Possible PBW game idea: Neutral Challange 2

[geoschmo]

For those that have been around here a while, we had a discussion once about playing the game form the perspective of a neutral player. This turned into a game on PBW, appropriately titled "Neutral Challange". In the game I created a standard game with randomly generated players and neutrals, and then allowed the Human players to take the neutral spots at the bottom, instead of the regular players spost at the top.

Problem was we learned that a human player playing a neutral was hindered by the same limitation in that they are not able to send ships through the warp points into the rest of the galaxy. We ended up starting the game over, with human players usign the neutral shipsets, and all average characteristics, but otherwise being standard players. In the end the game just turned into every other PBW game because of the inept performance of the AI players.

I got to thinking though, what if we had continued the original game and actually played as neutrals? Would it be possible through means of trading with AI's and possibly intelligence to build a semi-legitamate empire that spanned the galaxy. What sort of tactics would be possible for such an empire?

I tried a test game with a ten planet start. Of course as a neutral I only had one planet. I was holding my own in combat against one AI player early on that was trying to exterminate me. The main problem was I had it set to able to start in same system, so he wasn't too happy abou tme starting in his homesystem.

After a while another empire happened by and we were on good terms. Actually got him to trade me one of his homeplanets for one of my colonies, so now I had a presence in two systems. I think it may be possible, although to be sure very slow building up your empire this way.

Anyone interested? If tehre is an interest I owuld be willing to make a go of it.

Geoschmo

[ October 31, 2002, 16:46: Message edited by: geoschmo ]