Slow (year a day) network game

[funktor]

I think that could be interesting with huge maps (even bigger 2048x2048), have dedicated server where time will run much slower (let say 1 year a day).

If you are connected you can play, build, etc. If you are away, AI will play for you (train replacing, etc.), no building.

There will be difficulties with parametrization - transport fee should be much lower. Also your track should not be build immediately, but with dealy (on month, or so).

What do you thing? May be some game server will run this server modification...

Funktor

[Gerk]

Not a bad idea, done correctly. Though I would suggest doing this on a month-by-month basis, not yearly; if that seems too long, you can always make the game shorter (in years). Everyone gets to preconceptualize for their next day/month/year/whatever-the-next-period-of-play is; the 'current day' is the culmination of all the players' past decisions, and anyone can come in during the specified period of time and see how it all plays out (without presently being able to interfere with it at all) before making their impending decisions for the next cycle.

[LKRaider]

Basically, almost turn-based like? (the limitation for your turn would be the amount of money in this case tho)

[latinoloco]

Nah that would be crap IMHO. Because how would you know where you are building if u have to wait for a whole month.. and the game is already boring enough now, imagine wen a year is a day...

there are times now where it gets boring. and if u join late in a slower game, you are really behind... a game wont last like 3 months. and servers do go down... imagine right in the middle of a game..

but hey, thats MY OPINION....

[Archonix]

and the game is already boring enough now

So why are you playing it?

[latinoloco]

there are times now where it gets boring

like when ur waiting for money to buy a new train or something and theres nothing to do.

[funktor]

I wasn't thinking about turn base mode. Only slow realtime... it can be funny... building your railroad for a long time... in scale of months. You can play it for months, each day for a while and work on your strategy in long term... one game can take a year...

Possibility could be - do your track, it will be shown in map and it will be build with some delay (for example - 14 days (game time) 2 hours (realtime).

[latinoloco]

What im not crazy about is when you start playing this game, it'll take ages to set up. You know those really good games, but in the begining its boring as hell and annoying because you have to build everything from scratch? But once that is done its all good? Thats what will probably happen IMO.

[bobingabout]

i quite like this idea, 1 game year per real day.

delays on track building, you'd also need some kind of shipping delay for trains. could be acheived by simply building the train, but it can't leave the depot for an hour, so you can plan your route and such and set it to be released, bugger off to play a different network game, then come back, and your train is going, making money.

i can easily see people playing several games at once if this was implemented.


also, AI replacing trains? how about not? you can set auto replace when old, also, with games lasting longer, train age would last for weeks/months before needing replacing

imagine starting a game 1930, could take months before it ends.

[LKRaider]

I think it sounds good. But I still say it is almost like a turn based game (not a bad thing, IMO).

So, when building, you would lay down 'phantom-tracks' (so to speak), wich would get built slowly. I think it could work.