Modify drop in 12 Domains

[diogenes]

Would there be a way to do some more spreading out the drops in the 12-domains game? I mean since every area has 3 domains that are connected, if one player (or team) is dropped into 2 out of 3, then they pretty much get an automatic free domain.

Would there be a way to modify the drop algorithm so you can't get dropped into a zone already surrounded by a single player/team? Kind of like how now it makes sure that no one is able to get dropped into full possession of a territory bonus.

 

[Shepherd]

yes. I can do that pretty easily.

But I'm not sure we want to. The thing of it is, this is only an issue in some game types. In a 6p game it would be annoying if one player got a nice drop and the rest didn't. But in a 3p or 4p game it's likely that if one player gets that drop, one or more opponents will as well. And in 7 or more it's moot.

And what happens in a two player game? If three of the 12 domains start neutral, the other 10 have to be split among the two players. If it was coded so that no player could get two regions in the same quarter of the map, it would be impossible to start a game.

On any game and any map it is likely that one player will have a better drop than everyone else in the game. Luck is all over this game, from the drop to the dice to the reserves to whether or not you can't check in one day and miss a crucial turn. We do what we can to mitigate against somebody getting an overwhelmingly unfair start, but I'm not sure that having two domains in one quarter of the map constitutes an overwhelmingly unfair advantage - the other players, working in concert, can certainly do something about such a start, if they have the skill and the will to do so.

I would be more supportive of making it impossible to drop all three domains in one quarter of the map, as that might constitute an unfairly advantageous start.

 

[diogenes]

It's not so much that it would keep a single player from a major advantage, it's more that it would prevent it from really sucking for the player that gets caught in the middle. If you're caught between two domains that are owned by a single player/team, it's pretty much game over for you in that domain on the drop.

It's not even an issue of luck, like our safeguard against dropping into control of a territory. It's pretty much determined that you'll get taken out as long as the other player/team has a basic understanding of the game. You just can't last that long against 2 constant, connected streams of reinforcements if they want to take you out before the rest of the players get a chance to slog through all the neutrals after all commiting to a miraculous mutual ceasefire to save a domain that doesn't really matter that much to them.

You're right that in games like 1v1 it wouldn't matter so much since all your eggs aren't in a single basket. But we do have some measures that only apply to certain game styles, don't we? (Like making sure you get your first round full bonus no matter how many regions you lose--but only in 1v1.)