Gilded Age

[Stoneman]

Hi, all. I played this new scenario and enjoyed it. It is on the old map, but the new concept changes the play, as do a lot of the conditions that occur.

There was one thing that I had trouble with. It was with the victory point conditions being announced as flitting game announcements (just like a train arriving at a station). These are conditions for number of hauls, and so forth that appear no where else in the briefing or elsewhere in the game play. It is very awkward to use because they are set to inform you at year end when the year end calendar appears, blocking your view of the message. Often, by the time you delete the year end notice, the flitting message is gone or nearly so. The only solution I found was to try to SAVE near the end of December and then re-load and re-view several times (awkward, to say the least). :?

I might add that there is a written set of instructions on README that is quite helpful but it regrettably it only states that there are conditions, without stating what they are.

So, if the person who went to all of the work to come up with what I think is a fun idea for a scenario could fix this, then I would be swimmingly happy. :D

I suppose that if I knew something about map making I could go into that and figure out the conditions but it would be a lot better if you could read them slowly somewhere, such as in the briefing or in a news report.

I might add that I was playing against 2 AI lines that were complete dolts.

Anyway, I appreciated the idea of the Gilded Age and look forward to the next improved version of it. 8)

Cheers. Stoneman.

[EPH]

I'm glad you enjoyed the scenario, Stoneman. I first began working on an existing map because I couldn't get my old computer to make a new one. But I have a new computer now! :D

Before the old Gathering forum went away, there were some comments about 'Gilded Age'. I'll try to address them (from memory) and answer yours, too, since you were kind enough to ask.

First, I encourage comments and suggestions. This is my first scenario, and it is the first 'production' version. I've been playing it myself, but after a while you can't see the railroad for the locomotives, if you know what I mean. So by all means let me know how it can be improved.

The 'game messages' were used to cut down on the number of newspapers. Some years there were 8 or more (!) at year-end and you had to be fast on the 'Pause' button or the ledger wouldn't come up until March! Putting them in the ledger didn't seem to work - the annual numbers were reset to 0 before the ledger came up.

As the 'ReadMe' txt file says, you can use the 'M' key to scroll the messages back up, rather than reload the game. I know you know that, but I'm offering what help I can. If you would really rather have newspapers, I can give them to you... lots and lots and lots of them... or if you have a different suggestion, I'd like to hear it. I have no monopoly on good ideas :roll: .


A different complaint was that the game does not give the player explicit victory conditions. I hope to include that in the next version; I just don't see the victory point conditions as fixed enough in version 1 (the easiest way to adjust the difficulty is to adjust the VP conditions). The conditions will most likely be listed in the ReadMe file in Version 2 because of space limitations in the opening dialog.

Is it too hard? Too easy? Most important, is it interesting to play?

The reason for using the victory point system was to allow for different styles of play. You can get points for a lot of different things and should not expect to get all of the possible points. (Despite building steel mills, weapons and munitions plants I've never gotten more than 2 of the 3 possible VP's for the Civil War years). My hope was that a player could pick a strategy that would fit his style of play, average a couple of points a year and take it to gold.

I do think the penalties for high debt, the Panic of 1857 and 69, and freight rate decline after 1865, should all be increased. Comments?

The AI's were left unchanged from the original 'Go West' campaign game. I believe they are conservative in growth and stock market play. That can easily be changed :D .

[Stoneman]

Hi, thanks for the thorough and immediate response. :D

I appreciate the info available by the "M" key. It is, indeed, better than the other alternatives as you describe them. I found it, however, hard to use. I am not a game designer yet, so I am not sure if I should complain about it, but I found it made it hard for me to follow along with the game. :?

A spin off on this was that I could see the data (234 loads hauled or speed averaged was 11, let's say) by negotiating the "M" key but had no idea what the goals were unless I achieved a victory point condition. Then, it told me I got a point for exceeding 150 loads, let's say, but did not tell me if I needed to achieve 12, 15 or 20 to get one for speed.

Similarly, although README tells me what cities to connect, the game itself does not (so far as I could see). Of course, I very well could have missed this information. But do I need to connect to Concord or Albany? Do I get a point for eliminating the two AI's, or not? Keep in mind that I am a learning player, not an expert, so some of this information may very well be there, but I just missed it. Egad. :oops:

Wish I knew the solution. I would like it in the briefing, updated yearly, but don't know if that is workable or not.

As to fixed victory conditions, I thought your new approach was a creative idea. I found the concept easy to grasp and not unsettling at all (although, for the reasons of my confusion, above, it was harder than you intended). My guess is that if I could follow what the VPs were for (eg., what constitutes a "HIGH" personal net worth) then I would think it perfect. As it is, I enjoy it as a very nice variation from the "standard."

I liked the penalty for debt as the game goes on. I think the penalty could be higher (or you could lower the amount of penalty free debt) and still be fun and fair, as long as you know in advance as the rules change.

I thought the penalty for 1857 panic was severe when it surprised me. If I were playing it the second time, I would have taken it into account a little better and a bigger penalty could be used.

I am only up to 1860. So I wonder if the Confederates will destroy track and RR bridges in Pennsylvania, as they did in the real 1863, if a weapons plant will be destroyed, and other similar disasters of a non stock market play kind. Anyway, I will find that out as I play along.

