Twilight Struggle, Anyone?

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:36 am

Since it's cross-platform I thought this would be the best place to post. Anyone interested in taking part in a TS tourney? I'm in the one over at Q2T at the moment, and while I haven't even finished my first match yet, it's been tons o' fun.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:39 am

Side note: I've given up on trying to get into Quarter to Three's forums since the change. The reset my password function apparently doesn't work for my account.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:42 am

hepcat wrote:Side note: I've given up on trying to get into Quarter to Three's forums since the change. The reset my password function apparently doesn't work for my account.

I can get in, but hate the new format anyway. It's too difficult to figure out which threads have new posts as opposed to which are just new. And I still haven't figured out how to quote someone.

I'd bitch about it over there, but somehow I get the feeling that would be an exercise in futility.

So are you in for the tournament?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 12:00 pm

I just got my iOS code, although I also have it on PC. But couch play is too alluring. You can add "hepcat" to your friend's list and let me know when you're starting though.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 12:07 pm

It is cross-platform so it shouldn't matter. I'll add you to my friends list, and if no one else show interest at least we can get a game or two in.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 3:58 pm

Hmmm. Is it possible to save and pick up matches later?

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 4:30 pm

Yes. In. Played two matches against Archinerd already.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:01 pm

I'd be up for it, although my availability on weeknights is usually limited to 10:30-midnight Eastern.

Redfive · Post by **Redfive** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:04 pm

tgb wrote:
hepcat wrote:Side note: I've given up on trying to get into Quarter to Three's forums since the change. The reset my password function apparently doesn't work for my account.
I can get in, but hate the new format anyway. It's too difficult to figure out which threads have new posts as opposed to which are just new. And I still haven't figured out how to quote someone.

I'd bitch about it over there, but somehow I get the feeling that would be an exercise in futility.

So are you in for the tournament?

Not to derail, but you can just highlight the text you want quoted and a 'quote' button will appear.

Also, I believe if it is just new there will be a little blue 'new' next to the thread title whereas new posts just show a blue circle with the number of new posts. Still adjusting to that myself.

EDIT: I think the blue circle with a number appears only on threads where you have posted.

On topic:

This interests me but I have no experience with the game..is it like anything else out there as a frame of reference?

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:59 pm

Is the iOS version Ipad only? I can't find it in the app store on my iPhone.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:00 pm

It is.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:20 pm

Redfive wrote:
On topic:

This interests me but I have no experience with the game..is it like anything else out there as a frame of reference?

I suppose you can look at it as an abstract resource management game (with the op points being the resource) but the flavor text on the cards is what really sells it. It also helps if you lived through the Cold War.

I have no experience in setting up a tournament like this. I'll run with it if nobody else steps forward, but I think we should give it another day to see who signs up.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:44 am

Isgrimnur wrote:It is.

Seemingly all these new great board game apps are on iPad but not the iPhone. Maybe it's time to consider buying an iPad...

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:54 am

To be fair, many board game ports contain just too much information for an iPhone screen to reasonably present. Twilight Struggle being a major one in that category.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:59 am

I have the game on PC and would like to play. Also, I'd love to actually try some of those COIN games through the Tabletop Simulator.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 10:04 am

hepcat wrote:To be fair, many board game ports contain just too much information for an iPhone screen to reasonably present. Twilight Struggle being a major one in that category.

I figured. The main two ones I've been jealous of are Twilight Struggle and Pathfinder, both of which would probably be pretty crowded on an iPhone screen.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 10:24 am

I wonder if the VR gear for mobile devices that are coming out would offset that issue for phone users?

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 10:35 am

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:
hepcat wrote:To be fair, many board game ports contain just too much information for an iPhone screen to reasonably present. Twilight Struggle being a major one in that category.
I figured. The main two ones I've been jealous of are Twilight Struggle and Pathfinder, both of which would probably be pretty crowded on an iPhone screen.

Pathfinder is OK on my phone, but Twilight Struggle would never work on a screen that small.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 1:02 pm

How often would we play? I would love to, but I'm already in an online Blood Bowl league and don't know if I have enough time.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 1:30 pm

You can get a turn or reaction to an event in every day in 10-30 minutes. Play would be over 2-4 weeks per game.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 1:48 pm

...or 7 to 10 minutes if you're playing against me.

