"Networks" New game on PBW

[Grandpa Kim]

My first game as host and just a little different from your standard game. A v.1.78 game with pretty much standard rules, but the map is just a little different.

Not all is connected. Some can warp to others, but not all. Some of your neighbors you will meet, of the others you know nothing...

Here is the premise:

40% of the systems are unconnected.
30% are connected in a contiguous group.
The other 30% are connected in another contiguous group.
The two "Networks" are not connected to each other!

All the AI's will start in an unconnected system and we humans will start in the Networks, 4 in one network and 4 in the other. What should you do? Go for the warp opener early? Gain domination in your network first? Steal an AI's tech when he warps through? Beats me! Guess we'll have to play to find out.

I want everyone to have a different ship set so when you upload your empire be sure to indicate which ship set you are using even if its a stock set. If you forget, you will have to put it in the forum... and write on the blackboard 1000 times, "I am a slack-jawed idiot." Also, make sure your empire is 1.78 compatible. The key item is the drone attack in RACENAME_ai_designcreation.txt

Starting resources: 100000
Starting planets: 1
Home planet value: Good
Score display: Own
Technology level: Low
Technology cost: Medium
Racial points: 3000
Quadrant type: Midlife
Quadrant size: Medium (out of 255 possible-- approx. 150)
Event frequency: Low
Event severity: High
Victory conditions: Last empire or alliance standing
Maximum units: 20000
Maximum ships: 5000
Computer players: 6
Computer difficulty: High
Computer player bonus: High
Neutral empires: None
Other game settings:
No pre-arranged alliances-- penalty: kicked
No ancient race-- penalty: finished
Miss three consecutive turns without notice-- kicked
Tech tree viewable
E-mail diplomacy. After in-game meeting, only.
No Temporal Tech. There is a serious bug in quad shield damage weaponry.-- penalty: finished

[geoschmo]

This does sound interesting, but forcing the Ai to start in unconnected systems may cuase them some problems. Of course the high bonus may help. You might consider having the 40% the AI are in also be connected to each other. So you'd have three networks then.

Geoschmo

[Grandpa Kim]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
This does sound interesting, but forcing the Ai to start in unconnected systems may cuase them some problems. Of course the high bonus may help. You might consider having the 40% the AI are in also be connected to each other. So you'd have three networks then.

Geoschmo

The idea with the AI's is to have them come barging in unexpectedly. At first you won't know if its another player or an AI.

The third network is an interesting idea, though.

Are some of the AI's better in an unconnected situation than others?

[Jmenschenfresser]

I am not sure what you mean by the term 'barging.' Either just an annoyance or a real bad *** threat, but you might want to take a look at the changes someone suggested of upping the AI maintenance % in another thread. If you are using high bonus that is.

Used sorta the same concept in the Rage Invasion scenario.

[capnq]

I am not sure what you mean by the term 'barging.'

"barging in" = "interrupting or entering without an invitation or permission". Don't know offhand if it's only a US English colloquialism, or more widespread than that.