Congratulations Ray. It was good to see your post. Same for FotR members Theoden, vincible, Matthew, & Greldon. There are still some of us who are playing regularly but if the current pattern prevails, SF will outrun FotR soon. Congrats to SF. You certainly have many excellent players who play frequently.

FotR was the first to 2 million, 3 million, 4 million and the top empire of 2003. We play to have fun. Players can play militaristic or diplomatically, good or evil, and players can come and go and no one has a cow. We can still compete to be the number one "OPEN" empire if we wish.

I have a 60k maso gig almost done so will submit it this week. Bye for now. It's time to watch some National Football League playoff football on TV.
[Message Edited]

Yeah, right. We didn't hear this rubbish when we formed in October and were back in tenth place. But when we work our way up to the top spot...oh, but I forgot - you don't care about winning, do you? We weren't the first invite-only empire, either - as the Realms Beyond people (and others) will tell you, it's about collecting a like-minded group of people to share the journey, that's all. We recruit like any other empire.

I notice you're back on top as I write this, so hopefully there will be some slicing and dicing to come!

Sorry is that the 11am pig I see flying by?

ric, you have a point. SF, for that matter, has been number one among the "invite" empires for some time. There's always a reason to celebrate...

Personally, I agree with vincible - it's time to kick butt. Tentative peace offerings? Friendly relations? Quiet studies? Tea and crumpets? The top of the Metaverse has been too quiet for too long. Some thermonuclear "discussions" over the top spot may liven things up a bit.

Sadly, my role in this glorious conflict appears to be stuck in support mode at the moment. With the Altarian Prophecy download, I'm having problems loading saved games - and I'm too much of a micromanager to finish in one sitting. Anybody know if a patch is coming? Soon?

If not, maybe Theoden and I can grab some popcorn and go into "war correspondent" mode...

Ben you can't load in Altarian Prophecy, but can still play v 1.13, just make sure you copy the files to fix the UP share tech problem.

Aha. Wasn't sure if AP was going to cause conflicts with the original GalCiv, though I now note that there are separate entries in the Start menu (doh!).

I'll cross my fingers and dive back into the fray...although my first game is probably going to cause a hit to my score, what with the scoring block system and aging.

P.S. Theoden - the war correspondent offer still stands; unbiased press coverage is always a plus in wartime. I'll bring the beer if you bring the munchies. And maybe some of that hobbit tobacco.

Well, congrats to the Special Forces for taking the top spot until we reclaimed it.

I've personally lost all desire to compete on a single-player game board since tasting the joys of competing multiplayer. Therefore, I doubt you will see me posting any scores on the Metaverse anytime soon.

For those of you who still enjoy the Metaverse competition, have fun and may your blades be true and your magic powerful.

The Fellowship is most certainly not all about competing, it's also about contributing to the game/forum and strategy. So enjoy your stay here in the Fellowship Halls doing whatever suits you most.

For those of you who tire of playing against the AI and long for some multiplayer action, don't hesitate to try out Star Chamber for free at www.starchamber.net .

The community over there is friendly and mature (very similar to the Galciv one) with a average age in the 20s-30s.

This is what one of us galcivers - Diplomat Jeffery Pinard wrote in a review at Gamespot.

"Yes I gave this game all 9's. Why? For a turn-based strategy card collecting game it looks great, had nice sound, and is terribly addicting.

And I mean horrendously, terribly, insanely addicting. Yes that's good for a change, and not in the (I wasted my life on Everquest) kind of way. Based on the space faring race you play, you'll constantly be thinking of new strategies to better yourself against the computer training AI, but 99% for against humans. Ohhh the humanity! Not being abe to reload a game because you're playing against ahuman has shown me I'm not quite the strategy-star I thought I was. BUT, with tournaments every week, web ratings, and players almost always available to play you have to keep going back for more. It takes a little to get going in because the docuemntation isn't the perfect, but you get the hang of it quick then, and realize it will take you a long time to master... which means ultimate replayability!"


Trust me, you will love it.

Card collecting? Magic The Gathering style? No thankee. Games are best played on even playing fields under fair conditions, IMHO.

Is that seriously the first time you've tasted multiplayer action??? Wow. My internet action started with multiplayer. My Kali serial number is 007243, so I was among the first 10k people playing modern PC games online. That was at the start of 1996. Multiplayer has a thrill, no doubt about it, but it also has its share of pitfalls.

Internet connections -- lag, latency, data stream continuity -- impact multiplayer results and create uneven playing fields, even for games you'd think would be more insulated. Integrity of competition is only as tight as the game rules and security. If there is a way to cheat, idjits and little egos seeking to pretend to be big boys will find a way to make it happen. Trash talk usually rules the roost, and tempers will always flare as players display all manner of insecurities and immaturities. Exploits and rules loopholes will dictate the gameplay, unless patched around, and often even then. The final gameplay rarely even resembles what the game set out to accomplish.

