New starting configuration

[Davin]

I had an interesting idea that I wanted to bounce off all the test
players. The Galac-Tac game seems to start awfully slowly, and it
seems a shame to not have very much to do during the initial few
turns. So what do you think about speeding that up a bit? We can
give everyone more starting scouts & colonizers and they'd be able to
get their economic system up and running much faster, making the first
turns more interesting (and keep people playing more actively in the
beginning).

We might even want to throw in a couple of light-weight
"skirmishers" (mini-frigates) to help people get into territorial
arguments sooner than before, rather than have them "back off" from
conflicts or have to use their defensive Jeep as an offensive weapon.

Think that would help? Is there a better way to improve starting game
play? Or is this the wrong way to go about it?

I've heard that new players have enough trouble handling the game
system to need any more activity to deal with in the beginning. That
may well be true. I'd like to hear from some of the less-experienced
players on this subject.

If we do decide that adding more starting ships is a good thing, how
many should we have?

[Jon]

> Think that would help?  Is there a better way to improve starting game
> play?  
> Or is this the wrong way to go about it?

While I am not exactly an inexperienced player, I think a better plan
would be to offer different types of games - a novice game and an
experienced game. Experienced players already know what their options
are and tend to start designing ships on turn 1, using the SCRAP
order, and in general getting a huge leap on any novice player in the
game.

The problem is that novice players do have their hands full just
getting a handle on the game system - a fast paced game with more
options would just contribute to the "drop out" factor.

I would vote for differnt types of games - perhaps allow players to
propose the game setup - # of stars per player, time between turns,
starting PI, empty home systems (no ships at game start), number of
players, password protected. This would create a variety of games to
suite almost any style.

[Davin Church]

Well, I was thinking that the lack of much to do in the beginning was
contributing to the drop out factor, and that providing more ships to
work with would make it more fun and interesting in the beginning and
make people more likely to get their turns in and keep playing.

I do plan on an advanced sign-up page that allows the kind of options
you mentioned. I'm just not sure what options would be best. Giving
too many choices will tend toward a limit of having one player signed
up for their favorite game settings and no game ever filling.

[Jon]

> I do plan on an advanced sign-up page that allows the kind of options
> you mentioned.  I'm just not sure what options would be best.  Giving
> too many choices will tend toward a limit of having one player signed
> up for their favorite game settings and no game ever filling.

But that is the best part! If you let them set up private games, then
they will be filling them - not you!

[Davin Church]

>But that is the best part! If you let them set up private games, then
>they will be filling them - not you!

Private games is great, as is customization in general. And if they
can fill a game of a particular type with their friends, that's
wonderful. I'm just saying that too many choices is overkill and
nobody will end up starting a game when there are thousands of public
choices out there.

I'm thinking about choices like "Normal star density", "High star
density", "Low star density", combined with other types of settings,
as opposed to "give me a star density from 1 to 100".

[Davin]

I had a talk this week with Frank and Genny on this subject and we
seem to be in agreement that we should increase the number of starting
cargo ships and scouts (and throw in a couple of very-limited-use
"skirmishers") so that the beginning of the game isn't so boring. But
I seem to be having trouble getting people to discuss this here
(except, thankfully, for Jon). Can I get some more folks to comment
on this issue?

(Yes, I'm still going to allow customized game parameters as well.)

[Hobbit]

The more I think about it, the more I tend to agree with Jon. Putting
a "newbie" in with a bunch of experienced players is like thowing chum
in among a bunch of sharks.
H.

[Davin]

OK, but how does that affect the issue of starting ships? A newbie is
ALWAYS going to be a minnow in a shark tank full of experienced
players. That's also how they get to be experienced players. I can't
see that changing the starting ships is going to change that situation
much.

What it SHOULD do (I hope) is get players more involved in the game
sooner and reduce the dropout rate due to lack of excitement. With
any luck, it may even increase play and interest as newbies see "Oh,
THAT'S what I should have done" and start up in an additional galaxy
to try it out.

So what I hope I'm doing is giving the newbies more things to do in
the beginning, give them more of a direction to help them get started,
and discourage them from leaving their home world unpatrolled and
killed off earlier in the game.

So what do you see as a problem (with newbies or not) that isn't going
to happen to them anyway? The way I figure it, it's only going to
help (newbies and sharks both).

Davin