<Appocomaster> Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to our Creators Hour!
<Zpeti> Hello everyone
<Appocomaster> We're delighted to welcome Pete (Zpeti), of Renegade Games, to this event
<Appocomaster> together we'll hopefully be able to answer all your questions
<Appocomaster> Pete, would you like to start with anything?
<Zpeti> Hey, so I just want to say I've spent the last month trying to get a feel for everything
<Zpeti> what the community is like
<Zpeti> trying to think of the best improvements to the game
<Zpeti> I know on the way we've had server problems
<Zpeti> big ones
<Zpeti> and I have decided to find a completely different solution to the current one
<Zpeti> as this can't go on like this
<Zpeti> so from 8am tomorrow morning I will be searching for the best solution for planetarion
<Zpeti> with emphasis on reliability
<Zpeti> OK
<Zpeti> recommendation by appocomaster
<Zpeti> The current setup is that the game is owned by Renegade Games
<Zpeti> that is a company owned by Fubra and I
<Zpeti> I am the one making the decisions
<Zpeti> they assist me if I need it but are silent partners if that's what I need
<Zpeti> now I did sign the contract with them saying they would provide hosting
<Zpeti> obviously that hasnt worked out
<Zpeti> but they are also completely commited to finding a reliable host
<Zpeti> I just want to clear up that it's not really Fubra in the long run who is the head of the game
<Zpeti> A bit about myself
<Zpeti> my relationship with Fubra is that I worked for them for 3 months when I was in uni
<Zpeti> that's how I know them
<Zpeti> the reason they employed me back then is because I was running an online game
<Zpeti> I built that when I was 17
<Zpeti> so when I worked for them that was 3-4 years ago
<Zpeti> now we've decided to do this startup together
<Zpeti> running online browser based games
<Zpeti> so I do have experience with running online games, my game topped at around 1000 users/day
<Zpeti> then it died, now I am in the process of relaunching it :)
<Zpeti> OK, so back to Planetarion
<Zpeti> It is no secret that my main goal is to increase userbase
<Appocomaster> can I just clarify from some PMs: Fubra offered free hosting before, but it wasn't in their delivery centre. We're looking to host at a more reliable place with a proven SLA instead :)
<Appocomaster> Right, that wasn't planned :p
<Appocomaster> he'll be back in a sec
<Appocomaster> if you want to ask questions, please /msg CH_Bot your questions
<Appocomaster> we have quite a few already
<Appocomaster> I'd just like to say
<Appocomaster> that, for next round
<Appocomaster> we're looking at the downtime procedure, and the disband / exile system
<Appocomaster> and that I'm also fixing my quest system
<Appocomaster> these are more "fixes" for next round
<Appocomaster> I know that those things have hit a few headlines on and off through this round
<Appocomaster> wb :)
<Appocomaster> someone was stealing your nickname :(
<zPeti> hehe :)
<Appocomaster> I've just announced that we're going to look at the downtime procedure, exile/disband system, and that I'm going to fix my quests ;P
<zPeti> ok, so I created the poll about round length
<zPeti> I posted in that thread later on
<zPeti> but based on what people said in the thread, I've decided it's best to have a mixture of round lengths
<zPeti> the next round will be a shorter one, 7 weeks, so will r32 probably, but that's not 100% yet
<zPeti> I have also been discussing what will happen to existing credits
<zPeti> with PATeam
<Appocomaster> (Jolt / etc credits)
<zPeti> I think a fair system is to allow everyone to "claim" their credits before the start of the next round
<zPeti> so anyone who is active and has paid can keep Jolt credits
<zPeti> however all credits that aren't claimed within a certain deadline will be "removed" at the deadline
<Appocomaster> Pete: can I ask to clarify, what do you mean by "claimed" ?
<Appocomaster> do you mean used?
