Post by Morgoth on Jun 7, 2006 22:46:33 GMT -5
Regarding Lag, Scraps, and the Realities of Civ3 Multiplayer
Good Evening Civers. On the precipice of my 1000th ladder loss, I would like to comment on a disturbing trend I’ve noticed manifesting in many ladder games these days. I am, of course, referring to the increasing amount of scraps I’ve been involved with lately.
When I joined the ladder, about 18 months ago, games were hardly ever scrapped. We experienced the same amount of lag, if not more, back in what I like to call “The Golden Age“ of the ladder. As a matter of fact, when I joined the ladder I used a (gulp) dial-up modem. Players, back then, seemed very understanding and my introduction to multiplayer Civ3 was a great experience. No one likes lag, but there will never be a lag-free civ3 community. Mainly because, as far as I know, the actual causes of lag are too unpredictable to be identified. If they have, it is obvious that both Gamespy and Atari are unconcerned with providing us with a lag-free environment. That being said, I believe lag is here to stay.
I say this for one reason. When we join a ladder game we should all know what we are getting into. Back in the day, when a game was launched, and we got through the 1st turn, that game was on. It was played through to the end, regardless of the lag, the drops or the ooses. I can’t recall when scraps started creeping in to the ladder vocabulary, but I would recall it as a dark day. It has never been sufficiently explained to me that if a game becomes unplayable, why is it scrapped and not called on points? At least the time invested in the game would not be wasted. We also could use a ladder definition of the term “unplayable”. Some players are calling for scraps at the slightest signs of lag. They also call for scraps after 1 player drops 1 time. We must remember if a player drops and does not return, the game continues with that player reporting to everyone. I suggest that the missing players civ should be given to a computer player. An easy kill, yes, but better than nothing.
I realize alot of you guys have been around longer than me. Do you remember going through 2 scraps a day before finishing a game? Is it me or my THC clogged memory? That stuff does get awful sticky. Is anyone interested in putting a ban on scraps? I’ve played civ for a long time, since it first came out. In single player you could start a game, and if you didn’t like your start you could just start over. I think we’ve all been guilty of that. I was hoping that wouldn’t translate into the multiplayer community. We need to try to play our way out of bad starts instead of hoping for (or inducing) a scrap. I’m interested in all your opinions and I hope this ladder is around for a long, long time. Good Night and Good Luck.
Morgoth
Good Evening Civers. On the precipice of my 1000th ladder loss, I would like to comment on a disturbing trend I’ve noticed manifesting in many ladder games these days. I am, of course, referring to the increasing amount of scraps I’ve been involved with lately.
When I joined the ladder, about 18 months ago, games were hardly ever scrapped. We experienced the same amount of lag, if not more, back in what I like to call “The Golden Age“ of the ladder. As a matter of fact, when I joined the ladder I used a (gulp) dial-up modem. Players, back then, seemed very understanding and my introduction to multiplayer Civ3 was a great experience. No one likes lag, but there will never be a lag-free civ3 community. Mainly because, as far as I know, the actual causes of lag are too unpredictable to be identified. If they have, it is obvious that both Gamespy and Atari are unconcerned with providing us with a lag-free environment. That being said, I believe lag is here to stay.
I say this for one reason. When we join a ladder game we should all know what we are getting into. Back in the day, when a game was launched, and we got through the 1st turn, that game was on. It was played through to the end, regardless of the lag, the drops or the ooses. I can’t recall when scraps started creeping in to the ladder vocabulary, but I would recall it as a dark day. It has never been sufficiently explained to me that if a game becomes unplayable, why is it scrapped and not called on points? At least the time invested in the game would not be wasted. We also could use a ladder definition of the term “unplayable”. Some players are calling for scraps at the slightest signs of lag. They also call for scraps after 1 player drops 1 time. We must remember if a player drops and does not return, the game continues with that player reporting to everyone. I suggest that the missing players civ should be given to a computer player. An easy kill, yes, but better than nothing.
I realize alot of you guys have been around longer than me. Do you remember going through 2 scraps a day before finishing a game? Is it me or my THC clogged memory? That stuff does get awful sticky. Is anyone interested in putting a ban on scraps? I’ve played civ for a long time, since it first came out. In single player you could start a game, and if you didn’t like your start you could just start over. I think we’ve all been guilty of that. I was hoping that wouldn’t translate into the multiplayer community. We need to try to play our way out of bad starts instead of hoping for (or inducing) a scrap. I’m interested in all your opinions and I hope this ladder is around for a long, long time. Good Night and Good Luck.
Morgoth
