"So whats yer rank" -- Galactic Ranking System?

[EternusIV]

I was kicking this idea around with an old SN II player and we both wondered if it would be preferred/feasible to have a list come out each turn cycle that ranks all of the empires in various categories.

 

What do you all think?

 

Possible cateogires:

 

Most Tonnage Constructed

Most Tonnage Destroyed

Most Tonnage Lost in Combat

Most Technology Breakthroughs

Highest Iron Production

Largest Fleet

Latgest Army

Most Ground Units Built

Most Systems Surveyed

Highest Population

Highest Favor with (Insert various Gods here)

Most Leaders

 

 

etc.

 

I wonder how difficult it could be on the GM end of things.

 

Personally I think it could add much depth to the game and give us all a benchmark for how we are doing.

 

You could even average out the categories by dividing the numbers by turns played (perhaps this would be TOO revealing)

 

What do y'all think?

[Lord Uriel]

Eternus,

*sigh*

I'm not even sure what to write ...

 

*sigh*

 

There, that sums it up.

 

Lord Uriel

[octagon999]

I think a short list of rankings in various categories would be both fun, informative, and add motivation to the game. I mean, if you were 22nd in "most colonists off-world", wouldn't that motivate you a little more to try and get higher?

 

Would be nice to also know how many empires are currently active per turn as well.

 

Nice idea, Eternus. lol

 

Tom

 

PS Yeah, yeah, yeah, everyone wants the combat document out as highest priority. If every idea had to be ignored until the combat doc comes out, you wouldn't get any new or interesting ideas. (PPS Not a flame, promise)

 

PPS Having now seen extended remarks I do not support making rankings public. I would have them be private just for your empire.

[Octus Imperium]

I suggest this idea be on the list, but only after the combat primer is out. And I'm certain plenty of other priorities would be suggested.

 

In all fairness, this is a nice to have and should be considered as such. And I'd really not want to know my iron production is 324 out of 331 players..... So top 10 only!

 

Octus

[ali-t-akua]

I am on the Whahtever Eternus, do you have a life category?

 

Personally I don't think the rankings are that valuable since we have started at different times and I would expect older empires to be higher in the ratings. Also I am not sure I would want to be know as having the largest fleet/army whatever. It makes you a big target.

[EternusIV]

I think RTG used to do something like this....my brother and I tried to find all the old SN Newsletters to no avail.

 

I'm thinking more along the lines of how RTG's Victory! handles victory conditions (Most Territory etc)

 

True, the list could create targets...but man they would be interesting to have. I don't think the older empires would dominate most categories, either But - we could always average the rank over turns played, too. /shrug

 

I doubt the person with "Largest Fleet" would also have "Largest Ground Force" etc....and who cares if the "Largest Fleet" player has 14,000,000 tons of little gnat screens

 

On the flip side....

 

I could see where a player who thought they had an insane resource base suddenly discovers they aren't in the top ten, panics and quits

[ali-t-akua]

I think RTG used to do something like this....my brother and I tried to find all the old SN Newsletters to no avail.

 

I don't recall RTG having rankings when I played SN. They did have a newsletter that covered the events going on around the galaxy. I left the game after a couple of years so they might have added after I left or it may have been a feature of SN II.

 

Nonetheless I would say that reasonable beings can disagree about the value of the ratings. Personally I would prefer not to know.

[Morgwen]

I suggest this idea be on the list, but only after the combat primer is out. And I'm certain plenty of other priorities would be suggested.

 

In all fairness, this is a nice to have and should be considered as such. And I'd really not want to know my iron production is 324 out of 331 players..... So top 10 only! 

 

Octus

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

324 out of 331????? Yeaaaaa!!!!! We went up one to 323!!!!!

 

Larry

[LenLorek]

If you were secretly building up your Space Fleets or Armies with a view to a surprise attack upon a neighbor, or a surprise defense against an attacker, how horrified would you be to find your Empire listed in the top 10 for "tonnage constructed" or "largest fleet" or "largest army" or "most ground units built"?

 

If your Empire was listed in the top 10 for Iron Production, how paranoid would you become about your neighbor's envy?

