Advice on the Long Game

[HoneyBadger]

I like to play SP for the simple reason that I can make it "my kind of game" to atleast a degree. The problem with MP is that, unless it's heavily roleplayed (and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not exactly fodder for a pick-up game), the game tends to be short, sudden, and anti-climactic (and who likes that?). So what I'm asking is for advice on making a game more complex, more intricate, and-for lack of a better word-longer lasting.

Now lots of obvious things come to mind, but there are probably things I'm not thinking of, so what elements would you suggest for making a longer and deeper kind of MP game?

[Ygorl]

Hunt down the Council of Wyrms game from Dominions 2... That lasted upwards of a year, and while it was probably fairly close to ending naturally, was cut short by the arrival of Dominions 3.

[Meglobob]

Well...you could create a long term game by having indies at 9, hardest research, money, resources and supplies at 50. Also play on a big map with a small number of players, so each player has 30+ provinces to conquer etc...

Basically anything you can do to slow players down will make for a longer game. It might not be much 'fun' thou.

Other than this you after impose artifical rules, which you hope all players will follow.

Perhaps indies 9, 30+ provinces per player, money/resources/supplies 50 with easy research/maxium sites may be a fun, yet long game on reflection.

[Gandalf Parker]

Good things already.

Also raising the percent of mountains when you generate the map will create a maze. 50 is good but you can try higher if you are willing to get some bad ones while you are trying.

Creating a pipeline or tower map (2000x100 pixels) so you have to fight thru them one at a time giving one of them alot of time to build up.

Scattering additional units into every province creates some surprises and difficult provinces to have to work thru.

Randomly create alliances between the AIs and add them to the .map, or even ally all of them

On the 1500 province map, whip up a module that puts all of the nations into one era so you can play them all at once.

Manually create the pretenders, scales, etc for the AIs and add them to the map. Possibly even position them well and give them each a couple of extra forts.

For real fun, create yourself. Your favorite nation, your favorite pretender, scales, etc and add them to the map so that you play yourself as a different nation than usual.

[HoneyBadger]

I guess in the end it will come down to roleplaying as a major factor. I use most of what you suggest as it is, Meglobob, although I set research to maximum because I don't think it makes it all that dull for me, and it does slow things down a bit.