i dont think it should be HC. limits on ops and morale test's true skill.

lol

fams o 5 or 6 imo

I dont know what the mods can implement, but i have some pointers based on my last ICC experience.

Smaller fams

We need to have moral or ops limits, but preferably no nw limits. NW limits were implemented to protect weak and small players, thats not the point in ICC, and its easily abused.

Set start positions. Not to discredit LT, but they won the final the second the placements of the fams was done. Leave as little as possible up to random factors please.

More fams per heat. a heat with only 4-5 fams gets too intense, its too much suiciding etc.. remmebering WS and Flint

Allow more random fams, not everyone has the luxury of knowing 5 good players.

No allies

Allow naps cause last round they were made anyways

they are one and the same

i think the size of the galaxy needs to change

what we found at the end of the first round was that, if someone had only explored throughout they would have a great shot at winning, there were SOO many empety systems and uncontrolled planets

i can't say about the rest of the rounds, as my fam didn't cut it *shocker* but atleast for more action and fun , the galaxy size needs to shrink, atleast for the first round

and oh don't allow people from the same country in the same fam
*cough* LT *cough*

barbossa.. when you played ICC it was 8 fams, but thoose of us who made the final played with only 4 fams

I agree that 8 was a decent number.

still required coordination and communication which are 2 things that make a great family.

I am all for having set distances for families away from each other. If all are spaced evenly...then it makes the families all have a even start depending on the map...

if its to be a true challenge to see who is the best (this round)....then dont create the map where one family has 40 systems within 4 ticks travel and the others have around a total of 10-15.

one family will have the benefit at the start of a very sound eco start while the others get delayed with higher initial explo costs.

--- to gladiator---

while a family all from one country is a benefit....it also is a detriment. Sure, they can all attack/op together when they are online...but when you figure out when they go to sleep....you can have your family start a war then...and op their savings....and give your family a 6-8 hr head start

TMK that was a joke since LT's won the last time

but i agree with TMK on the fam seperation thing, that would be best

since i remember, last time..i'm almost certain we would've made it past the first round, if we were only like 2 ticks away from the LT's and damon's fam

that put a lot of pressure on us noobs , it was especially bad after only me and edge were active ...the retaking was fun though, but either way, families do really need to be seprated with no one fam having a clear advnatage as far as distance to the other fam, and well who that fam turns out to be is obviously got to be luck

i wonder if the random fam will be as good(lucky) as last time

Last time was pretty good. I think the best fams did make it to the end (I did predict Smirnoff and LTs getting through, Noir was a bit off a suprise but tbh, any active fam with organizers such as Noir and Zidi should do well).

I believe it was a pretty fair round, very fun and quite balanced. Although having a prefectly set galaxy (having all systems exact same distance, like every even column in every even row has a system), all systems with exactly the same number of planets (21 planets exact per system) and each fam with an exact location exactly the same number of ticks from the surrounding fams (kinda drunk to do the math but it should be fairly simple with a symmetrical system) will reduce luck and almost totally base the round on skill. Stuff like random planet bonus generation and if a fam has the 4 most aggressive fams on each side so its kinda dead from the start gives a bit off a luck factor but any fam that cant play or diplomat their way around these problems doesnt deserve to win the ICC regardless.