Way early to need a thread. Except from the perspective of

• being ready for my starting screenshot
  
• picking out a civ, and adept spell - and therefore strategy
  
• choosing a naming scheme
  
• opponent analysis
  
• Recruiting dedlurkers
  
• Catching up on the latest EitB changes, particularly any relevant ones
  
• Analyzing the previous starting adept game
  

Bring it on

Large image to ward off misclicks:

Since this seems like the go-to forum for experienced MOO1 players, I'd like to discuss some ideas for introducing player difficulty (Easy, Average, Hard, etc) into the game.

For starters, I do not like allowing the AIs to cheat. Anything that the AI does that the player cannot do is a cheat. Anything the player can do that the AI cannot is a cheat for the player.

In JavaMOO, as it currently stands, there are no cheats. The AIs have to scout their systems, research all of their techs, build their ships, etc, and there are no special diplomatic benefits between the AIs.

This presents a problem for the player because, as it stands, the player will surely be able to beat the AIs after quickly learning their strengths and weaknesses. While I do plan to modify the AI over time, I have little doubt that good players will always be able to stay ahead of the AI on a level playing field.

I don't want to go down the path of giving various bonuses to the AI because that tends to be opaque and frustrating to players. What I'd rather do is create a system where the player can give himself strengths or weaknesses in order to get the difficulty level to something he'd prefer. This should theoretically have the same effect as making broad changes to the AI (as in other games), but in a way that the player controls when he sets up the game.

For example, a player may choose various attributes for his race:
Strong: +20% production, Weak: -20% production
Smart: +20% research, Dumb: -20% research
Beautiful: +20% diplomacy, Ugly: -20% diplomacy
Brave: +20% combat bonus, Cowardly: -20% combat penalty
Stealthy: +20% spying, Clumsy: -20% spying

A composite "Difficulty" rating can be chosen from the attributes he chooses, so that playing on "Impossible" means choosing Weak, Dumb, Ugly, Cowardly and Clumsy.

To me, this would not only be much easier to code, but also more transparent and flexible for the player.

Opinions?

PBEM 70 spoilers below.



Naming theme = hapax legomena, in various languages.

en't slept in days

Ok If you want to read Civ4 material and are not on an opposing team, just skip to the next post.

Right now I am seriously since I just realized I messed up big time on my Ninja Gaiden Sigma Hard Karma Run, and any hope of salvaging the run at this point is to try to clear Chapter 15 five minutes faster than what I did already, which is going to be a huge challenge since some of those fights are hardest in the game .

that's pretty tender, no?

Ok, got my naming theme. It will be cities and geographic regions from The Witcher saga, by one of the most known polish fantasy writers - Andrzej Sapkowski.

What is really funny - AFAIK the saga has not yet been fully translated to english, while it was already translated to 18 other languages That is why, I guess, there is a better chance you might know the game, that was made on the basis of the saga. TBH, I have not played the game, but I am a big fan of the books of A. Sapkowski.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrskkHf958


Edit: I've noticed that Jowy is using The Witcher theme in PB28, so I guess, I pick something other.


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