(03-17-2016, 12:03 AM)Ry Vor Wrote: Just briefly, pulling from several comments.
- We had a major decision to make on releasing The Choosing. Basically, we believe the code is working well. Various constraints mean we don't have all the enhancements some may have desired in place at the onset.
- Most of the enhancements not yet in place are aesthetic. So we have lots of battle text, retreat language, war cries, revisions to spell descriptions, PC defense descriptions, and many other things not in place. But given human resources, we will go forward without those.
- There are a couple changes I need to see in code. So not sure when games will start. Absolute worst case is I just tell the first 36 places in the first three games what two changes they have to be responsible for as players. Hoping that will not be necessary.
- Looking forward to the game signups tomorrow, starting at 6pm eastern. It appears the first 3 positions in the Anonymous queue are promised. Otherwise, please signup in Alliance as a team or just two claiming a color and a free agent will join.
- Or, go Full-On and outright be the first to actually claim a zone or kingdom. BOO! I am HERE!
The hold up is on me. I've been really busy juggling two jobs now that I don't have that much time left for new development and it's causing the delay. I'll try to get to the two changes that Ry Vor mentioned above sometime next week but any new 3rd Cycle games may have to start without those modifications in place.
The two changes are: (1) disallow the Conceal Emissary spell until turn 4, and (2) recruiting Companion brigades are limited to 3 for the kingdom per turn. Previously, kingdoms were able to recruit up to 3 Companion brigades per group a turn, now a kingdom is limited to only 3 total to recruit for the turn.
Would people signing up for a 3rd Cycle game be ok with a player enforced rule of the above two items until the code reflects the new rulings?
Again, the delay is on me but I don't know if I'll be able to get to these changes in time before the new games begin. Personally, I don't think playing the game with the old version is really that bad. For the Conceal Emissary issue, I think the problem was that during the Beta test, someone cast it on turn 1 which prevented another player from detecting their move to a city which caused the other's emissaries to be captured by the "invisible" emissary performing a status quo on turn 2. Which I thought was a clever move by a player to prevent another from gaining control of a city but having one's highest emissaries imprisoned in a city early on may offset the balance of the game. So I need to change the spell and only allow it after turn 3 even though the game already has a counter to this action (e.g., just move an extra emissary to the city and issue stir unrest to counter a possible concealed status quo). Also, I've played several games where I ignored the city and still gained control of the region so it's not that big of a deal but let me know if you (the players) want the code to reflect this if it's too difficult to be a player enforced rule.
The other change of recruiting a max of 3 companions per turn rather than 3 per group may take some time to code as well. I believe the reason for the change is to prevent groups from becoming too massive since companions were only meant to augment a kingdom's forces rather than become their primary troops. I mentioned to Ry Vor that this issue may not be that much of a factor afterall and that we could start new games for The Choosing without the rule change but let me know if you (the players) don't think it will work as a player enforced rule.
Personally, I don't think playing the game without the new rule will offset the balance of the game anyway. I remember when people first signed up to play the Red Dragons (2nd Cycle), they got all excited thinking that they would dominate the game since they could recruit up to 4 wingbeasts per group every turn and end up running away with an easy victory. Well, a look at Valhalla standings shows that didn't exactly worked out that way and that's with the previous version of the game where special 565 troops don't have a maximum limit in a group as in 3rd Cycle.
So personally, I don't think something like this even if it weren't player enforced should prevent new 3rd Cycle games from starting but that's my opinion. Share your thoughts if you're unwilling to impose the above two as player enforced rules or if you are ok with them (or even play the game without any player enforced rules then make the adjustment when the code has them in place).
Again the delay is on my end but I won't be able to code these anytime soon...
