Epidemic

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What do you think?

Poll ended at Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:38 pm

I love it
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I like it
1
20%
Neutral
2
40%
I don't like it
0
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I hate it
2
40%
 
Total votes: 5
Tekin
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Epidemic

In this quantum universe, many years ago a biological weapon was developed which somehow targeted sentience. No one knows the details of the disease (all of its developers died of it), but aliens of all stripes and advanced androids all die from it, while the food supplies are unaffected.
To the meta-creatures arriving in this quantumverse, a few things are noticed quickly.

1.) Every realm here is always under a plague. It varies based on a logistic function, so those with very small armies will get close to 0 plague, while those with large armies will approach the plague cap. (These caps are based on your UP. While the fickle ascended beings will not cure the disease, they have chosen to prevent any one race from dying out - as least for now).
2.) Activity boosts the plagues' activity. The more turns you use and covert operations you perform, the higher the impact of the plague in the following turn. As people spend more time working in close quarters, they spread the virus more.
3.) It is regularly the habit of those in this realm to infect their own people with the virus, and send them on a suicide run to infect as many of their enemies as possible. While the attacker will not know how effective the attack was, they will be informed if it was successful or not. This is an expensive proposition, involving the loss of turns, untrained, coverts to guide them and Naquadah to purchase the ship which cannot be used again after bearing the plague bearers. But, as a form of blitzkrieg, it enables you to attack targets who would ordinarily be unreachable. If successful, the rate of infection on the target planet rises. If the rate is already too high, there are enough of the plague victims who know their death is certain willing to die to defend their loved ones, and the attack will fail. The attacker's covert needs to be only 1/10 of the targets - it doesn't take much finesse to sneak a few onto a planet when their very breath is poison.
4.) While some technology can slow the advancing plague (by detecting and executing carriers early), this technology requires both Naquadah and untrained units. A cure requires tests subjects, and not all will be healed.

The PlagueLands where this quantum world sits are a strange place, where it is necessary to be aggressive to survive, but that aggression comes at a greater cost than usual. The constant deflation on army sizes keeps this world a competitive one, where your secure homeworld one day has been consumed by disease the next.
Neimenljivi
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Re: Epidemic

One big problem with the idea - it will be even easier for everyone to snipe whoever they want, even if they don't play themselves, just log in once per week or two weeks, and they'll be able to obliterate top accounts ;)

~Jack
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Haz wrote:It took a bit of time, but the investigation has now been completed.
S1eepy will be banned for scripting, for the remainder of this era.
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Tekin
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Re: Epidemic

Neimenljivi wrote:One big problem with the idea - it will be even easier for everyone to snipe whoever they want, even if they don't play themselves, just log in once per week or two weeks, and they'll be able to obliterate top accounts ;)

~Jack
That is a good point on one hand, but it depends entirely on the balancing. You could actually prevent that if the plague was set up right. Then the would-be sniper would find himself/herself with a weak account every time, instead of being able to build up one stat and then wait on turns to generate. This would make things more competitive for active players, while preventing inactive accounts from staying strong. The idea of sending in carriers would also mean that those with only one strong stat would find that stat quickly eaten up by the plague, since there would be nothing else to kill.
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Sol
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Re: Epidemic

Neimenljivi wrote:One big problem with the idea - it will be even easier for everyone to snipe whoever they want, even if they don't play themselves, just log in once per week or two weeks, and they'll be able to obliterate top accounts ;)

~Jack
Sounds like it will be easier for the non $$ spenders to play and win.

Interesting idea, quite good anyway.
You could derive quite a few technologies from it.
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Sol wrote:It's not going to destroy your life :P
Really?
I think this is sig worthy in fact.
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Neimenljivi
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Re: Epidemic

"The attacker's covert needs to be only 1/10 of the targets - it doesn't take much finesse to sneak a few onto a planet when their very breath is poison. "

Due to the way covert is set that would mean, at the moment, someone with spy level 29 and 10 mil spies and worse spy tech could infect my account and I have spy level 31, 60 mil spies and 80% bonus compared to them due to GnR + better techs (and my covert is #1). Spy level 29 costs less than 2k ATs worth of farming and the inactives have 3mil army size. It would be way too easy to infect anyone you want - stay inactive till your turns build up, use them all to build UP & spy level and viola, you can take down anyone you want ;)

Sol - no not really. Those who buy USSs/FSSs don't get any noticable UUs and since the plauge would be based on UUs - USSs wouldn't make much difference in this regard. All it would do is make it tougher on those who got bigger (either by playing smart or by donating a lot and spending that extra naq for UP and get UUs in time) and easier on those who are smaller. Even without USSs, by smart play you can stay competitive throughout the whole era if you play smart. So it won't affect spenders any more than non-spenders with good strategies.
What would be easier for the non spenders to win is to make USSs give a 1/10th of what they give now.. Like it's been for the past few eras, except this one again.. A shame really..

