Atlantis Times, Volume 1, Issue 10 From: rwallace@cs.tcd.ie (Russell Wallace) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1993 08:03:41 +0000 Atlantis Times, Volume 1, Issue 10 ---------------------------------- Results of the survey: Ratings generally were in the 6 to 10 range, though there were a couple of 3s and 4s (sob, sob :-)). The response on the turn rate was about 50-50 in favour of 1 turn per week, the main reason given being not so much the time taken to actually work out one's orders, as to handle the diplomacy. (This is good; the intent of the game design was that the mechanical process of writing the orders should be relatively easy, but the implications of the game should be complex.) Lacking a substantial majority in favour of 2 turns per week, the game stays at 1 turn. On the other points, the consensus among those who thought that the game could be improved, was that the main things lacking are: - Economic incentives for specialization, e.g. trading versus conquest, as opposed to just going around killing people. - An element of exploration. I am heartened by the fact that most people agreed that my clean and simple set of game mechanics is basically good, and there were very few calls for making the rules more convoluted for its own sake :-). On the issue of economic incentives and exploration, I'm not in a position to do much about these at the moment. Later on in the summer, when I hopefully have more free time, I'll take a look and see what can be done. I will probably implement something along the lines of the specialization idea (but not without plenty of advance warning). One point that a couple of people mentioned was the killing of newbies. My attempt at a solution to this will be to put the following into the "Welcome to Atlantis" message: ******************************************************************************* YOUR FIRST PRIORITY SHOULD BE TO RECRUIT SOME BODYGUARDS AND FORM ALLIANCES. YOU SHOULD DO THIS IMMEDIATELY. ALLIANCES ARE THE WAY TO AVOID PREMATURE DEATH. IF YOU HAVE NO ALLIES AND ARE NOT VERY POWERFUL, THERE IS NOTHING TO PREVENT SOMEONE FROM KILLING YOU. ******************************************************************************* Seriously, I don't plonk newbies down in the same region as an established and bloodthirsty player. In every case I can think of where newbies have been massacred, this was done by someone else who had started at the same time and in the same place; if the victims had followed the advice set out above, they would have lived. On the one other point that a few people mentioned, if you make a mistake in the orders it messes up your turn, unfortunately I don't really have the resources to set up an automatic turn checker at my account. However there are one or two turn checkers out there, which it is a good idea to use. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= O======================================================================O | O==O==O * C O M P A N H I A A T L A N T I D A * O==O==O | | \___/ * * \___/ | | ||| * THE BEST LITTLE WHORE-HOUSE IN DUNCANSBY * ||| | | ||| * * ||| | | /---\ * SALUTES THE DUNCANSBY ARMY * /---\ | O======================================================================O Our fun palace is open to all, conquerors & conquered, male & female, human and beast, mystics and materialists, etcetera, etcetera... Remember, all you have to do is include this in your orders for next month (and every month there after): PAY UNIT 710 10 and the lovliest, nastiest creatures of Duncansby will delight you with all their charms. DON'T BE THE LAST UNIT ON OUR ISLAND TO VISIT OUR TENT! FUTURE PLANS INCLUDE A NICE BIG BUILDING FOR OUR ENTERTAINERS! TREAT YOUR WARRIORS TO A MAGNIFICENT REWARD AFTER THE BLOODY BATTLE! O======================================================================O | O==O==O * | | * The world is full of willing people, some willing to | | < M B > * work, the rest willing to let them. | | * | | O==O==O * Roberto Frost (famous entertainer) | O======================================================================O =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Flies buzzed overhead as the sun scorched down on the bloodstained ground in Liscannor. Small wiry figures picked their way through the numerous corpses littering the ground. Gharst made his way back to the leaders tent, and pushed his way inside. "Well, Gharst, what have you to report?" "18 dead, a few more injured, but they'll recover." "Money?" "Plenty." The leader grinned. "What of that mob over there? They're still alive? Why?" "Not worth robbing. I've told them they can stay or leave as they please. They are of no consequence". The leader grunted his approval. You have done well, Gharst. Come, let us drink... -------------------------------- And the moral of this story is "Recruit enough people to make your faction not worth killing". =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The streets of Sarab were crowded as usual; it was market day. Hucksters, pedlars and purveyors of Saffron Jam jammed elbows as they vyed for trade. In one of the narrow alleys a slight woman wearing an embroidered shawl watched the busy street; she looked small and lost in all the bustle. A kindly street-vendor of Spling cake took pity on her. "Hullo m'dear, what you'm be wanting to find, eh? Tell old Binro..." The girl turned a relieved face toward him. "O could you help? I have travelled many miles from the far North, and -" Binro interrupted in amazement. "From the Far North is't? I cum fro'there in furst place! Ahh, but that be a baaad place now, young missee, what with the Evil Barons and worshippers of Woc-Neer and whut-not. A right bunch of bowderlaicious varmints they do be; enslaving all the North and