Re: GALAXY : How to handle dropped players ?

From: slothoub@cs.utwente.nl (Frans Slothouber)

Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Stig Hemmer (stig@pvv.ntnu.no) wrote:

: > [5]  Any more ideas?

: Hmm... when you have decided that they really are dropouts: remove the
: population but leave the ships.

The problem with that is that one nation might just be in the process
of launching a big attack on dead nation (without know it is dead),
and than have to suffer losses from the remaining ships, while getting
nothing in return.

: (I guess you should remove cargo
: though) Automatically declare war against anybody arriving at one of
: your former planets with COL cargo.  (Alternatively just declare war
: against everybody)

: > It now takes 3 turns of inactivity before a nation is removed.  I
: > think this should be reduced to 2 or 1....

: How about letting the 'inactivity limit' be given as a fraction of the
: turn number?  Say, a fifth or so?  But missing _one_ turn should never
:  throw you out of the game, except possibly the first one.  This thing
: called 'Real Life' sometimes turns up at unexpected times.

Yup that's true.  The 1 turn rule would be good in the first 3 turns
or so, this is when most players drop out.

: GalaxyNG makes an effort at making the starting conditions as fair and
: equal as possible.  This effect is totally ruined by drop-outs.  I
: realize there is no good answer to this.  Damn frustrating.

Yup it is! And I have no clue why people sign up and then not even
bother to send in the first set of turns.

How about this for a solution:

turn 1 - 3:   Allowed to miss 1 turn. If dead, complete removal of nation's
              ships and planets.   (I also like Graeme's idea
              of randomizing the nuked home planet size, should prevent
              the neighbouring players more good size planets than others).

turn  4-10:   Allowed to miss 3 turns. If dead complete removal of nation.

turn  11-infinity:  Allowed to miss 5 turns.  If dead, computer takes over.
              War is declared on all players. Random play to simulate
              activity.

I agree that it Tom that it only needs to appear that a
              player is still active.  Random play should do that.

{I was once fooled that a player was still active cause
               I saw cargo ships move about, though later discovered
               they were on a route :)}

Frans.

--
( Frans Slothouber, Centre for Telematics and Information Technology )
(       www.xs4all.nl/~slothoub      slothoub@cs.utwente.nl          )

References

GALAXY : How to handle dropped players ?
graeme@postimpressions.co.uk (Graeme Griffiths)
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: GALAXY : How to handle dropped players ?
Stig Hemmer <stig@pvv.ntnu.no>
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: GALAXY : How to handle dropped players ?
slothoub@cs.utwente.nl (Frans Slothouber)
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: GALAXY : How to handle dropped players ?
Stig Hemmer <stig@pvv.ntnu.no>
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000