Galactic BloodShed FAQ Version HTML 1.0 - Part 1
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Table of Contents
I. Getting Started
1. What is GB?
2. What is HAP?
3. Where can I get the client and/or server code?
4. What are the different versions of the server out?
5. What if I have problems compiling something?
6. How can I find out more about gb?
7. Where are the current games running?
8. Do I need a client to play gb?
9. How can I start playing a game?
10. How much time does it take to play gb?
11. Is there a newsgroup for GB?
II. The Game Set-Up
1. What race should I choose?
2. What's the difference between a normal and a morph?
3. Which is better, morphs or normals?
4. What kind of planet should I choose?
5. What sector preferences should I take?
6. What happens if I get a rotten home planet?
III. Playing the Game
1. What is a move seg?
2. What is an update?
3. What strategy should I use?
4. Random Questions I Always Seem to Run Into
i. How do I change scope?
ii. How do I talk to others?
iii. What should I do first?
iv. How do I interpret the maps?
v. How do factories work?
vi. What tax rate should I set?
vii. What's the difference between military and civilians?
viii. What should I set my mobilization level at?
ix. How do planetary guns work?
x. How do atmosphere processors work?
xi. What's the quickest way to jump to other systems?
xii. How do I get hyperdrive on board ships?
xiii. How do I build ships in space?
xiv. How come I don't have any resources yet?
xv. How come my pods didn't explode when they reached their
destination?
xvi. How do I get a list of where my crystals are at?
xvii. How do I get crystals?
xviii. How do I get a list of ship types I can build?
5. Final Warnings and Advice
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I. -- Getting Started
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1. What is GB?
"GB" stands for "Galactic Bloodshed" GB is a game played on a
network by several users at various sites. The home site, where
the game and its database reside, is generally referred to as the
"server." While telnet is one way to connect to a GB game, most if
not all players prefer to use a more complex program, usually
called a "client." Not all clients are the same, of course, but
for now, don't worry about it.
2. What is HAP?
"HAP" stands for "Heuristic Astronomy Project." HAP is a close
relative of GB, but there are many very important differences
between the two. Rather than go into the differences here, I
suggest you continue reading through this and then log in to one
of the games yourself. Ask around and experiment and decide for
yourself what you like best in a game. Both "flavors" of GB
(original and extra crispy, if you like) approach the game in a
different way. For example, in HAP games, communication among
players who have not met is restricted while on GB, global
communication is the rule...thus for help, it would be best to try
a GB game first where players can hear you. As a general rule, HAP
tries to incorporate many of the best changes from new versions of
the original code while bowing more to "realism" where possible.
3. Where can I get the client and/or server code?
Just follow this link
Pretty much everything you'll find there is compressed and/or
shared/tarred, so you'll need to know a little bit about
manipulating Unix files in order to set things up.
*** IMPORTANT ***
When you are transferring a binary file (ie: ends with .Z), you
MUST set the file transfer mode to binary! If you do not transfer
the file in binary mode, it will be corrupt. If you experience a
problem uncompressing/unarchiving a file, this is the problem 99%
of the time.
Here's a helpful example:
Suppose you ftp gb.docs.tar.Z.
First: uncompress gb.docs.tar.Z (gives you gb.docs.tar)
Next: tar -xf gb.docs.tar (separates out all the files)
Then: delete the original tar file to save some space.
OR: If you ftp gb.docs.shar.Z
First: uncompress gb.docs.shar.Z (gives you gb.docs.shar)
Next: /bin/sh gb.docs.shar (separates the files)
Then: Delete the original shar file to save space.
Info on these processes can be found in your system's help files,
but if you continue to have problems, telnet to one of the running
gb games and ask around for help. This is usually the first best
thing to try when you have any problems. After all, the players
have all had to go through the same things you will in order to
get set up in gb.
Once the files are in your directory in a conventional format,
there will be help files and so forth included. It's a good idea
to print the help docs out and have them handy when you play. When
you've successfully compiled the client, stripping the executable
file will reduce your client to a size of around 130 blocks If
you've got a strict quota on disk use, it's best to do most of
this work in a temporary directory, then print out the help files
and transfer the executable into your permanent directory.
Note that the client successfully compiles only on Unix machines
or a close derivative of Unix. At this time, no client exists
which is compatible with VMS. There is also a new version of a PC
based client for GB available at the scam ftp site as gbpc.zip,
written by Chris Fodor (aka Feepness). As it develops (ie. as soon
as Chris sends me a paragraph or two about it), I'll include more
information in the FAQ.
4. What are the different versions of the server out?
Besides GB and HAP, I know about 4 versions of the server
currently out. Most are versions that take bits and pieces of GB
and HAP to form another strain of GB. There is currently one
available on ftp.ipl.rpi.edu on /sigma/gb/gb.IPL-Server.tar.Z
which fixes some bugs. If anyone has any more detailed information
about this version please let me know.
Also, there is a version I am working on, which is currently
running at the "NYU" games, which is tentatively called GB+. This
version has TONS of bug fixes, and also new ship database code,
along with autoscrap, threshloading, minesweepers, and other HAP
inherited options. Currently there is no ftp site for this, but
once I get one, it will be posted.
