The planets were set exactly as I said. I never posted captures of them before they were invaded, true, that's because by the time I posted here, I no longer had them on file, however, when I went to the Swath Test Server the day these sectors were taken, I still had them on file and I set them up exactly as they were at Brian's server. Same planets, same amount of ore, same quasar settings. You'll just have to take my word for it is all.
The first planet had slightly over 4.5 million ore, the second through seventh all had approximately 6 million ore. They were set at 3 percent sector quasars. There were 58 million offensive fighters in the sector. The largest ship (the ships used to take the sector) had 1.8 to 1 offensive AND defensive odds (that's just under 2 to one odds).
This sector was taken in one single morning by two players. No one mothed the planets, and NO ONE was podded by quasars that day! (Yes, of course I checked the logs). In other words, these two players invaded this sector and not only killed all the offensive fighters, but conquered the planets, all without a SINGLE POD! (Oh, and no photons WERE disabled).
I'm sure you can all see why I was certain something underhanded occurred. I never blamed the sysop directly, I merely suggested that if he had not given tedit access to one of these players, they must have slipped in through a back door. Now, let me explain, I do not consider it sysop cheating to give tedit access to a player. Many sysops do this, and I have done it myself, but it was done with the agreement that the player would not cheat (honor system). There are many reasons why a sysop would give tedit access to a person who can be trusted (to act as a sort of game op). Therefore, my asking him if he had given tedit access to one of these players was NOT and I repeat, not an accusation that he was allowing people to cheat in his games.
Next thing I know, I'm banned and my character is deleted. What else was I to think?
So, what am I to conclude, given that the information I'm now getting from you very reliable people is that a ship with 1.8:1 defensive odds, 400k figs and 12k shields should NOT be podded by 58 million offensive fighters? I can only conclude that the ship I was in, in Brian's game did NOT have 1.8:1 defensive odds! The ship was SUPPOSED to have those odds! Yet, 6 million offensive fighters in the alien sector podded me several times (with no quasars active).
Evidently my ship was not as defensive as the game claimed it was!
I tested this theory and guess what, exactly right. The ship that I was flying around in on Brian's server only had .8 to 1 odds, NOT 1.8 to 1, yet, the ship docs and a ship stat check reported it was supposed to have 1.8 to 1 odds! This explains why 6 million offensive fighters could pod me, but my 58 million offensive odds couldn't pod other players in the exact same ship. There were two types of "Improved Starships" in this particular game, the one type you purchased at stardock which was supposed to have 1.8 to one defensive odds (but didn't) and the other type these two players possessed, (and God only knows where they got them, or what their ship odds were, no doubt their odds were 8 to 1).
All this spells the same exact thing, SOMEHOW the editor was being used OR it was merely corrupt DAT files, and in this case the corruption worked against me and for another player.
I now believe that there is NO EVIDENCE Brian T. was involved in this problem directly, but was just as unwitting victim of what can only be explained as DAT files gone amuck.
I'm sorry I insinuated anything against him now. I apologize. Like I said, I'm not a mathematician, and I don't have any formulas for figuring out what's going to happen when I enter a sector, all I can do is just GO IN THERE and see what happens, then, I set my defenses based on my experience in that particular game. If 6 million offensive fighters in the alien sector pod me in my ship, you can see how it would be reaonable for me to expect that 58 million offensive fighters is going to pod another player in the same ship? Right?
Now, nothing explains how the Quasar cannons and the offensive figs combined did not pod these two, except, perhaps my corp partners messed with the quasar settings after I put them there! You know, nothing would surprise me. It might be that I was just having a very unlucky day that day.
I now officially retract any insinuations against Brian T. and his server. It takes a special person to run a free TWGS, and I regret trashing such a person needlessly. Yet, in my defense, I told no one the identity of this server when I posted originally, and it's unfortunate to me that Brian revealed his identity here, because, clearly there is NO PROOF that anything happened other than bad luck (and perhaps some messed up files) which, hopefully if so, are now fixed.
Good luck to you Brian, and I hope your TWGS brings you lots of joy in the future.
