Quest Digest 4/1/96 From: ">>-Josh->" <J.P.Gallagher@durham.ac.uk> Date: Thu, 04 Apr 1996 00:00:00 +0000 ___ _ / _ \ | | 4th April, 1996 | |_| |UEST__| |IGEST \__ | / _ | | |_ | |_| | An e-mail discussion forum for the fantasy |_ / \___/ play by mail game; "Quest". Compiled by=20 Josh Gallagher. J.P.Gallagher@durham.ac.uk o This isn't one of those automatic list thingies, so could all=20 articles be sent clearly marked with paragraphs initalled to me. o If you want off the list, just say! No hassle, no pressure. o All material here is the exclusive property of the author and may not be used elsewhere without their permission. ___ / _ \ Whilst I remember, this is the last Digest before Easter, | __/DITORIAL so I'll take this opportunity to wish you a happy Easter! \___| Other things worth mentioning are that=20 gossip@kjcgames.com is now back on the mailing list. =20 Here's hoping it doesn't bounce! Also, thank you to all those who gave=20 their support for a Quest game set up for players on email. I'll make a=20 couple of extra notes about that further down to clarify the odd issue=20 and state the current situation. I probably won't have access until next Wednesday, which is why I'm=20 sending out the Digest a little earlier (and hence with a little less in=20 the way of content) than I would have liked, but I hope there's still=20 enough in here to interest you! Finally I'd like to welcome all the new additions to the list. I think=20 that's the most new additions I've added for a while! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 19:13:55 GMT From: Chris Mead <mead@rmplc.co.uk> Re: Josh's idea about an all-digest players game I think that it's an excellent idea, but as always money is pressing. I tried playing Dynamic Games quest by e-mail, which was fun but I then realised how much it was costing me. Although it was the equivalent of 50p per turn the turns were every four days! This actually works out to more than my current 15-day-turnaround KJC groups. However, that said, my It's a Crime! family looks to be on the verge of collapsing so if I am able to spare the funds I would otherwise use for tha= t I'd love to join the digest Quest game. I also agree with forcing people into preset alliances, but it would have t= o be planned better. Alliances are always more fun if they are religious alliances (this is in my experience - please don't flame me if you disagree= ) and some players only ever like to worship one god or trio of gods. It woul= d take some working out time beforehand but would be more fun in the long run= . -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Mar 96 19:18 GMT From: albert@cix.compulink.co.uk (Ben Jones) Mail here from Barnaby Jones (due to my lame mail software I can't yet=20 let him send mail from his own address). :-) If you want to reply by=20 mail, please do so to the address by which he is enrolled on the mailing=20 list, that is, Barnaby@waistwear.compulink.co.uk. ######################################################################### In reply to JPG's idea of 'Digest Quest'... B> I think that having a game of quest only consisting of digest members=20 would be great! Although not being very experienced I may well give it a=20 try, I currently play in games 16 and 8 and I often find communication=20 tedious when waiting for replies sent second class. Opening a game where= =20 we can all get information out quickly would be much more exciting. The=20 newsletters at the moment are out of date as soon as they are sent out so= =20 using the digest instead of a normal newsletter would make it much easier= =20 to declare war etc. B> I agree that it should be a 7 day game because it would be easier to=20 fit around work and stuff - who plays in G17 anyway?! I think that the=20 idea of starting in one of four alliances would be good in that it would=20 keep the hard groups apart, but it could be irritating for groups who=20 want to worship certain gods if they were put in an alliance which had a=20 dramatically different alignment, and for players who prefer to play 'on=20 their own'. =20 B> There is only one possible flaw with this idea, what do the digest=20 members who are at university do during the holidays? Putting your group= =20 on holiday for a long time can be frustrating because other groups are=20 developing faster. Do you have any ideas for getting around this? =20 [actually, anyone with access to the internet externally from uni could=20 keep going via telnet, but that's probably not many people... - Ben] B> One final point, what do you think of giving the game completely different spell components so we all start from the same level of knowledge? I think this would be very good because younger players=20 will not be at a disadvantage from the start. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 18:59:54 +0000 From: Paul Noble <editor@elbon.demon.co.uk> >DR > The BKA took on the biggest multigame alliance in quest and won with = just >5 groups and we weren't prepared for what was to come. Our enemies taught = us >well. Too well. PN> Thats a bit rich, SWC collapsed, not because of group pressure but because the guy doing all the work left Quest totally. (JPG> I went drinking with him - Mark that is. He plays good pinball.