Path: sol.acs.unt.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rpi!usenet.coe.montana.edu!milton!ingram
 From: ingram@milton.u.washington.edu (Doug Ingram)
 Newsgroups: alt.games.gb
 Subject: alt.games.gb FAQ 3.0
 Message-ID: <1991Sep26.204700.15873@milton.u.washington.edu>
 Date: 26 Sep 91 20:47:00 GMT
 Sender: ingram@milton.u.washington.edu (Doug Ingram)
 Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
 Lines: 512
 
 Hi, folks.
 
 	Ok, here's version 3.0 of the Galactic Bloodshed Frequently Asked
 Questions list.  Lots of changes from v2.0, including:
 		-- Information about HAP 
 		-- Racegen usage and how it interacts with various games
 		-- Numeric addresses for sites (in addition to names)
 		-- Correction made:  mesos ==> metas
 		-- Final Words and Advice
 As I get more information on how racegen will be interacting with the
 games which are starting up, as well as the many other changes which
 are currently being discussed/implemented, I'll update the FAQ sheet.
 Also, if any wizards out there (like Clay or Garrett) want to send
 me some introductory comments for inclusion in a future FAQ, I'll be
 glad to incorporate them.  I'm not picky about who contributes or
 what they have to say, as long as it is somewhat helpful and non-
 flammatory.
 	Comments, flames, and questions are welcome and should be sent 
 to me at ingram@u.washington.edu.  This will be posted monthly or as the
 need arises, and I'll email it upon request.  Copies are also available
 via anonymous ftp at morticia.cnns.unt.edu (login as the user "anonymous"
 and give your email address as the password when ftp asks for it).
 
 FAQ 3.0
 -------
 Contents:
 	Part I -- Getting Started
 	Part II -- The Game Set-Up
 	Part III -- Playing the Game
 
 *************************
 Part I -- Getting Started
 *************************
 
 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.
 
 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.
 Of course, on the original HAP game, the wizard and developer of
 HAP, Clay Luther, is around most of the time, and there are no
 restrictions on communicating with him in the game.
 
 Where can I get the client and/or server code?
 ----------------------------------------------
 	Use anonymous ftp to reach one of these two sites:
 scam.berkeley.edu (/src/games/gb directory) or morticia.cnns.unt.edu
 [Note:  scam.berkeley.edu = 128.32.138.1; morticia = 129.120.4.5]
 (/pub/gb directory).  Pretty much everything you'll find there
 is compressed and/or sharred/tarred, so you'll need to know a little
 bit about manipulating Unix files in order to set things up.  
 (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.     )
 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.  
 
 What if I have problems compiling?
 ----------------------------------
 	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 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.
 
 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" 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.
 
 Where are the current games running?
 ------------------------------------
 	As of Oct. 1st, 1991, here are the games which are on-line
 (or about to be) along with the server being used.  The addresses
 given have both a host and a port number, so to reach one of these
 through telnet, for example, you would type
 on Unix:     "telnet pooh.caltech.edu 2010" or "telnet 131.215.48.30 2010"
 or, on VMS:  "telnet pooh.caltech.edu /PORT=2010" etc.
 
 	The pooh game -- pooh.caltech.edu 2010   (two guests)
                          131.215.48.30
        *HAP III -- morticia.cnns.unt.edu 2010   (no guests)
                    129.120.4.5
        *The UNM game -- cyclops.eece.unm.edu 2020  (no guests)
                         129.24.24.29
        *The "Son of grape" game -- 128.153.16.6 1234   (one guest)
                                    (no name given)
 	The CMU game -- amiranda.slisp.cs.cmu.edu 2010  (??? guests)
                         128.2.217.21    [NOVICES ENCOURAGED]
 
 * -- Using HAP code (no * means using "standard" GB code).
 
 	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.
 
 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.
 
 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 send to you) a signup sheet 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!
 	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.
 	Ways of running "team races" are currently in the experimental
 stages right now.  Watch alt.games.gb for more details.
 
 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 20 planets) in a game with
 50 star systems or so (3-8 planets per system), it will take you at
 best one hour of playing time per update.  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
 wizards 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.
 
 What is this newsgroup for?
 ---------------------------
 	This newsgroup is for the discussion of everything that has
 anything to do with GB, including game announcement, rules discussion,
 game editorials, etc.  
 
 **************************
 Part II -- The Game Set-Up
 **************************
 
 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 either of the two 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
 wizard.  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.
 	Here are the different attributes you'll be dealing with 
 when using racegen:
 
 Mass - A higher mass is more of a disadvantage since the amount of mass a
        ship is carrying affects its fuel consumption rate.  Be sure to
        note when using racegen that different items (such as iq and metab)
        have various costs based on your race's mass.  Many such character-
        istics are interrelated.
 Birth - This is how fast a race multiplies when it is placed upon a sector
         it "likes" provided the minimum number of sexes needed for repro-
         duction are present.
 Fight - This is military fighting ability.  It's important for ground
         combat and taking over planets by brute force, but NOT for
         ship-to-ship combat.
 Intel - Usually referred to as "IQ," this attribute tells you how fast 
         your tech level will increase.  Higher tech means more complexity,
         greater efficiency, and greater variety in your ships.  There are
         many useful ships and modifications to ships (such as lasers) which
         have a minimum tech requirement.
 Adven - This relates how likely your race is to spread out on its own,
         without you manually moving them.
 Sexes - This is the minimum number of sexes required to be in a sector in
         order for survival (in non-compatible sectors) and/or reproduction.
         1 is the best since you save on movement costs in covering your
         planets, but there is a slight advantage also in having more than
         2 if you can't have 1.
 Metab - This tells you how quickly your sectors will gain in efficiency.
         The more efficient your planet is overall, the more quickly you
         will produce resources, destructive capacity, and fuel.
 Fert -  This tells you how likely it is that your race will increase
         the fertility (hence, maximum allowable population) of a sector
         per update.  This is a fairly new attribute and so is not used
         in many games.  Be sure to ask the appropriate wizard before
         spending points on this attribute.
 
