Topic: Special Meeting

I would like the answers to the following questions regarding the Special Meeting

- Why is it so special?
- Why do we require an appointed time to speak to the admin?
- What are the topics of discussion?
- Why can't the game admin just be in #mod every time he's online
- Why wasn't this done sooner,  (I recall the last "special meeting" was about 4 years ago.
- Is the next one going to be in 4 years time like the Olympic Games?
- What will be the outcome of this special meeting
- Does Stefan actually care what we have to say or will it be like the last meeting where again he basically told everyone he is right, and look where we are now
- The time frame isn't long enough to cover all the current problems in IC.  Can we make it longer?  like a week.
- If this is the only amount of time Stefan can afford us, what's the point ?

"It's very quiet on the political arena. I wish someone would stir up some trouble!"

Re: Special Meeting

Arent you just a very glass is half empty kinda guy??

i think what im trying to say is, stfu moron!

LORD HELP OREGON

Re: Special Meeting

Ha! smile

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Special Meeting

Not necessary Noir.

Sex without the e is still SX!

Re: Special Meeting

would be nice if there was some sort of order like in congress with each person who has something to say signs up and has so many minutes to make a point and so many minutes for rest to discuss

So I told the cop, "No YOU'RE driving under the influence... of being a JERK!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFjjO_lhf9c

Re: Special Meeting

if it's only an hour, an open forum with no order and everyone being able to talk at once about completely different topics is probably not the most efficient way to do this.

So I told the cop, "No YOU'RE driving under the influence... of being a JERK!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFjjO_lhf9c

Re: Special Meeting

So what did God say,will there be a roundup posted somewhere?
Does he still watch Star teek porn?
Is Master Mike still locked up in his Basement?

