Welcome to the Fellowship of the Ring Empire Thread - The Sequel. 
The old FotR thread was getting too big and it was taking too long to load the thread, thus this new one.
Since this is the first post, I will reproduce some of the more important links for our Empire.
The FotR Website :  Link
The FotR Metaverse Empire Page : Link (use this page to join)
The Metaverse Review (Theoden) : Link
The Galciv Blog (Ray) : Link
A big welcome to all from Ray the Wanderer.
Enjoy your stay here at the Fellowship Halls.
          
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Personally, I'm taking a break from playing the game. I'm still keen to complete my quest to achieve Fleet Admiral someday.
This break is really needed as I hope to still be interested in this game all the way up to the days after the last Galciv update is released. If Stardock follows through with their promise, which I believe they would, this would be April next year. So having played the game non-stop for 1/2 a year, it's a good time as any to slow down and play something else for a while.
Currently going back to an old game which I didn't finish - Neverwinter Nights. Also looking at some of the new TBS and RPG games that are out or going to be out soon.
Will still be checking and posting on this forum daily though. That's become quite a habit for me.
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Ray - enjoy Neverwinter (Shadows of Undrentide expansion out now and Hordes of the Underdark second expansion due in November)...not that I'm urging you to stay away, that is... 
As they say in sports, you're an ornament to the game.
Oh, and would you mind removing your score from the FOTR ranks until you return? 
   
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Just following a conversation vincible and Rick were having in your old thread - I would definately agree that larger maps seem easier in the way the AI handles decision making. I play them rarely, but there seems to be a parallel with chess: you play for time (being moves ahead of your opponent) and space (territory gained). The larger maps give you better 'space and time' opportunities. All of this applies at less-than-maso, of course - I couldn't stand a gigantic at maso!
Good luck with your new thread! 
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Theoden enters the recently renovated Keep which bears the name "Fellowship Halls". The old fortress had been home for so long and held so many stories, it would certainly be difficult to leave behind. But as it had became so crowded and cluttered, the Fellowship knew the home they affectionately referred to as "the Balrog" would need to be retired.
Theoden was pleased to see that the tavern section was already open and Ray was manning the bar. May as well order a pint and chat for a while...
Welcome all to our new digs! Drinks are on the house, well...the first round at least!
  
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Ray. Thanks for the new thread. Good luck with NWN.
Vincible. Congrats on the 60k game!!!
  
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Ditto Vincible, well done! And on a side note it was very considerate of yourselves to start a new Thread . . . loads much quicker, thankyou. I practicaly freeze up when I click on GROSS's 'little' pet threadzilla . . . hehe.
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Much quicker now. Thanks, Ray.
Alex
 
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| that darn wombat just won't stay still |
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Sorry, mate! Don't worry - you land enough of those big ones and you'll swallow me up soon enough! Well done on the big one!
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Hello, Ringfolk. Wanted to stop by the new hall and say hello. Did somebody say free drinks?
 
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No problems, CypherPax. Have fun with Maso.
Really interested to see what kind of little tweaks Brad had made for 1.11.
He did say that the Oct patch would be AI improvements so I was hoping for some major changes.
Looks that that may not be happening in 1.11.
Well, let's see if the update can interest me to play a game or two.
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Well, Cari has been working very hard on trying to figure out why my Huge/Crippling went Anomalous. There were some strange things going on.
Still don't have an answer yet, but I don't think Cari is going to give up until she finds it.
Anyways, it's sleepy time. I guess by the time I get to work, the forums will be down for the server transfer. I'll talk to you guys when it's done!
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Woohoo! We're back up and running! Even Threadzilla is faster loading!
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Well, I've either got fantastic news or disturbing news.
As everybody knows, I had an Anomalous pop up on my last Huge/Crippling (which I never submitted). It seems there may have been something funny on my end that caused it, because Cari and Brad couldn't find the Anomalous! So I'm going to wait until the 1.11 update and try to submit (Cari's recommendation).
Anyway, I guess that means I might not submit a game again until the 1.11 comes out. At least I know that I can beat Crippling!!! Yay!!!
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| Hopefully he will tweak away that 1 IP bug. |
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I am slowly learning that Influence Points are a new economy on maso and they have some value in both gifting and trading. I hope Stardock does not nerf influence points too much. There are still only about 30 persons regularly playing maso even with the 1.1 score boost combined with a wonderful maso strategy thread and walk-through tutorials.
There are ways we maso players can make it more challenging for ourselves that won't impact upon others who still find maso difficult or even intimidating. For example we can choose only one sector, only one starbase per sector, must play pacifist, only medium/large maso maps, play good against all pure evil AI, no terror stars, no blockades, no restarting saved game unless crash, restrict control-N, or other combinations to make our own game more challenging if that is what we want. Let those considering playing maso use the same strategies we did while learning maso. Although a "nightmare level" with even more AI bonuses might be nice for the best of us, we can create our own challenges. In summary, we maso "regulars" can still *choose* to make maso even harder for us if we wish without impacting others.
Just another point of view
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Interesting view, Rick, and I have some sympathy for that position. Many maso players now regard diplo/influence as the key to victory, and if Stardock nerf that significantly, what's left? Each decision seems to have led us further down an increasingly narrow tunnel: first awarding max points to military victories makes everyone switch off all other options, then the shift to maso play with the score boost directs players down a certain path. If they deprive maso players of diplo/influence victory - then it's just a WARGAME, not a strategy game (ie building a fleet and fighting it out becomes the only way to get a significant win). I guess it depends on the DEGREE of nerfing.
I also thus agree with vincible's comment regarding choices - I felt it was a shame that eg making alliance and tech wins HARDER to get isn't considered. This gives players more choices, not less. I feel strat games should, like Civ3, have many paths to victory that encourage MANY workable strategies and a richer gameplay. I think nerfing off everything that's not straight military conquest may create problems of retaining player interest in the long term.
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