Do I think it is fun. Yep. You did that part very well. Thanks a lot for the great ideas and for the immediate response. :D

Cheers. Stoneman

[Wolverine@MSU]

The 'game messages' were used to cut down on the number of newspapers. Some years there were 8 or more (!) at year-end and you had to be fast on the 'Pause' button or the ledger wouldn't come up until March! Putting them in the ledger didn't seem to work - the annual numbers were reset to 0 before the ledger came up.

As the 'ReadMe' txt file says, you can use the 'M' key to scroll the messages back up, rather than reload the game. I know you know that, but I'm offering what help I can. If you would really rather have newspapers, I can give them to you... lots and lots and lots of them... or if you have a different suggestion, I'd like to hear it. I have no monopoly on good ideas.

Would it be possible to code a Dialog Event set to trigger at the end of the year that would give the data you want to present? Annual loads hauled (or any Annual count for that matter) are reset at the beginning of the year, which is why they always show up as "0" in the Ledger. Perhaps these data could be put in a Dialog Event? May have to trigger at the end of the month of December rather than at the end of the year, or even at the beginning of December to get it to work correctly.

[EPH]

Thanks, Wolverine - that's a good idea. I'll have to chew on this for a few days. And Stoneman, thanks for your prompt response and helpful comments.

What I'm trying out right now is the reverse of what you would think would be the right answer - since I can't show the annual loads hauled or profit made in the ledger, I'm putting the current goals in the ledger and reporting the 'actual' as a game message. I'm going to play with this for a few days and see how I like it. This will require more than one ledger event (selected by date).

Your suggestion might be a lot clearer. Multiple events would still be required, but only one would trigger in a given year... hmmmmm.

Version 2 ReadMe will include full disclosure of all victory point conditions as well as political contribution effects, corruption and so forth.

Stoneman, devastation only takes place if you get into a war for Canada. Union railroad repair crews made good any damage in Pennsylvania within days as far as I know. A victory over Britain devastates Canada, a loss devastates northern New York.

[Stoneman]

EPH, that sounds good. I did not select going to war with Canada--I will have to try that on a later replay. .... As to maruading Confederates, you are, of course, right. However, Delay in this game (getting troops, arms, weapons to their destination city) might be key to achieving or losing a victory point or more. In one game, Papalagogus I think, there were bridges destroyed by terrorists--you can promptly repair them but all of your trains stop while you do it and the expense distracts you from something else. I suppose this is what JEB Stuart had in mind! It is just a small point and you have bigger fish to fry. But, as in going to war with Canada, this scenario does not have to be strictly historically accurate. Anyway, I think you are doing a first rate job and I will send along any more comments when I have some more time to play. :wink:

BTW, Newt Gingrich has written two history fiction novels about Gettysburg and the aftermath which are quite excellent. I mention them because in his book (particularly the second one), he really focuses on how critical railroads were in the Civil War--one point you are really illustrating by this game. (If it seems unlikely that these would come from Newt, he is a college teacher and has a Ph.D. in history in his Other Life.) It makes you think, tho. The Gilded Age does emphasize the importance of the Susquehanna route, and this could have been devastatingly disrupted in 1863, especially the bridge at Harrisburg (which, I think, is not on your map anyway). Along this same train of thought, it seemed to me that there was a lot of Demand for the war supplies to be sent to Boston--seemingly the wrong direction although I know it could then be shipped by sea anywhere. Maybe it was just the way I was playing but sending some to Allentown might help General Meade.

In any event, as you can tell, I really do like the creativity you have added to this map and I will look forward to version 2 and will pass along any more comments when I can. :)

[EPH]

Version 2 is up at this site, and it incorporates the additions and improvements you have asked for.

Wolverine & Stoneman, many thanks for your helpful suggestions.

[Stoneman]

EPH, thanks for posting the new version. I look forward to playing it. I am on the road for a while right now, so I won't be able to get to it right away. But, you have whetted my appetite.

As I played, I enjoyed the additional tricks you had inserted. I "liked" the Boston Fire (no I do not "like" fires); I mean I liked that it was unexpected and required me to revisit what I was having to do on a part of the map that I had been taking for granted for a while. You might make the impact of the fire even more severe (although I did not test it to see whether the impact varies; if so, I might have gotten a relatively benign impact).

I have now played it through all the way once (and hey, I did not even declare war on England yet!) and managed to get Silver on Hard, with the benefit of many restarts.

It is a great scenario and I look forward to Version 2. Thanks again. Cheers. Stoneman. :D

[EPH]

Stoneman, thank you for taking the time to post and tell me what you think.

I didn't find much information on the great Boston fire, but from what I did read it must have been terrible. If I had seen any indication that railroad tracks or stations were damaged, I'd have included that. I did consider adding another sub-plot for the fire but finally decided it didn't add much to gameplay.

The last time I went to war with Britain I managed to miss the troop delivery target by .4 or something ridiculous like that. I had a steel mill, weapons plant, ammo plant, brewery - all in Syracuse with a large station - plus a medium station, lumber mill and paper mill in Watertown. All that was destroyed, plus a dozen or more trains. Aaaarrrrgh!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I'm working on train-skinning and logos now, and making notes for my next scenario project.

[Stoneman]

Hi, I have been playing the new version. I love the improvements that I have seen so far. Now, it is very easy to montior my progress against the VP goals. You really have made this excellent where it was a challenge before. Also, the written instructions are superb. Congratulations on a great set of improvements. :)

I have not encountered any bugs so far.

It is interesting because the set up I got this time is quite quite different from the ones I had before (lumber east of New Castle now rather than in the most NE corner of the map). Makes it fun!! :D :D

Thanks again. Cheers. Stoneman.