This version seems to be very stable, as there are over 230
updates currently in the test game on groucho. Send mail to me
(deragon@jethro.nyu.edu) if you want information on this version.
5. What if I have problems compiling something?
As mentioned earlier, the first thing you should always try is to
log in to one of the existing games as a guest and start asking
around. There will often be someone on who can help you with
simple problems, but if they can't help you, you'll probably be
referred to Evan Koffler (ekoffler@zephyr.cair.du.edu), who has
graciously volunteered to deal with _client_ compiling problems,
but be polite... give him informed questions rather than just
helplessly whining.
In other words, don't just write and say "It doesn't compile on
the NeXT and crashes when I try to boot it." At the least, run the
code through a debugger of some kind to get a line number within a
routine or at least get some kind of output sequence. This gives
the person helping you some reference point from which to track
the problem down.
If you're having a problem with a bug in the server code, your
best bet is to post to alt.games.gb. If the authors want to
volunteer their addresses (Garrett, Clay, et al.) and/or services
for direct email correspondence, I'll let them do it. There are
enough users out here familiar with the code to help you deal with
whatever problem you're experiencing. What was said in the
previous paragraph about finding and reporting bugs and receiving
help also goes here.
6. How can I find out more about gb?
Try logging in to one of the current games running. Some games
have a guest account set up specifically for new users to find
their way around and ask questions. When it asks for a password,
simply type "guest" or "guest 0" in most places, and you'll be
logged in to the game. There's no guarantee that there will be
someone on who can help you and/or has the time, but during the
evening is generally the best time to try.
7. Where are the current games running?
I used to keep a list of this, but it's just too much of a pain.
The best way to keep track of which games are running (or about to
be) is to watch the alt.games.gb newsgroup. It's very low volume,
so that should be no problem. The FAQ gets out of date too quickly
and easily in any case.
Once you get a server address and part, use the following examples
to connect you to a game with telnet if you're not using a client.
If you're using a client, simply replace "telnet" with "gbII" or
whatever you've named the client executable in your directory. on
Unix: "telnet pooh.caltech.edu 2010" or "telnet 131.215.48.30
2010" or, on VMS: "telnet pooh.caltech.edu /PORT=2010" etc.
Note: Some of these games are chronically off-line for one reason
or another; others are only up at certain (unknown to me)
scheduled times. Don't be surprised if you get a refused
connection by more than one game. If you want to enter one or more
of the games that have not started yet, check alt.games.gb for
announcements about where to send your requests.
Other games will be announced in alt.games.gb as they are started,
including periodic "blitz games" run by various people. A blitz
game is essentially a gb game in which the updates are squeezed
down into 5 to 20 minute intervals as opposed to the usual 1 or 2
per day. If you're wondering what an "update" is, read section 3
about playing the game.
8. Do I need a client to play gb?
If you're going to play seriously, then the answer is yes.
Theoretically, one could get by using only telnet, but only the
client will process maps correctly and enable you to encrypt your
conversations, which is a convenient way to communicate at no cost
without being overheard on the game.
9. How can I start playing a game?
There are two ways to do this. First, you can wait until someone
announces the beginning of a game. This newsgroup is where you'll
see such announcements. The person in charge of the new game will
either include (or point you to) a racegen program which you can
then use to specify what kind of race you want. Then you log in to
the game and start playing when it starts! Read on for more
details on what racegen is and how it works.
Another way to get into a game is to log onto a currently running
game and ask. In most big games, there are "sleepers," or races
which have dropped out for one reason or another (it's not always
due to weakness, sometimes time constraints are involved). Also,
many players with big races tend to look for people to help them
out since playing a big race in gb can be very time consuming.
Most games now run with the "governor" code, standard since pooh
version 5.0 and in current versions of HAP. This allows for races
to have one major leader who can delegate authority over given
ships and systems to his governors, who are independent players
recruited by the race leader. This is a great feature for those of
you out there who want to play gb but lack the immense amount of
free time that leading a fully active race requires.
If you see an announcement for a new game starting, but dont want
to run your own race, your best bet is to post to alt.games.gb
asking if anyone needs a governor.
10. How much time does it take to play gb?
That depends entirely on the number of updates per day. For a
reasonably large race (say, control of 40 planets) in a game with
70 star systems or so (3-8 planets per system), it will take you
at least one hour of playing time per update (this is vastly
dependent upon how efficient you are...use macros!). This can go
way up if you are actively waging war with another player. This
time tends to increase as the game goes on and you grow in power,
but the main variable in the whole time equation is simply how
active _you_ want to be. It takes a very active race to come out
on top in gb; even on a one update per day schedule, it can eat up
your time, so consider yourself warned.
Players who join only to play for a little while and then drop
out, leaving all that they've built to fall into ruin, are
generally frowned upon. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but all
deities ask that you plan ahead. Don't get yourself involved in
more than you can handle. Drop-out players who don't get
replacements can seriously upset the game balance, ruining the
game for many other players.
