I just noticed a related UI detail: in the Moves Left field for a manually launched constructor, I see 13/4. I have a screen cap and save I can email if this might help the devs.

I think there might be a bug with newly built ships movement points. On the turn there built i've had ships which should be able to move 7 points but is displayed as 5/3 and they can only move 5 spaces on that first turn. It reverts to normal after the turn is ended.

That mega event is particularly painful and would put me off continuing with that game if the event lasted long.

What is the accursed event... sry i dont have the Beta

I didn't know the event could end... can it??

I'm hoping that if it is permanent in Beta 2, that might be open to change. But I haven't noticed a Stardock statement about the event yet.

I have to crawl over a Gigantic map at /.../ 3 parsecs in Yor territory

When Yor gets in the way,,there are two ways to handle it:

1) Build Influence SBs to form a path through their territory.

or

2) Make their territory yours.

Personally,,I recommend the second option as soon as feasible as I do not want to find out what it's like to wage war against them when the ships are fully developed.

I am not playing the beta yet. And if this stays as a nonending event I will never play DA. Thanks to the beta testers bringing this stuff to light for us non beta types.

Yes, the large empty box inviting an "X" gives a subtle clue ....

But thats not the issue.

This goes to the heart of the Core principles on which the game is founded. AI programming is limited by the processing power available to most people, that situation will remain for a number of years. Until that balance is redrawn, the sheer impossible practicality of programming more than eight moves ahead - measured by any sensible non-parochial factors - for the AI will remain. That produces limitations on what can be done and still retain overall game balance.

That limitation must not be mitigated by artificially limiting other game factors in order to enable AI enhancements, unless it improves by a very wide margin the 'Fun' factor. Galactic Civilisations as a game is there for the Players enjoyment, lose that, and no matter what reason, excuse, or explanation is given, the Game dies.

This is nothing to do with simplistic battle tactics on overcoming slow movement, they are hardly rocket science. It has everything to do with the fact that from my personal perspective, the Game disolves with Gigantic Maps if you have to crawl along at 3 or 4 parsecs, its a nonesense, and is taking expectation of Player loyalty to the game too far.

Lets wait and see the final release, of course - however, if then we are still crawling along at 3 or 4 parsecs on a Gigantic Map, its goodbye GalCiv as far as I am concerned.

It is a marvelous, marvelous game, potentialy an enduring All Time Great - but it will not be the latter if Player enjoyment is sacrificed on the alter of the AI.

Regards
Zy

It is a marvelous, marvelous game, potentialy an enduring All Time Great - but it will not be the latter if Player enjoyment is sacrificed on the alter of the AI.

Zydor might have a sharp pun here, intentional or otherwise. I haven't been able to finish the game that made me start this thread, but I'm up to 1 Jan 2236 and got there b/c I more or less treated the experience as a Stardock effort at "intervention" for a ship speed junkie.

I must confess that I've appreciated the frustration in some respects. I believe I would now do far better against a higherl level AI in a Dread Lords game, and I think it took me grumbling my way through *many, many* turns of the Beta 2 Speed Limit event. But I'm either being "too ideological" or I remain reasonably convinced that the GalCiv engine would benefit greatly from work to make the AI mastery of scale as strong as its mastery of complexity.

No pun intended, implicitly or explicitly. I repeat once more - overcoming slow movement on the maps is not rocket science. This is not about "beating" the AI, even the most Dire Software Company realises that an unbeatable AI is stupid and sells zero games. Deduction, the AI can be beaten - big deal.

The point I have made here - consistently - and in the Yor Super Ability thread - is that games exist for the enjoyment of the Player. If you lose that principle, and steer development on a Player Versus AI basis (as opposed to a "how can it be made more enjoyable basis"), its the start of the slippery slope that too many good games over the years have founderd on. Of course many get pleasure from beating a mechanical software AI. Fine whatever turns peoples boat, but the majority of people are not into an ego battle versus the AI programmer, they just want a bit of fun.

No one will convince me that crawling over a Gigantic Map at 3-4 parsecs for a game year or more is fun - its insanity, thats 20-40% of the average game time. If development continues to be based on small / medium maps, and steered towards primarily AI enhancement, it kills off Gigantic maps. I do not like playing GalCiv on smaller than Gigantic maps, whatever conditions you impose, I hate smaller than Gigantic.

Stardock have the right to steer development whatever way they wish, no problem, more power their elbow, I would be the first to agree.

As a player I also have freedom to choose not to crawl over a Gigantic map at 3-4 parsecs for a Game Year or more, not gonna happen. I have a great admiration for this Game, as I have clearly stated before on several threads. I dont however suffer from terminal "Fanboyism", if the enjoyment factor for me disappears, so do I.

Regards
Zy