~Jack
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Haz wrote:It took a bit of time, but the investigation has now been completed.
S1eepy will be banned for scripting, for the remainder of this era.
Name: S1eepy [ TheCheekyChickens ]
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Sol
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Re: Epidemic

Neimenljivi wrote:
Sol - no not really. Those who buy USSs/FSSs don't get any noticable UUs and since the plauge would be based on UUs - USSs wouldn't make much difference in this regard. All it would do is make it tougher on those who got bigger (either by playing smart or by donating a lot and spending that extra naq for UP and get UUs in time) and easier on those who are smaller.
Exactly, a smaller battleground, easier for beginners and those that don't and can't play a text/turn based game 24/7 to match with.
If you think USS is still too much of a benefit then you can ask for it to be decreased, or at least provide indirect resources/benefits.

Though I only did say the idea was good, balancing it and such is another story, probably for AJ to consider.
Field Marshall wrote:
Sol wrote:It's not going to destroy your life :P
Really?
I think this is sig worthy in fact.
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Neimenljivi
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Re: Epidemic

I have constantly been asking to decrease the amount of resources USSs/FSSs give ;)

It is already too easy to catch up. UP gets a lot cheaper the further away you are from top UP, same with techs, ATs are cheaper on market, etc., while all USSs/FSSs are calculated based on top income/UP so the smaller accounts get the same amount of resources from buying USSs, if they choose to, as top account, whereas they can buy a lot more stuff with those resources as it's a lot cheaper for them. I really don't see the need to punish those who get ahead even further. I mean, what's the point in playing Q if anyone can catch up, no matter how smart or dumb they've invested their resources? It's a game where it's all about the strategy and what you do with limited resources, unlike main where they are practically unlimited..

~Jack
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Haz wrote:It took a bit of time, but the investigation has now been completed.
S1eepy will be banned for scripting, for the remainder of this era.
Name: S1eepy [ TheCheekyChickens ]
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2012 Awards awarded to me:
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Sol
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Re: Epidemic

Neimenljivi wrote:I have constantly been asking to decrease the amount of resources USSs/FSSs give ;)

It is already too easy to catch up. UP gets a lot cheaper the further away you are from top UP, same with techs, ATs are cheaper on market, etc., while all USSs/FSSs are calculated based on top income/UP so the smaller accounts get the same amount of resources from buying USSs, if they choose to, as top account, whereas they can buy a lot more stuff with those resources as it's a lot cheaper for them. I really don't see the need to punish those who get ahead even further. I mean, what's the point in playing Q if anyone can catch up, no matter how smart or dumb they've invested their resources? It's a game where it's all about the strategy and what you do with limited resources, unlike main where they are practically unlimited..

~Jack
I haven't played in 6 odd years so I can't say much, so what's the problem then, non $$ spenders winning :razz:? Didn't you just talk about the game being based on strategy and what you do with resources and not turning it into a main based idea where you wipe your bum with UU's.

If the original idea lacks the ability to counter snipers, then that just inquires a bit more balancing on AJ's part when he creates it (as Tekin went into a bit of detail with).
Field Marshall wrote:
Sol wrote:It's not going to destroy your life :P
Really?
I think this is sig worthy in fact.
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Neimenljivi
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Re: Epidemic

Sol wrote:
Neimenljivi wrote:I have constantly been asking to decrease the amount of resources USSs/FSSs give ;)

It is already too easy to catch up. UP gets a lot cheaper the further away you are from top UP, same with techs, ATs are cheaper on market, etc., while all USSs/FSSs are calculated based on top income/UP so the smaller accounts get the same amount of resources from buying USSs, if they choose to, as top account, whereas they can buy a lot more stuff with those resources as it's a lot cheaper for them. I really don't see the need to punish those who get ahead even further. I mean, what's the point in playing Q if anyone can catch up, no matter how smart or dumb they've invested their resources? It's a game where it's all about the strategy and what you do with limited resources, unlike main where they are practically unlimited..

~Jack
I haven't played in 6 odd years so I can't say much, so what's the problem then, non $$ spenders winning :razz:? Didn't you just talk about the game being based on strategy and what you do with resources and not turning it into a main based idea where you wipe your bum with UU's.

