HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: lectro@stein.u.washington.edu (Jonathan Maier)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: Tax Rates (and remote-hosted game startup question)
Date: 26 Jan 1993 18:58:23 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu

In article <1k2jcrINNcue@ub.d.umn.edu> cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu (Chris) writes:
>
>   My colonists are fighting and having a civil war, even after they are
>all dead!!  and they have been dead for several turns!!!  Why doesnt
>utter death of a colony stop it from roiting and civil waring???   How
>can I stop those undead colonists from fighting? Do I need an exorcists?
>Argh!!!!!!!  Please help.  
>
This makes me wonder if there is a critical point when a planet/society
will never allow you to govern them because you've been oppressing them
too long.  Is this feature in the game?  Maybe it should be.  (I do
agree that civil war should stop when all the population kills itself,
though)

I have a question of my own as well.  When a remote-hosted game is
started, does the host person run MASTER.EXE, then immdediately run
HOST.EXE, then mail out the *.RST files?  It seems the first turn
is skipped doing it this way (HOST.EXE says there are no moves for
each of the players).

  Jonathan E. Maier             # ## #                lectro@u.washington.edu
 -----------------------------  # ## #  --------------------------------------
  Weekend Operator             ## ## ##              University of Washington
  UCS Operations              ##  ##  ##                  Seattle, Washington
From: aargyle@sobeco.com (a.argyle)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: Tax Rates
Date: 27 Jan 93 16:15:07 GMT
Organization: Sobeco Ernst & Young

In <1k2jcrINNcue@ub.d.umn.edu> cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu (Chris) writes:


>   My colonists are fighting and having a civil war, even after they are
>all dead!!  and they have been dead for several turns!!!  Why doesnt
>utter death of a colony stop it from roiting and civil waring???   How
>can I stop those undead colonists from fighting? Do I need an exorcists?
>Argh!!!!!!!  Please help.  

It's just like in civilization, you have to call on Elvis.

                  aargylE
From: mattias@tse.uucp (Mattias Hembruch x0830)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: Setting up VGA planets on a BBS
Date: 22 Jan 93 16:39:14 GMT
Organization: Toronto Stock Exchange

In article <1993Jan19.154432.22316@ultb.isc.rit.edu> med2062@ultb.isc.rit.edu (M.E. Donnaruma) writes:
>
>   I am currently trying to set up vga-planets on my BBS, and I was
>wondering what files should be put into the packet that the players will
>download. Right now I have the entire game availible, but that doesn't
>seem right. Could someone help me?
>
>Mark
>Blitzkrieg BBS (716)272-9199


Could someone post a brief description of vga-planets and where I can get
a copy?? I sounds kind of interesting.. Is it anything like Space Empire

or Galactic Empire?? Or is it more like Starflight? Any graphics? 

Other requirements?? (according to my newsreader, this group only appeared

a few days ago, but I haven't seen any info on the game..)


Thanks,
Mattias
-- 
Mattias Hembruch
>> My views do not necessarily reflect those of the TSE. <<
E-mail: mattias@tse.asd.tse.ca
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: easmith@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Eric A Smith)
Subject: Occupation Forces on planets
Organization: Purdue University
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 00:50:57 GMT

As my empire has expanded on the game I'm trying on my own, I've taken some
planets that I don't want to try to keep colonists on (Arctic, Desert).  Is it
necessary to keep a colonist population on the planet to hold onto it?  Or can
I just pull the colonists off and still maintain control over the natives?
-- 
Eric A. Smith                                             easmith@cc.purdue.edu
--------------------------------------+----------------------------------------
Purdue University Computing Center    |    Alpha Phi Omega, Alpha Gamma Chapter
General Consultant                    |                Sectional Representative
From: reynolds@park.bu.edu (John Reynolds)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: CASH on a "dead" planet
Date: 27 Jan 93 20:29:21 GMT
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: merig@ghost.dsi.unimi.it's message of 27 Jan 93 14:14:03 GMT


Throw a party for the unemployed miners! 
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: merig@ghost.dsi.unimi.it (giorgio merigo)
Subject: Re: VGA Planets 3.0 suggestions
Organization: Computer Science Dep. - Milan University
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 10:33:04 GMT

Dear Tim,

1)  as I asked in my previous letter I beg you to think (for a future release) 
about a computer opponent who plays one or more roles.

