Re: VGA Planets questions

From: wayne@eng.umd.edu (Wayne C. McCullough)

Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1993 13:36:38 +0000

In article <1993Jan14.131455.3660@infonode.ingr.com> jimreed@b23b.b23b.ingr.com writes:
>I've recently discovered VGA Planets and have played around with
>it on my own, but not in an organized game.
>
>How long does a game typically last (number of turns)?

Hmmm... 60+, for a full 11 person game.   I hosted one that died do to
lack of interest that lasted for only ~45 turns, and there was little
major combat.

If people did not have other demands, the game could have lasted easily
another 45 turns without a decicive winner.  This game started short (a
big mistake).

>Has anyone run a game with turns less often than once a day?
>
>How many planets and ships do you control near the end of the
>game (assuming of course that you last that long)?

Not a proper question.  You should have Enough planets and Enough ships
to complete the tasks at hand.   You should at the end have at least
one major supplier of all mineral resources.  And ships... enough to
1) transport all minerals you need to transport.  2) defend your empire.
and 3) attack opponents and serve as a deterent to being attacked.

One should note that quality almost always outweighs quantity in this game.
Sure, a dozen scouts can pester him, and can be usefull at taking out his
mineral supplies, but one battleship is usually more than enough to take
out your opponents starbase.

>How quickly is the first player out?

Quite some time.  The first player is usually out due to a bad mineral
sit. and opponents taking advantage of this, taking out his supply lines.

I haven't seen this myself, but I suspect a lor of players will fall as
soon as one player has the ability to build lots of battleships.

>The reason I'm asking is that I'm considering hosting a game
>and want to get an idea of the time involved.

An hour per turn at least, and several months.

References

VGA Planets questions
jim@doink.b23b.ingr.com (James B. Reed)
Thu, 14 Jan 1993 13:14:55 +0000

Referenced By

VGA Planets questions
jim@doink.b23b.ingr.com (James B. Reed)
Thu, 14 Jan 1993 13:14:55 +0000