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we’re gonna use the alien crossfire expansion to the base game, which might be an issue for someone who’s been sitting on an original disc for like 15 years. this'll probably take a very long time, possibly many months! yikes! just be forewarned. i'm not 100% sure what the best way to actually set up something like this is since i don’t think anyone’s done a pbem game this decade. Totally open to suggestions though. Why should i play this video game from 1999?: alpha centauri is basically civ 3 but instead of being about the past it’s about the future. in the other civs you have to research boring old technology like Writing and Horses and Hygenic making GBS threads, but in alpha centauri you get to research sick as hell future technology like Cyberethics and Neural Grafting and Organic Superlube. there’s a very cool design workshop that lets you make weird custom units like nerve gas helicopters and scifi dropship space marines. you could win the game by causing global warming and drowning everyone else like a captain planet bad guy. also the voice acting is great and the flavor text is legit compelling written fiction and the game art is really pretty. where to get it: sid meier's alpha centauri alien crossfile is $5.99 on GOG so just get it there. make sure it actually runs on your system! how pbem works: you download a save file, load it up in game, spend like 5 minutes doing your turn, make a new save that includes the turn you just did, and send it on to the next guy. make sure it's not just named the same as the last save! i was trying to find a good way to auto-sync the save folder between people or something but it looks like it might just be easiest to literally email a file around. what next??: need at least 7 people, so post in this thread saying so if you'd like to play. it's good to have stand-bys in case someone has to drop. factions will be first come first served out of all the human factions. tell me if you want your faction leader name to be anything funny so i can change it during setup. at the start of your first turn you'll pick a password so no one else can gently caress up your game, send it to me so we can keep going in case you get hit by a bus or whatever. also i'll need your emails to give you access to the top secret google drive folder. here's a note about changing the game settings to let you play on your big ol 4k tv 16 inches from your face: cheese-cube posted:also smac pro-tip that im sure i've posted before: add DirectDraw=0 to Alpha Centauri.Ini in the game's install folder like below. that makes it display/scale properly on today's modern computer systems (your screen will bug the gently caress out though when it plays the secret project vids that in 640x480): anthonypants posted:also i would like to suggest adding 'DisableOpeningMovie=1' to this list i was hoping we could get this going in like a week or so. anyways, see ya! 
Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Oct 21, 2017 |
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Oct 13, 2017 02:30
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 21:32 |
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OldAlias posted:video games you should play the video game
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Oct 13, 2017 02:34
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OldAlias posted:i am maybe interested but please consider some version control system over a shared google drive ty pull request # 369: finished my turn e: totally agree that that would definitely be a much more robust way of doing this than having some insane drive folder Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Oct 13, 2017 |
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Oct 13, 2017 03:15
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Boiled Water posted:it's 15 years old imma go with "yes" it's probably possible but i;m not sure what i'd use it for if i could do that
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Oct 13, 2017 14:22
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OldAlias posted:maybe it is overkill but I have a kneejerk reaction against any incremental group "work" over drive / email. reminds me of dysfunctional jobs and school projects. I guess it's only one file so it's not too bad but yvcspos some of the hotseat multiplayer setup stuff is kinda dependent on passing around a file in a particular order. like when you go around for the first turn you're supposed to choose and confirm a password. if you did git-style version control and there was just one save file that people pushed changes to then you'd need a way to stop folks from grabbing the save out of order before all the passwords had been locked in. i guess after that point you'd just be checking for updates regularly to see if your faction's login screen came up when you loaded the save. if you do it over email then it sort of inherently enforces the turn order, makes people commit to being 100% done with the file before they send it on, and you get a nice notification saying "hey my turn's done and now it's your turn". most annoying thing imo would be downloading some attachment then finding the right directory in-game.
