RBP16 IT and Confession Thread

[SevenSpirits]

OK, I hope I'm not violating any rules by posting this, but I have to ask - how serious are we about continuing this game? I've noticed that we're pausing nearly every turn for someone, pauses that are open-ended and don't seem to have any connection to the timer. (It makes playing on a schedule difficult for me.) I think the map setup has left a lot of people feeling trapped in a steel cage deathmatch. And there's also the humongous issue that one of the teams is currently being run by an AI civ. This is increasingly feeling like a farcical game to me, and I'm not having much fun at this point. The game feels more like work than anything else. I don't look forward to playing the turns, the situation is just too weird.

So... where exactly do we stand right now? Thoughts?

Thanks for mentioning that you're having trouble playing turns. I wouldn't have guessed it with how often you log in.

I've found the turnpace to be quite reasonable. If I look through my gmail inbox for civstats notifications, we've been managing a turn a day all the way back to Christmas, with the only missed day being March 5 (when we had to reload due to bantams). And on top of that, several days have had double turns!

I can suggest a couple solutions if you're not enthusiastic about the game anymore.
a) Post in your thread, or PM the game admin, saying you would like to call the game. If enough people do this, lurkers can let us know. The reason we don't do this in the public thread is that it's supposed to be a no diplo game, and talking about calling it can make it less enjoyable for people who want to play on.
b) Find a substitute. If you still have Yuri dedlurking you could ask him, or you could put out a general call. You have a very nice position in the game so it might not be too hard.
c) Step back a little from the game and spend less time on it. Multiplayer games can be really time-consuming as I think you've encountered. Sometimes it's a good idea to take things a bit more casually. This is especially the case as the game moves from the early game, where you might plan out every action, to the midgame, where you find yourself having a very large number of things to manage. In terms of gameplay, I'd say it's only just about to get interesting. I used to quit single player games after getting liberalism, but multiplayer games are very different. I don't know how many you've played but in my opinion it's worth experiencing some of the later game against competent humans, if possible.

About bantamsAI, I still think it's less farcical than bantams was in the first place, and that's just something you have to accept when playing against a bunch of people. Some of them might be that. But hopefully bantamsAI is on the way out soon enough anyway.

[Gavagai]

I'm quite surprised by the fact that a scoreleader, of all people, doesn't enjoy the game. Also, I don't think it is "farcial". Quite the contrary, it turned out to be much more interesting than one could expect something like 70 turns ago - and Mikehendy is the one who is primarily responsible for this. I definitely don't want to end it now but if Mikehendy doesn't want to play anymore there is really little point in continuing.

But hopefully bantamsAI is on the way out soon enough anyway.

Working on it... By the way, this turn which we reloaded - AI actually played it better than Bantams did.

EDIT. And yes, if Mikehendy concedes at this point - this would definitely make this game a true farce.

[Krill]

Mike, if the civ fix from this game is not enough, maybe you want to start another game? Another PB just started but I'm sure there are some people that would appreciate a ded lurker or team mate.

[Mikehendi]

I'm really, genuinely sorry to all of the rest of you to have to post this. Unfortunately this game is taking too big of a commitment from me, and I need to ask for a replacement player to take over. It's clear that there are going to be some very difficult and time-consuming turns ahead, and I can't give them the proper attention with my current work situation. These last two weeks have been very difficult for me personally, and sadly this game is not helping matters. I've had trouble getting to sleep the last few nights because I was so stressed out by this game, and I was absolutely dreading logging into this game all day today. It's not healthy - I need to step away and let someone else take over, if they're willing.

I paused the game for the moment. I will leave some suggestions in my spoiler thread for anyone who wants to take over. Again, I'm truly sorry to all of you, I never expected this to happen when I signed up a few months ago. But I simply can't continue at this point. I hope this doesn't ruin your game.

[SevenSpirits]

Take care man. I know what not sleeping due to civ feels like. Good showing and I hope to see you in a future game if it works out.

[wetbandit]

I'm sorry to hear that Mikehendi, hope your break from civ refreshes you and is not lengthy.

Do we have any leads on replacements, lurkers? Do we need to advertise for a replacement?

[Ichabod]

Well, the first possible replacement that I can think of is Yuris. Maybe he can cover some turns while Mike takes a break, than Mike can return later, when things get better.

If Yuris doesn't want to take it, I'll make a thread in the general forums.

[Krill]

So...what's happening?

[Ichabod]

So...what's happening?

I've contacted Yuris and he said he's going to think about replacing Mike and give us an answer today. If he doesn't want to do it, I'll start looking for a replacement elsewhere.

[Krill]

Thanks for the heads up Ichabod