[Lorric]

We might as well give up now if we're down three players and not allowed to take over for them.

[Admiral MS]

Well giving up is your choice - we don't know what will be the result of this turn and the only fleet in danger of getting destroyed is 2nd LSF. If we get pushed back from Hydra to Odin then at least 4th CRF should already be there (due to being unable to travel to Hydra) and act as reinforcement. The other two missing turns don't kill anyone.
I expect Spoon to keep the game challenging (which in my opinion includes pushing us back at some point) and at least winnable even with some players dropping, for example by postponing the arrival of additional hostile fleets. It's not like people missing their turn comes unexpected in such a forum game - it would be even worse with two turns per week.

Spoon: What happens when an order can't be executed? Do you ignore it? What about conflicting orders like 2 fleets want to move with their first action into a system where already 2 other fleets are stationed?
If I know that I don't have access to the internet for some time and can't give an order, can I allow someone else to give the next order in my place?

[Spoon]

Spoon: What happens when an order can't be executed? Do you ignore it? What about conflicting orders like 2 fleets want to move with their first action into a system where already 2 other fleets are stationed?
If I know that I don't have access to the internet for some time and can't give an order, can I allow someone else to give the next order in my place?

If an order can't be executed, it'll be noted in the turn log. With conflicting orders like that I'd probably just give the person who posted his orders first priority.
And yes, you can. If its for a limited time (say, 3-4 weeks tops) and I know about it.

[Lorric]

If I know that I don't have access to the internet for some time and can't give an order, can I allow someone else to give the next order in my place?

This should be default. If you don't give an order, someone else should be able to do it for you. If I couldn't take my turn I'd want someone else to do it for me. We shouldn't be victims of circumstance like this. Those players might have missed their turn because they're expecting the deadline to be Sunday, or any number of reasons. We're a team, we should be able to help each other.

Spoon, please explain why you're cutting the legs out from under us like this. This is a long haul that will take months. People are going to drop or miss turns. We should be able to protect ourselves from this.

[niffiwan]

Hey - it's just a game   This just makes it more interesting, it's not like IRL battles/wars always (ever?) go exactly the way the commanders expect.

If we get beaten to a bloody pulp, it's just all the more chances for stirring last stand speeches right?   

Or maybe this...

I think Spoon's busy plotting our demise and the end of Terran liberty.  I for one welcome our new space elf Ur-Quan Kzer-Za overlords!

[Veers]

Stress-less, we're bound to lose fleets sooner or later, think of this as advanced training

Also.., just taking some lines from a song I like "Blaze of Glory" - Audio Adrenaline

Oh, going out in a blaze of glory
My hands are held up high
I'm learning how to hit back
Yes, I'm learning how to fight

We are just lucky, if we go out in a blaze of glory, we really do go out with a bang.

[Lorric]

Out with a whimper more like.

We've gone from a team to a disorganised mob thanks to this decision. It's little better than every man for himself now. We can't make plans and think a turn or two ahead under these circumstances.

It's killed my enthusiasm. Roleplay too "Oh, for some reason the 2nd LSF just sat there and died."

I don't plan on dropping out or anything yet, but this has taken a massive chunk of the enjoyment out of the whole experience for me.

[Spoon]

Spoon, please explain why you're cutting the legs out from under us like this. This is a long haul that will take months. People are going to drop or miss turns. We should be able to protect ourselves from this.

I was actually more suprised everyone has been so faithfully present up until this turn. From the moment I started writing down the rules I've been fully expecting that people will miss out on a turn or two. But it is their fleet, their command, their responsibility.
Anyway, take an example from Admiral MS, niffiwan and Veers.
And maybe it'll cheer you up to know that I'm (probably) gonna have the turn 2 video up tomorrow (getting the UGC rhino into the game took some time. DD fleets are not yet gonna shine though...)

Or maybe this...

I think Spoon's busy plotting our demise and the end of Terran liberty.  I for one welcome our new space elf Ur-Quan Kzer-Za overlords!

Muhahaha 
Yesss.

[Spoon]

Out with a whimper more like.

We've gone from a team to a disorganised mob thanks to this decision. It's little better than every man for himself now. We can't make plans and think a turn or two ahead under these circumstances.

Nothing has changed though. This is merely the first turn in which people have been too late.

It's killed my enthusiasm. Roleplay too "Oh, for some reason the 2nd LSF just sat there and died."

As opposed to "Oh, for some reason the 2nd LSF started taking orders from the 2nd CRF that is in a system several jumps away"?

I don't plan on dropping out or anything yet, but this has taken a massive chunk of the enjoyment out of the whole experience for me.

