North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
The only one we're attending is the Michigan one which is at some uni or another.
While we wait...
- Thread starter Birdjaguar
- Start date
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The only one we're attending is the Michigan one which is at some uni or another.
Israelite9191
You should be reading
Which university? If it's the University of Michigan, I should (though its not certain yet) be attending.
Funny, we got bumped out of Brown too. The bloody indegents accepted us then out of nowhere, and practically last minute for applications, decided that since we hadn't attended before they were going to reject us in favor of a less well regarded school's MUN team, that applied after us no less, who had previously attended. Bloody Brown.
I'm going to BOSMUN and Northeastern in Boston, and possibly some other conference. Unfortunately, we got rejected by Brown...
Funny, we got bumped out of Brown too. The bloody indegents accepted us then out of nowhere, and practically last minute for applications, decided that since we hadn't attended before they were going to reject us in favor of a less well regarded school's MUN team, that applied after us no less, who had previously attended. Bloody Brown.
silver 2039
Deity
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
- Messages
- 16,208
Some of you really should consider going to the international MUN confrences. The one in Cairo is going to be awesome, its well established been going on for several years and all. The one is Qatar and Kuwait will also be cool. It doesn't cost much, for me the Qatar and Kuwait trips total to around $200 because the university pays for mostly everything.
The Egypt one is more expensive at around $1500 upwards. But you could ask your schools to raise money or something...
The Egypt one is more expensive at around $1500 upwards. But you could ask your schools to raise money or something...
jalapeno_dude
AKA Panda Judo Eel
I'd really love to--the club has always wanted to go to the conference in Singapore. But neither the school or our parents are rich enough to pay the several thousand dollars for airfare...
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
It says Battle Creek/Kalamazoo, so it's probably Western Michigan University, but I can check that with my teammates.
What country would you be under (we're Iraq)?
NK, here is a link to a book review on the impact of smallpox on North America. You will note the many references to the fact that nomadic tribes suffered just as much as the less nomadic ones. While it is perhaps on the long side it is very interesting and provides a good background on epidemic disease.
http://www.powells.com/review/2001_11_22.html
http://www.powells.com/review/2001_11_22.html
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
Actually, the horse nomads that we generally think of as the nomadic tribes developed after the epidemics, partly because the introduction of horses made hunting buffalo far easier, and partly because the denser farming societies were devastated by the spread of disease. So I stand by the statement that nomadic societies survive better than civilized ones. You also have the figures for the Black Death, which killed according to one source I read, 2/3s of China's population (which admittedly was already starving to death in the wake of the Mongols and the turmoil), 1/3 of India, and 1/3 of Europe. It didn't achieve anywhere near that kind of death level for nomadic societies, from as far as we can tell.
Andis and NK, any thoughts on the survival of Egypt this turn in JalNES? Of course I think my stalwart defense plans will save me, but I am pretty heavily out numbered if you both come at me. And I have been wrong about things in the past.
Israelite9191
You should be reading
Oh, we go to international conferences. Unfortunately, we are pretty much restricted to our general region, ie the US, Canada, and parts of Latin America. We might go to Santo Domingo and Mc Gill next year, possibly even The Hague or Paris, but Cairo, Qatar, and Kuwait? Those are out of the range of a highschool, even a Jesuit one with a multi-million dollar endowment.
From Imago NES as we ger ready for BT:
Game balance is a pretty interesting concept. It is important in NESes and every other game that is playable and fun. In NESes, though, I feel it should be done at the start (through the rules) and as play goes along, by the mod. But mod action should only be to stop players from unbalancing the game by subverting the rules and "boundries" of normal play. I think it is wrong for mods to introduce significant new or previously unplanned game elements during the course of the game to hold players back or let weaker players catch up. The players have the job of unseating great powers by acting collectively or independently in sequence.
As far a BT goes, I think mods should plan the rise of NPC nations and any other significant events prior to receiving any BT orders and then have the orders interact with those preplanned events. Here are two examples:
A mod want to have a plague sweep 30% of the world during BT. Chance should determnine the starting point, chance or major trade routes from that point should determine the direction, and the 30% should dictate how far it spreads. It should not be used to bring down nations to balance play or direct how the futurre will unfold.
A mod wants barbarians to threaten existing empires. He could choose to be historical and if significant barbarians arose at a time and place during the BT, they would arise there again if that land was not already civilized. These barbs would tend to act as they did in history. Now if an ahistorical approach was wanted, then, agian, prior to receiving any BT orders, the mod sets ups when and where barbs will appear through a random system that determines the time, place, direction of expansion, and strength. The player orders would determine what kinds of interactions take place.
If the goal if BT is to give everyone a fresh start and set the balance back to even for all, then you should just say that you are going penalize the "winners" and help the losers and let everyone start over 500 years later.