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Oct 13, 2017 14:30
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would probably be good to post a bit about the factions spartans: space survivalists  +2 MORALE (well armed survivalist movement) +1 POLICE (highly disciplined followers) -1 INDUSTRY (extravagant weapons are costly) quote:"Superior training and superior weaponry have, when taken together, a geometric effect on overall military strength. Well-trained, well-equipped troops can stand up to many more times their lesser brethren than linear arithmetic would seem to indicate." gaians: space greenpeace  +1 PLANET (environmental safeguards; can capture mind worms) +2 EFFICIENCY (experience with life systems such as recycling) -1 MORALE (pacifist tendencies) -1 POLICE (freedom-loving) +1 Nutrients in fungus squares Can use mind worms as police unit (reverence for native life). May not use Free Market economics quote:In the great commons at Gaia's Landing we have a tall and particularly beautiful stand of white pine, planted at the time of the first colonies. It represents our promise to the people, and to Planet itself, never to repeat the tragedy of Earth. university: space grad student listserve  +2 RESEARCH (Brillant research) -2 PROBE (Academic networks vulnerable to infiltration) one bonus tech at start of game extra drone for every four citizen (lack of ethics) quote:"The substructure of the universe regresses infinitely towards smaller and smaller components. Behind atoms we find electrons, and behind electrons quarks. Each layer unraveled reveals new secrets, but also new mysteries." peacekeepers: space UN  -1 EFFICIENCY (U.N. style bureaucracy) extra talent for every four citizens (attracts intellectual elite) may exceed Hab Complex population requirements by 2. receives double votes in election for planetary governor and supreme leader. quote:"As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last loose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master." hive: space juche  +1 GROWTH (rapid population growth) +1 INDUSTRY (brutal serfdom) -2 ECONOMY (little political freedom) immune to inefficiency caused by social engineering choices quote:"Learn to overcome the crass demands of flesh and bone, for they warp the matrix through which we perceive the world. Extend your awareness outwards, beyond the self of body, to embrace the self of group and the self of humanity. The goals of the group and the greater race are transcendent, and to embrace them is to achieve enlightenment." believers: space evangelicals  +2 SUPPORT (serious Waco-type poo poo) +1 PROBE (followers difficult to subvert) -2 RESEARCH (distrusts secular science) -1 PLANET (believed Planet is their promised land) 25% combat bonus when attacking (yikes!) no research for the first 10 turns quote:The righteous need not cower before the drumbeat of human progress. Though the song of yesterday fades into the challenge of tomorrow, God still watches and judges us. Evil lurks in the datalinks as it lurked in the streets of yesteryear. But it was never the streets that were evil. morganites: space capitalists  +1 ECON (industrial conglomerate) -1 SUPPORT (followers have expensive tastes) bases can't exceed size 4 without Hab Complexes +100 credits at start can't use Planned economics quote:"Human behavior is economic behavior. The particulars may vary, but competition for limited resources remains a constant. Need as well as greed have followed us to the stars, and the rewards of wealth still await those wise enough to recognize this deep thrumming of our common pulse." planet cult: space anarchoprimitivists  +2 PLANET: (Devoted to promoting native growth) -1 INDUSTRY: (Reluctant to pollute environment) -1 ECON: (Disinterested in wealth and its trappings) free Brood Pit with discovery of Centauri Genetics Mind Worms do double police duty: (Fear and reverence for native life) can't choose Wealth in social engineering quote:"Mankind has been blind for thousands of years-for all of its history. We have come to a place whose wonders are a hundred-fold more amazing than anything on Earth. Around us is clear evidence of the will of a higher power. I bring the Vision to the blind eyes of men. I bring the Word to the deaf ears of men. I will make them see it. I will make them hear it." consciousness: incel space cyborgs  +2 RESEARCH: {Human research abilities enhanced by algorithmic control} +2 EFFICIENCY: {Cybernetic biologicals extremely efficient} -1 GROWTH: {Humans 'possessed by an algorithm' find reproduction awkward} no penalties for Cybernetic social engineering choice: {Cybernetic social choice is 'rational' and not dissented by citizens} can steal technology when capturing a base may not make Fundamentalist choice in social engineering quote:"Those who join us need give up only half of their humanity--the illogical, ill-tempered, and disordered half, commonly thought of as 'right-brain' functioning. In exchange, the 'left-brain' capacities are increased to undreamed potential. The tendency of Biologicals to cling instead to their individual personalities can only be attributed to archaic evolutionary tendencies." data angels: space 90s hackers  +2 PROBE: (Highly motivated computer specialists) -1 POLICE: (Decentralized, difficult to control) gain any tech known to 3 other factions with whom Angels have infiltration: (Wide-ranging covert activities) -25% cost to PROBE TEAM actions: (Skilled at network access and control} free COVERT OPS CENTER with discovery of Pre-Sentient Algorithms may not make Power choice in social engineering. free Probe Team at start quote:"What's more important, the data or the jazz? Sure, sure, 'Information should be free' and all that--but anyone can set information free. The jazz is in how you do it, what you do it to, and in almost