Balanced Systems for KOTH games and other

[Atrocities]

In my first KOTH game I was stuck behind a supermassive black hole and lost over half of my ships because of it. I lost the game.

[Shrapnel]

This may be a dumb question, but I'm new around here...

What is " KOTH "?

Thanks!

[Atrocities]

KOTH

King
Of
The
Hill

A competition pbw gaming system.

[Atrocities]

Just a quick question to Shrapnel, are you just a new member, or are you connected to Shrapnel Games?

The avatar name you using is interesting.

[DavidG]

Originally posted by tesco samoa:
gee david... i do not think most people care about what the maps looks like when their looking for a competely balanced game.

What makes you think that I think that?

[geoschmo]

Basically we are just trying to come up with a way to eliminate the overwhelming effects the map can have in a short game. In a game with more people, having a crappy start isn't necesarily the kiss of death. You can play the diplomacy thing and maybe find a way out of your situation. Even if it's hopeless, hanging around can be interesting. Role playing, or just trying to have an impact in what happens, even if you can't win, are perfectly legitimate objectives. But in a 1v1 game, it's all about killing the other guy as fast as you can.

If he's only got 3 or 4 usable planets within colony ship range from his homeworld, while you've got 30 (That sounds like a drastic difference, but I have seen it in real games) it's not really much fun for the loser, or the winner. Yeah, you could say that's part of the game and the luck of the draw and all. But if that's the case you might as well not play the game and just flip a coin to see who wins.

A balanced map won't be for everybody. Even in 1v1 games probably noone will use it all the time and some may not want to use it ever. But there's a place for it. You could make random maps and edit with starting placement, but it's kind of druge work honestly. And even then you might not look careful at the planets in each persons area, and still be giving a big advantage to one or the other.

It's like stock car racing. In theory, all the cars are equal. (They aren't really, but enough so that the differences aren't drastic.) They all run on the same track. It all comes down to the strategy and execution of the driver and the crew on race day to keep it on the track and ahead of the other cars.

[tesco samoa]

So if we kept none and gas... what would be the proper way to equal those out with everything else.

The way I have it set up right now everything is 100 % equal on planet type and admosphere and size ( only difference is the values on the planet )

But like you I did not know how to deal with the none gas issue so I am trying to figure that one out.

David G... it is what I read out of your post. Thats all.

[geoschmo]

Fyron put my old balanced systems in the FQM if you want to take a look at them. I wasn't exactly thrilled with them, but they were the best I could come up with at the time.

Basically allowing all physical and atmosphere types means one or both of two things. More planets per system, and having more then one type of system aranged in such a way that while not perfectly balanced per system, across the quadrant on average they even out.

I am playing with some ideas. I may be able to come up with something that isn't perfectly balanced, but doesn't have a large difference between types, and yet doesn't have too many planets. What I am trying to decide is if it's more of an advantage to have fewer large planets or more numerous small planets. If I can decide that conclusivly I can play with the numbers so that the one at the disadvantage gets a few more facility spots.

Unfortunatly all I can come up with is that it's a personal choice thing. I can see pluses and minuses for both ideas.

[spoon]

Originally posted by geoschmo:

Unfortunatly all I can come up with is that it's a personal choice thing. I can see pluses and minuses for both ideas.

Maybe list out the plusses and minuses you see and compare notes with others.

Just to start:

Pro's
More Planets : more spaceyards, takes longer to clear you out of a system
Bigger Planets : Less investment in colony ships, easier to defend(?)

[Phoenix-D]

The big planets gain more benefit from Robotoid factories.