EL_OSO
Warlord
I am pleased to announce that I am now taking signups for my 1st TEAM PBEM game! This is a Civilization IV PBEM game and requires the latest version of Civilization IV (currently v1.09) to participate. Some of you are probably familiar with me from Heihojin’s PBEM games and the rules set are similar to his. I am grateful for his permission to model my game play rules after his.
Team play in Civ IV is slightly different from single player. The effects of wonders and technology research are shared between civilizations on the same team. You can see what your teammates see and you can also see what their cities are producing. I think this will open up a whole new area of strategy and cooperation between the permanent alliances from the start.
The biggest challenge of setting this type of game up will be balancing it so it will be fun and challenging for all involved. I’ve put quite a bit of thought into balancing it so their will be some restrictions in place. The biggest thing will be honesty on providing me with your skill level. I don’t want to see a game where we have 2-3 emperor players matched against 2-3 warlord level players. The next balancing factor will be leader traits and the starting technologies in order that all teams start on an even footing. Turn order will also alternate between teams
So far, I have the following confirmed players:
• EL_OSO (me) - random leader Handicap: Prince/Monarch
• heihojin – Handicap: Noble
• portuga - Handicap: Noble/Prince
• kashgar_the_unwanted - Handicap: Noble
• Isildurs Heir - Handicap: Noble/Prince
• unassigned
If you would like to play, please send me a private message or e-mail with the following information:
1. your CFC user name (required),
2. your e-mail address (required),
3. your leader preferences (please give your top three choices, if any),
4. your handicap level (i.e., settler, chieftain, warlord, noble, prince, monarch, emperor, immortal, or deity), be candid with this information as it will be utilized to balance the teams.
5. your physical location and the time you will most likely be available to play. (time zone relative to GMT) Time Zone conversion website: http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/gmt-converter.htm ,
6. the password you would like for your turn (optional, although I strongly recommend it),
7. your SMTP server address (optional), and
8. any customized civilization information (Leader Name, Civ Description, Short Description, and/or Civ Adjective).
Because some of this information is sensitive, I strongly recommend you not post this information in a reply to this thread. I will post replies in this thread indicating when spots are filled.
You may only request a spot for yourself; I will not accept any requests on someone else's behalf. Please note that if you wish to play a particular civilization that has more than one leader available (such as the Chinese), you must select a leader or I will simply assign one to you.
Please note that your choice of leader and your handicap level is considered public information at the start of the game. If you opt for a random leader, you will be assigned one based on the following criteria: starting traits and techs already present on the team.
The game will begin as soon as I have six confirmed players. If you have not specified a leader preference by the time the game launches, you will be assigned a random leader. Spots for the game and leader preferences will generally be filled first-come, first-serve, as determined by the timestamp of the request; however, I may deliberately favor some requests over others in the interest of balancing my games.
Turn summaries will likely not be posted to this or any other forum, as I am far more interested in actually playing the game than with posting turns in a public forum.
Commitments
By requesting to play you commit to the following:
• You agree to contact me (through e-mail, private message, a third party or other means) as soon as possible if you encounter technical difficulties or other circumstances that prevent you from fulfilling these commitments.
• You agree to act in a courteous manner toward all other players at all times in your "out-of-game" communication.
• You agree to abide by the general protocol for gameplay as set forth in the welcome e-mail, as well as any changes to the protocol I may make during the course of the game.
• You agree to inform me when you are going to be unavailable for a period of greater than 24 hours.
• You agree to check your e-mail at least once daily (at least twice daily is preferred).
• You agree to promptly respond to all messages - immediately, if possible.
• You agree to complete and forward your turn within 24 hours of receiving it.
• You agree to refrain from "in-game" communication with any other player on a different team until making contact with that player's civilization
• You agree to play the game to completion unless personal or technical circumstances render it impossible for you to do so.
If you would like to peruse my general protocol for PBEM gameplay prior to signing up, let me know and I will happily e-mail it to you.
"In-game" communication refers to sharing information about your civilization or other players' civilizations, making deals, proposing alliances, etc.. "Out-of-game" communication primarily refers to administrative matters (such as "Dude, where's my turn?" e-mails), but also includes innocuous conversation (such as "Where is everyone from?" e-mails).
Default Game Settings
Unless specified otherwise, the default game settings will be as follows:
• Number of Players: 6
• Number of Teams: 2-3 depending on handicaps.
• Difficulty level: Handicapped (for all players)
• Map: Oasis
• Size: Small
• Climate: Not Applicable
• Sealevel: Not Applicable
• Era: Ancient
• Speed: Normal
• Options: Raging Barbarians
• Victory types permitted: All except Domination
• Game Turn Limit: 0
• City Elimination Limit: 0
Although I am open to the idea of playing PBEM games under different settings, it is highly likely that all spots will be filled for this game before any meaningful discussion about changing the settings can take place. If you are interested in playing a PBEM game with different settings, your best bet is to start your own. If you would like to play one of my PBEM games with different settings, send me a message and I will be open to discussion about it.
One question that frequently arises in PBEM games is whether reloading the game is allowed. Unfortunately I know of no way to regulate the number of times the game is reloaded, so any rule prohibiting reloading is impossible to enforce. Furthermore, reloading seems quite acceptable in the event of an error, e.g. if you make a mistake in moving your units. Because I am reluctant to support rules that cannot be enforced, and because I'm sure that I personally will have to reload at least one game due to an error, I do not have any rules regulating reloads. Ultimately, it's a question of what provides the most enjoyment for you as a player - if it feels like cheating to you, don't do it.