getting caught without getting caught. The data is 1's and 0's. Life is the jazz." free drones: space socialists  +2 INDUSTRY: {Excellent craftsmen and skilled workers} -2 RESEARCH: {Emphasis on productivity instead of 'blue-sky' research} Revolting bases tend to join drones: {Offer a workingman's paradise} -1 DRONES in every base: {Working for common good reduces discontent} may not use Green economics quote:"Now it's day and night the irons clang, and like poor galley slaves pirates   -1 EFFICIENCY (Individualistic mentality opposed to central organization) -1 GROWTH (Culture does not place high emphasis on family) free NAVAL YARD with discovery of Doctrine: Initiative: (Skilled shipwrights) enhancements may be built in ocean and trench squares with the discovery of Advanced Ecological Engineering: (Trained for life at sea) sea colony pod & sea former prototypes FREE: (Advanced oceanic technology) bonus mineral from ocean shelf squares: (Culture and technology adapted for the ocean) marine Detachment ability FREE to all naval combat units upon discovery of Adaptive Doctrine quote:"The sea ... vast, mysterious ... and full of wealth! And the nations of Planet send their trade across it without a thought. Well, the sea doesn't care about them, so it lets them pass. But we can give the sea a little hand in teaching the landlubbers a lesson in humility." Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Oct 17, 2017 |
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Oct 17, 2017 01:34
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Luigi Thirty posted:iirc the consciousness gets a -2 to GROWTH because "humans 'possessed by an algorithm' find reproduction awkward" see also: the pirates' growth penalty also wanted to say sorry for preempting your post via edit
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Oct 17, 2017 02:20
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ok here are the folks who have expressed any kind of interest either here or via PMs only a few people actually included faction preferences. the ones that are assigned are based on whoever posted something resembling a request earliest. Improbable Lobster - Drones OldAlias - Believers Luigi Thirty - University Helianthus Annuus A Pinball Wizard Cazlab - pirates! Crusader cheese-cube - Hive Glorgnole anthonypants - Spartans Boiled Water Sagebrush - Gaians please make a post here before WEDNESDAY (10/25) containing both: 1) confirmation that you would like to play (or not play, as the case may be) 2) what faction you want to be thanks Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Oct 24, 2017 |
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Oct 20, 2017 20:18
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anthonypants posted:i would like to play hello, very good Luigi Thirty posted:are we running any of the fanpatches or just vanilla SMAX? i've just been running regular ol SMAX with all the official patches (from like 2001). haven't ever used any of the fanpatches. i guess there are still a few weird bugs and exploits kicking around in the vanilla version. wouldn't be opposed if you think it'd be worthwhile.
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Oct 21, 2017 06:29
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Boiled Water posted:welp yeah we tried loading saves cross platform and it looks like it works ok. there's still room! you can have at most 7 players in a game. if you want in you've just got to say which faction you want to be.
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Oct 23, 2017 17:51
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I'll jump in if we hang around at 6 confirmed people for a while, though I wouldn't mind being the official full time GM either also I'll prune the list of interested people if folks haven't made any new posts since before last Friday or still (!) haven't claimed a faction. gotta end up with 7 actively engaged posters to play!
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Oct 23, 2017 17:59
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Inexplicable Humblebrag posted:is the forests-improvements-everywhere-and-hybrid-forests-in-all-bases strategy competitive, or do you need to micromanage your formers? the only competitive option, OP, is to build all your bases 1 tile apart and fill the gaps with condensers and boreholes. I think it's designed so forests are useful early game, get superceded by farms and boreholes once nutrients and minerals are uncapped, and come back mid/late game with the forest-centered base facilities
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Oct 23, 2017 18:25
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A Pinball Wizard posted:You said we had till Wednesday i'm sorry for failing to convey an appropriate degree of urgency 
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Oct 24, 2017 04:26
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anyways (pending double-confirmations) here's how this breaks down so far The First Wave Improbable Lobster - Drones OldAlias - Believers Luigi Thirty - University Cazlab - Pirates! cheese-cube - Hive anthonypants - Spartans Sagebrush - Gaians nothing wrong with having multiple games going in parallel, so if you didn't end up in the first heap due to my own horrible mismanagement, etc., you're now in a brand new pile. The Second Wave (assorted delinquents) Helianthus Annuus A Pinball Wizard - Hive Crusader Glorgnole Boiled Water - Morganites Cheekio - University Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Nov 4, 2017 |
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Oct 24, 2017 04:39
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A Pinball Wizard posted:can I be space communists? you may be whoever you would like to be, friend. the planet is your oyster!