Yeah, I suck.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 1:54 pm

hepcat wrote:...or 7 to 10 minutes if you're playing against me.

Yeah, I suck.

Defcon 2? We should throw an Olympics!

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:01 pm

I just finished my game in the Q2T tournament this morning, and we had started on Thursday. Keep in mind the game supports async play, so schedules are not a problem.

Almost went the distance (made it to Turn 9), and it was close. I might very well have lost if the guy I was playing hadn't hit the "play event" button by accident and drop us into Defcon 1. But I'll take whatever I can get

Seriously, whenever someone does something that's going to mean Defcon I, there should be a big "You sure you want to do that, Dummy?" alert.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:02 pm

Zarathud wrote:You can get a turn or reaction to an event in every day in 10-30 minutes. Play would be over 2-4 weeks per game.

Oh, so it's PBEM style?

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:09 pm

It can be async play, and you can switch to simultaneous play at same time.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:32 pm

ok, then I'm in.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:00 pm

Does this thing work on PCs or do I have to have one of them new fangled apple phones? More importantly, can PC play vs iphone?

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 6:30 pm

NickAragua wrote:Does this thing work on PCs or do I have to have one of them new fangled apple phones? More importantly, can PC play vs iphone?

Steam version. Plus it supports cross-platform play.

Are you in?

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 6:32 pm

So far confirmed I show:

tgb
Hepcat
Zaarathud
AWS260
Isgrimmer
El Guapo
NickArauga

Anyone missing? That makes 7 and we need one more for even matches.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:38 pm

Yeah, I'll pick it up.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 9:36 am

I downloaded the game last night and fired up a game to do a round or two, and got stuck and wound up completing a 10 turn game (that I won at final scoring). Twilight Struggle is so good. I was pleasantly surprised by the AI, too. The main thing I noticed is that it tended to waste influence putting a little into countries that I controlled - it can often make sense (especially if you have a high influence value hand a round, or are using the China Card, etc) to overpower an opponent's influence in a country that they control, but the AI would tend to spend influence to put 1 influence in West Germany (say), then I spend 1 influence to take back control, then he spends 2 influence to increase his influence by 1, etc. Nothing problematic, and the AI was very competitive overall.

I also enjoyed the background sounds and music - definitely set the mood.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:21 am

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:38 am

Anyone have a suggestion on how to structure this with only 7 people?

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:42 am

tgb wrote:Anyone have a suggestion on how to structure this with only 7 people?

How did they structure the Qt3 tournament?

We could either try to wrassle up one more and do an 8 person single elimination bracket, or just do a round-robin "everyone plays everyone" structure and have the top (say) 4 players do single elimination. Though that would probably take over a year to play out, I suppose.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:45 am

El Guapo wrote:
tgb wrote:Anyone have a suggestion on how to structure this with only 7 people?
How did they structure the Qt3 tournament?

We could either try to wrassle up one more and do an 8 person single elimination bracket, or just do a round-robin "everyone plays everyone" structure and have the top (say) 4 players do single elimination. Though that would probably take over a year to play out, I suppose.

12 person bracket. Having an even number makes it so much easier.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:47 am

tgb wrote:
El Guapo wrote:
tgb wrote:Anyone have a suggestion on how to structure this with only 7 people?
How did they structure the Qt3 tournament?

We could either try to wrassle up one more and do an 8 person single elimination bracket, or just do a round-robin "everyone plays everyone" structure and have the top (say) 4 players do single elimination. Though that would probably take over a year to play out, I suppose.
12 person bracket. Having an even number makes it so much easier.

NickAragua and I have a friend who might be interested (though I don't know if he's played TS before). I'll shoot him an e-mail.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:47 am

Archinerd should join!

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:47 am

Is the game expensive? I think I've watched this played one time and if it's not too bad, I could pick it up tonight as a sacrificial lamb and join in the fun.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:49 am

stessier wrote:Is the game expensive? I think I've watched this played one time and if it's not too bad, I could pick it up tonight as a sacrificial lamb and join in the fun.

It's $15.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 6:30 pm

tgb wrote:So far confirmed I show:

tgb
Hepcat
Zaarathud
AWS260
Isgrimmer
El Guapo
NickArauga

Anyone missing? That makes 7 and we need one more for even matches.

I'd be interested! I have TS on Steam. I'm "Holman" there.