Re: [pbmserv-dev] Diplomacy?

[Marc Lanctot <marc.lanctot@mail.mcgill.ca>]

Richard Rognlie wrote:
> Er... sorry... Diplomatique? anyone?

Very interested! Which game did you say was coded in perl? And how do I 
get the source? I'd be interested in coding this... how are to-be 
pbmserv games tested?

> Ideas for improvement...?

I'm more worried about the "diplomacy" part. Ie.. how do other pbmserv 
games deal with interaction.. is it all via regular messages. Would 
there be time-limits for dip phases and move phases?

> I envision a very Risque-ish system.   The notation will be a little more
> rigid.  You'll have 1 army/fleet...and do the diplomacy style
> movement/support/retreat stuff.

I don't think this will be the core part of the problems.. as I said, 
how would managing the diplomacy/discussion phase work? For notation, we 
can use

Attacks/Moves:
F:(source_region)-(dest_region)
A:(source_region)-(dest_region)

Supports:
S:(region)
S:(source_region)-(dest_region)

Convoy:
C:(source_region),(intermediate_region1),...,(dest_region)

where region is the abbreviation, with a possible "nc" or "sc" attached 
to it for fleets moving onto coasts.

> Although... I've never actually *played* Diplomacy  (I've had it for years
> but...)

You're *really* missing something. Problem I've always had with the game 
is that it takes so long. Finishing one without an allied victory has 
never actually happened but I've played at least 15 times. An email 
version is a great idea.. and I'd be willing to do it for sure!

Marc