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Oct 25, 2017 02:32
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Cazlab posted:final confirming in. heck yeah pirates can get a little crazy since sea bases get so much more energy and nutrients than land bases and there isn't a lot stopping you from taking over the whole ocean before anyone else can get sea colony pods
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Oct 25, 2017 02:38
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some game setup stuff this'll be at Transcend difficulty. the lower difficulties have more forgiving drone penalties and omit things like prototyping costs and retooling penalties, but with all human players i don't think it'll make a big difference. i've generally felt like the Standard size map is too small and the Huge size map is too big, so we'll use the merely Large map. i was planning on picking the middle-of-the-road options for ocean coverage, erosive forces, rainfall, etc and taking a look to make sure no one was getting dicked over by starting on a tiny island or in the middle of a desert, but the game's pretty aggressive about making sure you can't load password-protected multiplayer games in the scenario editor. best i can probably do is generate and tweak a map file beforehand and then start the game from that. there's an accelerated start option (Time Warp) that starts the game at turn 60 and gives everyone 4 bases with facilities and units. i was worried about everyone getting bogged down in the first 30 turns where you're just moving a couple units, but i tried it out in a test game and it doesn't do a remotely good job of balancing the initial setups so it would probably be lame in practice. does anyone have any thoughts on this?
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Oct 26, 2017 02:59
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Cazlab posted:this sounds pretty good. i've been looking for some sort of generic pbem manager but i haven't found one that isn't tied to Civ 5 or 6. i think that GMR and PYDT both actually hook into the game to figure out when the turn's ended and set turn time limits, so while i was hoping i could just change the save file directory i don't think it'll work out. i'll have time this weekend to experiment with better save management. git might actually be OK as long as people are polite about only committing and pushing at the end of their turn. also it would give us a snapshot of the game state for every player turn all in one place, which would be useful for retrospective stuff after the end of the game.
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Oct 27, 2017 22:31
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Cheekio posted:You can't seriously tell me I missed the cutoff for a six month nerd a thon by one day nah man you're good, i got you
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Nov 1, 2017 01:39
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Roosevelt posted:who is winning the match? i am
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Nov 1, 2017 02:31
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i generated a handful of accelerated-start games to see if one of them would be reasonably fair. i've got one so far that definitely doesn't completely suck. i also have some interesting findings on what happens when you pick the Time Warp rule: the biggest challenge re: picking a good starting setup is that the game is very bad at placing bases and often populates them beyond what the surrounding nutrients can support. it's also very bad at terraforming and doesn't seem to place forests. accelerated start actually fast-forwards to some decade from 2130 to 2180 and gives you more bases the later you start (2130 gets 3 bases, 2180 gets at least 5). everyone is assigned a random early secret project. you get techs based on total accumulated research points (kinda hazy on how this actually works). if you have the first turn they're all just assigned to you at once, but if you go second or later you get a popup for every breakthrough and prompts about changing your research priorities, so you can sort of steer which techs you start with. kinda goofy stuff can happen here, like for a later start the more research-heavy factions might begin the game with needlejets and supply crawlers while the other guys are left in the dust. all the factions have each other's comms frequencies, so I think there'd be a planetary council meeting at the soonest opportunity. the multiplayer comms system works a little differently since you're doing it asynchronously, but you can offer/demand energy and techs and what have you. e: it'd be OK to do a normal 1-base start too, if that's what most people would prefer
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Nov 1, 2017 02:43
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here are some really basic rules: - since voting for planetary council meetings happens asynchronously, if you trigger a meeting you need to notify everyone else what issue is up for voting and who has how many votes so that later players have a fair chance to bribe and manipulate early players. making posts in this thread would be cool. - limit of one social engineering change per line per turn - don't exploit whatever vestigal faction AI is left in the game's comms interface to screw over your fellow players - don't do fuckery that makes your units instantly elite or able to shoot infinitely far or stuff like that - if you can't play anymore, please tell someone so we can get a replacement and the game doesn't just lamely peter out - feel free to post about funny things that you see or do in-game here - be chill, cool, and not a jerk
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Nov 1, 2017 03:00
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also i'll need an email from everyone so i can set up the turn-order chain PM me, or email me as glorgnole at gmail. it'll be available to other players (but not posted publicly) so you probably shouldn't use your jamescj@cia.gov address.
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Nov 1, 2017 03:08
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Inexplicable Humblebrag posted:imo you should do one accelerated start, at AD2400, and then start again from planetfall the late-game tech situation is kinda weird because if you're able to research gravity mechanics or w/e before 2400 you're probably researching fast enough to obsolete your fancy new armor and weapons every 3 turns. things get crazy if you build a dedicated science base and manage to give it all those secret projects that compoundingly double your local research output.