2)  Why aren't we to move a starbase from an unused planet (away from main
activities) to another one?    If that is a problem you could restrict some
possibilities, like that no ship can be constructed during travel, neither
can any other activity till the starbase reacg its destination

3)  limite population growing

4)  find a way to convert cash (other than factories) to send to other planets

5)  let planet resources be richer (they exaust in a few turns)

thank you

	Giorgio

Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: darknite@camelot.bradley.edu (John S. Novak III)
Subject: Re: new version
Organization: Bradley University
Date: 26 Jan 93 08:45:03 GMT

In <1k1ua6INNb77@ub.d.umn.edu> cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu (Chris) writes:

>I fear the game will be _ruined_ with the different race abilities.
>There will a lot of personal fighting as to what race a person gets.  A
>cure for this would be to allow more than one occurance of a race in a
>game.  E.g. 2 people playing the gorn, 5 people playing the feds.  I
>dont expect the game to allow more than 11 players of course.  Another
>benefit would be that compettions will be easier to run.  (Everyone with
>the same race.)  So please Tim, I beg of you, allow a race to be used
>by multiple players in a game.

Personally, I'd be more than willing to try out the new racial
abilities, if I knew I could still play without them if I wanted
to.

Perhaps a switch in the software turning racial abilities on/off
for the entire game?  Don't know how difficult that would be to
achieve, though.

--
"Never mention an example you can't sketch."
	  -John S. Novak, III, 06-11-92
John S. Novak, III		darknite@camelot.bradley.edu
From: reynolds@park.bu.edu (John Reynolds)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: registration question
Date: 22 Jan 93 18:52:19 GMT
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: steve@utdallas.edu's message of 22 Jan 93 02:05:01 GMT


The registered version is only $10 I would buy it to reward Tim for a
job well done!


Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: monty@iesd.auc.dk (Torben Thellefsen Nielsen)
Subject: Re: Where do I get the game?
Organization: Mathematics and Computer Science, Aalborg University
Date: 27 Jan 93 22:17:11

Where to find VGA Planets:

Host:		ftp.ucsc.edu
Directory:	/PC/vgaplanets-2.1
Files:		* (can't remember the names)

Take all files home and run INSTALL

Torben
--
*******************************************************************************
Torben Thellefsen Nielsen                             E-mail: monty@iesd.auc.dk

Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say 'NI' at will to old
ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred.
							Roger The Shrubber
*******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: ereimber@cipres.cec.uchile.cl (Reimberg Navarro Erich Eduardo)
Subject: Question
Originator: ereimber@araucaria
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 23:40:54 GMT
Organization: Centro de Computacion (CEC), Universidad de Chile

 I found this newsgroup a couple of days ago. But ... May I ask a question?

    What's all this game about?

                                        -ern
--

Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: pcrossma@cs.ulowell.edu (The Gillrocker)
Subject: Re: Is it Really this complicated?
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Lowell Computer Science
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 21:15:42 GMT

In article <Jan.26.00.49.55.1993.13499@ruhets.rutgers.edu> pcarver@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Paul Carver) writes:
>am I over-complicating it?  If there's an easy way to do it, please
>tell me because I don't think I could deal with all that on a regular
>basis.

Well, all you really need to make things a little easier for you is get two 
things for your sun workstation...

1) get a program called eek
 	eek will uudecode many files stored in one text file.  So if you save 
all the turns in one file and then run eek on that file, tada...11 .trn files.

2) get zoo for unix and your pc.
	zoo is an archiver that packs files up into one file and compresses
them too.  So you don't have to ul/dl 11 files just one file.


