Unit only empires

[LeTharg]

In several of the PBEM games I've played empires have been reduced to all units (mines). They have no planets, ships or population. Two things happen. First they lose all contact with other empires so they can't surrender and, secondly, they can't destruct their mines because this is simultaneous play. Bummer.

In fact in my Last game, there were two empires left in that state. Since it was a "Last player standing' game, the only way for me to win officially was to sweep all of space hoping to find the mines. Fortunately the host was a good guy and called it a win anyway.

Seems to me that an empire without ships or planets isn't much of an empire and should be automatically terminated. The leftover units could be destroyed or put into some sort of leftovers list waiting to nail anyone who found them.

On the other hand, if you want to be sure of staying in the game until the bitter end, scatter a few mines where no one will look for them. You'll stay around.

[Master Belisarius]

I concur 100% with you.

[Urendi Maleldil]

I think an empire with only ships left should still be able form treaties and keep relations with other players. If all a player has is a colony ship left and they are completely surrounded by a former ally, they wouldn't lose that treaty and their Last best hope gets blown up in a formerly friendly mine field or something else. I've seen this happen to neutrals who get overrun. I noticed that sometimes they actually evacuate their home system and attempt to start a new colony somewhere, but it almost never works because of this.

If a human player has only units left, then it should be counted a loss, all relations should be severed, and control should revert to the AI. That way later races can still encounter leftover mine fields and things, but no human player has to worry about them.

[disabled]

I agree, if an empire has no population left, it should be considered a win and thier remains become derelicts/ruins.

I still think SE should be population based to a small degree. I love casualty lists... Only if they go to my foe....

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HADRIAN AVENTINE
[email protected]
http://www.hyperionbase.com

[Baron Munchausen]

This problem could be solved by the 'seat of government' feature we've discussed before. If you have a special ability that can be put in a facility OR on a component called 'seat of government' you could then determine diplomatic relations by the existence of said component or facility. If you lose it, your diplomatic relations go out thew window until you can make a replacement. If you're really paranoid like the Minbari in B5 you could keep your seat of government in a cloaked ship off in a remote corner of your empire.

[Suicide Junkie]

Ship-only empires definitely have to be allowed to continue playing, and a component to allow communications with other races would be very useful. Sounds like a good use for the Palace Ability. A 1MT component that only fits on baseships, and makes the ship act like a planet in terms of contact/comm/relations.
AIs would still be unable to make good use of the component...
Perhaps it would just be best to allow ships to maintain contact with other races, and leave it at that.

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 12 August 2001).]