The inmates are running the asylum

Re: Special Meeting

Session Start: Sun Aug 11 06:05:33 2013
Session Ident: #Meeting

[06:49] <Lethal> lol, nice turn up
03[06:50] * M1ke ([email protected]) has joined #Meeting
[06:50] <Ragnarokkr> all the elite
[06:50] <Ragnarokkr> and Lethal
[06:50] <M1ke> am i late?
[06:50] <Lethal> whoooo
03[06:51] * FD|brb is now known as Final_Doom
03[06:58] * dpenguins ([email protected]) has joined #Meeting
03[06:58] * ChanServ sets mode: +o dpenguins
06[07:03] * Ragnarokkr glares at the door in excitement
[07:04] <Ragnarokkr> I want an autograph ^^
[07:04] <@dpenguins> hah
[07:09] <M1ke> stefan will show up, right?
[07:10] <Ragnarokkr> with a cape and awsome hair, just to stun us
[07:10] <Ragnarokkr> right at the second we fear he wont show
[07:10] <Ragnarokkr> thats how you make an entrance
[07:13] <@dpenguins> brb
03[07:16] * Squirrel ([email protected]) has joined #Meeting
03[07:16] * ChanServ sets mode: +oa Squirrel Squirrel
[07:17] <&Final_Doom> Welcome all smile
03[07:18] * KT sets mode: +m
[07:18] <@dpenguins> hey hey
[07:18] <&Squirrel> Greetings
[07:19] <@dpenguins> hey stefan thanks for coming
[07:20] <@dpenguins> essentially id just like to have a productive meeting today about ways to improve the game and keep old players as well as market to new ones
[07:20] <&Squirrel> Sounds excellent
[07:20] <@dpenguins> a lot of players including former mods have some decent ideas so i think it would help to throw out stuff etc
[07:20] <@dpenguins> cool cool
[07:21] <@dpenguins> ragnarokky why dont you go first since you're here in the room
03[07:21] * dpenguins sets mode: +v Ragnarokkr
[07:21] <+Ragnarokkr> yarr
[07:21] <+Ragnarokkr> Hi stefan, I am not a former mod, but I am a former forum-mod and ex-Virgo tutor
[07:22] <+Ragnarokkr> while I will not raise many wild ideas like we used to read all the time in the forums I would like to point out a few things
[07:22] <+Ragnarokkr> mainly about our new layout and functions
[07:22] <&Squirrel> Uh oh
03[07:22] * Tortoise ([email protected]) has joined #Meeting
[07:22] <+Ragnarokkr> it might be intresting aswell to say I havent played in a few years and have just returned
[07:23] <+Ragnarokkr> several things ahve changed since that and to be honest it is hard to find the correct info
[07:23] <+Ragnarokkr> like how much do cf's generate now, does costs still rise hen using cf's why is the 35%nw rule 40% now
[07:23] <+Ragnarokkr> the guide and faq are out of date <----- point 1
[07:24] <+Ragnarokkr> do I go on or wait for a reply?
[07:24] <@dpenguins> i think that's been pointed out but not sure who is working on that
[07:24] <&Squirrel> The guide and FAQ are in the process of being updated
[07:24] <+Ragnarokkr> very well
[07:24] <+Ragnarokkr> moving on then
[07:24] <&Squirrel> Mainly done by the mods, btw
[07:25] <+Ragnarokkr> while I find it very nice that I can now use ic on my mobile phone
[07:25] <+Ragnarokkr> there are some serious issues here
[07:25] <&Squirrel> I know - in particular if you have a medium to small sized screen
[07:25] <+Ragnarokkr> last round I could build on mobile no problem, now I cant mass select, nor see resource bonusses
[07:25] <+Ragnarokkr> making building basicly impossible
[07:25] <+Ragnarokkr> I wont even get started on the map
[07:26] <+Ragnarokkr> last round I could zoom in on the sidebar aswell, this is now gone
[07:26] <+Ragnarokkr> again, small screen likes to zoom
[07:27] <+Ragnarokkr> talking about sidebars, is there a reason I cannot select the old marble sidebar? it was very functional, and to be honest, the standard one now just is not
[07:28] <+Ragnarokkr> moving on to the map (not on mobile, just at pc)
[07:28] <+Ragnarokkr> I LOVE the new map functions, makes life a lot easyer
[07:28] <+Ragnarokkr> however scrolling on the map is a total bane, it always opens random systems, it resets to before scroll
[07:29] <+Ragnarokkr> I am currently located at the edge of the map, I wrap around and system checking is really tricky cause of that
[07:29] <&Squirrel> I have not noticed that. What browser and version of it are you using?
[07:29] <+Ragnarokkr> I would like to use the old map, but when I do it doesnt give the full map, justa  slice
03[07:29] * Sam is now known as Skyroshroud
[07:29] <+Ragnarokkr> firefox
[07:29] <+Ragnarokkr> should be updated
[07:30] <+Ragnarokkr> as in, I haev the latest update
[07:31] <&Squirrel> Very odd then. Again, I have not seen this at all, and I have tried it on FF extensively.
[07:32] <&Squirrel> But post a bug report about it in the map forum if you have not already
[07:32] <+Ragnarokkr> I know that my girlfriend who plays aswell, also on FF has the same problem
[07:32] <+Ragnarokkr> I have not, I thought it was a problem everyone had
[07:32] <&Squirrel> It is not
[07:32] <+Ragnarokkr> I'll do that then
[07:32] <+Ragnarokkr> lets see
[07:33] <&Squirrel> For a quick fix though, try Chrome. I mainly use that, so it gets first dibs at testing.
[07:33] <+Ragnarokkr> map, faq, mobile version
[07:33] <+Ragnarokkr> yes I think that wraps it for me
[07:33] <+Ragnarokkr> like i said, I wont spew mad ideas
[07:33] <+Ragnarokkr> oh one more Q, but that might be more for the mods
[07:34] <+Ragnarokkr> last round supernova, the Tokaasi empire, what happened to it, and is it still alive? do we ened to expect a story here or was it just a programmers fantasy come true?
01[07:34] <&KT> it has nothing to do with programming   it was a player
[07:35] <+Ragnarokkr> oh, I thought it wa sa pc-generated player, oh well