Well, that's a shame but entirely up to you

[Lepanto]

Spoon, I know this is your game and I'm just making a request. Still, our responsible players shouldn't suffer in-game because some players failed to move their fleets. I'd like to request that, at least for this turn, you have the Hierarchy go easy on us a bit, if only to be fair to the players that did get their orders in on time.

Also, in the future, I would like to have a formalized system of some sort for controlling missing players' fleets, in case this situation comes up again.

What does everyone else think, about this situation and about handling it again in the future?

[Lorric]

I was actually more surprised everyone has been so faithfully present up until this turn. From the moment I started writing down the rules I've been fully expecting that people will miss out on a turn or two. But it is their fleet, their command, their responsibility.
Anyway, take an example from Admiral MS, niffiwan and Veers.
And maybe it'll cheer you up to know that I'm (probably) gonna have the turn 2 video up tomorrow (getting the UGC rhino into the game took some time. DD fleets are not yet gonna shine though...)

I just can’t feel the way they do, and I’m surprised by their response. I can understand you wanting people to have to be responsible, but you punish us all by doing this. And the hierarchy fleets aren’t going to be taking any turns off. We didn’t get to beat on the hierarchy fleets last week when you couldn’t make it. Not that I'd have wanted to at the time. There are lots of good reasons why someone could miss a turn, like what happened to you. And if someone drops out, we shouldn’t all be punished for that. Don’t you want this game to be the best it can be? Letting us jump in at the eleventh hour like I tried to do if someone misses a turn would do that. All it takes is one crucial fleet to miss a turn and die, and it’s over. I don’t want to lose like that. I don’t want my fleet to be destroyed because for some legit reason I couldn’t make it. I will like to see the video though.

Nothing has changed though. This is merely the first turn in which people have been too late.

But it has. We've probably already lost one fleet. And if the others don't reappear, then we've lost two more. What's changed is we can't rely on any plan working now. It only takes one crucial fleet to miss a turn. Thus we are reduced to every man for himself in such circumstances. You won't have any such problem.

As opposed to "Oh, for some reason the 2nd LSF started taking orders from the 2nd CRF that is in a system several jumps away"?

Yes. Taking orders from anyone would be more plausible than just sitting there. If the Fleet Admiral couldn't give the orders, the second in command would take over, but we don't have one.

Well, that's a shame but entirely up to you

I really don't understand why do this. The game will be so much better for everyone, including you, if you let us move fleets that no one else has at the eleventh hour.

Alas this is not Lorric's singleplayer game.

And what was this about? Unless I've misunderstood, you hurt me with this. Why not just state that it can’t be done like that? I would not have joined this game if I wasn't prepared to work with the others and accept their independent will. I've treated everyone with respect and everything I've done has been imo what's best for the team. I would sacrifice my fleet without a second thought if I thought it was the right thing to do for the team.

[CommanderDJ]

Frankly, I'm with Spoon on this. It's not his fault other players haven't responded, and whlist I feel there's some merit to considering something like not moving all the Hierarchy forces in the turn, it's ultimately his prerogative, and it wouldn't be right to decide that some other random player gets to give orders for fleets that aren't his or her own. After all, how do we know who the missing players would want giving orders in their stead?

[Lorric]

Frankly, I'm with Spoon on this. It's not his fault other players haven't responded, and whlist I feel there's some merit to considering something like not moving all the Hierarchy forces in the turn, it's ultimately his prerogative, and it wouldn't be right to decide that some other random player gets to give orders for fleets that aren't his or her own. After all, how do we know who the missing players would want giving orders in their stead?

In the end if he sticks to his guns, it doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks. But it doesn't mean I can't try.

I'd rather have anyone do it than my fleet just be sat there! I'd trust anyone on the team to do it. I would treat anyone else's fleet with the same respect as my own, and I don't see why anyone else wouldn't do the same for me. We all want the same thing. Who cares who does it just as long as someone does?

[mobcdmoc3]

Apologies, I left on a camping trip not long after my last post, and got back today later than I was hoping to. Thankfully, I don't think my absence will have had too significant an effect on the next turn, since I'm still sitting at 90%.

I'm not dropping out by any means - The Hertak will have to shoot me out of my ship before that happens.

[Lorric]

Apologies, I left on a camping trip not long after my last post, and got back today later than I was hoping to. Thankfully, I don't think my absence will have had too significant an effect on the next turn, since I'm still sitting at 90%.

I'm not dropping out by any means - The Hertak will have to shoot me out of my ship before that happens.

Well, at least we know we're not going to lose 3 fleets. Your turn was the one I was least worried about, missing your turn is just a minor irritation, in fact, of all 15 of us, I believe your turn being missed is probably the least significant. It's the other two that are the problem, the 2nd LSF in particular.