<zPeti> the system I have in my head, is if someone has say 4 credits still
<zPeti> they can just click a link saying "I will be using those in the next 4 rounds"
<zPeti> and they can do that, and keep their credits
<zPeti> inactive players will have any surplus credits deleted
<zPeti> we will be emailing and messaging all players about this when the system is in place
<zPeti> detailing exactly how you can do that
<Appocomaster> ok
<Appocomaster> now to start with the questions
<Appocomaster> ok
<Appocomaster> now to introduce people
<Appocomaster> er
<Appocomaster> Pete
<Appocomaster> to .nqp :D
<Appocomaster> we have a lot of questions to get through
<Appocomaster> so this could be fun!
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 1): <Devastator> if i get naked will i get a free round next go?
<Appocomaster> no
<Appocomaster> I should have removed that :(
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 2): <Hutchi|AWAY> is fubra a typo?
<Appocomaster> no :p
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 3): <Hutchi> whats the likely hood of going back to the single targeting for awhile as its easier for new players to figure
<zPeti> q2:
<zPeti> Fubra name came from the start of two founding members name
<zPeti> s
<zPeti> so no, no typo :)
<Appocomaster> ah, I didn't know that! :)
<Appocomaster> ok, Q3
<Appocomaster> currently, there's two arguments here
<Appocomaster> one is that single targetting is more simple
<Appocomaster> the other is that multiple targetting allows fewer ships to cover (to some extent) all classes
<Appocomaster> I think we'll stick with multi targetting for the time being
<Appocomaster> but we might change back to single targetting
<Appocomaster> we might even ask the (newer) players which they feel is more simple :p
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 4): <TXC|aweh> <Appocomaster> we are now looking for alternatives <TXC> again <---what alternatives is there? when it comes to hosting
<Appocomaster> Pete?
<zPeti> One of the problems with the current hosting
<zPeti> was that Fubra are "trying" to run a cloud hosting system
<zPeti> which didn't work that well, Planetarion probably runs better on a physical server
<zPeti> so I am looking at dedicated servers or colocation in UK datacentres
<zPeti> I will get a quote from rackspace tomorrow morning
<zPeti> they are supposed to be the most reliable host ever
<zPeti> so if I can negotiate a good price, it being an economic crisis in all, we will use them
<zPeti> otherwise there are plenty of other reliable options
<zPeti> if anyone has hosting suggestions, maybe offers, I am interested so send them to pete@renegadegames.co.uk
<zPeti> an address that you can reach me on anyway
<zPeti> about anything
<Appocomaster> :)
<Appocomaster> ok ?
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 5): <Angelus> When Fubra bought PA they said that we'd see less downtime and rollbacks, since then we've had two. Are the causes of these known, and are we likely to have more, or do you think these are resolved now?
<zPeti> What I got promised by Fubra hasn't really happened
<zPeti> they are too early into their hosting business
<zPeti> so the old problems have been resolved
<Appocomaster> more importantly perhaps, we're not actually in one of their delivery centres
<zPeti> but we are running into new ones
<zPeti> so that's why I have decided to move
<Appocomaster> one of the issues was arp flux, which hadn't been looked to be fixed. I think the other one was a perl script that had run for some time and suddenly took up all the CPU
<Appocomaster> we've also had a few issues with their newly-rolled out cluster storage system, and a computer that had a dodgy CPU (despite successfully running CPU stress tests for days)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 6): <Angelus> Can the freezing at half past the hour (during DB backup) be resolved in any way?
<Appocomaster> we've looked at reducing the impact
<Appocomaster> it's a mixture of the dump and gzip
<Appocomaster> we've changed the way gzip runs so it's lower priority
<Appocomaster> hopefully this will help to fix
<Appocomaster> part of the reason is that, as it's a storage cluster, we have slower read/write speeds
<Appocomaster> this obviously comes to a head when a) writing the database to disk and b) then gzipping it
<Appocomaster> I might suggest to the guys we pipe it through gzip rather than gzipping separately, as that'd cut down the number of times we're writing to disk
<Appocomaster> but we'll see
<Appocomaster> we are aware of it and looking to reduce / remove its impact on the game
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 7): <wade> are there any speed games planned?
