Pitboss 18 IT and Tech Issues Thread

[Commodore]

Psst Dazed...make a spoiler thread so I can nerd out about your awesome theme.

[AutomatedTeller]

Well, what's worse...having the turn roll unplayed or have a skilled player give best effort?

Darrell

This.

I don't understand the downside. We need to keep the game moving--that is a fact*. Gaspar is not saying he's gonna dick around with the teams he plays. He'll do his absolute best with what he can. This is by far better than an unplayed turn and significantly better than an AI turn. Plus, it's completely avoidable if a player is active and plans a lot. The only realistic scenario when Gaspar plays a turn for someone who wasn't being irresponsible would be in an emergency or when powers beyond someone's control come into play. In those scenarios, Gaspar is the best option.

* We need to have quicker turns because 48 hours/turn when things are relatively simple is already pushing the limit of sustainability and will only get worse as the game progresses into more complexity.

The downside is that Gaspar will make decisions that cannot be undone. If Gaspar decides, in his 5 minutes, that the settler he sees would work really well 1 tile over from where you've spent 10 pages describing where it should go, you are just out of luck. it might be a totally reasonable decision that anyone would make - it might even be the objectively right decision. But it wasn't the players decision and it's a decision that Gaspar has explicitly said he will make.

I would vastly rather have the turn roll and I lose the turn of micro than have someone else make an irreversible decision like settling a city.

I would have no objection if what we do is give people a choice - let Gaspar take over their civ for a turn OR let the turn roll. I'd go for the turn roll, almost certainly. (man, I hope Gaspar isn't getting a complex about this - it's not him I'm objecting to - I don't know him well, but people I trust trust him, so that's fine)

Yes, Gaspar has said that he'll follow in game signs so this is a moot point if you prepare well. A sign marked "C" is all it would take to ensure that doesn't happen. The only scenarios when Gaspar would play would only apply to situations where you have either 1) anticipated and welcomed him playing or 2) unforeseeable situation(s) prevented you from playing.

In case 1, there is no problem. IN case 2, it would be easily possible that not playing (letting turn roll) would on average have worse consequences (e.g. you are in a settling race with a neighbor, a barb is approaching an under/un-defended worker, etc. etc.).

I see why you are concerned--I really do. But those concerns seem preventable with appropriate planning. The net gain of the "Gaspar plan" for both individual players and the overall game is very high and, in my opinion, worth the potential downside given that the downside can be mitigated by those who care to do so.

i guess - but I really don't want to spend the amount of time to prepare for something I don't expect to have happen.

In any case - as long as gaspar does nothing if we don't give him our password (ie, the turn rolls), I'm fine with it.

[Dhalphir]

Yes, I think AT's opinion is quite sound. Put your password in your thread if you want Gaspar to play a turn in the event of you missing a turn, and if you would rather the turn roll unplayed in that situation, don't put it there.

[Hashoosh]

Erm, shouldn't our passwords always be in our threads?

[Gaspar]

I mean honesty, I don't really need the referendum on my character/playing ability. I was asked to do this as a favor because your game is going to take 4 years to complete with this many players and several losing interest already before the game has really even begun.

I'll play the rest of Qg's pause and then move along. I'm sure there are tons of unspoiled lurkers who would love to get into this quagmire.

[Hashoosh]

I mean honesty, I don't really need the referendum on my character/playing ability. I was asked to do this as a favor because your game is going to take 4 years to complete with this many players and several losing interest already before the game has really even begun.

That's my thinking as well. Besides, anyone who is invested enough to care what Gaspar does will also likely be invested enough to post ITT or arrange a non-eredar sub to play.

Oh well, we knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this game...

[spacetyrantxenu]

I played and left the clock running since I don't remember seeing Dhal or Caledorn request a pause.

[GermanJoey]

Well, what's worse...having the turn roll unplayed or have a skilled player give best effort?

Darrell

This.

I don't understand the downside. We need to keep the game moving--that is a fact*. Gaspar is not saying he's gonna dick around with the teams he plays. He'll do his absolute best with what he can. This is by far better than an unplayed turn and significantly better than an AI turn. Plus, it's completely avoidable if a player is active and plans a lot. The only realistic scenario when Gaspar plays a turn for someone who wasn't being irresponsible would be in an emergency or when powers beyond someone's control come into play. In those scenarios, Gaspar is the best option.

* We need to have quicker turns because 48 hours/turn when things are relatively simple is already pushing the limit of sustainability and will only get worse as the game progresses into more complexity.

The downside is that Gaspar will make decisions that cannot be undone. If Gaspar decides, in his 5 minutes, that the settler he sees would work really well 1 tile over from where you've spent 10 pages describing where it should go, you are just out of luck. it might be a totally reasonable decision that anyone would make - it might even be the objectively right decision. But it wasn't the players decision and it's a decision that Gaspar has explicitly said he will make.

I would vastly rather have the turn roll and I lose the turn of micro than have someone else make an irreversible decision like settling a city.

I would have no objection if what we do is give people a choice - let Gaspar take over their civ for a turn OR let the turn roll. I'd go for the turn roll, almost certainly. (man, I hope Gaspar isn't getting a complex about this - it's not him I'm objecting to - I don't know him well, but people I trust trust him, so that's fine)

If you don't want him to play then just don't post your password - I'm honestly, very truly baffled as to what your problem with this plan is. Do you think he's just going to sit there for hours and try to hack into your account?

[Hashoosh]

Gaspar is NASA!!11!!

[AutomatedTeller]

I have no problem with gaspar going in and playing other people civs if that's what they want him to do. I'd almost certainly be better off if he played some of my turns, cause he's almost certainly a better player than me.

I also have no problem with the turn rolling if I haven't played.

My password has been in my thread since I started the game. I'm not going to remove it. if that means that people will randomly play my turn and do things that I wouldn't do, I'll just live with it.