The advent of team races may offset both of these diadvantages,
but it's still best to be aware of them.
11. Is there a newsgroup for GB?
The newsgroup for Galactic Bloodshed is:
alt.games.gb
This newsgroup is for the discussion of everything that has
anything to do with GB, including game announcement, rules
discussion, game editorials, etc.
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II. -- The Game Set-Up
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1. What race should I choose?
As of this posting, just about every new game that is coming
on-line is accepting races generated by a program called
"racegen." You can get a copy of this at any of the ftp sites
mentioned above, and it compiles pretty easily on most systems.
Use this program to generate your race and automatically send it
to the appropriate "deity". Note that you usually have to compile
a whole new version with the proper destination address (for
sendmail) in the code, but this is easy...just find the
destination address line (#TO, I believe) in the code and change
the address with your editor, then compile.
NOTE: In some new games, you'll be asked to use your client to
connect to a special racegen daemon on the eventual gb server
machine. This greatly simplifies the process of game registration
since you don't have to have your own copy of racegen, just the
client. Watch for specifics with new game announcements.
Other programs, such as "opt_tech," which optimizes your tech
expenditures (read the docs for more details on how tech works),
and "psmap," which generates a postscript file containing a map of
your game universe from a list of stars.
Here are the helpfiles included with racegen, which should answer
most of the questions about the program and its use:
--- Begin included racegen docs ---
How to get and compile racegen
First off, get net access. Then you can use the file transfer
program, ftp, to get racegen from several sites, including
scam.berkeley.edu. Connect to the remote system, use "anonymous"
as your name (any password is OK), cd to the src/games/gb
directory, and get racegen.shar. The whole process should look
rather like this:
> ftp scam.berkeley.edu
Connected to scam.berkeley.edu.
220 scam.Berkeley.EDU FTP server ready.
Name (scam.berkeley.edu:leonard): anonymous
331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
Password:
230-Welcome Guest - access restricted.
ftp> cd src/games/gb
200 CWD command okay.
ftp> get racegen.shar
200 PORT command okay.
150 Opening data connection for racegen.shar (60101 bytes).
226 Transfer complete.
local: racegen.shar remote: racegen.shar
62071 bytes received in 6.1 seconds (9.9 Kbytes/s)
ftp> quit
221 Goodbye.
>
When a game is announced, the host will specify what sort of races
are desired. If the game will not use the "vanilla" racegen, the
host will post a file called "game_info.h" that you will then use
to compile racegen with. Note that racegen.shar comes with a
default game_info.h file.
Now you can make an executable racegen. Unshar the archive you
just got, and make it:
> sh racegen.shar
x - racegen.c
x - racegen.h
x - game_info.h
x - Makefile
x - racegen.README
> make
cc -bsd -g -target sun3 -c racegen.c
cc -o racegen racegen.o -lm
> ls
Makefile racegen* racegen.c racegen.o
game_info.h racegen.README racegen.h racegen.shar
Now you are ready to go. Just type "racegen", and it will run. If
it does not, make sure you have the current directory "." as a
part of your path:
> printenv PATH
.:/usr/imports/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/ucb:/bin:/usr/bin
>
(Note that the first directory in my path *is* ".". ':' is used to
separate the directories in this list.)
If "." is not in your path, you must either put the racegen
executable file in one of the directories that is in your path, or
else put "." into your path. The second option is much easier:
> setenv PATH .:$PATH
Now you are ready to go!
The creation of new races is controlled by the person hosting the
game. Player #1 (the first player enrolled into the game) should
always be given diety status, as many of the game default
operations are placed in player #1's control. Other players may be
designated as having diety status during the enrollment procedure,
but this isn't recommended (or needed in most cases).
Race generation is often done using a rather complex point based
system, the idea being that you must spend a limited number points
to get better attributes. The program that you do this creation
process with is called "racegen". There are five types of data
associated with each race that the player can choose:
* Name, password, and other profile information -- While none of
these have any direct effect on game play, they add interest. Name
and password can be set with racegen before enrolling in the game.
All of the others can be changed as needed; see also: name,
personal, profile
* Home planet type -- A race's home planet can drastically affect
its game. Jovian home planets are the most costly type, because
jovians are huge planets with about half the sector area of the
universe on them. Jovians are the only worlds with gas sectors on
them; gas tends to be resource-poor but fertile. Class M
(Earth-type) home planets are the next most useful, with a good
balance of fertility and resources. Forest and water worlds are
like class M's and generally more fertile, but they are also
smaller on average. Desert worlds have high resource content but
are not very fertile. Iceballs and airless worlds are too small to
make very good home planets, but they are very common in the
universe as a whole.
* Racial type -- There are two main racial types in GB: normal
races (think of humans, Klingons, Wookies, Pierson's Puppeteers,
etc) and metamorphs (Alien, the Thing, body snatchers, etc.) The
primary difference between these two race classes is that only
metamorphs may have pods and absorbtion as racial attributes.
