kelp farms at base
Sunspots (communications disrupted for 10 - 20 turns)
Tidal wave (mining platforms destroyed
Volcano (destroys all enhancements and reduces populations of bases within radius set by formula) - only happens if faction is in first or second place.
Asteroid strike on Nessus Prime (20% chance if selected - all nessus mining stations destroyed)
Solar flare (20% chance if selected -all orbital power trans,mitters and defense satellites destroyed - all bases produce triple energy next turn)

Frequency:

Each turn the game randomly picks a base . If less than 100, it picks a number between 1 - 100. If no base corresponds to that number (Bases are numbered according to founding) there is no event.

If the base picked is less than size 4, or is the only base of the faction, or is already under the effects of a longer term random event, then there is none for that turn. If the event would have no effect (eg asteroid strike on nessus) and there are no mining stations there, then there is no event.

All events are equally likely, but the game has a high probability of ignoring events that are beneficial to factions that are above average (e.g. 1, 2 and 3 in a seven faction game) and ignoring events that would penalize a below average faction

As a faction that seems doomed to do poorly, I obviously vote for this great game leveller.

Rynn




[This message has been edited by Rynn: (edited January 25, 2001).]

	25-01-2001 23:10									#35
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Pods on, Random events on, just to help poor Rynn.

	25-01-2001 23:13									#36
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(of course if I were playing as the Pirates, I'd vote pods on and random events off)

	26-01-2001 10:36									#37
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Voting to date:

Pods scattered:

on ...... 4
off ...... 0

Random Events:

on ...... 2
off ...... 2

Still need Solver, mark13 and Misotu to cast their votes.

	26-01-2001 15:27									#38
	Inflate your Upload Space

It looks like a Council's session .

	26-01-2001 16:08									#39
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It certainly does. Hmmm.. should have withheld my vote and hoped for a bribe.

Anyway:

Pod Scattering: Measure passes (I do not think we have anyone with Executive Veto )

Random events (default is yes, so we must be voting over a removal): Currently, measure fails. More votes could change matters, though.

	26-01-2001 21:17									#40
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I vote for pods on, events off. I hate sunspot activity, as for me diplomacy is very important, and 20 turn w/o it are boring.

------------------
Solver - http://www.aok.20m.com

	26-01-2001 21:25									#41
	Inflate your Upload Space

Pods on, randoms off. If this is to be a rated game, we should not have to be at the mercy of an asteroid, or the increasingly annoying sunspot activity.

Just Mis to go....

	27-01-2001 10:04									#42
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Sorry to be last Pods on, random OFF.

	26-01-2001 23:06									#43
	Got spare money?

Final votes:

Pod scattering:
For: 7
Against: 0

Random events:
For: 2
Against: 5

	27-01-2001 05:47									#44
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Hey! I've joined the royalty.

	27-01-2001 05:51									#45
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Thank goodness. You know how I hated hanging out with warlords ...

	27-01-2001 06:05									#46
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Still waiting to be a king, after 4 months of posting....hmmm....

	27-01-2001 09:34									#47
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One last attempt to reverse the vote:

If the main concern is the sunspot activity, with seven human players it is irrelevant, as the diplomacy screens always come up for humans - it's the AI you can't contact during sunspots.

We hold to the convention that we don't contact during such activity, but the game (and e-mails) let us.

So, I appeal to the "council" for a vote reversal on that great game leveler

Al (Rynn) Gore

	27-01-2001 21:43									#48
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I once again vote against the random events .
I would really hate the fact that in a critical point of the game a disastrous random event would occur and stand as a factor of maybe losing the game while another random event on a same point benefit some other faction and lead them to win.
Even the same catastrophic event could come in a non critical point to a opponent faction and do no major harm to them.

BTW do we have a CMN???

