PlanetsCentral

Hi,

the Tequila War / Cactus scoring system has been proposed a few times already. As promised, I built an adapted version while waiting for Santa Claus DHL to deliver presents, and my oven to spit out cookies.

Initial player documentation

(although entirely new code, the behaviour is 99% the same as the original, with some added logic to fit into the PlanetsCentral host.)

Now, there are some points to debate and I'd like your input.

Configuration: the most prominent configuration questions are KeepCactus=Yes or No, RebuildCactus=Yes or No? Is there a proven good configuration? Should the voting feature actually be used to end games, or do we keep playing with PlanetsCentral's standard settings?

Scanning: By default, you do not know whether a foreign planet has a cactus. If you want to play aggressively, wouldn't it make sense to target planets the enemy considers important? A possible rule could be:

• Freighters can scan for enemy cactuses using the Sensor Sweep mission. It needs to be a freighter, and it cannot be cloaked at the same time, because the smell of tequila does not penetrate shields.
• Open questions would be the range of the scanner, and whether it scans everything or only with a given probability (probability = score of target, so low at start of game, high at end?)

Friendly Codes: Would it make sense to have a friendly code to build a cactus? Right now, this version uses a command for PHost's command processor ("cactus: build XXX"), the original sort-of abused command messages to achieve a similar effect.

--Stefan

On Russian hosts, we actively used the tequila script But the KeepCactus function was only proposed, I did not play in this version to start, I would suggest making the game according to standard conditions +1 +10 -15 At the end of the game - set the standard 80 or 100 turns, but additionally after 60 turns to take a vote for the end of the game to create cacti - please keep the opportunity to plant a cactus on the planet with a letter from the VPA

<<< VPA Data Transmission >>>

OBJECT: Planet 214

the Tequila War / Cactus scoring system has been proposed a few times already. As promised, I built an adapted version while waiting for Santa Claus DHL to deliver presents, and my oven to spit out cookies.

Now, there are some points to debate and I'd like your input.

Configuration: the most prominent configuration questions are KeepCactus=Yes or No, RebuildCactus=Yes or No? Is there a proven good configuration? Should the voting feature actually be used to end games, or do we keep playing with PlanetsCentral's standard settings? --Stefan

Here's config from one of G-List games

; ; Ini-file of "Tequila Wars" add-on for Vga Planets ; ; ; Place the following string to AUXHOST2.INI : ; CACTUS.EXE <game-dir> ; ;

;Tequila income gained from one cactus per turn ; (if KeepCactus = Yes, values 2 or 3 are recommended for TurnScore! ; Alive cactus should produce more Tequila than "stump"! TurnScore = 1

;Bonus for cactus capturing CaptureScore = 40

;Tequila penalty for a cactus lost due capturing LostScore = -20

;Tequila penalty for a cactus lost due destruction DeadScore = -40

;Remaining "stumps" after hewing cactuses: ;NO = cactus dies after capturing ;YES= cactus "stump" remains! KeepCactus = No

;Planting new cactus on a planet with existing "stump" ; (if KeepCactus=YES) RebuildCactus = YES

;Tequila income from captured cactus "stump" per turn (if KeepCactus=YES) TurnPlusScore = 1

;Tequila contribution from "stump" looser per turn TurnMinusScore = -1

;Tequila income per turn if looser gives his "stump" back (if KeepCactus=YES) TurnOwnerScore = 1

;Tequila points to finish the game FinishScore = 2000

;From what turn the voting begins VoteTurn = 65

;% of votes needed to finish the game FinishPercent = 66

;Minimum clans required to plant a new cactus ClansRequired = 0

;Cactus prepayment cost, = A + M * N^X ;N= number of existing cactuses ;A= CostAdditive ;M= CostMultiplier ;X= CostPower CostAdditive = 5 CostMultiplier = 0 CostPower = 0

;Should a planet have the starbase to plant cactus? NeedBase = NO

;Cactus limit per race ("NO" or number) CactusLimit = NO

Hi everyone,

I have now added the "classic" message processing, i.e. you can build a cactus by forwarding yourself a planet.

Regarding configuration, so we agree to start with KeepCactus=No. Fine, this simplifies things

Voting starts at turn 65 by default, that's close enough to at0mix' proposal 60.

Regarding scoring parameters, we have +1/+10/-15 with 0 cost (defaults) vs. +1/+40/-20 with 5 cost (G-List). The latter sounds like a much more aggressive setting. I'm still undecided, I guess both have their advantages.

--Stefan