I agree with das that realism is better than game balance, but you can't add "realistic events" just to balance the game and take down the leaders. Realism is added by planning "realistic" events that will happen according to a "preplanned" schedule (not known to the players) and not thrown in as a response to game play.
Anyway, that is my six bits on game balance.
Kal'thzar said:
das said:
Game balance is a pretty interesting concept. It is important in NESes and every other game that is playable and fun. In NESes, though, I feel it should be done at the start (through the rules) and as play goes along, by the mod. But mod action should only be to stop players from unbalancing the game by subverting the rules and "boundries" of normal play. I think it is wrong for mods to introduce significant new or previously unplanned game elements during the course of the game to hold players back or let weaker players catch up. The players have the job of unseating great powers by acting collectively or independently in sequence.
As far a BT goes, I think mods should plan the rise of NPC nations and any other significant events prior to receiving any BT orders and then have the orders interact with those preplanned events. Here are two examples:
A mod want to have a plague sweep 30% of the world during BT. Chance should determnine the starting point, chance or major trade routes from that point should determine the direction, and the 30% should dictate how far it spreads. It should not be used to bring down nations to balance play or direct how the futurre will unfold.
A mod wants barbarians to threaten existing empires. He could choose to be historical and if significant barbarians arose at a time and place during the BT, they would arise there again if that land was not already civilized. These barbs would tend to act as they did in history. Now if an ahistorical approach was wanted, then, agian, prior to receiving any BT orders, the mod sets ups when and where barbs will appear through a random system that determines the time, place, direction of expansion, and strength. The player orders would determine what kinds of interactions take place.
If the goal if BT is to give everyone a fresh start and set the balance back to even for all, then you should just say that you are going penalize the "winners" and help the losers and let everyone start over 500 years later.
I agree with das that realism is better than game balance, but you can't add "realistic events" just to balance the game and take down the leaders. Realism is added by planning "realistic" events that will happen according to a "preplanned" schedule (not known to the players) and not thrown in as a response to game play.
Anyway, that is my six bits on game balance.
Something I've been wondering, how do other mods update? Here's what I currently do:
Wait for all the Orders.
Open up Microsoft Word and Paint Shop Pro 3. Start one document for the update and one for stats. Open the map on PSP3. Start playing the updating soundtrack on Musicmatch.
Work through the countries in geographical order, doing stats then writing their section.
Save the biggest war for last.
Choose a name for the update and determine its length.
Draw the unknown over most of the map.
Upload Map, post update.
Check stats, post them.
Bask in compliments, criticism, answer alex994's 3 PMs of questions.
Wait for all the Orders.
Open up Microsoft Word and Paint Shop Pro 3. Start one document for the update and one for stats. Open the map on PSP3. Start playing the updating soundtrack on Musicmatch.
Work through the countries in geographical order, doing stats then writing their section.
Save the biggest war for last.
Choose a name for the update and determine its length.
Draw the unknown over most of the map.
Upload Map, post update.
Check stats, post them.
Bask in compliments, criticism, answer alex994's 3 PMs of questions.
Israelite9191
You should be reading
During my breif experienes as a mod, my plan of action was:
1. Open Internet
-1a. Open CFC- PM box
-1b. Open CFC- thread
-1c. Open Wikipedia
2. Open Paint
-2a. Open map- for reference
-2b. Open another map- for changes
-2c. Open religion map- for reference
-2d. Open blank document- for maps in orders
3. Open Word
-3a. Open blank document- update
-3b. Open last update- reference
-3c. Open list of alternate geographic names- reference
-3d. Open PC stats
-3e. Open NPC stats
4. Do map- takes about one night's work, sometimes less or more
5. Do update
-5a. Domestic events
-5b. Peaceful international relations
-5c. Wars
-5d. Go back and revise 5a in relation to 5b
-5e. Go back and revise 5b in relation to 5c
-5f. Go back and revise 5a in relation to 5c
-5g. Go back and make final revisions
-5h. Add title
-5i. Add quote(s)
6. Post update
7. Respond to complaints
8. Do stats
9. Post stats
10. Respond to complaints, revise stats
11. Answer questions (mainly on AIM)- this is really going on the whole time
12. Repeat
1. Open Internet
-1a. Open CFC- PM box
-1b. Open CFC- thread
-1c. Open Wikipedia
2. Open Paint
-2a. Open map- for reference
-2b. Open another map- for changes
-2c. Open religion map- for reference
-2d. Open blank document- for maps in orders
3. Open Word
-3a. Open blank document- update
-3b. Open last update- reference
-3c. Open list of alternate geographic names- reference
-3d. Open PC stats
-3e. Open NPC stats
4. Do map- takes about one night's work, sometimes less or more
5. Do update
-5a. Domestic events
-5b. Peaceful international relations
-5c. Wars
-5d. Go back and revise 5a in relation to 5b
-5e. Go back and revise 5b in relation to 5c
-5f. Go back and revise 5a in relation to 5c
-5g. Go back and make final revisions
-5h. Add title
-5i. Add quote(s)
6. Post update
7. Respond to complaints
8. Do stats
9. Post stats
10. Respond to complaints, revise stats
11. Answer questions (mainly on AIM)- this is really going on the whole time
12. Repeat
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
1. Immediately after the last update is posted, I plot NPC moves for the future. For many NPCs, they are so small that this goes by very quickly, and I only have to decide where they expand, what the spend, and maybe a few actions for each. For a few NPCs, however, they are heavily involved in the events of the NES. I write diplomacy for them, actively plan betrayals ahead of time, make them act and think like a human opponent. Note that I do all of this BEFORE any player sends a single orderset (unless they're incredibly fast). Even if they do send their orders quickly enough to catch me in this period, I open the PM and close it just as quickly, so that it is marked as read, and then go back to NPC plotting.