 What's the difference between a normal and a meta?
 --------------------------------------------------
 	A "meta," 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 metas and normals can be summarized like this:
 
 	-- Metas can absorb enemy bodies when they attack a sector
 	-- Metas can build spore pods on planetary surfaces
 	-- Metas' IQ is determined only by their population
 
 	It used to be the case that metas 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, metas can
 have all of the basic characteristics of normal races except for the
 three attributes mentioned above.
 	I'll discuss these three items in reverse order:  First, meta
 IQ is based on some exponential population formula.  In all games, this
 means their iq starts at 0, and the maximum possible meta IQ varies from
 game to game (from 100 to 200).  A common practice is for metas 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 metas cannot
 rely on shuttles (which require some minor tech ability to build) to ferry
 them around to colonize planets early in the game.  Metas, 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 metas 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 metas and normals which is
 mentioned above is metas' special combat ability.  If a meta attack force
 defeats another race in ground combat, a large fraction of the defeated
 enemy will be "absorbed" by the attacking meta race, enabling metas to
 actually _increase_ their population through attacking.  Thus, late in
 the game when all planets are covered and well-defended by other races,
 metas still have a chance to do some serious damage by showering an enemy
 system with pods and perhaps landing enough metas in the system to cause
 a lot of problems, if not to take over a planet or two.
 
 Which is better, metas 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 metas and normals are quite common
 and can be very effective (since the normals generally have the high
 tech levels while meta's pod launching ability and generally high
 metabolism and/or fighting strength can help the alliance).
 
 What kind of planet should I choose?
 ------------------------------------
 	In your initial questionnaire, you'll probably be asked what kind
 of planet you want to be your home.  Of all the types of planets, I'd say
 that class M planets are chosen around 75% of the time.  This is because
 they are the largest of any type planet (except Jovians, which usually
 are not allowed as home bases).  Thus, they can support a high population
 (for taxation and tech purposes), and they usually have a lot of resources.
 Also, big planets are much harder to conquer since the greater number of
 sectors requires a much greater effort for ground combat to be successful.
 	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.  In some games, strong emphasis
 is being placed on Jovians...they are made to be the only large types
 of planets in the Universe, and Jovian compatible races are becoming
 more and more individualized in such games, almost to the point of there
 being three "classes" of race:  normals, metas, and Jovians.  As always,
 be sure to clarify something like this with your wizard before you start
 to create your race. 
 	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 wizard 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 about 20% water and 80% gaseous, and they
                are also quite large.  They are ideal for metas since races
                which like gaseous sectors can build up huge populations
                here, but they are rare and valuable planets.  Also, ships
                in orbit around Jovians add fuel to their holds at every
                update unless they are specially designed tankers, which
                skim much more fuel than other ships.
 
 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 much
              smaller.
 
 Desert - 5% - These planets are usually 80% desert and 20% mtn/ice.  They
               are pretty nice as far as resource content is concerned, and
               their size range is much like water planets.
 
 Forest - 5% - These planets are almost entirely covered in forest, which is
               the rarest sector type.  Resource content is fairly good.
 
 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.
 
 What sector preferences should I take?
 --------------------------------------
 	The most common sector type found is Water, but this is misleading
 since there are so many water sectors on Class M's and Jovians, which are
 relatively rare.  Running a close second (and sometimes even ahead) is
 land terrain, which is found on just about every planet type except for
 Jovians.  Another interesting choice for your sector pref is gas, which 
 would enable you to take advantage of any Jovians you find.  Since players
 are typically given only three possible sector choices, taking gas as one
 of them can be a real gamble.  Again, however, the addition of the "Jovian"
 race concept in many games will change this somewhat...be informed!
 	Another problem with taking gas as one of your sector prefs is that
 the server is more likely to make your race a "methane breather."  The
 problem with this is that most planets will be extremely incompatible with
 your race.  Some games are phasing out the possibility of methane breathing
 races except upon request since it is seen as such a disadvantage.
 	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 meta who loves water and gas
 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.
 
 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.  :)
 
 ****************************
 Part III -- Playing the Game
 ****************************
 
 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.
 
 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.
 
 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 meta...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.
 
 Final Warnings and Advice
 -------------------------
 	If you see a bug, tell the wizard 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.  
 	Finally, remember that the wizard 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.  
 
 	*** RELAX.  IT IS ONLY A GAME. ***
 
 ------
 
 	That's it for the FAQ sheet for now.  I will expand this in the
 future if I get some suggestions and comments.
 
 Doug Ingram -- Fnebish Legion // ingram@u.washington.edu // "Carpe Datum."
 
 ----------- END FAQ ---------
 
 Article: 1997 of alt.games.gb