Topics

1

Off Topic / Elite Dangerous

« on: January 05, 2013, 04:00:08 AM »

I was looking for an Elite IV Dangerous thread here but I couldn't find one.
They are fully funded now so yaaay!
Looks interesting for those of us that like emergent co-op style gaming. Plus I am sure there are those among us that are Elite veterans from the amount of people that have downloaded my Elite Galaxy Names file for AI War.

2

Off Topic / Actual Enders Game Film News

« on: December 24, 2011, 04:29:48 AM »

Looks like it might not murder the book (fingers crossed)

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118047827

dM

P.S. Hi again community.......   

3

Off Topic / Persistent Browser based Space Game that I actually really like

« on: March 24, 2011, 12:19:06 AM »

Hi,
I have been playing a game called Pardus lately:

http://www.pardus.at/welcome.php

I am always trying out new strategy/trading type free browser based games (coz I am poor   ), mostly they are disappointing, but this one is good. It is also a few years old so I was quite surprised not to have found it earlier, considering how much googling 'RTS, trading, space game' etc  I do.

What I especially like about it is that it's not pay-to-win (which I hate). Also it appeals to the Elite Player in me - for some reason, I think the game may be inspired heavily by it - even though it is top-down 2d.
It also has a really good turn-based/real time system going on, so that it's not like 'he who has no life and can spend all his time on-line wins'.

I am really tempted to write a kind of mini review of it, but maybe I will leave that until I have experienced more of the game.
So far - things I like:
Combat, exploring, large universe, trading, construction, character development, sensible community.
I have not explored the diplomacy/faction side of things deeply yet - seems cool though.

I haven't found anything I don't like yet, very unusual for me, give it time perhaps.

Anyway, I searched this forum for Pardus to see which fellow AI War players were in to it and to my huge surprise there were no hits.

So It would be negligent of me not to introduce you to it.


dM

4

Off Topic / Cool Indie Space Trading Android Game

« on: February 18, 2011, 04:32:23 AM »

I have been enjoying this... Really enjoying it....

http://www.corytrese.com/games/startraders/

It is turn based space trading / combat / rpg game for Android. It has a kind of retro 2d feel with a lot of gameplay depth.

The reason I mention it here, apart from I think it would appeal, is that is has a pretty similar style community, it is an indie outfit that appears to be a two brothers type thing and they are really responsive to community feedback.

Also, I am getting addicted to the game - I am spending more time playing this game on my phone than games on my PC...

Anyway - There ya go.  I am also posting a link to AI War on their forum, as I think the two games would appeal to a common demographic without competing.

dM

5

Off Topic / Emergent behaviour browser java applet type thing

« on: December 02, 2010, 04:14:10 PM »

Hi all,

I just found this...

http://www.icosystem.com/labsdemos/evogame-demo/

Play in a browser java game type thing.
It is how the AI learns to beat us.......


From the site:
"The Icosystem game is a simple demonstration of the power of emergent behaviors and agent-based modeling. The game shows how two similar sets of rules can yield dramatically different emergent behaviors. But are there other rules that yield different, interesting behaviors?

In the Interactive Evolution version of the game, we have used the Hunch Engine™ to search the space of possible rules for the game. Starting with a gallery of pre-defined rules, interact with the tool to create new patterns of emerging behavior in the Icosystem Game."

dM

6

Off Topic / The-collapse-of-complex-business-models

« on: April 10, 2010, 11:15:41 AM »

This is excellent, although I don't agree with it all - it has some good insights.

http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2010/04/the-collapse-of-complex-business-models/

It is a remarkably appropriate independent explanation, if you like, of why Arcen Games approach is a good, practical, and timely one from a business viewpoint.
We already know it is good from the POV of the customers...
a quote:

“Web users will have to pay [too much] for what they watch and use, or else we will have to stop making content in the costly and complex way we have grown accustomed to making it. And we don’t know how to do that.”