2. Having sent out the diplo, I see it come back in, and react accordingly. This goes on until the night before the update.
3. The night before my actual updating, I update NPC stats with their spending, and update the map with their expansions and inter-NPC wars.
4. I read player orders.
5. I do domestic stats of the PCs.
6. I plot out the wars on the map.
7. I mark gains on the map, and mark casualties in the skeletal frame of the update.
8. The update is further outlined by one or two word descriptors of what will eventually go there. For example, I recall writing at points, "War," "Expansion to the North," and "Moo," all as descriptive titles. I can usually remember which one is which.
9. I write the update. This usually takes a godawful amount of time.
10. I profread the update the first time, and decide any major changes in the decisions I've made (like battles that could have gone differently).
11. I adjust the casualties if they seem wrong for any reason.
12. I profread the update a second time, this time to check for minor spelling and grammatical mistakes.
13. I post the update, edit the stats, post the map, and edit the front page.
******************
In any case, I have a few major pet peeves about modding style which I might as well get off my chest:
1. Don't be lazy with the map. If you have an ounce of fine motor skills, then zooming in and filling in small squares which you missed the first time around isn't exactly difficult.
BIG ONE!:
2. Plan your NPCs' actions before you look at player orders. Having devious NPCs is excellent, and I prefer it that way, but if you have them predict and react beautifully to player moves when the player has no such advantage is robbing the players of the time they spent crafting their orders, and making your NESes NPCs rather pointless, somewhat like little gremlins whose only purpose is to destroy players or beat them down.
3. DON'T BALANCE STATS OR STORY! If you mean it as a wargame, or if you mean it as a story, either way, don't balance these things artificially. Reward players for good orders, and if they win, make them actually *win*. Athens didn't get a casualty ratio of 2:3 or even 1:3, they got a casualty ratio of something like 2:64 at Marathon.
A few tips:
-Doodling on the map in your spare time can help you plan out NPC moves.
-Likewise, fiddling with the map to make it more aesthetically pleasing is also an acceptable activity.
-Update stats along with the rest of your update. Some mods these days have a week in between update and stats; it's getting a little ridiculous.
-Make devious NPCs which think for themselves. But don't cheat.
-Make natural disasters a reality.
-Throw bonuses at the players a lot so that you won't feel guilty about sending the thirteenth plague along with a Mongolesque invasion.
2. Having sent out the diplo, I see it come back in, and react accordingly. This goes on until the night before the update.
3. The night before my actual updating, I update NPC stats with their spending, and update the map with their expansions and inter-NPC wars.
4. I read player orders.
5. I do domestic stats of the PCs.
6. I plot out the wars on the map.
7. I mark gains on the map, and mark casualties in the skeletal frame of the update.
8. The update is further outlined by one or two word descriptors of what will eventually go there. For example, I recall writing at points, "War," "Expansion to the North," and "Moo," all as descriptive titles. I can usually remember which one is which.
9. I write the update. This usually takes a godawful amount of time.
10. I profread the update the first time, and decide any major changes in the decisions I've made (like battles that could have gone differently).
11. I adjust the casualties if they seem wrong for any reason.
12. I profread the update a second time, this time to check for minor spelling and grammatical mistakes.
13. I post the update, edit the stats, post the map, and edit the front page.
******************
In any case, I have a few major pet peeves about modding style which I might as well get off my chest:
1. Don't be lazy with the map. If you have an ounce of fine motor skills, then zooming in and filling in small squares which you missed the first time around isn't exactly difficult.