so forth. They do be but blood-'ngorged spiders that they do be! You want to stay down here in the South where the All-Conquering Red Goddess stands four-square against such miscreants and find yourself some fine handsome Lunar soldier for t'wed. I tell'ee, the North is nought but an ugly skringe on the side of a Zummock, as my old Daad used to say. Why my old Daad, he once said -" The girl exclaimed in wonder. "Why then this is Sarab, where the Avatar of The Mighty Goddess walks! O it is wonderful to be here at last! Oh, when might I see her, do you think? Oh, what is going on?" For at that moment the sound of mighty conches filled the air, and the people in the streets scattered for cover; closing windows, hiding under carts, etc. "What is going on?" murmured the girl. Binro replied from inside a half-full rain barrel. "Tis the Avatar! She walks the market-place! And though she is a kind and just ruler, we do 'av the most dreadful fear of accidentally catching sight of her, just in case her perilous beauty and other-worldly numinous power do enthrall and en-rapture us quite utterly! And then who wud sell these fine Spling cakes?" The girl stood in wonder as a gorgeous and splendid procession proceeded down the main street. Jewel bedecked servants leading tame Gugs on silver leashes; bronze chariots driven by hawk-eyed men, armed with Thrungl Horn-Bows seven feet long; even a captured Asm-Beast in a cage! She had never seen anything so wonderful - - until she beheld the eyes of the person riding aloft on a huge ivory chair harnessed onto a vast white Gundark, that shook the ground as it walked. Those eyes! Like pools they were; full of wisdom and an ineffable light that seemed to come from vistas visible only to their owner. "O Avatar!" the girl murmured "you are wondrous indeed..." Thyse, Queen-Avatar of the Reaching Moon spoke. Her voice was light, and unimaginably sweet; like clean air to someone who has been trapped in the stinking hold of a slave ship without surcease for uncounted sunless days. "You are Raveena y Hidalgo; daughter of The Weaponsmith. You have come because your sister is dead; slain by the Northern Slavers. You have come because your Father is betrayed by the vile Spider-Barons; like monstrous cockroaches that devour their own young they devour him; and he has blinded himself in despair and grief. Poor man. If ever he comes here he shall have my friendship - and you, who fear not to look at me? You shall have your dearest wish! You shall be a Priestess!" Raveena swooned away for very joy. And from inside the rain-barrel came an indistinct voice; "Aaaar, I told you you'ld like 'er, didn't I?" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Open letter to the Lizard men, the Garden People, the Barbarian Hordes, and Any incarnations of Kahar: We regret any problems that may have occured in the past and offer (especially to Garden people and Lizard guys) to make ammends for units lost when Roackian forces attacked Dark Ranger forces. We would also like to offer you a deal on ranged weapons and, in the future, BOATS. Roack Industries has presently developed a supply network and industrial capacity to meet weapon needs in a number of areas. Inquiries can be made at wbruvold@weber.ucsd.edu. Roack =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "He's still in there?" Alejandro, brave scout of the Hidalgo peoples, asked. He pointed to the tent, closed and still. Antonio, chief roustabout, nodded. "Hasn't come out since last month. He eats a little, though." "And everything else going well?" "So it seems. The sages say that great changes may be about in the land. Maximilian kept shaking his head and saying, 'Two 40 K design digests sent out in one day. Amazing. Don't these guys ever work?' I had no idea what he was talking about. He warns that soon, the lion will cooperate with the lamb, the peasants will hide all their money, and producing will suddenly become much harder. He does say not to worry too much, though. All these Portents of Doom will come far into the future, if at all. "But Alejandro," Antonio continued. "How did your big scouting mission turn out? You've been gone for months." "A complete and utter failure. As you know, Dominic gave me the majority of the Hidalgo fortune to go the Utter East and start a new encampment, far from these crowded and treacherous lands. I was doing fine until I found that I was smack dab in the middle of the so-called 'Eastern Dominion' of the Ancient Order of Olympians! And me without so much as one bodyguard!" "So what happened?" Alejandro continued. "Well, I did fall asleep for a month, but at about that point, we figured out that we are stuck on this Ecallaw llessur-forsaken island. Hmmm . . . this island should have a name! 'First Island' or 'Old World' just doesn't cut it. Any suggestions?" "Nah. I'm sure someone will, though." "Anyway, seeing as how there was no more East to go to, I high-tailed it back. Nobody knew of the gold doubloons I kept tightly clenched between the cheeks of my buttocks, and I was not molested. I did want to head south, but I was afraid of being butchered by the Garden People." "Yeah, they were sniffing around here this month. Some day, my friend, they're gonna be standing right here, with swords -- big frigging sharp ones. And armor, too. I've never seen armor before. Scares the living shit out of me, it does. And you know what, Alejandro, my friend?" "We'll be somewhere else? Somewhere safer?" "The brave men of Hidalgo will be here to spit in their faces." "I was afraid you were going to say that." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -- "To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem" Russell Wallace, Trinity College, Dublin rwallace@cs.tcd.ie Referenced By Up