RMD: Turn based multiplayer games

[smac]

Laser Squad Nemesis - a game that REALLY needs to be on the iphonepad.

Coincidentally, Julian Gollop is considering making it free to play (and is looking for help with hosting):

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/07 ... esis-free/

Man, the hours I poured into Gollop bros. games over the years, starting with Rebelstar (everyone to the top left airlock, send in the droids to soak up the damage, then a straight run through the machine shop to the computer room...).

[WiteWulf]

Involving a German bloke

Oh? Care to elaborate?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10234182-71.html

[Gnarf]

Oh oh oh, and it might be worth keeping an eye on Battlefield Academy. It's not quite out yet, but it should be soon, and it looks pretty neat. From what I've heard of it it sounds like it's a bit like X-COM and such (well, the tactical combat part of X-COM), and more accessible than wargames tend to be while not being too stupid or anything. It's going too use the same kind of thing for multiplayer that Field of Glory has, which is hella neat.

It's pretty much the game I'm looking forward to these days. But I obviously can't really vouch for it, what with not having played it or anything.

Preview here. There are some forum threads here an there too; sounds like guys who have tried the beta rather like it.

[WiteWulf]

Sounds interesting but "...revolutionary server-based Play by E-Mail Slitherine system..." is utter BS. I'm quite certain I was playing PBeM games at uni 17 years ago...

[Gnarf]

Yeah, it's what I said in my previous post. Like with Frozen Synapse and Field of Glory, it's PBeM-like, but you're submitting turns to their server instead of actually sending mails and such. And so the game keeps track of the matches you have going and it is less hassle all around.

That's not to say that "revolutionary" isn't bullshit marketing speech or anything. I'm pretty sure they've been doing more or less the same thing at, say, chess.com for some time before Field of Glory came along and revolutionized things. But they do mean that particular system and how it handles things rather than just the idea of PBeM.

[xan]

Laser Squad Nemesis - a game that REALLY needs to be on the iphonepad.

Coincidentally, Julian Gollop is considering making it free to play (and is looking for help with hosting):

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/07 ... esis-free/

Man, the hours I poured into Gollop bros. games over the years, starting with Rebelstar (everyone to the top left airlock, send in the droids to soak up the damage, then a straight run through the machine shop to the computer room...).

I just found this myself via that very link. Excellent game and it's just a shame that they are not accepting any new purchases while it's in limbo. That being said, you can play multiplayer with a trial account, it's just limited to 200 gameplay turns across all matches, which since I'm currently getting annihilated in 5 turns or so, is quite a lot of matches!

EDIT: forgot to say, the turn structure is kind of simultaneous double blind, so you both submit your orders for the upcoming turn at the same time (via the website + game interface) and then when both have been received it simulates the turn and sends out the results for you to plot your next turn. This is cool because it means that the games seem to progress quite snappily. This is probably v standard stuff, but this kind of MP game is new to me (shocking!).

[Gnarf]

EDIT: forgot to say, the turn structure is kind of simultaneous double blind, so you both submit your orders for the upcoming turn at the same time (via the website + game interface) and then when both have been received it simulates the turn and sends out the results for you to plot your next turn. This is cool because it means that the games seem to progress quite snappily. This is probably v standard stuff, but this kind of MP game is new to me (shocking!).

Yeah, often known as WEGO (as opposed to IGOUGO). It's reasonably common, but most of the games I've seen it in are of a somewhat grander scale. Frozen Synapse and RoboSport are the only other tactical ones I can think of right now.

Of the games I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Dominions 3 is like that too. And Solium Infernum, I think, maybe possibly.


And if Laser Squad Nemesis becomes free then I guess it might be easier to get games going with friends who probably won't pay for it. So that would be a little neat. Yeay.