<Appocomaster> speedgames run constantly on the speedgame server
<Appocomaster> we've no current plans for running official speedgame / tournaments
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 8): <Light> What are you aiming to do in the future to increase the amount of communication between the PA Team and the community?
<Appocomaster> Pete?
<zPeti> I am reading the forums all the time
<zPeti> I am also looking at the PATeam in general, reorganising things a bit
<zPeti> I have had a lot of people offering help, which I would like to thank now :) so we can probably shuffle PATeam around a bit perhaps add new people
<zPeti> so communication is generally better
<zPeti> as I said, from now on anyone can email me at pete@renegadegames.co.uk
<Appocomaster> :)
<zPeti> about anything :)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 9): <Light> Has Elviz gone as far as planet-nap'ing 1:1?
<Appocomaster> no
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 10): <Angelus> I take it Fubra made sure that Renegade Games was different enough from Renegade Software? Although Renegade Software became obsolete in 1997 when Infrogrames bought it, it might still be under copyright.
<zPeti> Renegade Software have stopped using that brand a long time ago
<zPeti> so we're ok
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 11): <Hutchi|About> we ever getting the 1:1 farm bots back, as it saves alot of bashing on real players
<zPeti> and since the actual games (products) aren't going to be called anything renegade
<Appocomaster> oh :p
<Appocomaster> sorry, I'm too trigger happy :(
<zPeti> Its alright :)
<zPeti> ok Appoc your answer :)
<Appocomaster> ok
<Appocomaster> we might well bring the 1:1 bots back
<Appocomaster> they really started and never finished
<Appocomaster> however, we did find that a lot of people did farm them
<Appocomaster> *cough* Asc *cough*
<Appocomaster> (sorry, that's unfair of me, but I think they did disproportionately attack, when we looked)
<Appocomaster> and by farm I of course mean the 'attack over and over for roids' meaning, rather than the official MH meaning
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 12): <Angelus> When Fubra say that they're going to try to integrate better tools for communicating between people, does that include a better way than com-unit for IRC? Or at least a choice between the current Java one and maybe a cgi or other one?
<Appocomaster> yours, Pete :)
<zPeti> Obviously IRC stays, that is clear to me
<zPeti> I am looking at adding a Facebook style ajax chat for galaxies/alliances which new players can use
<zPeti> (and old players can explain to them how to use IRC)
<Appocomaster> we could perhaps integrate it with the forums and mail system
<zPeti> and then also switching the current Java app to a better one
<zPeti> so people can log into irc via the browser quickly
<zPeti> also I have had quite a few other recommendations about communication
<zPeti> which I would like implemented
<zPeti> more ingame comments etc
<Appocomaster> is that more help / support advice?
<zPeti> yeah
<Appocomaster> ok :)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 13): <Light[AFK]> Are the maths questions when you login to PA designed to try and stop players like CBA playing? If so, they arnt working :o(
<Appocomaster> they're to stop Fiery logging in
<Appocomaster> they're actually like a breathaliser
<Appocomaster> it's rumoured that google mail got their "late night maths question" idea from us ...
<Appocomaster> but we will look at them
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 14): <damo8|hockey> How do you feel the round has gone so far from a CH point of view? In terms of improving the game and game availabilty? Is the game at where you wanted it to be?
<Appocomaster> well, we've made it kinda clear that no, it's not where we want it to be
<Appocomaster> even the 'silent' Fubra directors agree and understand this
<Appocomaster> I think that there will be several rounds of gradual improvement
<zPeti> If anyone thinks I think everything is fine, and the game will stay with this kind of reliabilty
<zPeti> they are very mistaken :)
<Appocomaster> the coding resources are Cin, Pete and I (probably in that order of skill / availability)
<Appocomaster> but we'll keep at it
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 15): <TXC|aweh> when can we planetarion members actually speak to the fubra team? we do actually have things to add...
<Appocomaster> ^^ speak to Pete!
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 16): <Methedrine> 1) What are Renegade Games' long term goals with Planetarion? 2) How do you plan to achieve them?