[07:35] <+Ragnarokkr> never mind then smile
[07:36] <+Ragnarokkr> yeah, that kinda wraps it up for me
[07:36] <+Ragnarokkr> over to you dpenguins
[07:37] <@dpenguins> so why dont we go back to the phone issue since that is a big one and this goes to a common feeling between undeath and myself and others.  while we appreciate updates we think it might be more effective to announce changes and let players test them in a short run galaxy or something like that instead of just implementing them
[07:37] <@dpenguins> and believe that would let vets playing the game fully vent out any issues with game play etc
[07:38] <&Squirrel> We do have a testing environment where (mods mainly) test new features/design stuff
[07:38] <+Ragnarokkr> not sure about that, a test gal does not need to be about players, mods can test functionality
[07:38] <@dpenguins> yes but not all the mods actively play the game
[07:38] <+Ragnarokkr> if it works it cant be put in, altough the choise on weather to use it or not would be nice
[07:38] <+Ragnarokkr> like the sidebar
[07:38] <&Squirrel> True, the number of testers could be increased
06[07:38] * +Ragnarokkr wants marble
[07:39] <@dpenguins> like rather then leave important things to a select few that don't necessarily respresent the feelings of all the community it might be more effective to allow increased participation from the community
[07:39] <@dpenguins> since this community is relatively small and most players have been here forever
[07:40] <@dpenguins> so it is not a case like WoW where that would be impossible
[07:40] <&Squirrel> I have no problem with more testers. Would be welcome, in fact.
[07:40] <@dpenguins> nice sounds good
[07:41] <+Ragnarokkr> brb, need to resart mirc
02[07:41] * +Ragnarokkr ([email protected]) Quit (Quit: <KT> Raggy, please have my babies!)
[07:42] <@dpenguins> so yea essentially i believe the vets would be much happier if more things like changes to gameplay were more open to a general discussion
[07:42] <@dpenguins> before implemented or just run by the mod team
[07:43] <@dpenguins> what are your feelings on that
[07:45] <&Squirrel> The mod team is essentially formed to represent the community to me, so the community kind of already helps decide
03[07:45] * dpenguins sets mode: +v Tortoise
03[07:46] * dpenguins sets mode: +v Skyroshroud
[07:46] <&Squirrel> But sure, with more testers will come more input
[07:46] <@dpenguins> the problem is that not everyone on the mod team is open to change
[07:46] <@dpenguins> so they don't necessarily represent the feelings of all
[07:48] <+Tortoise> I think that the lack of all around ingame experience of the current mod team affects the effectiveness of how the mods can judge and convey the ideas that then get presented to you, Squirrel.  Meaning that more experienced players being involved in that testing would be a good idea.
[07:49] <@dpenguins> agreed. some of the mods are new to the game or haven't played a full round in recent history
[07:49] <+Tortoise> Most of the mod team has little experience ingame when it comes to attacking, leading, SS, or hardcore and I think it has caused a lot of bad changes and bad galaxy setups the last few years.
[07:50] <@dpenguins> they more or less just act as forum mods but have more power
03[07:50] * Thor ([email protected]) has joined #Meeting
[07:51] <&Squirrel> So this extended testing would be a boon then
[07:52] <+Tortoise> Correct.
[07:52] <@dpenguins> i believe it would help a lot
[07:52] <@dpenguins> and make people who have been here forever feel more heard
[07:52] <@dpenguins> so happier community tongue
[07:53] <@dpenguins> which in turn would make the game more welcoming to new players
[07:53] <+Tortoise> It also depends on the people that are included though =P
[07:53] <@dpenguins> well yea
[07:54] <@dpenguins> so we'd have to come up with a group of people who knew most about gameplay
[07:54] <+Tortoise> Although to be honest, Squirrel, I'm not sure any of it will help at all till the ability to attack using mobile phones is fixed.
03[07:55] * dpenguins sets mode: +v Thor
[07:55] <+Thor> ty pengy
[07:55] <@dpenguins> no problem
[07:56] <+Thor> I'm not sure how much extended testing will help, a select group will always give a limited platform base
[07:56] <+Thor> though I agree that a larger testing base would help reduce platform specific issues
[07:57] <@dpenguins> it depends who is testing too. nolio cant attack his way out of a paper bag
[07:57] <+Tortoise> The biggest part that extended testing and effectively recruiting the proper help for it would be to provide experience from all aspects of the game, Thor.
[07:57] <@dpenguins> hmm crap hes not here
[07:58] <+Tortoise> Like I specifically mentioned earlier, Current mod experience is very limitted in the departments of Attacking, Leading, SS, and hardcore.
[07:59] <+Tortoise> Basically all the current opinions coming from testing are from Bankers, people who may have done other roles 8 years ago, and one who hasn't played an actual IC round in 6 years
[07:59] <+Thor> but  what I'm saying is that we have what a dozen mods and fmods, we do a lot of testing on new stuff
[07:59] <&Squirrel> I get the feeling we are stuck on a topic here
[07:59] <+Thor> however that is a very limited platform base
[07:59] <+Tortoise> Yes but mods/forum mods who only bank.
[08:00] <+Tortoise> All of the dozen.
[08:00] <+Tortoise> You are the only to have led a fam in the last 5 years.  Final Doom the only to have attacked.  None who have effectively played hardcore or S/S.
