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| when iz we havin' anuvver melbourne boozeup? |
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Yep - I'm up for that! Just say the word/send the email  Email
          
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ME TOO
MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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How come the random map editor seems to activly conspire to place the players in bad positions? Is it just me or the aliens? Why can't I seem to win anymore 
 
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Why does the map editor conspire to give me the worst systems in the galaxy? Is it just me?
How come the bighted aliens seem to win the tech race and churn out millions of colony ships at the same time. Even with technos in charge and huge reseach abilities the AI allways races ahead of me at the beginning. How the heck does it do that. I'm on Intelligent so presumably they shouldn't get cheats.
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So the reason for the massive tech boom is due to the fact they start off able to trade with all the other aliens in the universe. I've noticed one crucial militery weakness in the AI though. In wars they often churn out constructers instead of fighting ships and often don't try to defend their trade routes.
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Although we have been quiet for a while, I thought I would offer support to those affected by the recent controversy over scoring. As Captain Jack points out in the Tortuga thread, those of us who have been around for a long time have been here before. There seems to be two distinct issues:
1. "Cheating" - where a save game is hacked and resubmitted. I don't think anyone here would have any problem with declaring that to be unreasonable and worthy of discipline and censure.
2. "Cheesing" - where a given tactic, applied repetitively, gains a player multiple high scoring games in a relatively short period of time. In the past Stardock have certainly come down from on high and declared this not in "the spirit of the game" (notably with EBZ and his cranking tactics). The problem here is that playing against the AI, there will always be an understandable desire to "beat the AI" i.e. find the critical tactics that lead to the quickest and most elegant high score victory with the least possible effort. It's the way the human competitive instinct works, and I am surprised that Stardock are so horrified when it actually happens. The very structure of the Metaverse lends itself to the top positions being filled by those players who are good enough to have worked out how to beat the game and are prepared to put the hours of gameplay in to log many, many scores.
In the general forum Brad Wardell has stated that he is considering a similar penalty for "cheese" tactics but has not yet implemented this. Translated, this means: your scores will only count if you play the game the way Stardock wants you to. In the old days (my old days, anyway  ) diplomacy picks allowed cultural bombing and wins without a significant military effort. How would Stardock police this? All games submitted with Diplo 60+ total picks are removed from the Metaverse? It is a ridiculous notion, and one that will cost Stardock customers and participation in the Metaverse. I believe as paying customers, we are entitled to play the game any way we want and submit those games (as long as they are legally obtained) whether Stardock management admire the game technique or not.
On a personal note to Lothmorg and Renegade, who have both been long term members of the community:
I am not interested in whether the claims made against you are true or false. I know both of you will be feeling very angry at the unfolding events, and I am sure you are also feeling somewhat powerless about it all, especially when you turn up one morning to find your scores at zero. Capt. Jack is right - not everything Stardock thinks is cheating turns out to be that way with further analysis, and his experiences with GROSS players backs that up.
I still check in here occasionally long after I got sick of the game, because of the quality of the people involved as players - and that goes for you two without reservation. Renegade and I have crossed swords but I would still prefer him here - it's always good value to have someone stirring the pot! No matter what the fallout and what might unfold over the next few days, I'd encourage you to keep in touch with the playing community because that is more important than a Metaverse score - people are always more important than numbers and machines. Special Forces has its time in the sun, but the friendships that developed turned out to be much more important than having the top players or the top score. Don't lose sight of that in the midst of all this other rubbish.
For everyone else that is feeling peeved - and I hesitate to suggest this - perhaps a different message of protest might be sent? Sometimes one feels that they just have to do SOMETHING; maybe officially refusing to submit any games at all for 2-3 days (or some mutually agreed timeframe) will make a public statement of protest.
Best wishes - and hang tough
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Thanks for the support there Wombie.
1. I have no problem with genuine cheaters being removed. I try to create a great empire with very few, if any rules, that's the only one. Genuine cheating gets you kicked out.
2. I'm the cheesiest one here. I used to score bomb like Staffa, Taught EBZ the bankrupting technique, then I moved over to the crankomasotechnique.
It's all cheese. Always has been. That's the human advantage. My biggest complaint with Stardock is not the meta scoring. It's that no adjustments were made in the AI itself to react to known cheese tactics. That's what the meta was supposed to be for.
  
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iz all a bit tense. i iz confused....
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lothmorg and renegade's scores were zeroed after a score audit on account of them "submitting the same game over and over".........
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YOUR ALL CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE DIPLOMATS NEW SITE AT WWW.DIPLOMATS-EMPIRE.COM! 
    
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nice to see you again Wombie and Hurls!!!
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| So, tell us your drinking stories, why dontcha? |
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you jus' gonna hafta turn up to the next one.....
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MMM THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING.....
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