That little extra time before they get the fig decay message is just enough time to macro in and out before they arrive to the sector. As you have said before, when it comes to pdrops, milliseconds are extremely important.

Noobies are generally going to play high turn games while more experienced players perfer the low-turn games, so I really don't see a need for "training games". You will almost always however find someone a bit more experienced going into high turn games to "shoot fish in a barrel" just for kicks. This is a strategy game and if someone quits after being killed once, this game isn't for them. If they feel challenged and come back time and time again, each time learning a bit more... here are the players you want to take under you wing to teach.

So, my suggestion for all you sysops out there is to promote the game by setting up pretty much stock, high turn games for the newbies to learn on. I myself learned on a local bbs that had unlimited turns. The bbs owner's son had admin rights and cheated horribly, and dispite that I learned enough to kill him and send him running off with his tail between his legs... Muhahahaha.... Silly boy never did learn how to read a density scanner, I was laying wait in the citadel as he wore my cannons down, then I reset the cannons on his last and fatal attempt to land. Hehehe... Gosh I love this game!

The next thing you must do.. as experience players is to share your knowledge of the game freely in forms like this. Explain the basics so others can learn and become as addicted to this game as you are. If you want more players, you must "grow" them. When you see a newbie log on, welcome them! If they are in a game you know is too challenging for them, stear them toward the stock, high-turn games. Whatever you do, don't "give" them credits or ships or planets... they must learn how to earn to be able to appreciate these items.

Cruncher

ISPs or not...

m 1234* n n * z a 99999 * <

Will get you in and out before even a limpet triggered plock can land provided CPC is greater than 5.



Agreed. One of the greatest skills a new player needs to learn is how to select new games. I even said that on one of my tutorials, laff. I don't know if really high turn games is a good place to learn anymore tho, unlims have a lot of aggressive killers and really high turn games teach ppl to warp around in the wrong ship. 5k to 10k has always seemed like a good number to me for new players.

IMO, less than 1k turns with a time limit is the best way for newbies to learn. Otherwise they might as well play Solitaire. Who needs quitters.

For the touchie feelies: Sure, bang a few unlims for those who cant cut the mustard. They will become great TW players in the fullness of time.

Yeh right.

Kavanagh.

That all depends on who's mustard you are trying to cut. I know you won't do it because you'd get embarrased, but go up against one of the established corps that play unlimited games regularly and see what happens. Zarhahn's corp comes to mind. I can play both turn and unlimited games with no problem, but then I like to be versatile too.
Hollywood can play either type game. There are a lot of players that can do both effectively. These type in my opinion are the best players because the get bragging rights in all games.

lol on the attitude about unlim players. I've seen turns players who come in and find they are out cashed, out figged and #SD# fairly quick. Unlims are a different mindset and many have developed scripts and strategy for unlim play. I look at turns kind of like riding a Harley and unlims like riding my bike - both are fun to ride, but mine puts a little more adrenaline into it when the throttle goes wide open.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

If turn management is the only skillset you value, then I can see why ppl would be quick to dismiss high turn and unlim games. But that also explains why some ppl never leave dock, too...

Actually I think he was saying that turn management isn't the only important skill. However your reply was well stated.

Prome was, Kav... wasn't so much.

I think it was Sing that said something about new players needing to learn to pick games that they can survive in and not games that are established. I ran into that tonight with a player while I was gridding. He was hitting figs and I attacked.

A 6 day old unlim, 2 surviving solo player corps, about 35 or so planets, terra depleted and 12M figs in the game.

I told the player the game was to far along to get started, and he said "it is only 6 days old." I'm not sure what his concept of unlim game play is, but "only" 6 days?

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

Before scripting became so big ppl had to do everything by hand. That meant that gridding, cashing, etc, even in an unlim, took a long time. Now it takes practically nothing, and a lot of new players have not figured that out. That's why I created my "returnee" tutorial... so ppl can read about the differences w/o having to experience them.

Unfortunately you can tell them this over and over and a lot of them won't believe you, because they come from a board where ppl are less aggressive and scripted. Those are the guys that get the crap beaten out of them time and time again... until they either learn or leave. Many times they blame their defeat on scripts, turning into one of those anti-script zombies, w/o realizing it's not scripts that killed them... they killed themselves long before the game started. If they had chosen a better game to start in they would've had more fun, even if that means choosing a slower server.

If they didn't pose a threat, or if it wasn't a common ploy, it'd be okay to let them wander around a bit... but if you let them grid around then the big enemy corp can do the same, if you start letting them get a foot hold you never know who they might turn out to be. So in the end there's only one safe decision... protect your time investment and kill w/o remorse.

quote]

IMO, less than 1k turns with a time limit is the best way for newbies to learn. Otherwise they might as well play Solitaire. Who needs quitters.

For the touchie feelies: Sure, bang a few unlims for those who cant cut the mustard. They will become great TW players in the fullness of time.

Yeh right.

Kavanagh.[/quote]

That all depends on who's mustard you are trying to cut. I know you won't do it because you'd get embarrased, but go up against one of the established corps that play unlimited games regularly and see what happens. Zarhahn's corp comes to mind. I can play both turn and unlimited games with no problem, but then I like to be versatile too.
Hollywood can play either type game. There are a lot of players that can do both effectively. These type in my opinion are the best players because the get bragging rights in all games.[/quote]

You miss my point. I was not disparaging unlim turns games/players. I never have. I do believe however, that unlims are not a good arena for newbies in general to learn how to play TW for many reasons. It certainly would not prepare them for low turn time limited.

You are quite correct in implying that I would get my Butt kicked in an unlim, but I assure you it would not embarrass me - its been happening to me in regular games for years. I play to have fun. I like to win a game, but many of the games that I have lost have been far more entertaining and interesting than some of the games I have won. Unlims are of zero interest to me, I dont have unlimited time. No problem with pepl who let the CPU do the walking, horses for courses etc, just not to my taste.

On that I will agree. There's a script out there that ewarp colonizes with a ship in tow to grab more cols... go ahead, use that in a turns game... LOL.

What does "ewarp" mean ?