Re: Galaxy Cargo, Corners & Diplomacy

From: desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)

Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1993 16:47:27 +0000

Brian Sutin <sutin@ra.UCSC.EDU> writes:
> I am assuming a set of "perfect" players.  Once all players are experiencing
> optimal economic growth, only the map and diplomacy determine the game.  If
> some player has sub-optimal growth, that is just his poor tactics.

I have no idea what this means.  First of all, there isn't such a thing
as "optimal economic growth."  The rate at which one can grow depends on
balancing economic investment, conquest of new territory, and defense of
existing territory.  In other words it is not something that each player
can simply do in isolation; it depends on the actions of the other
players.

Secondly, it seems to me that with your "assumptions" that *every*
multiple-player game is equivalent to Diplomacy.  After all, every
player starts with a more-or-less equal chance of winning controlled
only by their initial circumstances, and we assume that they all play
optimally after that, so the winner is whoever can convince everyone
else to let that player win.

If you really think that this is the case, why on Earth would you play a
game like Galaxy, where you have to spend hours making detailed
calculations in order to do well, all the time knowing that everyone
else is going to make the same calculations exactly as well, and so your
time is completely wasted?  Why not play a game without the need to do
this?

David desJardins

References

Re: Galaxy Cargo, Corners & Diplomacy
desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Mon, 22 Mar 1993 05:10:57 +0000
Re: Galaxy Cargo, Corners & Diplomacy
sutin@ra.UCSC.EDU (Brian Sutin)
Mon, 22 Mar 1993 08:38:31 +0000
Galaxy Cargo, Corners & Diplomacy
sutin@helios.ucsc.edu (Brian Sutin)
Mon, 22 Mar 1993 02:56:24 +0000

Referenced By

Re: Galaxy Cargo, Corners & Diplomacy
desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Mon, 22 Mar 1993 05:10:57 +0000
Re: Galaxy Cargo, Corners & Diplomacy
sutin@ra.UCSC.EDU (Brian Sutin)
Mon, 22 Mar 1993 08:38:31 +0000
Galaxy Cargo, Corners & Diplomacy
sutin@helios.ucsc.edu (Brian Sutin)
Mon, 22 Mar 1993 02:56:24 +0000