BIG ONE!:
2. Plan your NPCs' actions before you look at player orders. Having devious NPCs is excellent, and I prefer it that way, but if you have them predict and react beautifully to player moves when the player has no such advantage is robbing the players of the time they spent crafting their orders, and making your NESes NPCs rather pointless, somewhat like little gremlins whose only purpose is to destroy players or beat them down.
3. DON'T BALANCE STATS OR STORY! If you mean it as a wargame, or if you mean it as a story, either way, don't balance these things artificially. Reward players for good orders, and if they win, make them actually *win*. Athens didn't get a casualty ratio of 2:3 or even 1:3, they got a casualty ratio of something like 2:64 at Marathon.
A few tips:
-Doodling on the map in your spare time can help you plan out NPC moves.
-Likewise, fiddling with the map to make it more aesthetically pleasing is also an acceptable activity.
-Update stats along with the rest of your update. Some mods these days have a week in between update and stats; it's getting a little ridiculous.
-Make devious NPCs which think for themselves. But don't cheat.
-Make natural disasters a reality.
-Throw bonuses at the players a lot so that you won't feel guilty about sending the thirteenth plague along with a Mongolesque invasion.
1) As players post stories, do random events.
2) If players send early orders in, do their domestic events
3) Recieve all orders
4) Edit stat document for nation purchases
5) Open up documents containing orders, stats, updates, and map
6) Figure out what the Spotlight will be.
7) Go straight west-east updating the nations of the domestic events.
8) Go straight west-east updating the nations of the military events.
9) Do the spotlight.
10) Do NPC diplo, if any.
11) Edit the stat document to its final version.
12) Do the map.
13) Post everything.
14) Edit the extras on the front page.
2) If players send early orders in, do their domestic events
3) Recieve all orders
4) Edit stat document for nation purchases
5) Open up documents containing orders, stats, updates, and map
6) Figure out what the Spotlight will be.
7) Go straight west-east updating the nations of the domestic events.
8) Go straight west-east updating the nations of the military events.
9) Do the spotlight.
10) Do NPC diplo, if any.
11) Edit the stat document to its final version.
12) Do the map.
13) Post everything.
14) Edit the extras on the front page.
-Decide how the NPC's Will react to Worldevents, including IF's (If Das invades Cuiv, Rhodos will invade both whilst they are distracted). Do Domestic; Do Military; Finalise Domestic; Finalise Military; Do map. Check everything again and read Orders again. Finalise. Do Stats. Post.
Swissempire
Poet Jester
-Receive Orders
-Write Update while simulataneously writing stats and updating map
Note: I plan my NPC stuff like 4-5 updates ahead of time and then modify accordingly
-Write Update while simulataneously writing stats and updating map
Note: I plan my NPC stuff like 4-5 updates ahead of time and then modify accordingly
jalapeno_dude
AKA Panda Judo Eel
-As people write stories, I add them to the front page and note them in the bonuses section of my orders document.
-As I get orders, I paste them into my orders document, and add their story bonuses.
-When I start updating, I open 6 notepad documents: orders, stats, rules, research, agreements, and a blank document for the update. I also have the map open, and check old orders, maps, and updates as needed.
-I update regions in the order I get orders from. I'll start with the first nation, then do all of the other nations in their region (so last update, the first orders were from Atyria, and I did the section on them, Sparta, and Byzantium). I'll update local NPCs at the same time, as well as updating stats and them map, and adding diplo and OOC notes if necessary. I try to do all of a region at once.
-When I'm done, I run the stats and update through word to reformat them and use spellcheck.
-Then, I post the update and reserve a spot for the map. I start uploading the map, post the stats and other front page things, then edit in the link to the map.
-Then I reread the update for mistakes, editing as necessary. I then write the summary of it for the front page.
-I answer whatever diplo has been sent already, go to sleep, wake up, and answer 3 or 4 PMs from Alex.
-As I get orders, I paste them into my orders document, and add their story bonuses.
-When I start updating, I open 6 notepad documents: orders, stats, rules, research, agreements, and a blank document for the update. I also have the map open, and check old orders, maps, and updates as needed.
-I update regions in the order I get orders from. I'll start with the first nation, then do all of the other nations in their region (so last update, the first orders were from Atyria, and I did the section on them, Sparta, and Byzantium). I'll update local NPCs at the same time, as well as updating stats and them map, and adding diplo and OOC notes if necessary. I try to do all of a region at once.
-When I'm done, I run the stats and update through word to reformat them and use spellcheck.
-Then, I post the update and reserve a spot for the map. I start uploading the map, post the stats and other front page things, then edit in the link to the map.
-Then I reread the update for mistakes, editing as necessary. I then write the summary of it for the front page.
-I answer whatever diplo has been sent already, go to sleep, wake up, and answer 3 or 4 PMs from Alex.
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
1. Take things as they come.
TerrisH
Mischief?
Ah, cool JD. nothing to bad happened then.
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