Please note that once you make contact with another player's civilization, your diplomacy options are completely unrestricted. Feel free to invent whatever deals you wish, regardless of whether they are enforceable from within the game or not.
EL_OSO
Team play in Civ IV is slightly different from single player. The effects of wonders and technology research are shared between civilizations on the same team. You can see what your teammates see and you can also see what their cities are producing. I think this will open up a whole new area of strategy and cooperation between the permanent alliances from the start.
The biggest challenge of setting this type of game up will be balancing it so it will be fun and challenging for all involved. I’ve put quite a bit of thought into balancing it so their will be some restrictions in place. The biggest thing will be honesty on providing me with your skill level. I don’t want to see a game where we have 2-3 emperor players matched against 2-3 warlord level players. The next balancing factor will be leader traits and the starting technologies in order that all teams start on an even footing. Turn order will also alternate between teams
So far, I have the following confirmed players:
• EL_OSO (me) - random leader Handicap: Prince/Monarch
• heihojin – Handicap: Noble
• portuga - Handicap: Noble/Prince
• kashgar_the_unwanted - Handicap: Noble
• Isildurs Heir - Handicap: Noble/Prince
• unassigned
If you would like to play, please send me a private message or e-mail with the following information:
1. your CFC user name (required),
2. your e-mail address (required),
3. your leader preferences (please give your top three choices, if any),
4. your handicap level (i.e., settler, chieftain, warlord, noble, prince, monarch, emperor, immortal, or deity), be candid with this information as it will be utilized to balance the teams.
5. your physical location and the time you will most likely be available to play. (time zone relative to GMT) Time Zone conversion website: http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/gmt-converter.htm ,
6. the password you would like for your turn (optional, although I strongly recommend it),
7. your SMTP server address (optional), and
8. any customized civilization information (Leader Name, Civ Description, Short Description, and/or Civ Adjective).
Because some of this information is sensitive, I strongly recommend you not post this information in a reply to this thread. I will post replies in this thread indicating when spots are filled.
You may only request a spot for yourself; I will not accept any requests on someone else's behalf. Please note that if you wish to play a particular civilization that has more than one leader available (such as the Chinese), you must select a leader or I will simply assign one to you.
Please note that your choice of leader and your handicap level is considered public information at the start of the game. If you opt for a random leader, you will be assigned one based on the following criteria: starting traits and techs already present on the team.
The game will begin as soon as I have six confirmed players. If you have not specified a leader preference by the time the game launches, you will be assigned a random leader. Spots for the game and leader preferences will generally be filled first-come, first-serve, as determined by the timestamp of the request; however, I may deliberately favor some requests over others in the interest of balancing my games.
Turn summaries will likely not be posted to this or any other forum, as I am far more interested in actually playing the game than with posting turns in a public forum.
Commitments
By requesting to play you commit to the following:
• You agree to contact me (through e-mail, private message, a third party or other means) as soon as possible if you encounter technical difficulties or other circumstances that prevent you from fulfilling these commitments.
• You agree to act in a courteous manner toward all other players at all times in your "out-of-game" communication.
• You agree to abide by the general protocol for gameplay as set forth in the welcome e-mail, as well as any changes to the protocol I may make during the course of the game.
• You agree to inform me when you are going to be unavailable for a period of greater than 24 hours.
• You agree to check your e-mail at least once daily (at least twice daily is preferred).
• You agree to promptly respond to all messages - immediately, if possible.
• You agree to complete and forward your turn within 24 hours of receiving it.
• You agree to refrain from "in-game" communication with any other player on a different team until making contact with that player's civilization
• You agree to play the game to completion unless personal or technical circumstances render it impossible for you to do so.
If you would like to peruse my general protocol for PBEM gameplay prior to signing up, let me know and I will happily e-mail it to you.
"In-game" communication refers to sharing information about your civilization or other players' civilizations, making deals, proposing alliances, etc.. "Out-of-game" communication primarily refers to administrative matters (such as "Dude, where's my turn?" e-mails), but also includes innocuous conversation (such as "Where is everyone from?" e-mails).
Default Game Settings
Unless specified otherwise, the default game settings will be as follows:
• Number of Players: 6
• Number of Teams: 2-3 depending on handicaps.
• Difficulty level: Handicapped (for all players)
• Map: Oasis
• Size: Small
• Climate: Not Applicable
• Sealevel: Not Applicable
• Era: Ancient
• Speed: Normal
• Options: Raging Barbarians
• Victory types permitted: All except Domination
• Game Turn Limit: 0
• City Elimination Limit: 0
Although I am open to the idea of playing PBEM games under different settings, it is highly likely that all spots will be filled for this game before any meaningful discussion about changing the settings can take place. If you are interested in playing a PBEM game with different settings, your best bet is to start your own. If you would like to play one of my PBEM games with different settings, send me a message and I will be open to discussion about it.
One question that frequently arises in PBEM games is whether reloading the game is allowed. Unfortunately I know of no way to regulate the number of times the game is reloaded, so any rule prohibiting reloading is impossible to enforce. Furthermore, reloading seems quite acceptable in the event of an error, e.g. if you make a mistake in moving your units. Because I am reluctant to support rules that cannot be enforced, and because I'm sure that I personally will have to reload at least one game due to an error, I do not have any rules regulating reloads. Ultimately, it's a question of what provides the most enjoyment for you as a player - if it feels like cheating to you, don't do it.
Please note that once you make contact with another player's civilization, your diplomacy options are completely unrestricted. Feel free to invent whatever deals you wish, regardless of whether they are enforceable from within the game or not.
EL_OSO
