Aug 26th 2010, 6:43:48
We've listened to your feedback and have come up with a proposed list of changes for the express server. The main goals of these changes are to encourage grabbing, discourage random suiciding, tie up various loose ends, and to try out a few new ideas. These will be added to the game once we feel that we've received enough feedback about them. The express server will be closely monitored after the changes are implemented to see if anything needs to be adjusted or rolled back. The planned and proposed changes are below:
-Remove oil.
Oiler doesn't appear to be a viable strategy on this server and a lack of oil on the market can mean that players won't be able to grab for a day. Oil on express strikes me as being a nuisance.
-Countries start with 72 (0) turns maximum.
This means that players will have 2 full days and 5 or so hours to create a country without losing turns instead of 3 full days. We considered other solutions to eliminate undesirable early game antics, but as long as players are able to do whatever they want for a full day without consequences there will be problems.
Further clarification: Countries created before the set start with 0(0) turns, countries created during the first 4.8 hours have the usual amount of turns, and countries created after the first 4.8 hours only get 72(0) turns.
-Changing around public market constants.
Specifically: maximum market sale sale percentage raised from 25% to 45%, time to market raised from 0-0.5 hours to 0.5-1 hours, time on market raised from 8 hours to 16 hours, and turns to recall raised from 3 to 5. This will hopefully cut down on some of the undercutting and make non-casher strategies easier to play.
-The scores update will be every 15 minutes instead of every 5 minutes.
Hopefully this will cut down on end of server suiciding and allow players to play their turns without being in a state of frenzy.
-Increase starting resources.
Starting acres will now be 500A, cash will be $250k, food will be 5k, and base bpt will be 20. This is more of a test to see the effects of accelerating the beginning part of the game.
-Decrease maximum daily spy ops to 100.
It seems a little bit unnecessary to be able to get 2 spy ops on every single country in the game twice a day.
-Minimum ally time will be 24 hours and sending foreign aid will be impossible.
These rules should better fit the short length and the individual nature of the express server.
-Reduce the "unable to drop land window" from 72 hours to 24 hours.
This seems more appropriate for a server that only lasts five days.
-Declaring war will be removed.
This is related to the final change.
-Completely changing the GDI system.
GDI will now serve as suicider prevention. The proposed rule set is as follows:
--Minimum GDI time is the whole length of the set.
--Cost is $5 per acre.
--Countries in GDI will only be able to do standard strikes, planned strikes, steal tech, or burn bushels to countries which have done at least 2 attacks or offensive spy ops towards them.
--Countries not in GDI attacking countries in GDI will only be able to do standard strikes, planned strikes, steal tech, or burn bushels, unless the country in GDI has attacked them more than twice.
-If a country has done a special attack in the past 24 hours it cannot join GDI.
We are basically requiring countries to do two or more attacks before all out war can start between them. Players of course need to opt into this protection, but countries will no longer be able to randomly AB GDI countries that haven't attacked them more than twice.
Please post any concerns, comments, or questions that you have. Keep in mind that these changes are NOT going to be implied to the current set. It may take a few weeks to get them all coded in properly.
-Remove oil.
Oiler doesn't appear to be a viable strategy on this server and a lack of oil on the market can mean that players won't be able to grab for a day. Oil on express strikes me as being a nuisance.
-Countries start with 72 (0) turns maximum.
This means that players will have 2 full days and 5 or so hours to create a country without losing turns instead of 3 full days. We considered other solutions to eliminate undesirable early game antics, but as long as players are able to do whatever they want for a full day without consequences there will be problems.
Further clarification: Countries created before the set start with 0(0) turns, countries created during the first 4.8 hours have the usual amount of turns, and countries created after the first 4.8 hours only get 72(0) turns.
-Changing around public market constants.
Specifically: maximum market sale sale percentage raised from 25% to 45%, time to market raised from 0-0.5 hours to 0.5-1 hours, time on market raised from 8 hours to 16 hours, and turns to recall raised from 3 to 5. This will hopefully cut down on some of the undercutting and make non-casher strategies easier to play.
-The scores update will be every 15 minutes instead of every 5 minutes.
Hopefully this will cut down on end of server suiciding and allow players to play their turns without being in a state of frenzy.
-Increase starting resources.
Starting acres will now be 500A, cash will be $250k, food will be 5k, and base bpt will be 20. This is more of a test to see the effects of accelerating the beginning part of the game.
-Decrease maximum daily spy ops to 100.
It seems a little bit unnecessary to be able to get 2 spy ops on every single country in the game twice a day.
-Minimum ally time will be 24 hours and sending foreign aid will be impossible.
These rules should better fit the short length and the individual nature of the express server.
-Reduce the "unable to drop land window" from 72 hours to 24 hours.
This seems more appropriate for a server that only lasts five days.
-Declaring war will be removed.
This is related to the final change.
-Completely changing the GDI system.
GDI will now serve as suicider prevention. The proposed rule set is as follows:
--Minimum GDI time is the whole length of the set.
--Cost is $5 per acre.
--Countries in GDI will only be able to do standard strikes, planned strikes, steal tech, or burn bushels to countries which have done at least 2 attacks or offensive spy ops towards them.
--Countries not in GDI attacking countries in GDI will only be able to do standard strikes, planned strikes, steal tech, or burn bushels, unless the country in GDI has attacked them more than twice.
-If a country has done a special attack in the past 24 hours it cannot join GDI.
We are basically requiring countries to do two or more attacks before all out war can start between them. Players of course need to opt into this protection, but countries will no longer be able to randomly AB GDI countries that haven't attacked them more than twice.
Please post any concerns, comments, or questions that you have. Keep in mind that these changes are NOT going to be implied to the current set. It may take a few weeks to get them all coded in properly.