-- 
 _ __ A straight _ line __ may be the shortest distance between two points, 
' )  ) but it is//by no/  ) means the most interesting. -- Dr. Who
 /--' __.  . . //     /    __  _____    _   ______  __.  ____  pcrossma@ulowell
/    (_/|_(_/_</_    (__/ / (_(_) \_)__/_)_/ / / <_(_/|_/ / <_ .ulowell.edu
From: reynolds@park.bu.edu (John Reynolds)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Ship stats sheet?
Date: 22 Jan 93 02:36:17 GMT
Distribution: alt.games.vga-planets
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: smithme@spot.Colorado.EDU's message of 21 Jan 93 23:45:04 GMT


Has anyone put together an ascii file listing the attributes of each
race's ships?  If so, perhaps you could post a copy?  Thanks! -John

Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: Lennie Falck <Lennie.Falck@gen.lu.se>
Subject: VGA-Planets in Europe
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A785AF7F59013860@fastpath-36.wblab.lu.se>
X-Xxdate: Fri, 22 Jan 93 14:04:47 GMT
Organization: Discordian society
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d12
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 13:04:49 GMT


I have just downloaded VGA-Planets 2.1 and I am very impressed but I have
a problem.
I need opponents. 
So if any of you know of any BBSs or other apropriate facilities where I
can play, preferably in Scandinavia but anywhere in Europe will do,
please e-mail me the information. 
In the future I would gladly host games myself but that will have to wait
until I have recived my registered copy of the game.

Thanks in advance.
                                                        /Lennie
From: reynolds@park.bu.edu (John Reynolds)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: Where do I get the game?
Date: 27 Jan 93 20:25:19 GMT
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: christ@sci.ccny.cuny.edu's message of 26 Jan 93 23:21:32 GMT


Host:           ftp.ucsc.edu
Directory:      PC/vgaplanets-2.1
Files:          hello.txt install.exe readme.txt vendor.doc
                vgapl211.exe vgapl212.exe

You need all the exe files, then run install.
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: ibm@dit.upm.es (Ignacio Bellido Montes)
Subject: Mines, factories and "empty" planets.
Organization: Dept. Ingenieria de Sistemas Telematicos, UPM, Madrid, Spain.
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 10:53:52 GMT


Hello,

I'm new in VGA planets, I've got the non registered version and would like to
know somethings  I think are interesting:

1- When all the natural resources of a planet end (no minerals), what happens
with all those mines and fabrics?  Does the fabrics keep working? That's an
absurd if there are no basic suplies to be used by the fabrics then there aro
no production. Any industry needs materials to keep working.

2- Does all the mines in the "empty" world keep working? 

3- Can't the megacredits be converted to suplies and then moved from one world
to another? I have a world with a large amount of megacredits, but only 2 mines
and 2 fabrics (200 colonists) so I cant increase the production, but I have
5 Million natives that pay a lot.

Ignacio
--
============================================================================
Ignacio Bellido Fernandez-Montes,

Department of Telematic			IDIAP
Systems Engineering,			Institut Dalle Molle d'Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.	Artificielle Perceptive
Madrid University of Technology.	Martigny (Switzerland)

e-mail:	ibm@dit.upm.es			e-mail: ibm@idiap.ch
Phone:  .. 34 - 1 - 5495700 ext 440	Phone:  .. 41 - 26 - 227664
Fax:    .. 34 - 1 - 5432077		Fax:    .. 41 - 26 - 227818
============================================================================
From: reynolds@park.bu.edu (John Reynolds)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: FLEET
Date: 27 Jan 93 20:28:17 GMT
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: merig@ghost.dsi.unimi.it's message of 27 Jan 93 14:12:34 GMT


Send one ship to the destination and give the other ships the
"Intercept" command with the first ship designated as the ship to be
intercepted.  

Question:  Choosing the intercept command makes it impossible to use
the "defend" command.  Does this mean that if the ship which is being
"intercepted" is attacked by a ship which is not listed as "primary
enemy", the intercepting ship won't defend? 
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: shario@mits.mdata.fi (Sampsa Hario)
Subject: Author
Organization: Microdata Oy, Helsinki, Finland
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 20:51:54 GMT

Author of VGA Planets, Tim Wisseman, just confirmed me he's reading this
newsgroup, so don't worry about your suggestions.
--
Sampsa Hario, shario@mits.mdata.fi
Located at Espoo, Finland   Phone: + 358 0 8015040
Microdata International Telecomm Service, Finland

--
Sampsa Hario, shario@mits.mdata.fi
Located at Espoo, Finland   Phone: + 358 0 8015040
Microdata International Telecomm Service, Finland
From: cascio@garnet.berkeley.edu (Jamais Cascio)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: tales o'tim
Summary: wild but true
Keywords: blondes and bullwhips
Date: 27 Jan 93 23:31:09 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu


Tim has a picture of a cute blonde tied up on his bed.

