In regards to weapons… Early game when ship counts are low, higher starting weapon levels give a bigger advantage to the defensive player who can leave 1 ship on a star. Conquest is hard already. Higher weapons levels does help reduce the effect of the defender bonus, which helps/promotes attacking, which in my opinion is good for the game. So, there are definitely good and bad reasons to start with weapon levels higher.
As far as being able to research weapons… This will probably always be a point of discussion. I personally don’t think I would like it. I think of 1v1 almost like a chess match. Each ship has a set value that you know and doesn’t change over the course of the game, other than the slow rate of inflation. Weapons research is the only direct tech whose effect is immediate. Manu adds to ship production and has a big effect over time. Terra is the same, but is dealing with reduced costs over time. Weapons changes the value of every ship right now–which is why weapons tech should be the only tech researched when the game is on the line in normal NP games.
1v1 format is meant to put tactical decisions and strategy upfront. One could argue that deciding when to research weapons is part of the strategy side of things… In my humble opinion, it is just overshadows everything else a bit too much. I like not having it be something to think about. That way, its generally the tactical decisions that turn the tide in games vs hitting on a level of weapons at just the right time.
I just claimed victory in my game against @spymort. Tough game where I didn‘t thought I could win the game for a long time, but I managed to land a lucky warp gate attack which allowed me to take back the lead step by step… GG!
GGs all round. Yep, I conceded. Had the advantage, was on track to victory but a single gate let Dragonwing slip through and he was able to thwart all my future efforts. But I learnt some key, yet simple, lessons…
For the record, I do think that missing Eco in the first cycle is a significant setback in almost all circumstances, though not decisive on its own in most cases.
As for the Weapons discussion, I think there were some good arguments made from both sides. With Crazy Expensive research and a starting level of 4, prioritizing it too soon can cause one to be overwhelmed by eco and ship numbers from the other side, rendering the weapon advantage moot. This resonated with me the most though:
However, I just randomized all available settings for the poll next round and it came up, so if enough people prefer it over the other options, Crazy Expensive Weapons may become available as a one-time thing.
Sign up in the linked thread for the next round! (Sign-ups for the concluded round will not carry over to the next one automatically to make sure only active players are considered in the match-ups.)
It appears that the race is on for sci level 450, after which it is rumored that the Nova bomb goes active and takes out the other guy’s hw. That’s the only way this game will end, it seems!
Fair point, 552 ticks at this point - an epic battle for sure. @FinrodFelagund and @plug - is the situation still fluid in your eyes or do you unanimously want to call it a draw?
It’s almost a stalemate I feel, although as I have two more stars I feel justified in not making the first move. Can I claim a victory if it goes 100 ticks with no attacks at all (this will be the case soon)? Or is it judged to be a draw? I can’t remember what the parameters of the LLL are.
That rule was introduced in the Flying Swiss (somewhat more nuanced there) while in the LLL this was the addition in January:
For the previous round this doesn’t matter. However, you’re already in overtime anyways so I’d welcome the decision to call a draw (you guys still have the game for the title from the first Flying Swiss to play). That is, if you think it’s stalemated. Else you should make a move for a more decisive lead. The idea behind the draw rule is to avoid the slight leader in a game being able to stall towards a victory, which I’m sure isn’t the case here anyways.
A further week has passed without comments and we’re at 576 ticks (and over a month overtime), so I think it’s time to call this game a draw. @plug has the slight star advantage, while @FinrodFelagund has a commanding economy lead. Well played both!
I was about to post a message saying that the game has just opened up again, with some big attacks - so if you’re happy to play it out @FinrodFelagund then I definitely am as well. It’s still nicely balanced, but I foresee a genuine result before too long now.
If it’s fine with @FinrodFelagund too, then okay. I just don’t want that game to keep any of you guys hostage any further, would rather have you focus on your other games that show more promise of a clear outcome (or new tournaments even).
Who attacks first looses in a close match like this. Also unfortunately I have too much in IRL going on to continue, therefore I have conceded all my ongoing matches and will leave the game for the next couple of weeks /months
Thanks for the great games to all.
Going out with a bang! But yeah, still wishing we could implement some automatic “level-up” mechanic for Weapons based on ticks passed to increase the chances of resolving hard stand-offs. (@JayKyburz)
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