Metamorphs are also required to have one sex, which is another
advantage. A secondary difference that is rather harder to notice
is that the price of various attribute combinations is slightly
different for normals and morphs in racegen, especially for some
of the attributes' extremes.
* Compats -- The planets found in the GB universe are represented
as arrays of sectors of various types: ice, land, sea, etc.
Various races may have varying degrees of compatibility with these
sector types, which will affect the amount of population they can
grow on that sector type, and other things too.
* Attributes -- Attributes are quantizations of a race's
abilities. Currently there are 11 basic attributes for each race:
** Absorbtion -- Only metamorphs may have this attribute, which
allows them to absorb enemy troops and civilians in combat if the
morph wins. Combined with pods, it allows metamorphs to replace
alien population on planets when pods burst.
** Adventurism -- This described what percentage of a sector's
population may move and explore other sectors. High value tend to
settle planets on their own far more efficiently. If you have a
low value, you can order movements with the 'move' option.
** Birthrate -- This factor determines how rapidly the population
in the sector will converge to the maximum population supportable
on the there. High values mean that the population multiplies
faster.
** Fertilize -- This attribute represents the percentage chance
that a race will increase by one percent the fertility of any
sector it owns. Any race may take advantage of space plows for a
similar effect, once it gets to tech level 5.
** Fighting Ability - Higher values mean that the race is more
likely to kill an alien than a lower value. Races with lower
values will usually need to have larger forces to win in direct
combat over a high fighting ability. It is important to note that
this effects only land combat and ship boarding strengths, and not
ship to ship fighting.
** IQ -- The raw growth rate of a race's technology is governed by
the race's intelligence. The technology increase per update is
IQ/100. Addi- tional technology gain is available by technology
investments on the individual planets under the race's control.
** Collective IQ; IQ limit -- The intelligence of a race with
collective IQ is related to the race's total population, as
follows: IQ = IQ_limit * [ (2/PI) atan(population/50000)]^2.
[Note: Be careful with this one! If you can't build pods, then
having a collective IQ could be disastrous as you won't have the
know how to build *any* kind of useful ships for a looooong time.]
** Mass -- Each race has a mass. The heavier the individual, the
more fuel it will take to launch and land ships full of the race.
** Metabolism -- This value controls how industrious the race is.
Higher metabolism races will produce resources more rapidly than
lower metabolisms, and also increase the efficiency of sectors
faster.
** Pods -- Pods are small ships, available only to metamorphs but
at tech level 0, buildable instantly on the surface of planets.
Each one may carry a single crew-thing; this makes them ideal for
settling other planets. Pods which enter a system after having
frozen in deep space will warm and eventually burst, possibly
leading to spores landing on worlds in the new system. If a spore
lands on a sector, a ton or more of biomass will be created,
resulting in a new colony for the podding race. Note that spores
may never land on alien occupied sectors unless the podding race
has absorbtion.
** Sexes -- Each race has a number of sexes. This represent the
minimum population that a sector must have in order to be able to
reproduce. Lower values are preferable to high values for
colonization efforts. It is not recommended to have more than 3 to
6 sexes at the outside, unless you are really looking for a
challenge --- End included racegen docs ---
2. What's the difference between a normal and a morph?
A "morph," or "metamorph," is described in the standard docs as
the type of race you'd see in John Carpenter's "The Thing." The
major differences between morphs and normals can be summarized
like this:
+ Morphs can absorb enemy bodies when they attack a sector
+ Morphs can build spore pods on planetary surfaces
+ Morphs' IQ is determined only by their population
It used to be the case that morphs had a very high metabolism and
very high fighting strength to go along with all of this, but the
advent of racegen has changed that considerably. Now, morphs can
have all of the basic characteristics of normal races -- but the
three attributes mentioned above are only available to metamorphs.
The disadvantage that offsets this option is that some items will
be more expensive in racegen.
I'll discuss these three items in reverse order: First, morph IQ
is based on some exponential population formula. In all games,
this means their iq starts at 0, and the maximum possible morph IQ
can be set by the player in racegen. A common practice is for
morphs to spend a great deal of tax money investing in tech to
offset this disadvantage, but it still takes a while to "take
off." The low iq means that morphs cannot rely on shuttles (which
require some minor tech ability to build) to ferry them around to
colonize planets early in the game. Morphs, however, have the
ability to build spore pods. These pods require no tech to build
and are very cheap.
The major advantage to spore pods is this low cost and the fact
that they can be built right on the planet's surface (while most
other ship types require factories which need resources to be
turned on and time to repair before actually building any ships).
The drawbacks to pods are that they are slow and that they explode
upon entering star systems. That's not _always_ a drawback, but
early in the game, it will mean that several pods must be sent to
a system in order for you to have a good chance at landing morphs
on a planet or two. The success rate of spore pods (ie. whether
they explode harmlessly or result in a colony) varies from game to
game from 20% to 40%. The other major difference between morphs
and normals which is mentioned above is morphs' special combat
ability. If a morph attack force defeats another race in ground
combat, a large fraction of the defeated enemy will be "absorbed"
by the attacking morph race, enabling morphs to actually
_increase_ their population through attacking. Thus, late in the
game when all planets are covered and well-defended by other
races, morphs still have a chance to do some serious damage by
showering an enemy system with pods and perhaps landing enough
morphs in the system to cause a lot of problems, if not to take
over a planet or two.
