helloooooo 2008!

[smitty]

Hi guys and girls!

I'm not sure if anyone reads the board anymore, but happy new year to anyone who does!

It's been a good year in fed so far, I'm busy readying my main planet for Technocrat- which I really can't wait for. I've been doing some analysis on all the available builds (now that they're all detailed online) and kicking around ideas for my secondary planet.

Ideally, I figure i can get a high enough approval rating so that my alt won't need to own factories on my main planet. By my calculations, you could have up to 44% of approval with the available stable builds (or even 54% with the interesting new Weather build).

Just today I was also considering doing some of the more rutheless builds on my second planet - like a bunch of riot police and the like, to keep disaffection there at bay. The reason i want to do this is threefold:
1. no more alt-management (i only have one FO alt who i don't play, ever)
2. no worry about disaffection when FOs buy and sell facs
3. open up factory space to anyone and any type of fac! (maybe with a few limits like no arts)

I'm not sure how much competition is out there for fac space- but my main idea is to get rid of my alt sucking up so many workers so that i can encourage people to come and build, and thereby stimulate social interaction between lots of manus/etc. People are feeling a little isolated, and I'd really like the chance to allow fac owners to compete (or even just get free space) from me, so that new FOs have an easy time starting out with quality facs, and so that we can get a little "hub" for new FOs to drop in on

Other stuff that i'm totally looking forward to is the potential to write our own mobiles and/or events! I can't even begin to tell you how cool that would be!

A new exchange roll for my promoting planet - i loooove new roles, doing the initial analysis of what i have and produce/etc is so fun!

well, that's pretty good rambling for now- if anyone's still checking in, let me know what you've been up to- or stop by the Geisha House on Numazu and say hello (s,s,s,sw,w from the lp)!

[sephorin]

Hi, Smitty. I too am very much looking forward to Technocrat. In fact I really had no desire to be a PO until player events/objects were in, but the new company cap forced me to promote early.

I don't really know how much demand there is for factories from CEOs. I suspect that most POs have done as you have, though, and created alts to put factories on their planets. I have. And it's too bad because you're absolutely right about the isolation effect. Although I think the basic game code itself is responsible for player isolation more than anything else, creating alts exacerbates this problem. (Compared to Classic Fed, there is less player interaction. No merchants doing price quotes for traders. No player hauling contracts. No need for friends to help you with puzzles.)

In any case, I applaud your effort to make things more interactive. And it's nice to see a post on the boards.

Sephorin
Trading Representative for Alice in the Looking Glass System

[brookerf]

Hi Smitty (and everyone else who reads here)!

I'm looking forward to the next promotion, too. Mostly because I like getting a new roll...and I think I'd end up liking the events part of it, too. I do wish I had the time to work on my other industrial planet because I could use the second planet to help fund the builds...its going soooo slow there...and the roll sucks. Big time.

I'm isolated, but I'm afraid that's by choice. I chat with folks I've met playing Fed fantasy football and am more than happy to help anyone out or make other friends, but I just haven't got the time to invest in "in-game" socialization. I'm logged on to my computer all day and check in when the kids aren't trying to burn the house down. Sephorin makes an excellent point about the way the current game is coded...I'd forgotten the things in Classic Fed that made things so social. I have great memories of the friends I made there...even went back into the archives and saw my name (was also BrookeRF) in a list of guilds! Maybe Classic Fed was more of a true sociological experiment.

I've made a point (to myself) to not freak about the selling that takes place on my planet. I'm also of a mind that I'd like to get to a point where anyone could build any type of factory on my planet. I have alts that could employ workthingies until someone wants a planet, but I don't think I will do extra builds to offset the dissatisfaction. I am pretty much doing that right now anyways. I dunno. I just enjoy seeing the black line go up on my financial reports.

Hope your year continues to be great!
Brooke

[zappp]

Long crash? 90 mins post reset and I cannot get in....anyone else having same problem?

zappp

[oddball]

Couple obeservations:

1) A bug in population for technocrat builds - Appears that the urban regeneration build may have a flaw. Should add 100 pop to planet (for a total of 1300 max at tech). It did, but they disappeared at reset. Has been reported to Ibgames.

2) Someone appears to not have any manners (yes I know who it is). I've been working on increasing the size of my merchant fleet just for something to do. I have taken pains to avoid inviting any merchants who already have a registerd ship (missed once and recanted my offer as soon as i noticed). Seems like it shouldn't need to be said, but we should have a code of honor on this issue. I do know if it happens again, I will be far more excited to push PvP.

3) Should be an interesting dynamic in factories now. Technocrats (with enough cash) do not need any factory owners. My dis with adquate employment is over 50%. So it would seem 0 employment would not be an issue assuming my logic is right. As a result, I'm not sure if I care about what factories are on the planet or not. Until I decide, I am managing them as before.

