RBP6 Turn Tracking / Tech Issues Thread

[T-hawk]

I mentioned this in the lurker thread but let's bring it out here. Why not ditch the clock? If you're going to reload whenever somebody misses a turn anyway, the game may as well just wait on them in normal sequence instead of fussing around with a reload. It wouldn't slow the game down, since players already end turns right away, there's never a need to run to the end of the clock with sequential turns.

[antisocialmunky]

I'd be up for that. I mean, the only real risk is that people start to get ultra lazy.

[sunrise089]

Team 2 is up.

[Cyneheard]

I'd be up for that. I mean, the only real risk is that people start to get ultra lazy.

Then maybe not infinite hours, but something like 48-72 hours? That way a team can only get SO lazy.

In a PBEM setting, I've been known to sit on a turn for half a day or so b/c I really don't want to deal with a frustrating turn right then and there (and was usually helpful. Responding to backstabs requires a clear head); this would put an upper limit on those types of "I could play, but I don't want to" delays.

[Sullla]

With all due respect, ditching the clock is a terrible idea. There needs to be some kind of incentive pushing teams along to play their turns. It's basic human psychology at work; if you give people 24 hours to play their turns, they'll play them in 24 hours. If you give them 72 hours, it won't get done until the 72nd hour is up. When there's no clock at all... let's just say that the pace of the game would be very slow indeed.

T-Hawk, do you remember back in Civ3 succession games what happened with the "play whenever you want" format? I remember when Sirian and Charis tried to implement that, letting people take up to a week if they wanted to play their turnset. It was a disaster; game after game stalled out as players forgot their were "up" and turns went ages without being played. We've seen this happen in PBEM as well, with nothing happening for two weeks and then a belated search for "who has the save file?" The whole point of Pitboss is to eliminate that kind of thing - bah!

Long story short: multiplayer games need structure to function. Having a clock in place keeps teams on task. Removing the clock sounds great but will very likely result in more missed deadlines and an agonizingly slow pace.

[sunrise089]

I agree with Sullla, but I also want to add that we don't plan to reload the turn when teams miss their window. 18 hours is plenty (with teams of 3), and it's 50% more than we started the game with. We reloaded in the past since we're still starting up and teams are figuring out how to share the load and communicate better, but we won't be reloading down the road if there aren't extenuating circumstances.

[antisocialmunky]

T3 is up.

[Shoot the Moon]

Team 2, did you guys not play the reload the same as the first time? Not one but two of your civs have a higher score (one pop more) on this t91 than on the original. I don't think it is worth another reload, but please do try to play the turns the same as the original in future reloads.

[Sullla]

Indeed, Team 2's China civ whipped on the initial playthrough, and did not whip on the reload. Team 2's India civ also did not grow on the initial playthrough, and did grow on the reload.

I don't care enough to ask for a reload again (please, god, no) but you guys were very clearly playing things differently the second time around.

[T-hawk]

I agree with Sullla, but I also want to add that we don't plan to reload the turn when teams miss their window.

With all due respect, I don't believe you. Precedent for all the other Pitbosses always ends up being to reload. Any circumstance gets called extenuating. And the reload really is the right thing to do, the lesser of evils compared to some team winning a battle or war because the other side didn't show up. You could completely avoid this concern about teams playing differently on the reload (as Sullla was complaining about in your own thread) by not clocking out a player/team to need the reload in the first place.

If you are going to reload, you already don't have a clock. What you have is a soft deadline, for which the penalty for missing is to come here and beg for a reload that inevitably gets granted.

Sullla, I do remember the early days of Civ 3 succession games, but Pitboss is a different situation. An SG is free to time-out and skip to the next player without affecting the game's integrity. Not so for a competitive multiplayer game.

That all said, I'm a lurker with no stake here, just trying to help. If you do keep the clock in place, the only thing you'll hear from me on the topic is "told ya so" on the next reload.