[08:00] <+Tortoise> Except Torqez^
[08:01] <+Thor> I did very well in SN last round
[08:01] <@dpenguins> so a more diversified testing group would be beneficial
[08:01] <@dpenguins> well let's not get into personal statements tongue
[08:01] <@dpenguins> that's not helpful
[08:02] <+Tortoise> Also, Sentinel Tag should be removed
[08:02] <@dpenguins> but can we agree that a larger and more diversified testing group would help implement change
[08:02] <+Thor> yes, I agree with a larger testing group, in order to maximize platform exposure
[08:02] <@dpenguins> good ;D
[08:02] <+Tortoise> There was a more effective idea than Sentinel Tag to solve the same issue before sentinel was introduced but it was ignored.
[08:03] <+Tortoise> Sentinel is good during expo phase but also easily abused during that time.
[08:03] <+Thor> I don't think I was playing at that time
03[08:03] * dpenguins sets mode: +v M1ke
[08:04] <+Tortoise> But after expo phase it is effectively useless with the penalty
[08:04] <+Tortoise> and smaller family sizes mean less people who can use it.
[08:04] <+M1ke> tortoise there are alot of good idea's in the idea section, unfortunatly most of them get ignored due to the pretty big list of bugs currently in the game
[08:06] <+Thor> there are a  lot of good ideas, and a lot of people trying to make their style of play more powerful then the others
[08:06] <+M1ke> true, but the idea section on the forum feels unused to me, you have ppl or mods saying good idea/bad idea, but after that nothing happens
[08:06] <+Thor> sometimes it can be hard to sort which is which ... balanced and benificial vs overbalancing
[08:07] <+M1ke> well it won't hurt us to test them all, would it? tongue
[08:08] <@dpenguins> so we are over the hour but so far it seems we all agree a larger diversified testing group would be beneficial before implementing gameplay changes.  we are not going to get to everything in an hour.  perhaps if we could have more one hour meetings once a week or bi monthly that would help and then we could make each meeting topic specific
[08:08] <@dpenguins> rather than try to cram everything into an hour
[08:08] <@dpenguins> if you would be agreeable to that squirrel
[08:09] <@dpenguins> based on your availability of course
[08:09] <&Squirrel> Well, I was actually late, so you have a bit more time
[08:09] <&Final_Doom> ^
[08:09] <&Final_Doom> smile
[08:09] <@dpenguins> hhaha
[08:09] <&Squirrel> I am open to more meetings, yes
[08:10] <@dpenguins> thanks big_smile  it was a pretty weak turnout but i think that's because only american players have good ideas and some of them are still sleeping
[08:11] <+Thor> well it is 8 AM on a sunday on the west coast
[08:14] <@dpenguins> so we sort of agreed on one thing
[08:14] <@dpenguins> thats a start!
[08:14] <&Final_Doom> yep  still time tho     
[08:14] <+Thor> before we get too far away from a larger testing base ... I think having a group of players for a testing base could expose potential abuses to game changes as well
[08:15] <@dpenguins> well there is always a concern for abuse
[08:16] <@dpenguins> picking the right people would be essential
[08:17] <+M1ke> or you could pick the biggest abusers out there, as long as they report every bug they find tongue
[08:17] <+Thor> ^^ right
[08:17] <@dpenguins> there ya go haha
[08:19] <@dpenguins> another quick issue is the lack of developers.  pie used to do a lot to fix bugs etc but unfortunately had to leavee
03[08:20] * vindicators ([email protected]) has joined #Meeting
[08:20] <@dpenguins> if squirrel or the mod team could help find more players to help develop and fix bugs that would be helpful
[08:20] <@dpenguins> since torqez is pretty overworked haha
[08:21] <@dpenguins> theres gotta be more computer geeks in the community that would be able to help fix minor things and leave the bigger planning to squirrel and torq
[08:21] <+M1ke> Yeah, its a big issue imo
[08:21] <+Tortoise> The issue with that is most of those cannot be trusted =P
[08:21] <@dpenguins> well yea
[08:21] <@dpenguins> you wouldnt pick moulandrix for example
[08:21] <+Tortoise> And end up either screwing up stuff while testing it or abusing errors and ruining rounds.
[08:22] <@dpenguins> oh i thought you meant abusing things
[08:22] <@dpenguins> oh you did
[08:22] <@dpenguins> i only read half your sentence
[08:23] <@dpenguins> i think walking corpse would be helpful but hes not around much anymore
[08:24] <@dpenguins> although hes been around more lately now that hes in america and has internet access
[08:25] <@dpenguins> but yea if you guys could find trustworthy people to help stefan and torq fix the minor things that would be helpful to let them do bigger planning/gameplay issues
03[08:26] * Nolio ([email protected]) has joined #Meeting
03[08:26] * ChanServ sets mode: +oa Nolio Nolio
[08:27] <@dpenguins> morning sweetheart
[08:27] <@dpenguins> youre late
[08:27] <&Nolio> I'm never late!
[08:28] <@dpenguins> haha
[08:28] <+Thor> I'm pretty computer savy, but unfortunately unfamiliar with java and php
[08:29] <+Thor> I think perl was the last languange I learned to program in
[08:31] <+Skyroshroud> [23:27] <&Nolio> I'm never late!
[08:31] <+Skyroshroud> he was here all along
[08:32] <+Thor> well, time for me to get ready for work.  ty for you time pengy and squirrel
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03[08:32] * +Thor ([email protected]) has left #Meeting
02[09:02] * vindicators ([email protected]) Quit (Quit: )
03[09:21] * &Nolio ([email protected]) has left #Meeting

