Shogun Blogs

Well, it's far past time to update this thing, so here we go.

After some serious urging from Lane, a couple of weeks ago I finally decided to look into what it takes to develop facebook applications. I was actually surprised to find that it was relatively easy and that they allow for a lot of flexibility in the application.

Still, I wasn't sold at the time. My thought was that if I was going to take on a major code project, it would have to be work on Eternal Dynasties.

BUT, then over the weekend I was digging through old backups and found this ANCIENT backup of Shogun Wars. I'm still not totally sure just where it fits into the picture.. it is either pre-beta, beta, or right before Amaterasu... or a mix of all the above. No telling.

Anyway, I started goofing with it and even thought about putting it up for play next to the Genshu server. It's amazing to look at now how little code we started with... which meant that it would be much easier to work with... which got me thinking about Facebook again. This time, I couldn't resist, so over the weekend I cobbled together a new version of Shogun Wars that is integrated with the FaceBook developer platform.

Like I said, the code itself is a blast from the past in it's own right. That much will be obvious to anyone that loads it up. I'm also planning some base level alterations on some of the main concepts of the game that I think will be specific to facebook.

I did put a player limit on the new app though... and it is very low right now. Just the sheer size of Facebook is part of the reason. I don't want to have things get out of hand and end up with server problems from an overload.

Also, the code is not fully tested or optimized. I expect there to be a lot of problems yet, so as bugs get ironed out I'll gradually increase the limit.

Past that.. I guess I'd better get back to it.

If you are interested in playing, keep an eye on the home page (http://shogunwars.com).

I've added some code there that shows when there are open spots.

~Sus

@Ozru: You are correct. There is still a nightly bonus.

The net gain is smaller on the nightly turn than the instant bonus, especially when it reaches higher levels.

That does create a slight difference in the game, but that should also be self-regulating and even itself out.

Just because people are not forced into spreading officers out doesn't mean that they won't or shouldn't.

Take two alliances, each with 50 members. In the first alliance, put everyone under the leader and in the second rotate the bonuses strategically so build 10 strong players to boost the alliance leader.

In the end you would find that the rotation produces more power for the alliance, and it does it quicker.. thereby netting more gold (and power) before the age end.

At the same time, there are at more players able to peasant strike and take away the power of the enemy alliance leader. And the vengeance of the first alliance is lessened by having weaker players.

The alliance that strategically places bonuses will win.

Look at Hantei vs. HidaSkizo in Age II, before there was an officer limit.

Hantei played the part of everyone focusing on him... and won actually.

BUT Hantei also had an alliance of 167 players.

HidaSkizo rotated his officer bonuses and gave Hantei a run for his money.... and did it with a 67 player alliance, about 1/3 of what Hantei had.

Had the alliance sizes been equal, I personally think we would have crowned HidaSkizo in Age II, unless of course Hantei had adopted a new strategy... which he was thoroughly capable of doing.

Just posting to reply to some of the comments in the last announcement.

First I find myself asking.. Did anybody catch the part about it being something that could be circumvented anyway? I mean, seriously it was the main part of the post and it is the actual reason I lifted the limit.

Yet, for some reason it seemed that most of the posts just skipped over that bit of information. Maybe I haven't explained something or left something out... but here it is again in black and white:

From day #1 the officer limit was useless because it did not limit upgrade bonuses.

Anyhoo:

@Gateway: Yup, I figured someone was either doing it or kicking the idea around at least.

@JD: It's not really much of a change, it's just making the ability obvious to everyone. As I said, it can be circumvented anyway. If anyone should be angry, it should probably be anyone that had already figured out how and was hoping to use it to gain advantage over those that hadn't.

@Darken: I never said people started leaving at the point where the officer bonus came in, but the game did quit growing around then... I'm sorry there is a correlation there. That is just what the numbers show.

And it is a moot point because that is not thing that actually spawned the change.

I also didn't say everyone wants it, just that there isn't any point in having it if people can/have been getting around it.

@Lunt: First, I'm not changing the game into something new. The officer limit didn't even come into play until Byakko.

.. and as soon as I am satisfied that all loose ends are taken care of, I will gladly leave Genshu mechanics alone. That is to say when it is stable and self-sufficient.

@Ozru: I definitely understand what you are saying.

And I'm not saying this is a perfect solution.

First, If you actually focus all bonuses at the leader, it makes each member less able to give bonuses to the leader... looking at Hantei and Skizo in Age II. Hantei did win obviously, but if memory serves me correctly Skizo came close and did it with a far smaller alliance. Of course that wasn't all there was to the story, but I still think Hantei would have done better by distributing resources more at least early on.

I'm not even sure that the separation is bad.

In a game of 600 it is silly to think that every player to thinks they can take the #1 position. I don't believe that is why most people play... if so we are in truly dire straights because we'll have 599 very disappointed people each age.

Personally, I play at my level and base whether I am doing well or not by those around me. I know quite well that I don't stand a chance in nine hells of taking the #1 spot... or even cometing with whomever holds the #1 spot at any given moment.

... unless I truly undertook to do so, in which case I know I would need to coordinate a huge alliance to help me out. It's just how Genshu is and without changes on a scale far past what are coming, it always will be.

All I can say is that I am trying to make Phoenix in a different mold.

Anyway, let's say that your thesis is true.

In the case that resources are all focused at the top, that actually levels the rest of the playing field. The better players in that environment will actually outdo more of their peers and rank higher if they are not competing against other players with ten officers.

Still when we say that with limits having an average of 1 officer per player.. it really doesn't work out that way.

The distribution now is more like 2 players with five officers and 8 with none.. and every once in awhile someone with max. And still there is a great deal of inequality.

The only real way to make it all fair would be to make an officer limit of exactly 1 or 0... AND go back to the system only doing bonus peasants at the nightly turn.

... which had I thought of that sometime in the past I might have tried it that way, but as things are it would be a drastic change to anything Shogun Wars has ever been, and therefore not something I am going to try on Genshu.

Here in a bit I'm going to be removing the officer limit altogether.

Why? you ask... for that I've got a couple of reasons.

----
First and foremost, it doesn't really exist anyway. I know, I know.. sounds crazy but I realized today that by reverting even partially to the old system of upgrade bonuses, it makes it possible to sidestep the officer limit.

To get around it, one simply has to rotate officers while they do their upgrades. For an alliance leader, just have everyone join under you while doing an upgrade, then go back to the old commander... that simple.

I haven't seen anyone doing it, but it may have been done already. Even if nobody has done it yet, it is only a matter of time, so better to even the playing field now than have accusations/debates/general anger issues.

Well, first and shortest I updated the alliance boards today to include smiley images.

:D
:|
:(
lol
8)
:smoke:
:S
:ninja:
:peasant:
:wise:
:turtle:
:)

I also talked to my accountant today (I turned my cap around performed basic math), and found that we're not yet matching the server bill. As I said last time, I simply can't afford the server costs out of pocket. I'd love to, but truth be told, I'm broke and that's that.

So without further adieu, Vannah... let's see behind curtain #1....

"Well Bob, behind curtain number one we have a beautiful bonus of 10% daily to attack turns."

And curtain #2?

"Behind curtain number two is a stunning collection of 10% bonus ninja turns."

And that's that.

I really hope that this will get us to where we need to be.. and keep us there.