<zPeti> First mission is to get the game slightly more usable by new potential players
<zPeti> then increase the userbase
<zPeti> then we can look at facebook/iphone apps etc
<Appocomaster> :)
<zPeti> All I can say is, long term strategy is GROWTH
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 17): <Angelus> will a copy of this be posted anywhere so we can read this at a later date?
<Appocomaster> yes
<Appocomaster> as always, on the portal
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 18): <Methedrine> How much experience does Renegade Games have with developing games?
<Appocomaster> Pete :)
<zPeti> I think I answered this in the beginning :)
<Appocomaster> yeah
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 19): <TXC|aweh> the bug problem on facebook. have you thought about how that will affect an unstable game?
<Appocomaster> I don't know it :p
<Appocomaster> we'll look at it when we get there
<zPeti> yeah, facebook is a while away, there are many issues to deal with before that
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 20): <Death666> if pete is planning on relaunching his own game will he really be putting in the time for improving PA?
<zPeti> good question :)
<zPeti> right now the updates I want to make by next round are easy to fit in
<zPeti> I am waiting for new graphics, which is a waiting game
<zPeti> but those will be done soon
<zPeti> so what I am saying is any time I need to invest I will do
<zPeti> I have quite a silly work ethic, so I work 24/7 if I feel like it or need to
<zPeti> which is not helped by the fact that I live opposite the fubra offices
<zPeti> so I can come over and work any time :)
<zPeti> but I love developing games
<zPeti> that's what matters, and it's why I can work hard at them
<Appocomaster> (he doesnt have internet at home)
<Appocomaster> he's in his office at 8.55 on a sunday!
<zPeti> this is a challenge I havnt been faced with yet
<Appocomaster> :p
<zPeti> improving an existing game
<zPeti> ive only built games of scratch
<zPeti> but im sure itll work
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 21): <Bams> Are you planning on altering the game to increase the userbase?
<Appocomaster> yes !
<Appocomaster> :p
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 22): <ROLLBACK_CH> How about you extend the round with 1 week? 4 days for the rollbacks and 3 for the future ones?
<Appocomaster> no
<Appocomaster> :(
<Appocomaster> we're not going to extend it, sorry
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 23): <TDK> Will there be normal downtime between rounds? Or will there be an extended downtime with the need to find a reliable server?
<Appocomaster> normal downtime
<Appocomaster> or shorter
<Appocomaster> .nqp

<CH_Bot> (Q 24): <Antigone> when will we finally have a user friendly portal which actually makes players signup?
<Appocomaster> er, soonish
<zPeti> by the next signup week
<Appocomaster> er
<zPeti> sorry
<Appocomaster> don't promise that :p
<zPeti> havnt finished that
<Appocomaster> ok
<zPeti> so... Should have a new front page, new skin and better signup page
<zPeti> fixed logins might not be implemented yet
<zPeti> actually probably won't be
<zPeti> but the portal will be clearer and more user friendly
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 25): <Bams> Can we expect new functions or alterations in the game now the game has a new owner?
<Appocomaster> yes ;)
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 26): <Matematico> Will the next round be free again?
<zPeti> no
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 27): <wade> can we reduce alliance numbers for next round. 100 is too much with so few numbers. there is soo much defending at the mo!
<zPeti> I have been talking about this with PATeam, we havnt reached a conclusion yet
<zPeti> but there might be changes
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 28): <Aries> if there continue to be server issues next round as there are this round, will you stop the round and reissue credits to those who have upgraded until the server issues are solved?
<zPeti> If the situation is that bad then I am prepared to do that
<zPeti> but it won't happen
<zPeti> I won't let it
<zPeti> :)
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 29): <damo8|hockey> can we bring back a golden roid?
<CH_Bot> sec!
<CH_Bot> sorry, my (Appoco)'s IRC has broken :p
<CH_Bot> we can easily bring back M/C/E roids
<CH_Bot> we have more of an issue bringing back the production / construction / research roids
<CH_Bot> as they bug the whole universe
<CH_Bot> for a reason that Cin and I can totally not figure out
<CH_Bot> so half, yes
<CH_Bot> half, not for the moment
<CH_Bot> Pete, .nqp ?
