Replacement player needed for complex PROTOTYPE PBEM

From: my-last-name@games.ultranet.com -- no spam please (Dave Tenny)

Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 00:00:00 +0000

TENN
                  Adventures in the Tenth Millennium

I need a single replacement player for a free (prototype) PBEM game of galactic
conquest.  This game is a fully computer moderated discrete event
simulation, and it is therefore somewhat richer in event complexity and
object interaction than most games (though this is offset by the
early prototype nature of game at this point in time).

This game is not for lightweight players.  I need rabid rip, snarl,
and tear types of players who will really beat on the game for me.
We're running two to six turns per week.

This is a prototype game under development.  So far we've run 20 turns on
this game, so the empire you get may be in shambles.  However there will be
plenty of raw materials, and a standing offer of "reincarnation" for
prototype game players who get creamed.  The expected life of the game is
100 turns, so you've got plenty of time to play (although there is no fixed turn
limit, could be more or less).

While there aren't any rules as such governing game play, the technology on
which you base your strategy changes enough that your plans may
occassionally be clobbered, because of the prototype nature of the game.
On the other hand, your feedback on what makes the game work for you is
extremely sought after, and may be incorporated as development continues.

THERE IS NO GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE.  Well, that's not strictly true, but
what we have is very rudimentary GUI support.  If you can write them,
you're even more welcome to play.  Turnsheets are currently ascii, and
should be compatible with any program or computer you use to receive e-mail.

The moral of this story (the above paragraph) is that if you have never
played a game using graph paper to plot your position, you may have
difficulty with this one.  The PC-based tools are useful enough that graph
paper isn't usually necessary, but we're not much beyond that at this
point.  Again, this game is for die-hard gamers who like detailed
strategy games.

A sample (homeworld quadrant) turnsheet fragment might look like:

<NUCLEAR-QUADRANT-MINE-FIELD-1>{0,0}[0]: TOTAL-UNITS: 109, UNITS-AVAILABLE: 109

<PLANET-1>{0,0}[0]: RADIUS: 9043, TYPE: ROCK-BALL, ATMOSPHERE-COMPOSITION:
  OXYGEN-NITROGEN, ATMOSPHERE-DENSITY: MEDIUM, TEMPERATURE: TEMPERATE-COLD,
  TERRAIN-TYPE: PLAINS, NATIVE-LIFE-RATING: INTELLIGENT,
  MINERAL-ABUNDANCES: [GEM-STONES: AMPLE, RARE-EARTHS: AMPLE,
    RADIOACTIVE-ELEMENTS: AMPLE, PRECIOUS-METALS: AMPLE, INDUSTRIAL-METALS:
    AMPLE, LIGHT-METALS: AMPLE, ORGANICS: AMPLE],
  AXIAL-TILT: 27, SOLID-AREA-PERCENT: 27, GRAVITY: 1.578,
  CONTAINED-OBJECTS: (
    <MINING2><POPULATION-CENTER-301>: MAGNITUDE: 5 SIZE: 10074287, VERBOSITY:
      INTERESTING,
      CONTAINED-OBJECTS: (
        <MINE-224>: MAGNITUDE: 5, ELEMENT-TYPE: LIGHT-METALS SIZE: 2500000,
          EVENT-STATE: RUNNING, EVENT-COMPLETION-TIME: 12.23.4.15.34,
        <MINE-223>: MAGNITUDE: 5, ELEMENT-TYPE: RADIOACTIVE-ELEMENTS SIZE:
          2500000, EVENT-STATE: RUNNING, EVENT-COMPLETION-TIME: 12.23.4.15.34,
        <MINE-222>: MAGNITUDE: 5, ELEMENT-TYPE: LIGHT-METALS SIZE: 2500000,
          EVENT-STATE: RUNNING, EVENT-COMPLETION-TIME: 12.23.4.15.34,
        <MINE-221>: MAGNITUDE: 5, ELEMENT-TYPE: INDUSTRIAL-METALS SIZE:
          2500000, EVENT-STATE: RUNNING, EVENT-COMPLETION-TIME: 12.25.1.00.01,
        <STOCKPILE-779>: ELEMENT-TYPE: LIGHT-METALS SIZE: 240, TOTAL-UNITS:
          240, UNITS-AVAILABLE: 240
        <STOCKPILE-780>: ELEMENT-TYPE: INDUSTRIAL-METALS SIZE: 240,
          TOTAL-UNITS: 120, UNITS-AVAILABLE: 120
        <STOCKPILE-508>: ELEMENT-TYPE: RADIOACTIVE-ELEMENTS SIZE: 342,
          TOTAL-UNITS: 488, UNITS-AVAILABLE: 488 )
      TOTAL-UNITS: 73465, UNITS-AVAILABLE: 23465
    <PC1><POPULATION-CENTER-1>: MAGNITUDE: 6 SIZE: 26419314, VERBOSITY:
      INTERESTING,
      CONTAINED-OBJECTS: (
        <INTRA-QUADRANT-LASER-CANNON-939>: SIZE: 10,
        <INTRA-QUADRANT-LASER-CANNON-938>: SIZE: 10,
        <INTRA-QUADRANT-LASER-CANNON-937>: SIZE: 10,
        <INTRA-QUADRANT-LASER-CANNON-936>: SIZE: 10,
        <INTRA-QUADRANT-LASER-CANNON-935>: SIZE: 10,
        <SHIP-668>: SPACE-REMAINING: 105 SIZE: 115,
          CONTAINED-OBJECTS: (
            <RAM-SCOOP-ENGINE-364>: SIZE: 10, )

