R9 PA-Chess with Clusters and Paras

[Jaret]

Hi PPl.

Mean me with an real interesting issue.

R9 of PA will have lowered eta/fuel-cost for Clusters and Parallels. With 10ppl per Gal and 10 Gals per cluster, that makes a hunderet ppl per cluster. With about 5k players PA would have some 50 clusters. Parallels would have 50 galaxies or about 500 ppl in them.

This means it is very likely that within your Para there will be more allied/hostile gals then in your cluster. Most "veteran" Gals will have an Cluster-alliance and an Para-alliance. Due to size the main aim of most Alliances will be to achive Domination of some/all Parallels.

However, clusters will have their role in this, due to their flanking position .... wht this means ? ... I´ll explain it for you.

Example : (and only example )
Para 4 is doinated by VOM. VOM got 16 of their Galaxies in that Para. All resistance within the Para has been destroyed.
However 8 of these VOM Gals have rather "unfriendly" clusters, that are Dominated by SWEET. SWEET could use their position to attack those 8 VOM Gals from within their own cluster ... leaving them only their Para allies to defend them ...... and the beat goes on .......

Until now PA has been a very straight game ... clusters or paras ... you just had to protect yourself vs. one group of possible hostiles. With r9 things will be much diffrent, for you now also have to watch you "flank", which will be the cluster since it is way smaller than paras. You have to concentrate upon your Para ... but must not forget about your cluster. Also it will be difficult to attack (only example) a SWEET Gal within your Para ... when there are 6 of their Gals in your cluster *gg*.

What kind of impact will that have on Alliance Strategy ? In which way will it affect the overall war ? Will it be like the war we had during r5-r7 ... or more like r4 were nobody ever left his para/cluster ?

Discuss ... but be nice to each other !! OR I´m gona roid ya !

[Tactitus]

Originally posted by Jaret
Also it will be difficult to attack (only example) a SWEET Gal within your Para ... when there are 6 of their Gals in your cluster *gg*.

Er, the only way SWEET is going to have 6 galaxies in a cluster is if they've figured out how to cheat and stack the clusters or else they've managed to powerblock to an unprecedented scale--either way you should consider hitting your delete button because the round is probably over.

Statistically speaking, I would expect that most alliance galaxies will be "alone" in their cluster. If there's significant powerblocking, a bloc might get 2-3 allied galaxies per cluster--tops.

Assuming the eta advantage is the same for clusters and parallels, I just don't see how clusters can be much of a factor. With parallels 5 times larger than clusters, parallels will be where it's at. Clusters simply will be too small to be significant strongholds (either friendly or enemy).

Rather than the chess analogy, a poker analogy might be better--in that a lot will depend on the hand you're dealt. If you land in a parallel that your alliance/bloc dominates, you'll be sitting pretty; if you land in a hostile parallel, you'll be toast.

[zenopus]

Hostiles from left and right is the impression you get if you are not in one of the big alliances.
Looks like they are trying to level the playing field.

[Chax]

Originally posted by Tactitus
Rather than the chess analogy, a poker analogy might be better--in that a lot will depend on the hand you're dealt. If you land in a parallel that your alliance/bloc dominates, you'll be sitting pretty; if you land in a hostile parallel, you'll be toast.

And so it has been r4-r7. Rather a dull lottery in my opinion, especially when people start trading tickets aftr they've lost.
r8 was a nice change playing without the lottery, but then it seems this will be compensated r9 by giving us each a ticket in 2 lotteries.

[Rumad]

in such a small world clusters and paralels will play a significantly smaller role than they have in previous rounds. As the alliances get smaller the bases on which these were the cornerstones also diminish.

TBH I think you overexaggerate the importance of clusters and parallells in a 5k universe. The loyalty remians with the alliance and its allies at all times.

Thhis could have been a interesting development, but my guess is for it to have "strategic importance you would need at least 20k. As no free accounts I cannot see that happening.

[Colt]

well, depending on what alliances want (a stronghold in which to lay their foundations/just go for the 'jugular' and not bother with c/p) then it could be a very interesting issue.

either way, imo, it could be a very interesting round

[Sun_Tzu]

all I know is I'm gonna make sure I've got both cluster and para organized, better to be safe than sorry.

[isildurx]

Originally posted by Sun_Tzu
all I know is I'm gonna make sure I've got both cluster and para organized, better to be safe than sorry.

[Jaret]

Hmmss ... yeah right ... clusters will be too small ... so will be the universe. All that might happen could be some suprises due to random placement.

For the future (in a bigger Universe) it might show some interesting strategical aspects tho. I belive clusters and paras should have an more equal size to make both of them more important for each gal.

With some, lets say, 40 gals per cluster and about 60 gals per para it would really be interesting as both would need political attention (most likely both would need millitary attention, too).

Large Paras make ppl a bit annonymous, while small clusters tend to make things more personal. Idea would be to increase the size of clusters while reducing the size of paras.

The opportunities for politics and millitary opertions would be really great, me thinks.

[Sun_Tzu]

that would call for a totally different way of galaxy placement, after all we don't know how many players each round will hold and thus the para size may vary much. Instead of fixed para and cluster sizes you'd expand both as new galaxys entered the game. This would mean both clusters and paras would be equally big, making for a very nice "round of chess" ;-)

[Varangian]

This should be stimulating.
But how will the parallel and cluster intereract.?
Will there be cooperation between the cluster "ribs" and the parallel "spine"?