	27-01-2001 23:36									#49
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

The sunspots thing is no big deal to me, in fact I rather like it - it gives some extra options (such as repercussion-free atrocities :evil grin: ) I have much more of a problem with PlanetBlight and Crop Failure, both of which can send a base back to the Stone Age. (Especially Growth-hampered factions like the Hive and Morgan can have problems replacing the lost population.) Industrial Bust can also be rather annoying.

I am just not very fond of them... but it is no big deal to me, and I could certainly live with them on. Prefer off, though.

On the CMN isue, I have talked to D-Dad, and he is willing in principle, but apparently uses lots of different computers and has only 1 SMACX disc, which makes setting up such a game a slight logistical problem. He said he would look into it.

As I am sure we could find someone else if we need to, I have asked him to give a definite yes or no answer.

[This message has been edited by Tau Ceti (edited January 27, 2001).]

	28-01-2001 16:37									#50
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

I think our "Council Session" has clearly shown that Random Events will be off, as that's how the majority votes. No matter is the Sunspot Activity main concern or isn't it.
At the moment, I'm more worried about the presence (non-opresence) of our CMN here. Can't wait to get started.

------------------
Solver - http://www.aok.20m.com

	29-01-2001 04:45									#51
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It seems that we have a short fall here.
What's wrong guys?
I can't say that I am in a hurry but waiting and doing nothing looks like a waste.
Can't we find a CMN?
Maybe post a topic?

	29-01-2001 04:56									#52
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Given time constraints, DilithiumDad says no to SMACX. I have asked Aredhran now.

	29-01-2001 14:45									#53
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Sad to hear that.
Well, waiting...

[This message has been edited by Keygen (edited January 29, 2001).]

	01-02-2001 21:30									#54
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Aredhran has the map ready, and is waiting for your unit choices. I have explained the 'whatsits' system, so send your choices to him at aredhran@swiftmove.com .

He also requested a game title - is it Keygen's Factions Strife or something else?

	02-02-2001 00:23									#55
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So we've got...

1. Game: SMACX

2. CMN: Aredhran (aredhran@swiftmove.com)

3. Game Title: Factions Strife

4. Players factions and order:
a) Keygen -> The University
b) Solver -> Consciousness
c) Tau Ceti -> Spartans
d) Googlie -> Pirates
e) Big Kanuk -> Morganites
f) Misotu -> Hive
g) Mark13 -> Peacekeepers

5. Rules:
Random map
Thinker lavel
All winning conditions allowed
No Blind research
No Random events
Restart eliminated players
Everything else default

6. Whatsits: 200 marks
a) Colony Pod: 30
b) Sea Pod (Pirates only): 30
c) Unity Rover (Sparta only): 30
d) Unity Foil: 30
e) gun foil (Pirates only): 30
f) Former: 20
g) Scout: 10

Is that right?

	02-02-2001 00:39									#56
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Sounds good to me



G.

(But I was going to play the Believers as trhere was so much dissention about the cost of Pirate starting units)

G.


[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited February 01, 2001).]

	02-02-2001 00:54									#57
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Weren't we going to bump the cost of sea pods up to 40, or was that just a figment of my imagination?

	02-02-2001 01:14									#58
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No Pirates (kinda liked the name, Ulrika)

I have e-mailed 'Red my shopping cart (1 Colony Pod and 17 fanatics)

hehehe

Sister Rynn Googlieson

	02-02-2001 01:26									#59
	Remove this text

When I asked Aredhran, I told him to use the Believers for Rynn. I also asked him to use time zone order, ie.

Solver
Keygen
Tau Ceti
mark13
Misotu
big_canuk
Rynn

Not the fairly random order Keygen listed...

Kinda late for discussion (I do not think I specified it either way in my mail for 'Red, though), but is there any point in restarting eliminated factions when we have this kind of accelerated start? If you are taken out early, you will be so far behind it is not even funny...

	02-02-2001 11:06									#60
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I agree TC

If we get whomped, we'll bow out gracefully and find an OCC or summat.

No point in restarting with one pod fleeing across a continent.