Subject: Time

From: riffraff@n...
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 01:02:16 -0500

We should probably attempt to resolve this whole Time thing. We've gone
back and forth quite a bit, and don't seem to be able to particularly sway
each other's opinions, so maybe we should just have a vote so we can pick
something, at least for testing purposes.

Here, as I make it, are our choices:

A) No time. ("No! _Time_ to lose!")

B) Game Time only. After each player's turn, the Game Time is incremented
by one hour. After 24 hours, the day of the week is incremented. This has
no effect on the length of a player's turn or how many Actions e may
perform.

C) Game Time & Turn Time. As above, but each player has 60 minutes of turn
time for movement and Actions, with the option of purchasing additional
hours for 1 Green Token each. Even if the player doesn't use the full 60
minutes, Game Time is nevertheless incremented by 1 hour.

D) As above, but the Game Time is incremented by the actual amount of time
the player used. (What we had in the previous version of MN.)

My vote is for C. I think turn time is still the best bet for limiting the
amount of stuff a player may do in one turn, while the 1-hour increments in
the Game Time make the peak hours etc. come around quicker - and you don't
have to bother with the math if you're not doing much in a turn.

So, what does everyone else think? Snow, David, Ole, Paul, Kevan, Dunx?
Other lurkers whose name's I've regretfully forgotten? Take a moment out
of your busy schedule and cast a vote - it's just one letter. ;-)

cheers,
--Riff

"This calls for a subtle blend of psychology and extreme violence."
--Vyvyan, "The Young Ones"

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From: David Lynch <geometricity@c...>
Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 05:29:30 +0000

At 06:02 8/6/2000, riffraff wrote:
>My vote is for C.

As is mine, with B in 2nd.

With a related note on the idea of using real time as turn time, the 
longest 13 station (assuming that 3 free + 10 bk = 13 moves maximum in a 
round, any time notwithstanding) trip I've found so far is 48 minutes from 
Chesham to Finchley Road via the Metropolitan.

David Lynch
(at home)

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From: "Ole Andersen" <palnatoke@g...>
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 09:01:38 +0200

David wrote:
: At 06:02 8/6/2000, riffraff wrote:
: >My vote is for C.
: 
: As is mine, with B in 2nd.

I'll put D before B, but C is number one.

Ole

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From: "Kevan " <kevan@s...>
Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 10:29:15 -0000

> have to bother with the math if you're not doing much in a turn.

I'm tending towards A. The only, only good thing about Game Time, if 
you ask me, is the ability to strand people at Stations which Close 
during particular hours. Oh, and the neatness of Damaged Stations 
being repaired over (Player-influenceable) time. But both of these 
things are fairly rare - certainly rare enough for Game Time not to 
be worth the effort of keeping track of constantly, I think.

A possible alternative might just be a "Peak Hours / Non-Peak Hours" 
setting which can be changed with an Action. Hm.

Kevan

--
kevan@s...
http://www.stormloader.com/kevan
"Such dodgy motives to lie about the time,
but I've got no watch, so..."

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From: "Snow" <snowl@s...>
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 11:25:09 +0100

ABCD...

E) Use time as Turn length regulation, but dump game time.

Could somebody tell me exactly what you want to do with game time and
why you think it's worth the effort?

My vote would be for A followed by E.

I know I said we shouldn't change the movement system until we have a
working draft for the basic ruleset, but we would have to change it
anyway if time was brought in so let me give an alternative. In order
to give a game-wide view of a system I will outline a system I have
been thinking about. The problem with what we have now is we have been
focusing on parts rather than the whole game.

The movement is based on something PaulWay said about penalising
Players for going through interchanges. There is a fixed number of
steps per Turn of 6 say. In addition each interchange counts an extra
step (note: changing line must be done at interchanges so costs
extra).

A fixed number of Actions per Turn of 4. These can be pre- or
post-move distributed at the Player's will. (1+3, 2+2...)

Black Tokens can be given for going to a termini after having been to
the meridian (and vice-versa). They aren't needed to be so plentiful
with this system.

Blue Tokens can now be given for going through 2 interchanges.

Or for something a little different: How about +Bu for passing over a
Stack with more than 2 Tokens on it (or more than 2 stacks). Or
circling an opponent. Or sticking to the same line. Or crossing the
river. Or making a move with a prime number of steps in it. Or moving
though 4 stations starting with a vowel.

-- Snow
Telephoning ostrich paralyzed by Bruce Springstein.