Imperium One - Off to a Flying Start

[Zed-F]

The motivation here is a bit different. I still maintain that you would learn more from playing the game fully on your own. However, playing from a common advanced start could be better from a scoring perspective.

Scoring is not really that important in most games, however, and Ky has a good point about different people taking different strategies, so even if we did play from an advanced start it would be an exception rather than the rule.

[Selentine]

For example in this Imperium, I chose to focus research only on propulsion in the beginning, even after getting the range tech, to get nuclear engines faster. I don't think anybody else did this.

Yeah, someone else didn't put a single RP into another area until hitting nuke drive in 2340.

Is this better than spreading research more evenly? I don't know,

With Alkari on Average, I'd say it works great.

Re: the parent topic, I could probably handle inheriting someone else's opening. Definitely better than I could wrap my head around certain hostiles being forbidden as waypoints. I'm still interested in comparing my play to others', and if a canned opening provides a better midgame comparison, no problem.

Selentine

[Sirian]

I could probably handle inheriting someone else's opening. Definitely better than I could wrap my head around certain hostiles being forbidden as waypoints.

Adding additional rules, boundaries, restrictions is a device we use often at RB, in all of our games. MOO is a great game and doesn't need it as much, but we'll still do some of it. The variant rules in Imp2 at least qualify as novelty, yes? They may not make sense logically, but I engineered them to alter the gameplay slightly then reengineered the map in a few ways to guarantee that the variant rules would be both important and balanced. No use writing rules that don't apply to the map or that break it.

I hope you're having fun with it. That is, I hope that "wrapping your head around" the variant is a good kind of wrapping. If not, well, again, different strokes for different folks. There will be plenty of normal games.

I've kept the Epics scoring mechanisms fresh through forty games. Maybe one in four goes unscored, the rest having scoring ranging from minimal to intense. Wait until we try some variants where ship sizes or allowed equipment are restricted!




- Sirian

[Smegged]

Wait until we try some variants where ship sizes or allowed equipment are restricted!

oh, you're a nasty one aren't you h34r:

[DaveV]

Personally, I don't care about the score; I'm more interested in improving my game. For that reason, I'd rather keep playing from the very beginning: the decisions made in those early years determine how the game will play out. I don't think we can ever have a really fair comparison between games for scoring purposes, no matter how far into the game we start; the AIs just use random numbers too often in their decisions (e.g., in one person's game, the main AI opponent comes up with a killer new ship design on the first turn; in another person's game, the same AI designs a new colony ship instead).

[Jester]

... sorry for leaving that hanging!

The reports were due the day of the last rehearsal/concert of the year, which was why the message was cut off in the first place. The day after (27th), I left for vacation; I'm writing this on an accursed french azerty keyboard from a donair shop/internet cafe in Colmar.

My notes are all at home, so I'll give the date of victory and whatnot then.

Subspace teleporter bombers factored heavily.

Jester

[Ozymandous]

For example in this Imperium, I chose to focus research only on propulsion in the beginning, even after getting the range tech, to get nuclear engines faster. I don't think anybody else did this.

Actually I did something similar in my version of the game, exept I concentrated research until Sub-Light drives with 5 or less clicks in each of the other branches.

I didn't get to finish my game due to other issues that came up, but I also had a problem with a HUGE Silicoid empire that had a good 10 or so tech's I didn't have, and I was trying to desperately research Controlled Radiated so I could invade more than just their desert world.

I'll have to go back one day and try to finish the game just to see how well I can do.

[Selentine]

The variant rules in Imp2 at least qualify as novelty, yes?

Indeed.

I hope you're having fun with it.

Not Imp2. I realized that I had broken the rules before first contact, and as I don't have the mentality to follow rules which don't make sense, I would surely break them again.

Wait until we try some variants where ship sizes or allowed equipment are restricted!

Something like "no huges" or "no heavy beams" would be fine. Something like "x2 racks OK, but no x5s" wouldn't substantially reshape strategy; the added challenge would largely be remembering to avoid disqualification.

Selentine

[Ozymandous]

Originally posted by Selentine@May 6 2004, 03:01 PM
Not Imp2.  I realized that I had broken the rules before first contact, and as I don't have the mentality to follow rules which don't make sense, I would surely break them again.

The rules don't make sense for this variant? Then you're not really paying attention to the whole "cat's don't like water" theme for this are you?

Part of the reason, or the main reason, to have any sort of limitation at all is to see how well you can adapt to said limitations even if it DOES limit your strategy.

If you can't accept that some rules might make you change your tactics or actually pay attention so as to not break one of said rules you may not agree with, then you might niot be playing many of the variations in the future if I know Sirian. He can think up some rather interesting concepts.

[Selentine]

The rules don't make sense for this variant?

They do not. Sirian seemed to admit it in the post to which I replied.

Part of the reason, or the main reason, to have any sort of limitation at all is to see how well you can adapt to said limitations even if it DOES limit your strategy.

I was saying limitations on strategy are fine. "Council victory only, may not decimate enemy population" is interesting, and after abandoning Imp2 I played through a game (on Hard) without bombarding or invading any enemy planet at all, just to prove I could win the vote purely through rebellion. That was a fair challenge, worth doing once. Niggling restrictions do not interest me. I prefer a game more like MoO than Mao.

Mr. Inattentive