[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Civ II player puzzled by ICS strategy (long)

[Reinier Post <rp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Jan 11, 2001 at 10:54:43AM +0100, Aliaga wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> At 13:55 10/01/01 -0500, you wrote:
> 
> >This is easily done via a server option: "set unhappysize=1" will 
> >aproximately give you Deity level.  However, nobody seems to want to let go 
> >of their good old ways.
> 
> I see. People are free to play what they like best. If they like easy empire
> building, easy ICS and win by easy tactics...
> 
> On the other hand, if it is not too hard, some server(s) could be set up for
> the more "advanced" or "challenge-oriented" players...

Servers with different rulesets are already running, see the metaserver.

> Still other servers with longer/shorter/whatever timeouts...

The timeout can be changed during the game; on public servers any player
can do this.  Many other settings can be changed as well.

> Servers playing only historical maps...

Those are usually unfair.

> Etcetera...
> 
> Let people "vote with their mouse"... even display rankings ala Civ "Hall of
> Fame" to see who wins what kind of game... (everybody termed as "The Meek",
> "The Unready", "The Iron Fist"... boy was that cool :-)

We need player authentication before we can implement this reliably.

> This may be a bonus. Make a list of pseudo-levels of difficulty attainable
> by nudging every parameter a bit every way. Have a dozen of them. Let people
> "vote" on them, playtest them, invent strategies for them...

I'm afraid we don't have enough players to do this well.

> Well, nukes unbalance the game. Launching the spaceship unbalances the game.
> Lots of ironclads unbalance the game. Hordes of wealthy diplomats unbalance
> the game. When I can afford to build every WoW I want or take any one of
> them from an enemy, then the game is unbalanced and I'll win. It's the "big
> get bigger" problem that people complain about...

This is an ambiguity within English: 'game' means both the game as a
whole, and a specific instance of it.  Mike was referring to the game
as a whole, and referring to the need for balance between game
features, and between different possible strategies.  You are referring
to a specific instance, and balance between players.  There's nothing
wrong with the best player winning a game of Freeciv, of course.

-- 
Reinier