3. Which is better, morphs or normals?
This is debatable. Each race type has its own advantages and
drawbacks. It also depends upon the modifications made for the
particular game you are in. Generally, each race type can be led
to success by a good player, and alliances between morphs and
normals are quite common and can be very effective (since the
normals generally have the high tech levels while morph's pod
launching ability and generally high metabolism and/or fighting
strength can help the alliance).
4. What kind of planet should I choose?
This is covered in large part in the above racegen docs, but I can
make some comments about common questions that arise. Of all types
of planets, class M's are chosen for homeworlds around 75% of the
time. This is because they are the largest of any type planet
except Jovians. Thus, they can support a high population (for
taxation and tech purposes), and they usually have a fairly high
number of resources. Another common choice is desert, since it is
on the same order of size as a class M planet. Deserts have more
resources, but are less fertile and are rarer in some games than
class M's (also, you should take 100% desert as a sector
preference, which means you can't spend as much on the other, more
common, sector types). Advantages of big planets:
1. The larger the planet, the faster you will produce resources
from it once you have covered the planet. The formula for
resource production goes as (1 - avg efficiency) ^ (number of
sectors), so the more sectors you have, the better. Races
that select small home planets tend to get left behind early
on in the race to build the first ships for this reason.
2. The planet is much harder to conquer. Even if an enemy
manages to field a temporarily superior force to your
planetary population, odds are he won't have the AP's
necessary to take the whole thing in one update, so you have
time to marshal reinforcements if you're in a bind.
Here's a brief summary of the various planet types, to the best of
my knowledge, along with an estimate of how common these planet
types are. *NOTE* This will vary from game to game. The relative
sizes of each of these planets, as well as the benefits (and % of
races which choose each type of planet, etc.) will also vary from
game to game. When using racegen, you'll typically pay (or get a
bonus) for the type of planet you choose to start with, and the
deity will try his best to see that your points are fairly spent.
* Class M - 15% - These planets are usually about 60% water,
20% land, and an even mix of everything else. Once in a
while, you'll find a class M with an abnormal atmosphere
(like heavy in methane content).
* Jovian - 10% - These planets are 100% gaseous, and they are
usually twice as large as the typical class M planet. They
tend to be very high in fertility, too, so you can easily
build up a large population for taxation and tech purposes.
Also, ships in orbit around Jovians add fuel to their holds
every update (tankers are twice as efficient at this), so
even if you're not a Jovian-type race, having one of these
nearby can be a tremendous asset.
* Water - 5% - These are largely water planets, and I've found
that they are generally resource poor. They can be quite
large, ranging up in size to class M quality, but they are
usually about 40% smaller.
* Desert - 5% - These planets are usually 80% desert and 15%
mtn/ice. They are _very_ nice as far as resource content is
concerned, and their size range is much like Class M planets.
* Forest - 5% - These planets are almost entirely covered in
forest, which is the rarest sector type. Resource content is
fairly good. Size range is between Water planets and Class
M's. Fertility is higher than on a normal class M.
* Iceball - 20% - These planets are generally small (1/5 the
size of class M's or less), and they consist of around 75%
ice and 25% mountain. Relative to their size, they are
resource rich, but the small number of sectors means that
resources will come more slowly.
* Airless - 30% - These planets are mostly land (75%) with some
mountain and ice sectors. The atmosphere is almost always
hostile, of course, but these planets are probably the most
resource rich relative to their size (ie. 1/3 the res of a
typical class M but 1/5 the size).
* Asteroid - 10% - These are just floating rocks in space, not
good for a heck of a lot. They don't count as planets in
victory conditions, and they usually have very few resources,
and the small number of sectors make it very difficult for
most asteroids to ever contribute to your cause, though
having colonies on them have other advantages, such as morale
bonus. Sector types are random but range among land, desert,
ice, and mountain.
5. What sector preferences should I take?
The most common sector type besides gas is water, but this is
misleading since there are so many water sectors on Class M's (in
addition to those on waterball planets). Running a close second is
land terrain, which is found on just about every planet type.
Forest is probably the least common, making it an unusual and
often strategic addition to your list of preferences (remember,
you pay for both the % compatibility and an overhead cost for each
of your sector prefs). Mountain is convenient to have since it is
usually high in resource content and found in small amounts on
many planets, and ice is also a common choice. I've also noticed
that taking a combination of desert and a choice of mountain, land
and/or ice in your sector prefs somehow entices the server into
making your race a "methane breather" some of the time (or maybe
it's just bad luck). The problem with this is that most planets
will be extremely incompatible with your race, meaning your pop
will grow very slowly and often leave you vulnerable to invasion.