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Nov 2, 2017 06:21
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i've got a planetfall start that doesn't obviously suck. hate it when i start in a desert or on a tiny island, even if you get a transport foil right off the bat. i have emails from (i think i might have other people too but it's late and i'm tired and i don't want to dig through old messages right now) Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 13:38 on Nov 10, 2017 |
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Nov 2, 2017 06:24
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Cheekio posted:If one were inclined, how would one troll the rest of the players the hardest. You know, within the game rules, not just disappearing there are a couple of classics but they rely on getting lots of council votes or secret projects or energy credits or minerals or w/e so it all just comes down to Lightbulb Out posted:play the game well i would assume
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Nov 3, 2017 21:05
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the only thing missing is an email for OldAlias, who promised to make a burner like a week ago. other than that i think everything else is good to go for the first group.
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Nov 10, 2017 06:24
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ate poo poo on live tv posted:Playing as Chairman Yang and just ICS is pretty trolly, especially if he gets the +1 Talent/base secret project or finds the rain forest. The Morganites running Free Market and finding the bore-hole cluster is pretty funny. Using helicoptors, at all. (they are the best unit in the game). a cool trick is to make an air superiority helicopter to shoot down needlejets stuck in your airspace after bombing stuff (choppers are extremely good)
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Nov 10, 2017 06:26
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retrospective lomarf from nearly a month ago:Glorgnole posted:i was hoping we could get this going in like a week or so. anyways, see ya! it's time to kick this off! i sent out some emails. everyone should have access to a google sheet with player names, factions, and emails. treat that one as correct if i typed the wrong thing somewhere else. the turn order is: Pirates - Cazlab Gaians - Sagebrush University- Luigi Thirty Hive - cheese-cube Drones - Improbable Lobster Believers - OldAlias Spartans - AnthonyPants decided to use a standard non-accelerated start. might be sort of tedious for a bit but it doesn't preclude expansionist strategies and early-game shenanigans. in general, let me know if something's screwed up or not working out. like, if it turns out that you really hate the idea of emailing a save around we can try something else.
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Nov 10, 2017 13:37
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Schadenboner posted:All that we could probably grab him for the 2nd round. i've talked to him about it, he just hasn't posted here yet.
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Nov 10, 2017 17:38
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and Smoka didn't even get a slot?
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Cazlab posted:(it's funny GMR was being lovely a few weeks ago and i was like "i should make a game agnostic PBEM facilitator," it doesn't seem that bad passing it around manually, though.) just allow only one player at a time to commit the save, and have a big button that says "click when you're absolutely done with your turn" that advances commit privileges to the next player. totally simple to implement and nothing at all could ever go wrong!
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Nov 10, 2017 17:50
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i just remembered that if you do something like move your scout patrol into fungus you might not actually have anything to do for some of the early turns (other than obsessively micromanage your tiny bases) in single-player it sometimes just auto-skips those turns so you don't really notice
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Nov 13, 2017 21:17
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cheese-cube posted:i'm getting ERROR READING FILE when trying to open it cheese-cube posted:just played my first turn however i must have hosed something up as it gave me a message about having already played the file and tampering. i swear i only tried to play it. glad you were able to work through it! thank you for documenting your problem-solving process here, for the benefit of future generations
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Nov 13, 2017 21:20
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yeah there's still room for like 4 more people on the nominal b-team so make a post if you want to play. i was going to try to get the first game through a handful of turns to work out the kinks before i piled on another completely separate game. extremely looking forward to The Second Turn though
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Nov 19, 2017 21:45
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ate poo poo on live tv posted:Yes. But tbf, you need to understand how to "game" the mechanics or you'll get dunked on whenever you play the cheating difficulties. Basically learn how to do an ascension victory in <100 turns, then you can play the game on transcend. lot to unpack there, especially micromanaging with such precision that you rename your cities every turn so they get evaluated in a specific order
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Nov 19, 2017 22:11
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lol at taking two weeks to move a colony pod. game's gonna finish sometime in 2022 at this rate probably not a bad idea to impose a deadline, especially since in theory the turn's already been taken and it should just be a matter of attaching the correct file then sending an email. how about : OldAlias passes on the save before Wednesday the 29th. otherwise, in the interest of keeping things moving, the keys to the Believers go to one of the B Teamers.
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Nov 24, 2017 08:19
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would anyone like to swap in for the believers? how about one of the B-team peeps? heck, i'll do it if no one else wants to pro: you get to play the game way sooner con(?): you have/get to play as miriam
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Nov 29, 2017 06:32
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Boiled Water posted:I'll crank up the religious fanaticism sure a powerful decision, to be sure
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Dec 1, 2017 20:29
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i sent out a couple emails and updated the contact info google sheet thing also lamo at this 
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Dec 1, 2017 20:44
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OldAlias posted:sick i hope that you are doing alright and i wish you well. i just swapped you with Boiled Water between the A-team and B-team lists.
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Dec 2, 2017 05:57
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