Tim has a bullwhip and an Indiana Jones hat.

Tim may still have a beard.

Tim used to dress up in black and run around outside at night
with a flashlight in hand and diodes on his head.

Tim is no longer a servant of the Evil Baron Barry.

Tim used to kill vegetables for a living.

heh heh heh

jamais
From: cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu (Chris)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: new version
Date: 25 Jan 1993 17:49:26 -0600
Organization: University of Minnesota, Duluth
NNTP-Posting-Host: ub.d.umn.edu

I fear the game will be _ruined_ with the different race abilities.
There will a lot of personal fighting as to what race a person gets.  A
cure for this would be to allow more than one occurance of a race in a
game.  E.g. 2 people playing the gorn, 5 people playing the feds.  I
dont expect the game to allow more than 11 players of course.  Another
benefit would be that compettions will be easier to run.  (Everyone with
the same race.)  So please Tim, I beg of you, allow a race to be used
by multiple players in a game.



--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Chris Busch     cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
 C(o_o))        _                        "The use of COBOL cripples the
   (=)         (_ -|- -|- is the         mind; its teaching should, 
  --|--        language of choice.       therefore, be reguarded as a
   /^\      Protest the use of BASIC!    criminal offense." -E.W. Dijkstra
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
From: reynolds@park.bu.edu (John Reynolds)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: vga planets version 3
Date: 25 Jan 93 11:53:26 GMT
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: cocomax@gorn.echo.com's message of 25 Jan 93 08:38:48 GMT


Let me be the first to thank you for all the effort you've put into
the next version!  I know I speak for many people when I say that
we're all looking forward to April Fool's Day!

-John
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: smithme@spot.Colorado.EDU (Steve Crawford)
Subject: Re: Tim Wisseman
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Distribution: alt.games.vga-planets
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 23:45:04 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.205154.7379@prime.mdata.fi> shario@mits.mdata.fi (Sampsa Hario) writes:
>Author of VGA Planets, Tim Wisseman, just confirmed me he's reading this
>newsgroup, so don't worry about your suggestions.

	Good to know! Tim- how about some input here :> Just to know you
	are alive and hearing our commentary.       

	Also there is a rumour that 3.0 is effectively "done"... and it
	would be great if you could give us a list of new features, etc.
	(A spoiler sheet, if you will.)

	Further information regarding when you anticipate "releasing"
	this version would be great also. (As well as such info as what
	us registered people have to do to get the NEXT registered
	version, etc.)

	Thanks in advance!

	-=Steve Crawford
From: lectro@stein.u.washington.edu (Jonathan Maier)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: normal game length
Date: 26 Jan 1993 03:30:23 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: lectro@u.washington.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu

I'm thinking of hosting an 11 player game.  It's gonna be for
novices that have the unregistered version.  (I'm waiting for
version 3.0 before I lay out my cash.)  How many turns would it
normally take for such a game to be resolved.

I'm figuring on 1 turn/day for the game rate and imagine that a
game could last for hundreds of turns.  I don't think I could
commit myself for a year to this thing.  How do you veterans
set these things up?

Replies via email please.

  Jonathan E. Maier             # ## #                lectro@u.washington.edu
 -----------------------------  # ## #  --------------------------------------
  Weekend Operator             ## ## ##              University of Washington
  UCS Operations              ##  ##  ##                  Seattle, Washington
From: X049RH@tamvm1.tamu.edu
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: VGA Planets cosmetic changes.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 16:48:19 CST
Organization: Texas A&M University
NNTP-Posting-Host: tamvm1.tamu.edu

 
 
Something I think that would be interesting, if only a cosmetic change,
would be to be able to select the appearance of the race you are
representing.  Simply allowing the selection from a choice of a 3 or 4
different images for each race in the game.  Also a better image.  The
images in the 2.1 version are of poor quality.
 