You'll find yourself at a rather large disadvantage until such
time as you or an ally can build atmospheric processors (at a
pretty high tech level, so it takes a while). Some games (with my
strong approval) are phasing out the possibility of methane
breathing races except by request. This is not to say that you
should always choose water, land, and mountain as your sector
prefs. In many cases, alliances are made based on sector
incompatibility. In other words, a morph who loves water and
forest would rather ally with a desert/mountain/land loving normal
than another water loving normal, so don't be afraid to choose an
unusual sector type. It may enable you to exploit planets which
other races wouldn't mind giving away.
6. What happens if I get a rotten home planet?
As it says in the help docs, a good home planet or system can
really make or break your race. In some games, the diety actually
goes around before the game and manually sets up everyone so that
they can more or less start off on an equal footing. If this isn't
happening, though, and you start with a crummy home planet, be
ready to fight your way out of it. This makes it all the more
important that you establish yourself throughout both your system
and the surrounding ones. Look on it as a challenge. :)
------------------------------------
III. -- Playing the Game
------------------------------------
1. What is a move seg?
A move seg (or movement segment) is a procedure during which the
server updates the positions of all ships in the game based on
their current orders. For example, if you have a ship ordered to
move toward a particular star, planet, or ship, this process moves
your ship closer based upon the ship's speed. You'll receive
messages from the server when you arrive at your destination, at
which time your ship stops moving. Repairs also occur at move
segs. This means that everytime there is a move seg, any of your
ships which are currently trying to repair them- selves,
regardless of how they incurred damage, will have their damage
percent reduced by some amount. For more information on how to
repair ships and so forth, see the help docs on scam.
2. What is an update?
An update is a "glorified move seg." Basically, everything that
happens in a move seg happens here PLUS the following:
+ Production occurs at your colonies
+ Ships attempting hyperspace jumps either jump or charge in
increments towards a level where they can jump.
What this translates to is this: The pace of the game depends
almost entirely on how often these updates occur. There will
always be a given number of move segs (usually anywhere from 2 to
6) between updates, but updates are the real pulse of the game.
Also, you should note that the period right after updates is
usually when the most frantic action in the game takes place.
This is important when choosing what game you wish to play in. For
example, if you live over in Europe and the update schedule is
such that updates always occur at 4 am for you, you might want to
pass on the game. If you aren't on at updates, enemies often get
the chance of jump into your system and start attacking while you
aren't on to defend yourself. This can have disastrous effects.
3. What strategy should I use?
This sounds like a pretty hairy question, but I will try to answer
this in a limited fashion for beginners. What you're basically
looking for is some simple-minded strategy that will get you
through the first 20-30 updates while you're still learning the
ropes of the game. Try to follow these two basic principles:
Produce and colonize. Your first and foremost need is to produce
resources on your home planet so that you can start building
ships. The fastest way to start producing is to spread out and
cover your home planet as quickly as possible. This will be the
sum total of your turns for the first several updates.
Once you have resources, you get to start building ships. If
you're a metamorphic race, that means you get to build pods. This
is something you should do as soon as you get resources. This is
one of the major advantages to playing a morph...pod-building
ability. The nice thing about pods is that you don't need
factories to build them, which means they can be built on the
ground and launched immediately. Since pods are slow relative to
most ships, however, it is imperative that you launch them quickly
so that you have a fighting chance to win the race to all of the
unoccupied systems.
If you're a normal race, you should build a factory as soon as
possible and then modify it so that it can start producing cheap
shuttles. After you've played a game, you'll realize why it is so
important to win the race toward unoccupied planets: it is far,
far easier to take an unoccupied planet than to kick a hostile
race off of that planet.
The best advice I've heard yet is that you should be sure to
understand the commands in the game so you can use them to your
full advantage! It takes time and experience to learn the game,
and it will be a rewarding and fun experience if you approach it
in the right way.
4. Random Questions I Always Seem to Run Into
i. How do I change scope?
That's the cs command. Scope works just like directory trees
in Unix. If you want to go to the top (Universe) level, you
type "cs /". To go to a given planet, you'd type "cs
/starname/planetname". To change scope to one level higher,
you use "cs ..".
ii. How do I talk to others?
There are three basic ways: br - This broadcasts a
message that will appear on all active player screens except
those players with a "gag" in place (you can see that in the
who list). On HAP, if you broadcast, only those players who
know something about your race will be able to "translate"
your broadcast or your messages (see send). ann -
This is the same as broadcast, except that it limits your
audience to those players in the same stellar scope as you.
This is a good way to carry on a more sensitive conversation,
but there's no way to be sure whether you're being overheard.
send - This sends a telegram to
the named player at a cost of 1 AP. There is no cost for
communicating this way with the game deity. There is also a
"cr " command available with the gbII client,
but it is discussed in the client Help just fine.
iii. What should I do first?
Once you get into the game and have connected using your
password (and your governor password, if applicable), type
"help". Read through all of the concepts listed first and
then branch out from there. You'll find some topics in the
main list have no help files listed. The docs always tend to
suffer from game advances which outpace anyone's ability to
update them, but they are definitely useful for the basics.
iv. How do I interpret the maps?
