SUBTERFUGE Forums

So I have a whole thread about how the game could be changed by the devs to make the game more competitive. THIS thread is to share what I consider to be the most competitive start that we as players can achieve given the tools already available to us.

1. Create a 10 player Anonymous mode game.
2. (optional) Use public chat to establish rules like: like "No inviting friends," "No private chat before all players have joined," "Never attempt to share or guess player identities until the game is over," -- "If anyone sees another player attempt to break or circumvent these rules, report it on the public chat."
3. When the game reaches 8-9 players (or however many you wish to play with), the host hits the "Start Now" button.

When Start Now is pushed, it randomizes everyone's starting outpost configuration, and position on the map in relation to each other. If you use the rule about "No private chat," this is now the point at which players may privately chat. Also after this point, the game counts quitting as a resignation (and a last place finish). Amazingly, the game automatically grants extra time to account for the disorientation of having been randomized, which is key to making this work. Unfortunately however, the colors are not randomized (if it wern't, we wouldnt even really need a no private chat rule because you wouldnt know who you were chatting with).

The end result is this: Players dont know who each other are (unless they break the rules). They can't quit and rejoin to seek optimal starting outpost configs. Everyone has equal amount of time to negotiate diplomacy.

^This is as close as it gets to a truly competitive and fair start. If anyone has ideas on how to improve it, please share!

I think that's as fair as it can get. If colour changing can be added it would work better, but I think you've summed it up pretty well.

...Should I say something controversial to spark conversation?

...The Queen should be nerfed. Honestly, a spec who can hire others specs every 18 hours? OP.

Love it, but... I can still determine the identity of most of the players in the top 30 due to the current manner of reporting on the last seen status. This is how most people subvert what you are trying to achieve.

@ozone
Because you're playing multiple games at the same time with them, or just by noting sleeping patterns?

kevlargolem wrote:@ozone
Because you're playing multiple games at the same time with them, or just by noting sleeping patterns?

Because you can go into your past games and see who is online, or how long they have been offline and compare with your current anon games. But I would never do this.... Nope, not me....

What she said.

The most competitive start would be a start where all player bases are mirror imaged so that all players have the same travel distances depending on player location. All players would also have all the same specialist hires. And players would be completely anonymous. - If this were purely a strategy game. Which it's not.

This thread is about the tools currently available to us. Theres no tool available to us that allows mirror imaged outposts.

kevlargolem wrote:This thread is about the tools currently available to us. Theres no tool available to us that allows mirror imaged outposts.

My point was that this is a diplomacy game more than a strategic one. There is no such thing a fair, aka a 'competitive' start.