They ideal of customizing you ships, and/or being able to recycle old
ships are good ones.
 
My thoughts for what its worth.
 
 
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: weasel@merle.acns.nwu.edu (Mike Rosenberg)
Subject: Re: version 3.0
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 16:42:28 GMT

In article <1jv3a8INNj13@ub.d.umn.edu> cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu (Chris) writes:
>I personally disagree with him about the worm-holes.  If there were
>stable stationary worm holes whos interconnections were newly formed
>only when a new game was started, the worm holes would solve some travel
>problems without resorting to warp 20+ engines would be poor for game
>play reasons.  In effect, the worm holes could act as a subway system so
>to speak.
>
>   Mines are good.
>   I must say Alchemy ships might remove some strategy from the games.
>Shipping and the such are important.
>   Cloaking ships are bad, unless every race can have one.
>   More missions are NEEDED! Good :)
>   Meteors, sound cool, but what would they do and how?
>   Recylcing, its needed, and its so environmentally conscience.
>   Ship scarping (??? maybe he means scraping, but isnt that the same
>as recycling?)
>   Money transporting by ships, I can see some reasons why it would be
>good and bad. This will devalue supplies, and also are much does money
>wiegh (and why should it way anything? (Electronic transfer?? <- that
>would be bad for game play though.))
>   Changing your password, and giving away ships are essential.
>
>So thats my comments to the new additions to version 3.0, any ideas?

I assume that recycling and ship scarping are the same thing...unless you can
recycle mines.  That wouldn't be a bad idea.  Once the planet is mined out,
being able to get rid of the mines (at a cost) would be something the
inhabitants would probably like...

Well, maybe not.

Actually, I do have a question.  What is the policy on registered users
getting newer versions of the game? 

--Mike

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
*  Mike Rosenberg                   |   msr@casbah.acns.nwu.edu              *
*                                   |   jth@isp.nwu.edu                      *
*  "Weasel is not a nickname --     |   weasel@merle.acns.nwu.edu            * 
*   it's a state of mind."          |   weasel@nwu.edu                       *
*                                   |                                        *
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
"Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid"
	Heinrich Heine
From: cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu (Chris)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Tax Rates
Date: 25 Jan 1993 23:49:15 -0600
Organization: University of Minnesota, Duluth
NNTP-Posting-Host: ub.d.umn.edu


   My colonists are fighting and having a civil war, even after they are
all dead!!  and they have been dead for several turns!!!  Why doesnt
utter death of a colony stop it from roiting and civil waring???   How
can I stop those undead colonists from fighting? Do I need an exorcists?
Argh!!!!!!!  Please help.  


--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Chris Busch     cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
 C(o_o))        _                        "The use of COBOL cripples the
   (=)         (_ -|- -|- is the         mind; its teaching should, 
  --|--        language of choice.       therefore, be reguarded as a
   /^\      Protest the use of BASIC!    criminal offense." -E.W. Dijkstra
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
From: rmg53668@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ryan M. Grant)
Subject: Re: VGA-Planets in Europe
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 23:52:39 GMT

Lennie Falck <Lennie.Falck@gen.lu.se> writes:
>In the future I would gladly host games myself but that will have to wait
>until I have recived my registered copy of the game.

>Thanks in advance.
>                                                        /Lennie

You could if you wanted host a game where some people were tech 10 registered
users.  The evaluation version supports this.  You'd be at a disadvantage 
though.

- Ryan Grant
From: reynolds@park.bu.edu (John Reynolds)
Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets
Subject: Re: Tim, Tim, Mountain Man
Date: 22 Jan 93 21:42:42 GMT
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: cascio@garnet.berkeley.edu's message of 22 Jan 93 21:03:45 GMT


When I hear: "version 3.0"
     I think: "YUMMY!"

Tim is a god.

Newsgroups: alt.games.vga-planets,rec.games.pbm