<SHIP-FACTORY-1>: MAXIMUM-SIZE: 10, CURRENT-SIZE: 5 SIZE: 200,
        <SHIP-FACTORY-36>: MAXIMUM-SIZE: 20, CURRENT-SIZE: 5 SIZE: 300,
        <SHIP-FACTORY-37>: MAXIMUM-SIZE: 20, CURRENT-SIZE: 5 SIZE: 300,
        <SMALL-MASS-DRIVER-ENGINE-88>: SIZE: 1,
        <SMALL-MASS-DRIVER-ENGINE-FACTORY-5>: SIZE: 500,
        <SUB-STELLAR-EMR-SENSOR-181>: SIZE: 5, RUNNING: YES
        <SUB-STELLAR-EMR-SENSOR-FACTORY-10>: SIZE: 400,
      TOTAL-UNITS: 415300, UNITS-AVAILABLE: 257775 )

As you can see, it's a VERY data intensive game.  30+ minutes per turn is
not unusual for an advanced empire.  Note that empires can support multiple
players if you want to split the workload with someone, and in fact
some of the replacement player slots are for "co-players" in an empire,
though if you're brought in as a coplayer, it usually means you're running
the whole empire for the prototype game, and that you have a "lurker"
in your empire who I've invited to watch the game play.

Order syntax isn't for the faint of heart either: you might write orders like:

(do-serial			;; execute these orders one after another,
				;; not in parallel

(get intra-quadrant-laser-cannon :from <pc1> :for <ship-668>)

(loop 			;; Execute the following orders until I
				;; cancel this order
      (move <ship-668> <star-56> orbit)
      (move <ship-668> <star-55> orbit)))	 ; patrol this binary star
system

The player guide is about 110 pages.  You don't need to read all of it to
play,  but it gives you an idea about the magnitude of game complexity.

So, if you can hack this stuff and want to play, please sign up!
Visit the "alpha game signup page" derived from the TENN homepage:

http://www.ultranet.com/~tenny/tenn.shtml

Don't forget to click on "send" when you fill out the signup form.

The web page and FAQ are in a sorry state.  I put all my time into the server
technology, running turns, and keeping the player guide up to date.
This is a part time fly-by-night effort.  However I've been working
on the game for 7 years, and the fact that the first prototype
game has run 120 turns should show that I'm reasonably dedicated to the
effort.  (Note that the 120 turns weren't all run at 2 per week, this
prototype game has been running for less than a year).

Note that the player guide is not available via the web site.  It is made
available to players after the signup screening process when they actually
start playing the game.  This is why I've given some samples above
demonstrating what the game output and input look like (to entice you or
scare you off, either serves the correct function).

I only need one or two replacement players right now.  If you sign up and I
can't use you right away, you'll be in the queue for the next opening,
typically every 4-6 weeks.  It's also possible I may start an alpha
game soon, and the players who have demonstrated real "play effort" in the
first prototype game will be first in line for the alpha game.

One final caveat: do not sign up if you have any professional affiliation
with commercial gaming houses.  I don't need my competitors picking up
my few decent ideas in advance of the release of this game.  By signing
up, you acknowledge that you have NO commercial gaming affiliations.

Post Groups: rec.games.pbm, comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic

"TENN" and "Adventures in the Tenth Millennium" are trademarks
of Jeffrey D. Tenny.

Dave Tenny
my-last-name@games.ultranet.com - no spam please