I added the  '[too much]'  in the original context the 'too much' is not required.


I was going  to post this in the 'Ubisoft goes completely Insane - Starts new harsh DRM Initiative'  thread, as that seems to have become the thread for discussing DRM insanity.
But then I thought maybe I should not be so lazy, and start a thread about how big business need to change their whole attitude, and why it is hard for them to do it, and how they might go about doing it....
Seems complimentary to a lot of the thought I have seen discussed on this forum.


Anyway, there ya go.....
dM

<edit> tidied up the post a bit....

7

AI War / AI War in UK Newspaper

« on: March 08, 2010, 12:35:50 AM »

Just came across this:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/indie-game-developers-club-together-with-cutprice-bundle-1917638.html

pretty favourable article in 'The Independent' one of the main UK National Newspapers.
quote.. "...AOL's Big Download judged that AI War was a "must own" game..."
Put a smile on my face. Definitely raises awareness.
Looking forward to when I have the time to get back to the game.
dM

8

Off Topic / Post last.fm profiles

« on: February 25, 2010, 08:47:30 AM »

It occurs to me that the kind of excellent people who like AI War have probably got excellent taste in music also.
Anyway, for those of us who have a last.fm profile and want to share the goodness, here is a thread.

Mine is  http://www.last.fm/user/rundblick

dM

9

AI War Strategy Discussion / Regen Astro Train Advice

« on: February 12, 2010, 06:01:39 AM »

I am 26 hours into a pretty good game.
I have been continually harassed by large numbers of AI ships, more than I would have expected,  and I seem to have come to a bit of a stall. Moving out of the systems I hold seems to have become impossible due to the large numbers of AI ships.
Now, I strongly suspect that this is largely due to the fact that, pretty much whenever I am fighting a wave or CPA surge,  or even when taking an AI planet, there is at least one regen astro train around.
So, I am looking for some advice or information about how to minimise the effect of these nasties.
Even simply waiting for them to pass before mounting an offensive is not an option, often it just means another one will turn up, plus you can't just wait to defend against a wave or CPA.
Also, I am pretty central galactically speaking, so re-routing is not practical.
Any ideas?

dM

10

Ongoing Games / Reidquat Resistance

« on: February 05, 2010, 06:43:19 PM »

I'm throwing this game in as a good one for a relay type game.
One resistance leader passes it in to the next kinda thing.
I already tried it and didn't last long - as some of you may know.
I plan on attempting it again sometime as it seems like a really good setup. So if anyone wants to give it a go, and pass on their save shall we say, a couple of hours per player? Obviously people can play as long as they like, but pass it on after two hours...

--------
Zenith Remnants Expansion
80 Planets
AI Progress 1/60 2xDif 7 Random Easier
Human Colony Rebellion, Human Marauders, Human Resistance Fighters, Zenith Traders.

Complex Ships Selection.
--------
There ya go anyway... Hope someone takes it up...
I'll join in at some point.
dM

11

Off Topic / Greg Egan vs Stephen Wolfram

« on: February 02, 2010, 10:04:00 PM »

I just read a review and thought this might be a good place to share it..
I am sure many people who find themselves attracted to AI War will also have some idea of who Stephen Wolfram is, many also will have read some of Greg Egan's science fiction (If not I highly recommend you do - he is probably THE best hard SF writer today).
Anyway, here is a link to a review that Greg Egan did of Wolfram's book, "A New Kind of Science"

http://www.gregegan.net/ESSAYS/ANKOS/Ankos.html

If you are not into the review, but want to read some good SF, there is plenty of that free on his site too....
dM

12

Off Topic / Emergent behaviour in simple robots

« on: February 01, 2010, 09:07:28 AM »

Some people might find this interesting.

