PBEM Age of Imperialism; 1895-1924, Deluxe Version

[Sima Qian]

While I agree that if someone is determined to cheat, and have programming skills, it will be almost impossible to stop them, simply putting a minor safeguard will be enough to deter people who might momentarily give in to temptation, or "accidently" press continue game.

If a minor safeguard is enough for you to have faith in the game again, then I may be able to help with this. I've put together a quick and dirty tool to set the admin password. Load the PBEM game in C3C first, then run the tool. It'll prompt for the current admin password, which is blank, so just press enter when it asks for it.

This does require one of you to take the admin role, so I hope you can decide among yourselves who you can trust to do this.

Also, from looking at the save posted, it appears that several players have not even set a password at all. You are welcome to add your password at this time.

 

[Cyc]

I'll offer to be the Admin again. I won't play in the game and you people can finish this one if you want. It appears most players want to continue on.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

If a minor safeguard is enough for you to have faith in the game again, then I may be able to help with this. I've put together a quick and dirty tool to set the admin password. Load the PBEM game in C3C first, then run the tool. It'll prompt for the current admin password, which is blank, so just press enter when it asks for it.

This does require one of you to take the admin role, so I hope you can decide among yourselves who you can trust to do this.

Also, from looking at the save posted, it appears that several players have not even set a password at all. You are welcome to add your password at this time.

Thank you very much Sima, we definitely owe this game to you.

 

[Tasonne]

i still cant believe this happened.. i am feeling very discouraged right now.

 

[RickFGS]

Again: I did not cheat, the game allows for short rushes, playing with specialists in the turn sequence, changing from wealth to normal production, short rushing buildings and then changing to units in between turns, there are bugs that double the shields in the box, so what...all this is well covered in the strategy articles, i sugest players read them.

Besides, i often read coments like "it will take France 12t to travel it´s troops from Asia to europe", wrong, wrong, wrong, there are teleporting from gifting cities automatically to one´s capital, there is the ship chain option where a unit can be transported from anywhere in the map trough a network of transports (and this unit only needs 5 shields to make), this is not cheating, it´s using what you have at hand.

The sea/ocean is not a barrier, well used it´s a railroad/highway, allowing for a facton to fight full strenght anywhere at anytime with all it´s troops.

As for the troops, i did my best with thte tooll i had at the time, many players become without a pass from turn 1 on, including myself.

 

[Calis]

What the game allows, is nor necessarily allowed in PBEMs, or is even shunned in PBEMs, like breaking into the build sequence.

Blaze Injun and I know why we are not playing any more games with Mr. FGS.

 

[RickFGS]

I think we all know what games you and Blaze like playing Calis, it´s the ones you win, the ones you lose you start trashing other people...

 

[Calis]

I think we all know what games you and Blaze like playing Calis, it´s the ones you win, the ones you lose you start trashing other people...

Yeah, whatever you say.

But in case I win my games, I know I did in a fair way...

 

[RickFGS]

So do i, in between turn sequences are as part as the game as upgrading, as coastal blocking and many other things...at least i don´t offend others that use it and beat me...

 

[RickFGS]

Double post.

 

[RickFGS]

Triple post.

 

[Elephantium]

So do i, in between turn sequences are as part as the game as upgrading, as coastal blocking and many other things...at least i don´t offend others that use it and beat me...

Rationalize it however you like, but exploiting loopholes in the game code is still cheating.

 

[Cyc]

Ok, ok. That's enough. We all know how everyone feels. Let's move on.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

The save is with Germany, right? I think it't been past 48h.

 

[TomYo689]

Rick there is a difference between game mechanic cheating and things like city gift army teleporting and island unload blocking.

The game a built in structure to keep army power in the event of an unanticipated city transfer. For the islands, this scenario was made specifically for single player use. None of us know what the creator was thinking when he made all islands 2 squares but there is no question of what the effect is. This scenario is a unique case for both of these 2 issues because of its size and the abundance of small islands. I picked these two to address because they were mentioned. Things like this are issues that rules can be agreed upon by the players to prevent players like you from making a loophole competition out of it.

Related spot for me to comment on the city transfers of Indochina.

Spoiler :

Had I thought of this before the game started I'd have argued to rule out transfering far away cities that have units in them to prevent a blatantly unrealsistic but strategic army teleport. I didn't though so I have nothing to say against the French move. No ex post facto law you know? It's different from having a network of steam transports because it requires a navy and a bit of production to set it up. 1 I don't think France cheated with production so he doesn't have a massive transport fleet and 2 after this many turns of war the network may have been disturbed.