It's nice to know you would have made the move.

[Veers]

It's killed my enthusiasm. Roleplay too "Oh, for some reason the 2nd LSF just sat there and died."

As opposed to "Oh, for some reason the 2nd LSF started taking orders from the 2nd CRF that is in a system several jumps away"?

You can still RP most of  that anyway, just have to be creative.



"Sir, latest reports from our scout wings. They have located and rescued survivors from the 2nd LSF, 3rd attack squadron."

---
The 2nd LSF was caught off guard by a multi-pronged assault force, many vessels were damaged and scattered. The Flagship of the 2nd Fleet received light damage while repelling the force, but suffered engine damage and may have been surrounded by massive inhibitor fields. The Admiral rallied the fleet and signalled allied fleets for reinforcements, to our knowledge none of these messages were ever received.

While we do know that the majority of the 2nd LSF is unaccounted for, we do not know if they survive, have been destroyed or are otherwise incapacitated. Our scout forces will continue to recon the area, enemy presence has so far been light.
---

It can be RP'd, just not a major positive RP but not everything can be good. We are going to suffer losses soon. But anyway, RP side of it. Just have to expand on a reason that may have caused severe damage or destruction, or present several reasons and RP those. Nothing has to be accurate.

But lets just keep having fun ok?

[Droid803]

Well, you could make it so that people that miss their turns simply continue their previous orders...
Even if it means getting them killed.

Plus is players die off others may be able to sneak in... 

[An4ximandros]

The Admiral could always have been injured in combat... and a temporary (or permanent depending on the case) replacement could be brought in. This could make for great role-play. *hint* *hint*

[Enioch]

Oh dear.

Folks, as one of the three (?) admirals that failed to check in, I would like to offer my sincere apologies to all affected comrades. I was away from home on an archaeological dig and thought the deadline was today (as turns were previously acted out on Sundays). I cannot promise that it will never happen again, as I am unable to access the Internet on a daily basis and might once again miss some deadline changes, but I will do my best to keep up.

May I offer a suggestion? In order to avoid cases of 'the player is unable (for RL or other reasons) to play on this turn, the fleet just sits there lololol', might it be possible for admirals to give 'long-term' orders to their fleets? This would allow for some margin of unattendance as well as keeping each admiral in control of his fleet. If the admiral is able to connect, he might change the long-term orders.

So, this might work like this:

Fleet: 3rd DD
Major: do this
Minor: do that

-Next round:
Major: do this
Minor: do that

The first orders are executed on the normal turn. If the admiral fails to show up on his next turn, the orders he specified are executed to the best of the fleet's ability.

Just a suggestion. Think about it.

Again, guys (both players and Spoon), sorry.

And to avoid similar problems, can I have a confirmation on the next deadline?

[Spoon]

Oh dear.

Folks, as one of the three (?) admirals that failed to check in, I would like to offer my sincere apologies to all affected comrades. I was away from home on an archaeological dig and thought the deadline was today (as turns were previously acted out on Sundays). I cannot promise that it will never happen again, as I am unable to access the Internet on a daily basis and might once again miss some deadline changes, but I will do my best to keep up.

Apologies, I left on a camping trip not long after my last post, and got back today later than I was hoping to. Thankfully, I don't think my absence will have had too significant an effect on the next turn, since I'm still sitting at 90%.

I'm not dropping out by any means - The Hertak will have to shoot me out of my ship before that happens.

No problem guys. As I said, I fully expected people to miss their turns eventually for whatever reason. It happens, its no big deal.
I will (probably ) not outright kill fleets that have not recieved orders. I might give them move orders if they are in the way of other players though.

And to avoid similar problems, can I have a confirmation on the next deadline?

It's always going to be the next friday, so I have the whole weekend to process the turn.

May I offer a suggestion? In order to avoid cases of 'the player is unable (for RL or other reasons) to play on this turn, the fleet just sits there lololol', might it be possible for admirals to give 'long-term' orders to their fleets? This would allow for some margin of unattendance as well as keeping each admiral in control of his fleet. If the admiral is able to connect, he might change the long-term orders.

So, this might work like this:

Fleet: 3rd DD
Major: do this
Minor: do that

-Next round:
Major: do this
Minor: do that

The first orders are executed on the normal turn. If the admiral fails to show up on his next turn, the orders he specified are executed to the best of the fleet's ability.

Just a suggestion. Think about it.

This will be hard for me to keep track of. If you are unsure if you will make next turn I'd rather you'd appoint someone else to do the turn for you (and let me know about it in here)