Well, the stellar system maps and the galaxy map should be
pretty simple to figure out. Objects on the map which are
darkened completely are those in which you have people,
either on ships or planets. Objects which are partially
darkened are those which you have data for but no people
present. The planetary map is a grid. When you refer to a
given sector, be sure to use (column,row) and not vice-versa.
If your toggle switches (see "help toggle") are set in the
default way, the highlighted sectors are those with your
people on them. Any sectors with numbers on them represent
sectors occupied by other players. Sectors with letters or
symbols on them imply the presence of a ship with that
symbol. Also as a part of the map, it lists how many sectors
on the planet you own, whether any aliens are present on the
planet, what your population is, the planetary compatibility
(which depends upon atmosphere and temperature), and a few
other things that you can look up in the help docs...it
changes from game to game.
v. How do factories work?
Well, first you build one, then you cs to it by typing "cs
". Next, you use the modify command to get
everything just the way you want it, from ship type, to crew
capacity, etc. Once it is the "perfect" design for you, type
"order on". It will take a few updates for the F's
damage level to go from 75 down to 0, and you can only build
ships (with the build command) at F's which are undamaged.
Once you've turned a factory on, you can't change the basic
design of the ship, so plan carefully! You can modify the
ship later at double the cost differential (which is new cost
- original cost) provided you can fit the necessary resources
into the cargo bay of your ship. This means that ships with 0
cargo capacity cannot be modified.
vi. What tax rate should I set?
After you've covered the planet and are on the verge of
building ships, start it off with a few percent. This may
vary depending on your race, but I think it is a good rule of
thumb. This small amount will pay for your ships and keep you
from losing morale. Later on, when you're not so worried
about increasing your sector efficiences, you can up the tax
rate (but watch out for insurgencies!). Note that the higher
the tax rate, the less chance you have to increase in
efficiency, and the average.
vii. What's the difference between military and civilians?
Civilians have a fighting strength equal to your race's
fight. Military have fighting strength 10 times stronger than
your civilians. Contrary to what you might think, military
_cannot_ pilot ships _or_ fire guns...only civilians can do
that. Thus, if you have 5 guns on your explorer and 2 mil and
3 crew, you will only be able to fire 3 guns at a time. Also,
if you have only mil on board a given ship (ie. your only civ
on board gets killed by a lucky shot from an enemy), you
cannot order the ship to any destination.
viii. What should I set my mobilization level at?
I've found that it's a good idea to mobilize only a few very
large planets that you may own. The reasoning for this is
long and involved, but you'll learn through experience that
mobilizing small planets (as opposed to building weapons
plants there) only makes them more vulnerable to a metamorph
invasion force. Mobilizing big planets still leaves you
vulnerable to a ground assault (your high mob allows enemy
troops to arm just as easily as you can if they bring their
own destruct and absorb a few hundred civilians, for
example), but big planets require a lot of AP's to take and
require a lower mobilization in order for planetary guns to
come into effect.
ix. How do planetary guns work?
You don't have to load them. These guns will take destruct
directly from your stockpiles (provided you have some dest
there). You can actively use them against ships in orbit
around your planet by using the "defend" command (in the help
files). These guns will also _automatically_ fire on any
non-allied ship that tries to land on your planet...even a
couple of medium caliber planetary guns is better than
nothing. Also, the ship may not be destroyed, but if it is
damaged, there is a chance that it will crash land, thwarting
the attack. You get a certain number of planetary guns
proportional to how many sectors you own on the planet and
how high your mob level is.
x. How do atmosphere processors work?
To put it simply, it doesn't matter who builds a processor...
only who currently owns it. A processor will slowly change
the atmosphere of a planet (rate inversely proportional to
planet size) to the ideal preferences of the owner of the
processor at a cost of 3 fuel per update, which must be
loaded into the processor. The last time I checked,
processors will continue to eat up 3 fuel per turn if they
have fuel to burn even after a given planet is perfectly
atmospherically compatible with the owner, so it's a good
idea to scrap processors once you reach this goal.
xi. What's the quickest way to jump to other systems?
Since you receive jump technology at a tech level of 50, your
best bet is to have a ship ready to modify once you get
there. If you're going to build a large fleet of jump ships,
you'll save a lot of res by just building a factory and
starting it up AFTER you've been able to design the ship with
jump included. Some players, though, prefer using a few
heavily armed explorers or Terraformers (which have large
hanger and fuel capacity for long jumps) which they modify
for jumping as soon as they can, saving a few updates by not
having to wait for a factory to come on line.
xii. How do I get hyperdrive on board ships?