If the original idea lacks the ability to counter snipers, then that just inquires a bit more balancing on AJ's part when he creates it (as Tekin went into a bit of detail with).

No, that is not a problem. The problem is people staying inactive for most of the era, then in one week they can build an account that can take down any top account, that's the problem. Whether that account was made by someone who spent money or not is irrelevant, it's a top account nonetheless.

~Jack
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Haz wrote:It took a bit of time, but the investigation has now been completed.
S1eepy will be banned for scripting, for the remainder of this era.
Name: S1eepy [ TheCheekyChickens ]
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2012 Awards awarded to me:
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Sol
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Re: Epidemic

Neimenljivi wrote:
Sol wrote:
Neimenljivi wrote:I have constantly been asking to decrease the amount of resources USSs/FSSs give ;)

It is already too easy to catch up. UP gets a lot cheaper the further away you are from top UP, same with techs, ATs are cheaper on market, etc., while all USSs/FSSs are calculated based on top income/UP so the smaller accounts get the same amount of resources from buying USSs, if they choose to, as top account, whereas they can buy a lot more stuff with those resources as it's a lot cheaper for them. I really don't see the need to punish those who get ahead even further. I mean, what's the point in playing Q if anyone can catch up, no matter how smart or dumb they've invested their resources? It's a game where it's all about the strategy and what you do with limited resources, unlike main where they are practically unlimited..

~Jack
I haven't played in 6 odd years so I can't say much, so what's the problem then, non $$ spenders winning :razz:? Didn't you just talk about the game being based on strategy and what you do with resources and not turning it into a main based idea where you wipe your bum with UU's.

If the original idea lacks the ability to counter snipers, then that just inquires a bit more balancing on AJ's part when he creates it (as Tekin went into a bit of detail with).

No, that is not a problem. The problem is people staying inactive for most of the era, then in one week they can build an account that can take down any top account, that's the problem. Whether that account was made by someone who spent money or not is irrelevant, it's a top account nonetheless.

~Jack
Is this in general or local to this idea?
Field Marshall wrote:
Sol wrote:It's not going to destroy your life :P
Really?
I think this is sig worthy in fact.
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Neimenljivi
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Re: Epidemic

In general, but this idea would make it even worse as the purpose is that the "few can infect many, small can infect big".

~Jack
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Haz wrote:It took a bit of time, but the investigation has now been completed.
S1eepy will be banned for scripting, for the remainder of this era.
Name: S1eepy [ TheCheekyChickens ]
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Sol
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Re: Epidemic

Neimenljivi wrote:In general, but this idea would make it even worse as the purpose is that the "few can infect many, small can infect big".

~Jack
Sounds like a challenge.
It's hardly permanent anyway, you fight in a different aspect every wave, so why not have one where you're all kept roughly the same size. At least others have a chance at winning.
Field Marshall wrote:
Sol wrote:It's not going to destroy your life :P
Really?
I think this is sig worthy in fact.
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Neimenljivi
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Re: Epidemic

Sol wrote:
Neimenljivi wrote:In general, but this idea would make it even worse as the purpose is that the "few can infect many, small can infect big".

~Jack
Sounds like a challenge.
It's hardly permanent anyway, you fight in a different aspect every wave, so why not have one where you're all kept roughly the same size. At least others have a chance at winning.

What this idea means is that anyone can log in the era the first time at whatever time and spend an hour and obliterate any top account. How is that a challenge? It's not a challenge, it's just a feature to enable inactives to mass the **Filtered** out of whoever they want and no one can do anything to stop them.

~Jack
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Haz wrote:It took a bit of time, but the investigation has now been completed.
S1eepy will be banned for scripting, for the remainder of this era.
Name: S1eepy [ TheCheekyChickens ]
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2012 Awards awarded to me:
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Sol
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Re: Epidemic

Neimenljivi wrote:
Sol wrote:
Neimenljivi wrote:In general, but this idea would make it even worse as the purpose is that the "few can infect many, small can infect big".

~Jack
Sounds like a challenge.
It's hardly permanent anyway, you fight in a different aspect every wave, so why not have one where you're all kept roughly the same size. At least others have a chance at winning.

What this idea means is that anyone can log in the era the first time at whatever time and spend an hour and obliterate any top account. How is that a challenge? It's not a challenge, it's just a feature to enable inactives to mass the **Filtered** out of whoever they want and no one can do anything to stop them.

~Jack
Balancing Jack, balancing.
Field Marshall wrote:
Sol wrote:It's not going to destroy your life :P
Really?
I think this is sig worthy in fact.
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nimious
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Re: Epidemic

Right... Because Q is usually so balanced...
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