Sex without the e is still SX!

Re: Special Meeting

Ragnarokkr mentioned a problem about the map opening random systems, and Stefan didn't seem to have any idea what was going on. I thought a similar thing at first, but it's not random (and it happens both in Firefox and Chrome). I'm assuming this is the same thing Ragnarokkr mentioned, if not and his actually is opening systems completely randomly, then that's a different problem I don't have smile

When you want to click and drag to move around the map, obviously when you click you aim for some empty space so it doesn't open a system. But as you try to move it to the place you want to look at, it can be quite hard to get the cursor in a spot that isn't over a system, while still being in the area you want to look at. If you release the mouse button over a system, it will open that system. It's not a major major issue but it can get a bit tedious.

I guess it could be fixed either by only opening systems based on the mouse down click location, rather than release location, or by not opening systems at all when the button has been held down and the map moved.

Also, I sometimes find it can seem a little inaccurate when clicking on systems, especially when there are a few systems in adjacent positions. It would be nice if the system the game thinks you are pointing the cursor at could be highlighted, so you can make sure it will open the right one.

That said, reading through the logs, I don't think many of the things mentioned are actually what is the real problem. Whether a map is slightly buggy, whether you can play it easily on all models of Android phone (works fine on mine, although a complete overhaul would be needed to make it something I actually *want* to do, rather than force myself to do because I need to send my family upkeep before their fleets disband wink), whether the sentinel tag is good or not... these things are all just window dressing really. None of it matters unless the actual game itself is enjoyable. If it is, people will overlook these problems, if it's not, they're going to quit either way.