4) Total cost if you want to do ALL the tech builds at once is about 1,220 meg (i opted not to do all the weather and fusion)

5) Weather and fusion. I decided to build 1 of each just to play with. Not sure if I rebuild them or not when I get a negative event. The fusion negatives are particularly onerous (esp if you have factories) and I havent done the math on whether the 10 meg is well spent (or what the payback in days is. Seems like a good project for someone who likes to play with excel!).

6) Couple of builds not to forget about when u make technocrat. You can now do another dole and there are 6 more entertainment (radio) builds that are allowed.

Odd

[oddball]

Also, either a bug or a misprint in the manual. Insurance builds are not adding 1% or 1 pt to biological products (it may be 1% to efficiency tho). All my bio products are still at 0 production. Only effect it has then (if correctly implemented) is to reduce dis (at tech level).

Odd

[oddball]

Wow...my day for reports.

Wouldn't even have known it if one of my FOs had not called to my attention. My 2nd planet auto-promoted.

Zion had 66 builds and all the necessary builds for Resource...and low and behold it promoted on Sunday with the main planet.

Odd

[smitty]

hey odd- noticed the workthing problem here too- i'm still at 1200 on numazu... should be a simple fix- but what do i care- it's not like i'm stretched for workthings

I've implemented my plan to get my disaffection for both planets into the 30+ approval with even 100% unemployment- which is great. Anyone is more than welcome to my workthings from here on out! i've frozen my only alt at fin, with no intention to ever buy shares

as for what's next... well, i've got really big plans for a puzzle that i want to work on... i was heavily disappointed not getting any info on events and mobiles last weekend. other than that, i'll be relaxing and making cash only when i feel like it

[oddball]

Wt problem fixed with today's reset.

The bio production was a misprint in the manual which Hazed has or will be updating (impacts efficiency)

Zion promoted on it's own. Despite what was in the Star, I was on Chicago, hit promote before I went to bed and woke up on Chicago. So, while autopromote is not in the game (per the Star and I wouldn't count on the accuracy of that), there is some kind of bug that promoted my 2nd planet.

Isn't like I actually care since I was going to promote it this week anyway..lol

Odd

[oddball]

<<Someone appears to not have any manners (yes I know who it is). I've been working on increasing the size of my merchant fleet just for something to do. I have taken pains to avoid inviting any merchants who already have a registerd ship (missed once and recanted my offer as soon as i noticed). Seems like it shouldn't need to be said, but we should have a code of honor on this issue. I do know if it happens again, I will be far more excited to push PvP.>>


Wow, some folks don't have any ethics...another ship disappeared at reset and the same PO's fleet went up one. Maybe a solution is to exile the PO and any fleet members I find? Sheesh I hate doing that.

[brookerf]

<<<Wow, some folks don't have any ethics...another ship disappeared at reset and the same PO's fleet went up one. Maybe a solution is to exile the PO and any fleet members I find? Sheesh I hate doing that.>>>

I didn't realize the world of maintaining fleets was so exciting! You are welcome to have any of the ships on my alt's fleet (including mine). I only have my alts registered there and let's face it...with six, I doubt there is going to be any benefit found! It might be a bit of time before I can get to some of them, since I've ran the personal accounts down to almost nil in transferring money in order to get enough to build. I've bought ships elsewhere before, although I never buy from someone who tb's me...it seems a bit like unsolicited telemarketing and I have horrible flashbacks.

BTW, my registry fleet just "showed up" after that huge crash. I didn't say I had one, but it was there anyways. ::shrug::

[oddball]

Just showed up? How lucky! Saved $25 as I think the registry is 5 slithies.

Was probably Zappp who tb'd you? He's my solicitor general...chuckle. Looks like I talked a merchie into joining the fleet and am back to 40. Would like to keep it there (maybe 50 but getting to 40 was work).

In theory at least, the planet is supposed to run more efficiently 1% for every 10 ships. Not a very good tradeoff for the work involved frankly. According to the docs, factories are supposed to run more efficiently as well, but I have not been able to document any changes at all on that score.

[oddball]

And I should have said, I welcome any of your ship's and anyone else's that may be so inclined...

Odd

[brookerf]

oddball said:

Just showed up? How lucky! Saved $25 as I think the registry is 5 slithies.

Was probably Zappp who tb'd you? He's my solicitor general...chuckle. Looks like I talked a merchie into joining the fleet and am back to 40. Would like to keep it there (maybe 50 but getting to 40 was work).

In theory at least, the planet is supposed to run more efficiently 1% for every 10 ships. Not a very good tradeoff for the work involved frankly. According to the docs, factories are supposed to run more efficiently as well, but I have not been able to document any changes at all on that score.

I did get my merchant's ship moved over to your fleet, but I'm having trouble with the others. Too lazy to make money for them so far. I tried with my main character...ashamed to say I was too poor!!! I'll eventually do it. I think there are five ships that I can switch over...so that can at least be a buffer should anyone else defect.