I was in game 34, a new code test game also, that just ended (early, turn 10, DS got 5 neuts…FP concession not code related, that I’m aware of…) and I don’t recall any “oddities”…
But this is a serious point that I hope is heard properly: You can’t “test” new code unless you run the game in the “old” code in parallel. Was this done?
I don’t know if it was done for game 34. But in your case, there should be the option to “switch over to the proper game”. If not, then MEGames isn’t following the simplest processes and you should demand (all caps that if you like) your money back or at the very LEAST, a new game in the old code with free set up and free first 5 turns.
Sorry to hear the game’s folded as I was lurking with interest.
A bit worried by what’s being talked about as ‘new code’ as hadn’t realised changes had been made. Though ME had been pretty much refusing to change the actual code, rather writing new modules like KS?
It’s of some concern to me as I’ve just started a new game and noticed quite a lot of changes in the set-up. Far more items up and down for a starting position than in games I’ve seen before. It sounds like things are a lot more erratic?
Especially worrying about the flaw with the non-encounter. Hopefully that is fixed now? However sounds like you have had more cases like that? Also, depends on the circumstances but seems very strange that no FP mages have learnt LA by turn 5. They don’t have as many mages as the DS but some good quality ones in there. If Elrond hasn’t learnt LAT by turn 5 either the FP player needs replacing or something seriously wrong.
Elrond was out mixing it with the encounters, but according to Will he failed to research 412 Research arty with him - what the??? Rob says there’s been no changes to the coding, but the results were screwey all the time. I’ve never seen so many comms captured for example. The Dog and DkLt’s both had their startup cav comms captured in a single combat. The WK had 3 comms captured from 3 separate armies, and I’m yet to look over the results, but I’m guessing they had at least a 50% chance of being captured in any losing combat. THat’s just not normal. If you look over the preceeding comments there are so many weird areas of the game where you could if you had one occurence in a game say - ‘that was odd’ but in such profusion it’s been the strangest of games, and not in a nice strange way either. Hmmm maybe we kept rolling snake eyes on the dice so many times that it looked like binary, but if so, the game was a lemon and not worth the sucking.
Something else that drove me batty about the consistency of awful luck. The DS only named a single stealthy agent by turn 5, and that one only happened as a replacement for Erennis when he died. Gixxx even went to the trouble of sacking all the CL a30’s bar one and replacing them. Note the consistency issue that both teams faced in any problem repeating itself again and again and again.
On the other side of the ledger I stopped counting once stealthy emissaries hit 7. Even non stealth nations like Rhudaur got a stealthy emmy.
Tell me that this occurence doesn’t have a huge impact on the game…
My own experience as the CL says that I could reasonably expect 2 stealthers for the normal character replacements, and if I sacked the A30’s I’d expect probably another for 3. None!..
It was with a deep sense of frustration that I conceded ME 53. At this point in the game, I feel that both sides were in good positions and the play had been outstanding. The problem was extreme luck (or die rolls) for both sides, be it encounters, bizarre challenge resolutions, downgrade problems, problems with learning spells, etc. I’ve never seen anything like it in close to 20 years (on and off) of playing the game. I could have accepted that “these things happen” if it had been the old format…but THESE ISSUES ALL APPEARED IN THE FIRST GAME I PLAYED IN THE NEW FORMAT. That’s no coincidence. And these issues continued to crop up. It had gotten to the point where luck was becoming the determining factor in the game (think of dominos falling), for both sides. The WK was getting gutted due to commander losses which impacted his ability to threaten a key town and caused him to lose a chance at the ROW. In my case, the dominos started with a terrible time in learning LAs. TO be clear, I was able to learn LA with a number of characters but every LA cast gave the wrong hex. Now, I am aware that LA gives the correct location only 50% (at least in the old format). However, not including recasts, I was 0-8 (0%) in locating the artie in the correct hex (i.e. I was always one hex off) which allowed the DS to get to every single major artie before me despite most of them being in the NW (and I only got the ROW because of a challenge). Since arties are a major balancer for DS agents, that became an issue.
As I’ve told both my opponents, I would love to play them again, IN THE OLD FORMAT. In terms of strategy and all-out determination, this was one of the funnest games I have ever played and it was being ruined by chance (read programming).
I do hope that ME can still set us up in the old format or a bug-free new format and that my opponents will accept my invitation to do battle again.
Hiya Will. We’ll see what both ME and Gixxx say tonight no doubt. Maybe we can get it going again, so long as it’s not a repeat of the random element of G53.
Hi there Will,
casting a LA and moving a character to the suspected location of the toy …
… that goes wrong.
I’m never moving a character to a hex-location I got with LA (perhaps into the direction if the character is far away).
We found the correct location for the RoW in casting 3 LAs on the same toy.
So we got the correct location.
Hi there Steve,
it’s difficult to learn a spell when your chars are out to retrieve artefacts (without a PC, no chance to learn a spell).
… and Elrond and Erestor were out to get the RoW (I tracked them).-
Anyway Urzi got Collohwesta with a simple 900-order!
You really don’t need an encounter to get a toy!
Looks like we have a new startup for this game on the way, and happily - in the old format (there’s been a couple other ticks with the new format (but not most of the issues we have incurred) that are under repair before new games will commence with the new format. Rob advises that there’s no change in the code, it’s just the perfect storm of bad Kharma. I hope that’s the case. If so, the game was a lemon and needed to be put down. So many areas the game acted to beat up the institutions that are necessary to a good healthy conflict. Anyway, a new startup in the old format has everyone happy. All I can suggest is that - where you have the new format, keep an eye on it and note anything that’s not behaving normally. It’s in player test mode afterall. If the code hasn’t changed as reported, it’s outcomes shouldn’t change either.
New startup turns have arrived. I couldn’t help but nod my head and smile at Will’s comment “It’s like seeing an old friend” seeing good news as well on the random events in the turn reports The starting spells known to the magi are markedly different in about every area in comparison to the other startup, and that can only be a good thing I actually got 5 from 6 starting character bonuses that I liked! I never get anything I like Gixxx got nothing he liked
Anyway here’s to the great game that never quite happened in the last outing. Random aspects of the game look to be normalised, here’s hoping for turn 1…
As per G53, it’s still not too late for you Will to surrender and avoid that rougher than normal spanking coming your way
The starting spells known to the magi are markedly different in about every area in comparison to the other startup, and that can only be a good thing 
I actually got 5 from 6 starting character bonuses that I liked! I never get anything I like