Octopus Overlords

My screw-up would have had you meeting your doom under a crusher when I initially screwed up the rotation direction.

btw, is there a reset option, that if I'm 100% sure I will get destroyed at 1st phase, that I could reset myself to my last archivespot and do the movements from there?

mipe wrote:btw, is there a reset option, that if I'm 100% sure I will get destroyed at 1st phase, that I could reset myself to my last archivespot and do the movements from there?

In your case, I believe that would be a Move 1, Move 2, or Move 3. Reset takes place the following turn

mipe wrote:btw, is there a reset option, that if I'm 100% sure I will get destroyed at 1st phase, that I could reset myself to my last archivespot and do the movements from there?

Back-up, U-turn, move 1, move 1, pause to watch nifty explosion, rotate left.

If you can not do the back up then you need to think elsewhere.

rotate right (which gets undone by the belt moving you S and rotating you)
move 1 (and then get moved East and rotated by the belt so you face north)
move 2 (then get moved 1 West by the belt)
Move 1,2, or 3 into wall (then get moved West and rotated by belt so you face West)
Move 1,2,or 3 into wall (then get moved South by the belt and face the flag and the opening)

of course if someone screws your move up there.....

mipe wrote:btw, is there a reset option, that if I'm 100% sure I will get destroyed at 1st phase, that I could reset myself to my last archivespot and do the movements from there?

Oh, and Twonky shut down so if you were worried about him pushing you in the pit there is no need to sweat that. He will be sitting there waiting to be shot.

It's pretty much suicide or take your chances and hope you live to hand 7. You can declare shut down for hand 7 now and revise if you end up dead. Twonky is active for this turn. It's next turn he's shut down for.

Isgrimnur wrote:It's pretty much suicide or take your chances and hope you live to hand 7. You can declare shut down for hand 7 now and revise if you end up dead. Twonky is active for this turn. It's next turn he's shut down for.

Oh, nevermind, you are toast. But check his last turn to see what got locked in so you can predict where he ends up so you can take retirbution then.

I think I am somehow going to be both the first and last person to turn their hand in.

Remus, have you finished making your peace with your deity of choice?

All hands are in. I will begin processing at 7 p.m. CDT. You have until then to declare that you'll be shutting down for next turn or change your hand.

You guys are certainly gutting out turns with more damage than I've ever been comfortable with...

Isgrimnur wrote:You guys are certainly gutting out turns with more damage than I've ever been comfortable with...

More risk = better reward? Plus it's just plain fun to try to squeeze decent programming around locked registers.

And for what it's worth, my plans didn't call for getting shot up before landing on the double-wrench.

Shinjin wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:You guys are certainly gutting out turns with more damage than I've ever been comfortable with...

More risk = better reward? Plus it's just plain fun to try to squeeze decent programming around locked registers.

And for what it's worth, my plans didn't call for getting shot up before landing on the double-wrench.

Do your plans ever account for "getting shot"?

srdaniel wrote:Do your plans ever account for "getting shot"?

I have 4 things to say to you:

U-Turn
Move 1
Rotate Left
Move 3

srdaniel wrote:

Shinjin wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:You guys are certainly gutting out turns with more damage than I've ever been comfortable with...

More risk = better reward? Plus it's just plain fun to try to squeeze decent programming around locked registers.

And for what it's worth, my plans didn't call for getting shot up before landing on the double-wrench.

Do your plans ever account for "getting shot"?

Mine have been accounting for it.

Is it 7 CDT yet?
F5 F5 F5.....

No, guess not.

I think it's rude that he's running on CDT. Everyone knows EDT is far superior...at least as long as I'm living in it.

So stessier's hand this round will be drawn off the top of the deck...

Processing...

Isgrimnur wrote:So stessier's hand this round will be drawn off the top of the deck...

I, on the other hand, have been nothing but complimentary regarding the running of this game.

I'll let you know what I need for next hand after I see how this one goes. Remember, stessier ends up in front of my lassr. A lot.