Anyway considering how players don't get cities till their turn comes I doubt this move will have much effect. If the ai already got their cities and France used it to transport units then I guess I should be worried lol since I'm not an expect on this particular part of pbem. Also I don't know if units are even in those cities to be sent to Paris. It has to sound weird to read my thoughts about this Bengal if you want to clarify on what happened I'm interested in hearing.

On the other hand there's things like research speed limits and production amounts. Why does the game even have a research speed limit if you're gonna get 2 techologies in 7 turns? Why does the map have the bonus land resource if not to concentrate economic power in certain parts? You say interrupting the normal economy is not cheating, so is it a hidden strategy added by Fraxis? Smart to leave the whole concept out of the player-agreed rules while planning to use it.

So do i, in between turn sequences are as part as the game as upgrading, as coastal blocking and many other things...at least i don´t offend others that use it and beat me...

Notice that last part, you're accusing other players of cheating and using that to justify retaliation with it. First off you cheated as soon as possible so who would you be doing it to compete with then? Second the attitute encourages it like you want everyone to do it. As far as I have seen no one else is supporting inter-turn cheats because they feel it would turn the game into a chore (thus no fun no reason to play). Since it wasn't anyone in this game that cheated to beat you as you allege, why do it to us? Fighting fire with fire is your chosen reaction, go play games with the guy that did it to you and do it back to him.


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The status of the game. I can't see beyond my borders to reinforce any fears so as far as I know the Ottoman Empire is in a great spot right now. My vote is put new players in for Portugal and any other industrialized positions that are abandoned. Also add no interrupting the turn cycle to the rules. This means let all new units and stuff finish being made before you start changing things or giving commands. Only exception being chosing new techs for when a great invention wonder is completed. Of course the nature of a rule like that means participation is voluntary but it's just to be up front about not wanting anyone to cheat. For the question of passwords we have to expect people not to go looking at other peoples turns. I wouldn't want people looking at mine. Again sorry about what I've done it's not like I'll be in conflict with any of those 4 guys.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

I'm not sure what you're getting at regarding my Indochina move. The cities were transferred to the AI right away, and all units there did go to Paris. While I admit this is not the most honourable of moves, there was no rule regarding this at the beginning, and after having my troops attacked during a ceasefire, I felt I deserved some leeway on the honour scale. Also, while I understand the logic behind not going intto the turn sequence before things are done, this would provide anyone who is sneak-attacked with a double disadvantage, as they'll have to wait a whole other turn before their production is set to counter the invasion. I don't think that should be included as a rule, imho.

 

[RickFGS]

Again, i did not cheat, again, on the beginning of turn 8, that´s turn 9 of the game if you count with turn 0 it´s 10 turns of beakers if you also count with the pre-turn, get it or not, so it´s possible to have 2 techs after 10 turns of beakers....so don´t be so thick...

Also, i don´t break the game and enter the world of hacking to short rush units during the pre- turn, i wouldn´t even know how, i just use what the game allows, "zoom to city" and circle around before shields are accounted for.

And, if you want to know, i could easily have invaded Spain without the inter-turn mechanics, by simply transporting everyone to Lisbon, rushing a couple home guards and switch to infantries and blitkrieg across Iberia, of course, if i had done that you would have me accused of cheating again.

I willingly steped out, since i realised all other players have very low number of units compared to what they should have after so many turns of gameplay and so large cities to produce them , but that´s just me.

Save is with Germany, play on, agree on getting Portugal a replacement, have fun.

 

[Princeof Persia]

I do believe I sent it to America. It is Week 33, correct?

 

[TomYo689]

I was hoping ai wouldn't get the cities till their turn. Glad you could clarify. Poor Italy . If I understand the cheating correctly it happens when you are getting the "your cities built this" message. So waiting for that to cycle through doesn't skip a turn or anything. You just do your management after it's done while still on the same turn. You can go back to the city and zoom in on any other time during your turn before you press the save and exit. Was this what you were talking about? This isn't a simultaneous moves game there's no pressure to move anything before the other guys do. Or do I understand it wrong?

I haven't heard from Sting Pax the America guy since before my last turn.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

I meant that if someone is attacked then they would use the inter-turn to set their cities to producing units so that they can counter ASAP, rather than setting it during their actual turn and having to wait until the turn after before any units are built.

Ditto on not having heard from Sting in a while. Officially when did he get the save?