=20 :) Shame he's left quest.) > >JPG> Firstly, our newsletter editor, Mark Payne (of the pub meet >organising fame) has started voting on what our version of Kharne will be >called when it is no longer to be called Kharne. I presume this is based >on some statement made by KJC at some point that entirely passed me by, >and not just Mark's hopeful predictions on features he'd like to see KJC >implement. PN> Kharne is going to be the name of the planet and each game s a continent, leaving the change world (in the form of ship voyages) as an option. >JPG> What would you, as a Digest reader, think about starting up a new >quest game for Digest readers. The general idea would be for KJC to >collect the names of at least 60 people who intended to play and then >start the game up. PN> It would have to be 100% email game to interest me and if they attempted to charge =A32 for a turn you must be kidding. >JPG> A suggestion put forward by Paul that I think would add to the >excitement of the game but I'm not sure as many people would be keen on >doing is to force each new party into one of four pre-setup alliances when >the game starts. This would immeadiately promote playing in co-operation= =3D >with other players and should hopefully prevent all the best players from= =3D >joining into one all powerful alliance. PN> Dunno, if it was composed of us lot I know there are several hard nuts on the list who could probably take on all comes by themselves and would resent the alliance they are members of. >for me. I do think that it would be a highly entertaining game however. = =3D PN> If there were only 60 players in the game it would be mighty empty and desolate. But once you'd found someone it could be fun ];) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Skeltem@aol.com Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 08:33:59 -0500 Your suggestion of an all-Digest Game sounds cool, as you know at least som= e of the players by style or demeanor and are able to tell who would be the o= ne you'd like to associate with. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 15:08:01 +0000 (GMT) From: Chris M Dickson <chris.dickson@keble.oxford.ac.uk> QD game of Quest? Yes please. 7-day game? Yep, I'd transfer my Quest for Life into it. I wouldn't play a 3-day game as well as a 7-day game though. Start in 1 of 4 alliances? Like it. Very much. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 21:56:19 GMT From: Paul@smmad.demon.co.uk (Paul Damms) =09 Regarding a Digest readers only game, I think it is a fantastic idea.=20 I am the leader of an alliance in game 16 called the Dominion and 7 of the 10 members in this alliance are on the Net most of which are Digest=20 subscribers. Hi guys!! I feel the only problem with a new game is going to= =20 be that old bugbear, cash flow. Anyhow you can count me in. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 15:03:58 +0100 (BST) From: INDEED <roger.littlefair@unn.ac.uk> RoJ> Hey up I`m back. I`ve been away what err... 7 months and have =09rushed in 3 turns recently. I`ve forgotten a hell of a lot of the =09material and have little idea about the changes. What`s this =09full healing? It`s more fun now believe it or now. No stress of =09getting TNB running ( do they still exist? ). =09I`m back, and I need some help, but we`ll see what can be achieved =09from scrtach once more. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 09:44:11 EST From: "Carl Speed" <carl_speed@uk.ibm.com> Sounds good to me... However I would be hesitant because I'm still a virgin player compared to most (only 24 turns under the belt). Anyway, this sounds like a good idea. =20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Roy.Thomas@ubs.com Date: Fri, 29 Mar 96 16:58:39 +0000 > DR > Everyone knows that if you buy a set of armour the character will > quite happily use it straight away. Then why will he pick up a club in > preference to a +3 axe when he's got 100% in axes. It's about time the > routines were rewritten for characters to use their best listed weapon, > not the first available in the backpack. It's plain stupid. > > JPG> I agree. One thing we could do with is a bug list; little things > like this that are obviously just incorrectly programmed and need > rectifying. I am quite happy to collect _short_ bug descriptions and > compile them together to send to KJC, along the same lines as the Top > 5 improvements, but I'll send in all bugs I receive, not just the top > 5. > JPG> There is a command to change which weapon you use, isn't there? > I still agree that in the absence of such an order, the weapon the > character is most proficient in should prevail. > RJT> I am not so sure about this! There are situations when you may wish to use clubs, daggers etc. instead of axes or great swords. RJT> I know that there are routines which stats that dwarves don't fight properly when using Great Swords (After all would you fight well with a sword that was longer that you were tall?), and I remember being told that in Dungeons and cave systems you can't swing some weapons so they does have full effect. RJT> You have to be able to give a character the weapon that best suits=20 the terrain (hence the use order) no matter which weapon he is best at. This implies that you can't afford to make the assumption you are alluding to. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- JPG> Okay, I have to be VERY quick now, as Aston university info services= =20 are about to close for Easter, and they're just waiting for _me_ to leave! The QD game thing was meant to be an ordinary game of Quest in all=20 respects but for two; 1) A newsletter gets published by email 2) Players should be on email I am afraid, Paul Noble, that the original suggestion was not for an=20 email only game, as I don't see KJC implementing that any time soon. =20 (Perhaps they could get Peter's code...?) Also, personally I like bits=20 of paper that I can refer back to, as opposed to files on disk. Call me=20 a luddite. :) I have had quite a few emails in support of this that didn't make it into= =20 the Digest as they were more personal emails. It's sometimes hard to=20 judge what people want putting in and what they don't, so sorry if I=20 sometimes make mistakes! Try and label it clearly if you can. I will have words with KJC at some point and ask them about the=20 feasibility of setting this game up. Obviously they'll want more than=20 just a few emails of support before they set it up, but at least we can=20 start the ball rolling! Meanwhile I'd like to encourage discussion of the technical details of=20 how the game would be run. What's your opinion on the alliances idea? =20 Should they be religious? Should they be there at all? And the=20 newsletter; should it be an add on to the Digest or published sperately? Anyway, Happy Easter to all for now, and lucky Questing until I see you=20 again... >>-=01Josh=02-> "You can't always get what you want" - Rolling Stones Up