Phase 1:
Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) - Move 1 (490)
mipe (Hulk X-90) - U Turn
Remus West (Squash Bot) - Rotate Left
Shinjin (Twonky) - Rotate Left
stessier (Twitch) - Move 2 (690)

Trundle Bot heard about Spin Bot and decides to start investigating the walls himself.

Hulk X-90 is shifted one block S and rotated left.
Twitch is rotated left by the gears.

Twitch shoots Squash Bot in the back of the head.




Damage Count

Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) : 5
mipe (Hulk X-90) : 3
Remus West (Squash Bot) : 1
Shinjin (Twonky) : 7
srdaniel (Spin Bot) : 0
stessier (Twitch) : 0

I screwed that up on Squash Bot's move. Phase 1 under revision....

*edit: Should be corrected.

Phase 2:
Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) - Move 1 (660)
mipe (Hulk X-90) - Move 1 (510)
Remus West (Squash Bot) - Rotate Left
Shinjin (Twonky) - Rotate Left
stessier (Twitch) - Move 2 (730)

Trundle Bot is sure there's something to see on those walls...

Twitch puts a matching hole in Squash Bot's left side.




Damage Count

Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) : 5
mipe (Hulk X-90) : 3
Remus West (Squash Bot) : 2
Shinjin (Twonky) : 7
srdaniel (Spin Bot) : 0
stessier (Twitch) : 0

Phase 3:
Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) - Rotate Right
mipe (Hulk X-90) - Rotate Right
Remus West (Squash Bot) - Rotate Left
Shinjin (Twonky) - Rotate Left
stessier (Twitch) - Backup (470)

Twitch is shifted one block E by the belts.

Hulk X-90 decides that Trundle Bot really needs to have his 4th register locked.




Damage Count

Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) : 6
mipe (Hulk X-90) : 3
Remus West (Squash Bot) : 2
Shinjin (Twonky) : 7
srdaniel (Spin Bot) : 0
stessier (Twitch) : 0

Phase 4:
Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) - Move 2 (780)
mipe (Hulk X-90) - Move 3 (830)
Remus West (Squash Bot) - Move 2 (750)
Shinjin (Twonky) - Rotate Right
stessier (Twitch) - Rotate Right

Hulk smashes into Trundle Bot, putting a dent in the wall he was so recently studying.
Trundle Bot then scoots onto the flag.

Twitch and Squash Bot ease on East, ease on East the belt.

Twonky makes Trundle Bot pay by locking register 3.

Trundle Bot updates his archive location.




Damage Count

Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) : 7
mipe (Hulk X-90) : 3
Remus West (Squash Bot) : 2
Shinjin (Twonky) : 7
srdaniel (Spin Bot) : 0
stessier (Twitch) : 0

I thought they were blue belts down here (move 2). Was I wrong or are you forgetting that?

Isgrimnur wrote:

mipe wrote: Quick question: There are... White conveyors? how many spaces for turn to they move you?

All the belts on that board are normal, move 1 square. The round things are gears. They rotate you in the direction indicated. They activate after the belts move., so it's possible to be belt shifted onto a gear, then rotated by it.

Crap. Never mind. Bad planning on my part. Sigh.

Phase 5:
Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) - Rotate Left
mipe (Hulk X-90) - Rotate Left
Remus West (Squash Bot) - Move 1 (630) (Brakes)
Shinjin (Twonky) - Move 1 (650)
stessier (Twitch) - Rotate Right

Twonky smashes into Trundle Bot, bouncing him off the wall to his left.
Squash Bot engages his brakes, and rocks back and forth.

Twonky drills a hole in the back of Trundle Bot's head, locking register 2.

Trundle Bot heals a point of damage, unlocking register 2.

Option to Twonky: Heal 2 damage or receive an option card.