Despite all of that, multiplayer can still be the best option, because there is no substitute for a thinking opponent. But from someone who has been to the promised land of multiplayer and back, I must say, it is not for the faint of heart.


- Sirian

It is exactly those things that you have mentioned (and which I've heard) about multiplayer that kept me away from them for so many years even though I've started playing PC games since 1986.

That's why it's such a nice surprise to me that I'm having such a good time over there right now, without having to deal with many of the issues that you have mentioned. There are obviously the occasional immature jerks but it's simple enough to ignore them. They are are a very small minority because Star Chamber is a TBS thinking game without fancy graphics and sound (I think there are only beeps in the game :p) and it doesn't attract the usual crowd you see at the other big RTS games.

The tourney I won was a Phantom tourney which means that players are given 7 random packs or 105 random cards to build a deck from. Yeah, it is still not a perfect level playing field unless everyone gets the exact same cards but it's as close as it gets in this kind of game.

The top players currently in the game are all mature adults. I've played most of them and have made friends with many of them. Well, there is a 16yr old 3rd ranked player but frankly he speaks like a 32yr old.

The owner of this indie development firm, Merakon, is in Chat everyday interacting with the players and solving technical problems. He swapped a Rare card that was nerfed with me for another Rare that I wanted. He gave me additional prizes for the tourney win when I hinted to him that it was an unusually small prize for winning such a big tourney. Very nice chap.

Are u so jaded from your past multiplayer experiences that you would not even give the free trial a go, Sirian?

Given your usual posts I can only assume you actually don't know what this acronym means!

Ray I visited the site you recommended and thanks but not, do I have to pay to get cards, what is this Yugi=oh all over again. No thanks.

Is it just me or is Seeker Master speaking in a language that I don't understand?

I think he misunderstood the post about the game and the cards you spoke of.

Good morning, all.

Ben: war correspondant sounds like a great idea, but I might have to enter the fray sometime this week (if I can spare a few minutes!) I actually picked up Baldur's Gate II over the weekend and have gotten quite interested in it even though I only played a couple of hours last night. Yes, I know it sounds like I'm bouncing around games a lot (Pool of Radiance, Might & Magic VIII, and now BGII) but that's sort of the way I am. I'll still manage to squeeze in a game or two of GalCiv from time to time and of course I'll be here on the forums!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Address to the Fellowship by Councilman Theoden of Rohan

As far as the recent battle between SpecFor and the Fellowship, I can only say the top empire always has someone who seeks to pass them. The Fellowship can only do what we can to enjoy ourselves and stay interested in the game. I'm very proud of the time the Fellowship has stood at the top of the Metaverse but it's refreshing to see a challenge. It wouldn't be much of a challenge if we didn't lose some ground every once in a while!

Whether we fall or maintain our spot as the top empire, I think everyone in the Fellowship of the Ring will agree that this empire has had a great time. We're certainly not rolling over and dying. We'll keep up the fight and remain steadfast. As the tree's leaves wither and fall in the autumn only to burst forth again in the spring, so shall the power of the Fellowship be. Our glory has not yet ended.

Stay proud and true, brave Fellowship! Fight on and heed the battle cry!

Why don't you just use the Horn of Gondor?

*Takes deep breath, picks up horn*

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


Hmm, doesn't come off as well in this medium as it did in the movie.

LOL

Yeah, that almost sounded like a Volkswagen horn!

Still getting ready for that exam, vincible? I'm sooooo glad I don't have to worry about that anymore! Of course, I have to plan for these neverending meetings here at work, though.

Sounds like Ray has wandered off. :notsure: Oh well, back to the battle! LOL

The best video-gaming experiences of my life have been multiplayer. (Starcraft!) There were some mediocre experiences too. Against a computer you have a more consistent experience.

Oh, don't worry about Ray. He'll probably get an itch to play GalCiv again in a couple of weeks.

Greldon: Great job on those Gig/Masos, by the way!!! You're starting to look like Ray used to...wait...is that a Ring of Power on your hand???
[Message Edited]

Yeah, the exam's on January 30th. But I've got about four years worth of material to review

I took a break and did some gaming yesterday but it was MarioKart against my girlfriend. I wasn't in the mood for a thinking game like Galciv.

Ray I visited the site, first you cannot join, there is not link there to join, except download the game, second I visited the card store where I assumed you will get those "free" set of cards and voila they cost 5.95 each, nothing free there.

This is the card store

Featured Items

No monthly fee to play!

Three Origins Packs (45 cards) - $5.99

14-pack Starter Package (210 cards) - $19.99

Optional Subscription - $5.99/month - Get 2 Origins Packs, 2 Tourney Tickets and 2 Promo Cards each month in addition to the ability to play in the Pro Circuit and compete for the Galaxy Cup!

I went to the sight. The download is the game and is free. You can try the game for free. You do not have to buy cards to play. The cards he talks about are in the game, "virtual cards".