 

In "Victory!", such things add to victory points and so may be useful in determining how well you are doing in the game, but even so I would not like to see such lists until the end of the game (as is done currently). Although it may cause some players to gee themselves up to do better, it may also cause some players to just give up because they believe they are losing and will never catch up -- and a drop always spoils the game.

 

The same psychological forces will be at play in SNROTE, where some players change their Empire's strategy in response to galactic lists rather than responding to local conditions. And some players drop because they perceive they are "losing" in relation to the galactic lists.

 

To my mind, such lists would be a Bad Thing. I have voted against.

 

/Len

[ShadowKitsune]

Even in Victory! The Battle for Europe, you only know how much you have killed in Air, Ground and Naval Forces until the game is over. While such lists can be entertaining, I think the potential harm outwieghs the potential gain, not to mention the value of such a set of lists would be dubious at best.

 

One of the core themes in SN:ROTE seems to be Quality over Quantity, most "Top Ten" lists focus on Quantity. So what if the Leather Goddesses of Phobos have the most colonies if 98.3% are 5 Pop Science Outposts? Who cares if the Fluffy Brain Bunnies have a gazillion POP, if it takes 100:1 odds for them to fend of Borgs of Emeniar? Greatest Tonnage - if its 50% Standard Hull Plate, so what, part three? And so on and so forth ...

 

Lists that contained information like Largest Pop Group, Largest War Fleet, Most Homeworlds, Highest Armor Technology Achieved, et. al. would be, in a word, unfair. It's Free Intelligence to any and all of your potential enemies (and/or victims). I, for one, want any of my would be conquerors to have to work, and work hard, for it. Lists of this nature would make their jobs easier, so no thanks.

 

Additionally, as this game is open ended and new empires are being added every turn, early empires would have a decided advantage over the newbies as far as the lists would be concerned.

 

Ultimately, I feel that Pete has a lot of other work he could be focusing on rather than potentially harmful fluff.

 

FWIW,

-SK

[Kurassier]

I am definitely NOT in favor of such a list. Heck I already know I'm number one in Beer Production, wine, marketing, McBovine burgers, etc. I also know that if you rate quality, I am of course, the best empire in existence.

However, if something like that were implemented, I think the information you have should be limited to empires you have actually met in game and should be tied into having CHARACTERs on other worlds.

For example, how in the world would I know how much Iron the Benthis Collective produces on a given turn ( I do of course, but then I know everything ) AND I know that my Iron, crystals, etc. changes from turn to turn anyway. So I could be number 1 on turn 95 and last on turn 96, so the list would truly be worthless as to resource production (industrial capacity would be another thing)

And if I had only met one other empire, I would only have TOP 2 not Top 10.

However, I do think Characters could be used to find out information on known nations.........

Ho, ho, ho and a bottle of rum.

[Hughestrog]

However, I do think Characters could be used to find out information on known nations.........

Ho, ho, ho and a bottle of rum.  

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Isn't that why you have secret agents?

 

Kurassier- we all know your secret agents pose as McBovine Burger Vendors! And honestly, the Sodium Pentothal doesn't add to the flavor, I've just eaten one, and I can definately tell you that!

[ali-t-akua]

nd honestly, the Sodium Pentothal doesn't add to the flavor, I've just eaten one, and I can definately tell you that!

 

And thats gotta be the truth.

[Kurassier]

we all know your secret agents pose as McBovine Burger Vendors

 

and yet not a single one has been exposed!!!!

[HumVie]

Possible cateogires:

 

Most Tonnage Constructed

Most Tonnage Destroyed

Most Tonnage Lost in Combat

Most Technology Breakthroughs

Highest Iron Production

Largest Fleet

Latgest Army

Most Ground Units Built

Most Systems Surveyed

Highest Population

Highest Favor with (Insert various Gods here)

Most Leaders

 

There are SO many ways to abuse this it boggles the mind. It really opens a door to energy wasting arguements that would have a good chance of bringing Pete or Russ in. Anything that distracts them from focusing on the multitude of tasks at hand has my "NO" vote.

 

 

Good Cheer,

Rick