Damage Count

Grundbegriff (Trundle Bot) : 7
mipe (Hulk X-90) : 3
Remus West (Squash Bot) : 2
Shinjin (Twonky) : 7
srdaniel (Spin Bot) : 0
stessier (Twitch) : 0

Isgrimnur wrote:Option to Twonky: Heal 2 damage or receive an option card.

Option Card, natch. Then it's night-night time before I wake up at the bottom of a pit...

Incidentally, who ever thought you could cheese by with three locked registers and gain an option card to boot?

You broke my scoreboard...

Isgrimnur wrote:You broke my scoreboard...

(word wrap?)

In the unlikely event that you survive turn 7...

Excellent turns all!

Special kudos to Squash Bot for demonstrating the reading comprehension for which his line is famous. I hope your new ventilation holes improve your efficiency. If not, don't worry. I have the perfect hand for adding a few new modifications for you next round.

Version 1 of all hands are in. Anyone want to shut down for turn 8? Those are public declarations, so no PM necessary.

For the next time I run a game, I'm also thinking about issuing all bots one weapon option card to start the game. What do you think about that idea? Not that there was any shortage of carnage in the first few hands, what with two deaths in the first three turns.

I totally love Options. They add so much to the game.

- uncertainty
- versatility
- creativity (certain combos get really goofy, if I remember right)
- ownership (it almost feels like you are customizing your bot, plus it gives an added layer of control)

But I think that starting out with them would remove an important decision element from the game. Do I go straight for the flag or do I try to invest some turns into getting an option that may pay off later on?

I seem to recall playing a variant where single wrenches gave 1 option (or heal 1) and double-wrenches gave 2 (or heal 2, maybe 1 option + heal 1?). Would that serve the purpose of increased mayhem enough? Players would still need to explicitly hunt down repair sites, but simply ending on a flag could give you an option (unless flags are declared exempt).

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't shy away from that variant if it was presented. But I also have a hunch that it might really present an early imbalance compared to vanilla RR where everyone starts out the same.

Isgrimnur wrote:what with two deaths in the first three turns.

Another possible rule variant:

Simply touching a repair site (without having to finish the turn there) gives 1 option or 2 options, but each repair site may be exploited in this way only once. Ending a turn there still yields 1 or 2 options.

That would get more options in play more easily, while rewarding achievement, but wouldn't allow abuse of the gumball machine.

If everyone starts with an option, I can just see someone starting with "The Big One" and destroying everyone the next turn.

If we play with the single wrench = 1 option, double wrench = 2 option we might at least not have to worry about Shinjin. He would probably just sit on the first double wrench collecting options for the whole game.

I've played the single = 1 option, double = 2 options but never the everyone start with one. I'd be willing to play with any rule variants.

I was thinking if you want more chaos, have 4 flags on one board.

While I'm glad I dropped out, I wish I didn't have to.

Personally, I don't think the variants are necessary. Going for options is a strategy and one of weighing opportunity.

I'm not reading closely enough. How our you guys dealing with options of opportunity? Like the using an optional tractor beam?

srdaniel wrote:He would probably just sit on the first double wrench collecting options for the whole game.

Hm. I could play a game of denial - try to gather up all the option cards so that nobody else could have any. Then I could take my borg bot and dominate the board, though by then I suppose someone will have touched most of the flags...

LordMortis wrote:How our you guys dealing with options of opportunity? Like the using an optional tractor beam?

I'm dealing with it well, others ... not so much

When resolving weapons fire, Isgrimnur has been posting a large "wake up and post your choice Twonky" on the forum, often accompanied by a PM. I post my choice and PM Isgrimnur as well (assuming email notification might get him back to the thread more conveniently than page refreshes).

It looks like a similar approach has been taken with the use of the Brakes option.

We could probably include use preferences with our orders to speed things along, but that's not always viable.

But since you can avoid damage by ditching an option card, I've given Isgrimnur my threshold of damage tolerance for when I might consider tossing an option. That probably speeds up play the most.


I imagine that as more options come into play, the game will slow down appropriately. That will certainly be a side effect of increased option variants. But that will also add to the suspense