In order to get hyperdrive aboard ships such as e's and T's,
you must first have a given number of resources in the cargo
bay. The amount depends upon the new cost of the ship with
hyperdrive minus the old cost (double that to get the cost of
the upgrade). That means you must be able to fit that many
resources _on_board_ your ship to make the upgrade. For e's,
big cargo holds aren't very common, so you might find that
you have to "bootstrap" your way up by upgrading the size of
your cargo hold. See the "upgrade" command in the help files
for more info. In case the help files aren't very
enlightening, here's an example of how to build a jump
capable terraformer: > build T 2,2 (let's say this gives you
T #1456 in sector 2,2)
> load #1456 r 18
> cs #1456
> upgrade hyper (now you've got hyperdrive capability)
> load #1456 r 16 (assume you want to add a crystal mount)
> upgrade mount (now when you jump, you'll do it in one
update,
and you'll use a _lot_ less fuel, if you've
got a crystal in the mount, of course)
> load #1456 x 1 (assuming you have a crystal on the planet)
> mount #1456 (now you can take advantage of your xtal mount)
Say I wanted to increase the hanger capacity of my T, here's
how I would do it:
> cs #1456
> load #1456 r 2 (This can cost 2 or 4, depending on your T)
> upgrade hanger 6 (Default hanger of a T is 5...you must
also have a high enough tech to build this kind
of ship)
xiii. How do I build ships in space?
Well, the way to do this is get a ship into orbit with the
resources you need. You can use just about any ship, but a
shuttle works just fine. You can load it with an infinite
number of resources, but you just can't land an overloaded
shuttle...so you _don't_ need ships with huge cargo bays to
build some of the larger structures like H's, O's, S's, etc.
You can get resources onto the shuttle by ferrying them up
from the surface with another ship. Once you have done that,
change scope to your shuttle, and type "build ".
This will create a new ship docked to your shuttle. You can
then launch it or do whatever you want with it (but be
careful about trying to land damaged ships! Some ships are
built with a certain damage level that must then be
repaired...others can't land at all).
xiv. How come I don't have any resources yet?
Often, races with low metabolisms and/or small homeworlds or
worse, a combination of the two, will take painfully long to
start generating any resources. You can help alleviate this
problem by buying a reasonably high metabolism. I usually
find that 1.0 gets me off fairly quickly, but if I have the
points to spend, I'll go higher. High metab isn't so crucial
for Jovian races since they start with huge homeworlds, so
this minimum could go down to around 0.85 or so, in my
opinion.
xv. How come my pods didn't explode when they reached their
destination?
Speaking from personal experience only, pods can explode at
an update or a move seg. The chance of this happening for
each pod at each update/segment is around 30%. Thus, if your
pods arrive at a system, go ahead and set them on course for
nearby planets. Some might actually get there before
exploding, giving you a new colony in the early parts of the
game.
xvi. How do I get a list of where my crystals are at?
Once you are at tech 50, you'll be able to see the location
of all crystal sectors on planets you have explored. At
times, these sectors will be covered by structures built by
you or someone else (such as F's, a's, Y's, etc), but you can
get around that problem by using "toggle geography" and than
viewing the map.
xvii. How do I get crystals?
If you occupy any crystal sectors, you have a chance,
depending upon that sector's efficiency, to mine a crystal at
every update. Once you've mined from around 1-6 crystals from
a given sector over time, it will revert to a "normal"
sector.
xviii. How do I get a list of ship types I can build?
Try "build ?" which is described under "help build." This
will give you a summary of ship types. If you want detailed
info on a specific ship, type "build ? x" where x is the
letter that represents that ship type.
5. Final Warnings and Advice
If you see a bug, tell the deity in charge. Period. Many games are
thrown out of balance by players who find bugs and exploit them.
If you're really in this to have fun and play the game well, you
shouldn't need to cheat to win.
Remember that some types of ships are built with damage that takes
a few updates to repair. This means that you'll have to plan
ahead, and, more importantly, don't try to land these or any other
damaged ships unless you want to risk losing them! You have a
percentage chance equal to the ship's damage of crash landing and
possibly destroying your ship!
Use the "tactical" command often to check for the presence of
enemy ships which may not show up on your map. Remember, to check
an entire system for enemies, it might be better to do a "tact g"
rather than just a "tact." This gives tactical reports for your
planets only (which is still full coverage most of the time) and
avoids repetitive tact reports from every single one of your ships
in system. Also, be careful what orders you give in Universal
Scope (the top level)...sometimes, asking for tact reports from
all of your ships (or even just stock reports) can tie up the game
and waste a lot of everyone's time.
Remember that some types of ships can't be built in factories,
most importantly ships such as Stations and Habitats. To build
something like this, you can overload a shuttle in orbit! Also, be
sure you know what the rules are for Habitats in your game (ie. do
they produce extra resources every turn? If so, how many?).
If you've got "smart guns," learn how to use them and take
advantage of them! Don't get caught off-line at an update only to
have everything you hold dear destroyed simply because you didn't
set up a protection network.
The beginning of the game is a critical time when you need to get
your race started off and several updates occur very close
together in order to get things moving. When you sign up for a
game, be sure you can make this first update "blitz" or you may
find yourself hopelessly behind.
--------------------------------------
********************* I M P O R T A N T ***************************
Finally, remember that the deity of the game is there to help you.
If it weren't for him/her, you wouldn't be playing GB at all.
So don't whine. Be polite. Make constructive comments.
It'll be easier for everyone that way.
********************* I M P O R T A N T ***************************
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*** RELAX. IT IS ONLY A GAME. ***
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History: Jan 17, 1997 - Converted to HTML - Evan Koffler
