"Lessons learned"

[whb]

It seems as though MTDGs often end up devolving into arguments over the rules -- be it accusations of RNG manipulation (in an earlier MTDG I browsed today) or over in-progress rules-setting for reload requests.

Can we collect some kind of "lessons learned" somewhere to refine the rules for future MTDGs to help them run with less controversy?

From this one so far I'd propose:

• List all the admins in the rules sticky
• Before the game starts, it's important to agree an explicit process for how any rules-changes after the game has started will be decided.
• If anything is put up to a vote of teams, announcing the result before all the teams have voted might be problematic. (Could sometimes impact on in-game diplomacy).
• There should perhaps be a time-limit to team discussion before the call goes to a ref
• (another one that I've made known to DaveMcW and Rik, but won't post here until after the game has finished to avoid revealing in-game information)

 

[Earthling]

We simply need better rulesets and game settings to start, and I'm not sure where this is going, I think things will work out fine in this game.

As you are probably referring to the last BtS Demogame, my thoughts on that: I was not actually participating by the time the "RNG debate" occurred, however there was something I would call just as devastating to the conclusion of that game - the rules regarding city-gifting/abandoning a team and fair play, as it appears from my understanding the game really ended with the one team's defeat and concurrent surrendering of everything they had.

 

[BCLG100]

What is really required is a punishment for a breach of the rules. We've got nothing so far, it makes the point of having a ruleset largely obsolete.

 

[Sommerswerd]

What is really required is a punishment for a breach of the rules. We've got nothing so far, it makes the point of having a ruleset largely obsolete.

Since we're speaking hypothetically... My hypothetical "punishment" ideas:

1. Admin deletes 3 of your workers, selected at random
2. An X turn penalty period where no-one on your team is allowed to log in.
3. X turns at 0% research
4. Gold gifted in game to the "wronged" team

What did you have in mind?

 

[DaveShack]

What is really required is a punishment for a breach of the rules. We've got nothing so far, it makes the point of having a ruleset largely obsolete.

My opinion, that would just give people incentive to claim rules violations so the other party can be punished. Personally, I'm here to have fun and that's not fun to me. Just about any substantial violation (like a DM) can be dealt with by returning to a point before the violation. Individual espionage like making a DL to get another team's info is covered by forum rules. What other rules could warrant punishment?

 

[Earthling]

Yeah, I would assume a significant rule-breaking event would just result in an automatic reload. Other situations are hard to determine anyway - for instance, since this specific Demogame/scenario was already discussed - what happens if one team just gifts cities to a second team? The first team has lost the game/quit - so you can't punish them and can't really punish individual posters. And the receiving team is hardly at fault. So if this remains against the rules the better result is a reload and not letting that happen.