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1000292

The interesting thing I find here is not the way the robots evolve, which is the main point of the experiment, but that apparently motivated and complex, even co-operative behaviour emerges from groups of units with simple instruction sets.
The fact that this behaviour has emerged through random selection seems to hint at how difficult it is to code for programmers who have a 'top down' mindset.
I am wondering if part of this approach could be used to develop behaviours for units in AI War, not to interfere with the stateless nature of the in-game AI, but to run out-of-game 'evolution sessions' from which code might be incorporated into the main game.
Anyway, got me thinking.....

13

Off Topic / forum topic locking....

« on: January 31, 2010, 09:11:57 PM »

Hi,
I was fiddling around with one of my posts when I managed to lock the topic, after which it is impossible for me to unlock it.
No problem specifically there, as I am finished with it anyway and it only seems to be possible for me to do in threads that I have started, I just though I should post a heads-up for the forum mods that this action is possible in case it is an accident.


<edit>By the way, on the subject of the forum, some kind of BB code spoiler tag would be really useful.  Something like this maybe... http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=359223.0<edit>
dM

 

14

Off Topic / Colossus: The Forbin Project

« on: January 28, 2010, 09:05:44 AM »

I have been playing AI WAR.
There is this really quite cheesy 1970 film I remember called "Colossus: The Forbin Project"
I recommend it as a film for anyone who feels they might be entertained by two AI's that were designed to fight each other getting together and taking over the world.
It has pretty low production standards compared to todays films, I enjoyed it though. .....  

Anyway, I figured it would be negligent of me not to post about it here seeing as it follows the same theme as the AI War backstory.
I wonder if anyone else remembers it.....

15

After Action Reports / The Last Human [Finished]

« on: January 27, 2010, 06:46:38 PM »

"Let me explain a couple of things.
To call myself the last human isn't entirely accurate. I am "Organic Last Redundant Backup Contingency Humanoid Clone Sigma". OLRBCHCS to my friends, if I had any, which I don't. I am mostly biologically human, A clone, existing only to be awoken should all other fail-safes fail to report optimum functionality at this installation, Sub-luna DNA repository Beta Gamma Three. I consider it a  friend so I call it SLDNARBGT.
Should I mention that I have no trouble pronouncing the system names in the galactic map?
I have been awoken. I have a job to do and accomplishing that job is within my design parameters. It appears that all of humanity has been wiped out, or very nearly so. The worst fears of my creators have been realised, but there is a twist. It was our own AI that did it. Because of this twist there is a chance for me to save humanity.

This installation never officially existed. On the records it is an automated mining outpost. A replicator, extractors, a couple of engineer drones.... a scout. Nothing to raise any flags. I never existed. I was never born, I am not a citizen. I have no rights. Something I do have however.
I have access to the lowest level protocols of all the data transmission networks throughout what was once human space. I wish that meant that I could decrypt the AI internal network. I can't. I don't have that much processing power. All I can tell about it is that the AI must have at least a couple of large centralised processor clusters just dedicated to handling the encryption on it's internals. Why? It is very powerful, practically omniscient... What is it afraid of?
What my network access does mean is that I can install and operate an Orbital Command Centre in any system where there is a network node and I have supply. In other words, potentially, any system ever occupied by humans. In other words I can reach the AI and kill it. If I can find it.
To my advantage is that although the main AI core will be housed in one or two main processing centres, it is largely a decentralised intelligence. This means that if I can make my activities appear to it's systems as not much more than perhaps those of one of it's own mildly deviant subsystems then my existence will be tolerated. This is one of the AI's many strengths. A kind of internal evolution, survival of the best subsystem, with safeguards. I do not have those safeguards. This will be it's fatal weakness. If I can locate it's core, if I can survive.....
If I should die, for whatever reason - perhaps I will simply expire from old age before my mission is complete, I leave this personal record as a testament to my being a living feeling human, and as a gift to my replacement, Organic Last Redundant Backup Contingency Humanoid Clone Tau. I wish my predecessors had been as kind....."
 -Last Human

--------
Zenith Remnants Expansion
80 Planets
AI Progress 1/30 2xDif 7 Random Easier

Simple Ships Selection.
--------