Just my opinion, but personally I think that almost everything wrong with IC today is explained nicely by Altruist and Jaguar in this thread: http://imperialconflict.com/forum/viewt … ?id=182833
I know a lot of people will disagree, and say that this sort of thing would destroy teamwork. But, like Altruist and Jaguar, I also played the game in the distant past before it became how it is today and all I can say is - no, it wouldn't. We played as a team back then too, just in a different way. Anyway, I don't particularly want to get in a discussion about it, as it's already been discussed there. Just saying what I think since a feedback thread is a feedback thread wink

And one other thing which kind of falls in between window dressing and a substantial change - I know you have been trying to make it less time consuming for people to play IC, being able to search the map more easily and so on. How about being able to schedule buildings in advance? For example if I know I'm going to be offline for a day, I could schedule 100 LQs to be built on x,y:z at 10:00, or set it up to automatically spend x% on LQs, y% on TOs and send z% to a family member for upkeep. Or build buildings at a ratio say 10 MFs to 1 RF or whatever. You get the idea wink Just something that could keep your empire growing without necessarily having to log in and build every few hours. It would make it much more friendly to people who cannot access the game at work/school, or who are going on a weekend trip, etc.

Anyway this is my first round in 10 years or so, and I'm not planning on playing again next round, so feel free to ignore me/tell me I'm wrong, just throwing out a couple ideas about a game I used to enjoy, but don't so much now.

Re: Special Meeting

Davelot, is that you? tongue

Re: Special Meeting

Of course not! It's his loyal friend, esperanza_the_pretty_girl tongue Wow! Genesis! Been a long time, haha. Are you still playing or just hanging around the forums?

12 (edited by Genesis 17-Aug-2013 02:22:16)

Re: Special Meeting

The great cape crusader tongue lol I'm alright buddy, where have you been all this time? Hope it's all good smile I haven't really played in about a year or so, but I always stick around in chat and such anyway.

Now go find us a Disektor to play with tongue

Re: Special Meeting

I suppose I better just send you a message rather than derailing this thread any further haha smile

Re: Special Meeting

Genesis, you seem to have about 1513 tag points too many

Re: Special Meeting

so have we figured out how to fix the sidebar issue yet?
since u know its a screen size issue, can u not just allow the old sidebar to work until u get a perm fix?
Im dying to play another round :'(

Been dreaming, I've been waiting, To fly with those brave ponies
The Wonderbolts, their daring tricks, Spinning 'round and having kicks
Perform for crowds of thousands, They'll shower us with diamonds
The Wonderbolts will see me right here at the Gala!

Re: Special Meeting

Give it a shot now mate, stefan has made some changes for mobile sidebar and map, send to work well for me now

Insanity and genius are closely related!
*** Eltie for mod! ***
Failing Lemming of Teachings and Australian Cop Orgies: Gwynedd

Re: Special Meeting

sweeeeeeet Sidebar is working perfect now ^_^.

forum still doesnt work from fam page tho, but it works from sidebar smile

Been dreaming, I've been waiting, To fly with those brave ponies
The Wonderbolts, their daring tricks, Spinning 'round and having kicks
Perform for crowds of thousands, They'll shower us with diamonds
The Wonderbolts will see me right here at the Gala!

Re: Special Meeting

Just to remind, planet bookmark and system bookmark will make easier for phone user like this:

- when login on pc/laptop, I can make a full day plan, like explore, build, etc. And all those plan I put on log/personal bookmark, make some alarms in phone for each.
- then when online using phone, I can just go to personal log and read the tasks there, click the planet/system link and do things like build/explore
- even at night, it is possible for me to use alarms right before tick change, login only for 5 mins and logout. Example I put alarm at 01.57 AM, quickly open phone browser --> login --> personal log --> doing explore/build --> wait a while for next tick --> open personal log again and do things again --> log off at 02.01AM --> sleep well

that's what I did with previous interface, I hope can do the same with this great new interface