FAQ: GALAXY-players (brief version) From: rnovak@nyx10.cs.du.edu (Robert Novak) Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1993 18:37:30 +0000 Archive-name: games/galaxy-brief-player-faq Last-Modified: 1993/12/29 Created: 29 December 1993 Greetings! This is a very brief Frequently Asked Questions list about the Galaxy play-by-email game by Russell Wallace and the Galaxy PBeM Development group. This FAQ should give players enough information to get started in finding more information and deciding whether they want to pursue the game. I won't update this very often, since the information won't change very much. I will repost regularly, and will probably work on a more detailed player faq and a game masters faq as time allows. Comments are welcome; email me at rnovak@nyx.cs.du.edu if you wish to contact me. --Robert Novak Galaxy GM of several games -=[ Galaxy brief player FAQ ]=- What is Galaxy? Galaxy is a Play-By-Email game of galactic conquest between about 10-50 people. It's played on a 2-dimensional map; players start with one planet and try to conquer the rest of them (usually 6-10 per player to start out), developing technology and building ships to do so. What do I need to play Galaxy? You need no special software to play the game; some programs are available for Unix-type systems and ANSI C systems that may help you plan your orders, but all you need is the ability to send an email message to the GM's designated address and to receive turn reports by email. How much does playing Galaxy cost? Galaxy is completely free. The license for the software prohibits non-free games without permission from the authors, and no known instances of pay-to-play games have been found. You may need to pay for your Internet access... but this is specific to you and the game is not affected nor connected to your personal access arrangements. How much time does it take to play Galaxy? Some players report spending about 10 minutes on turns, two or three times a week depending on the game speed. Some players have reportedly spent several hours whilst closing up a game in a leading role. You can get by with about any time between these, depending on how serious you are and how strategic you are. How does the game operate? You will receive a turn report, which contains information on your race (similar to a team or nation), the map of the galaxy, planets, ship types, and ship groups. You develop a set of orders for the next turn and email them to the GM. {Some GMs use turn checkers or forecasters which will tell you if you've made mistakes. Others trust your skill to make few or no mistakes. Your GM will tell you if this is the case, and if you ply in a game that has a checker you will receive checker output when you submit orders.} You can send in as many sets of orders as you wish, and the last set received before the turn is run will be used. The GM will put all players' orders into the game to run the turn, and new reports will be mailed back out to you. How do I find out the rules for Galaxy? Robert Novak, one of the Galaxy GMs, operates a server which returns rules in response to email requests. To get Galaxy documentation, send an email message to rnovak@nyx.cs.du.edu with a subject of "sendme galaxy docs" and the 40k (approximate size) text file will be mailed to you. Documentation is also available for ftp from cs.utk.edu /pub/bampton/Galaxy if you prefer. How do I join a game of Galaxy? You can email a game GM and ask to be placed on a waiting list, or watch the galaxy-list and rec.games.pbm for announcements of openings and games. What are galaxy-list and rec.games.pbm? galaxy-list is a mailing list for Galaxy information and announcements. To join it, email galaxy-request@acca.nmsu.edu with subject "subscribe" rec.games.pbm is a newsgroup for play-by-mail games, including Galaxy. Can I run my own game of Galaxy? Sure! The source code is available for ftp from cs.utk.edu /pub/bampton/Galaxy and can be compiled on most Unix machines. An older version is available on some ftp sites that is compilable on MS-DOS machines with Zortech C version 2. Sun and MS-DOS binaries and source code are also available from Robert Novak by email... write for details. How do I run my own game of Galaxy? That's a fun one. Write to Robert Novak or another Galaxy GM for details. It's beyond the scope of this brief player FAQ. -[end of brief FAQ]- Write me if you need more information. Rob Novak rnovak@nyx.cs.du.edu Up