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 30): <Angelus> Will the rounds under "Renegade Games" be pay to play or free?
<zPeti> the next few rounds will definately be pay rounds
<zPeti> after that we will see
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 31): <l0Lz> will credits become more expensive?
<zPeti> no
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 32): <elevator> Define "it's not really Fubra in the long run who is the head of the game" are you personally through your own company responsible? Or is there a third party?
<zPeti> I am the director and majority owner of Renegade Games
<zPeti> and that owns planetarion
<zPeti> I hope that answers the question
<zPeti> the game is my responsibility
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 33): <TDK> Will there be an option for players not wishing to play another round to have their surplus credits transferred to someone else?
<zPeti> As I said before, if they "claim" their credits before a certain deadline (this will be before the start of the next round)
<zPeti> then they can probably transfer to others yes
<zPeti> I just want to make a situation clear
<Appocomaster> :)
<zPeti> Renegade Games is supposed to pay for my accomodation and good
<zPeti> its the only income I ahve
<zPeti> which is why the game does need to operate like a business
<zPeti> and why my priority above everything else will be that it carries on making at least what it makes now
<zPeti> I think its fair that I say that
<zPeti> and I think its reasonable
<zPeti> otherwise you'll find me under a bridge in aldershot :p
<Appocomaster> :(
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 34): <NitbiT> Will there be a 1-time registration, so you don't have to reregister every round again? Can and will this be connected to the forums? Will there be some "career history" info (like x times T10, x times t100, highest roid count, biggest crash)
<zPeti> yes, this is a goal
<zPeti> won't be implemted by next round
<zPeti> but hopefully soonish it will arrive
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 35): <mPulse> decrease the god damn alliance limits because its stopping us smaller alliances from having any fun and just ends up with us getting bullied by the ego's
<Appocomaster> (for the record, I'm going to look at knocking together a Planetarion history over the course of a week or two, which should contain all post R14 data including nicknames, full planet/galaxy/alliance rankings, ship stats, etc
<Appocomaster> as we said, we're looking at it :)
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 36): <Angelus> If the rounds are going to be only 7 weeks long, will they be cheaper?
<zPeti> no, no plans for this
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 37): <mPulse> Why dont you consider paying the PA Team?
<zPeti> I won't rule it out, but for now income isn't enough for that
<zPeti> me being in the situation I am in
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 38): <Angelus> Would it be possible to bring back PDS?
<Appocomaster> no!
<Appocomaster> every time someone builds pds, god kills a kitten
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 39): <Matematico> Will be any new features in PA next round? If yes what kind?
<Appocomaster> we're not 100% decided
<Appocomaster> we'll announce once we have
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 40): <Masta_Phoenix> can we get the alliance limits lowered to around 50 for next round?
<Appocomaster> we're considering that !
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 41): <Judge> when will the Beta start for the new round
<Appocomaster> TBC
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 42): <Mek|Farcry2> any chance of implementing a taxing system for the MoD to help with funding the gal fund :)
<Appocomaster> perhaps, we'll add it to the todo list
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 43): <Angelus> I came back from a few rounds away from the game, last time I played it was single targeting. I actually find multi-target easier
<Appocomaster> thanks!
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 44): <Angelus> Could the PA Battle Calc be fixed? After a few calcs it starts screwing up the results
<Appocomaster> Cin is hating this bug, and still looking to solve it.
<Appocomaster> I have to say that I think Cin's done an amazing job on that (and fixing my alliance page a bit)
<Appocomaster> *alliance defence page
<Appocomaster> if you check the forums, he's updated it based on user feedback
<Appocomaster> which, I believe, is related to the listening to the community that people keep going on about :)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 45): <Masta_Phoenix> Also can we get rid of this stupid 40 support planets alliances are allowed>
<Appocomaster> I think it's actually sometimes used to allow smaller planets in for free
<Appocomaster> they're not support planets, there's no support planet rule any more
<Appocomaster> but yes, as I said, we'll revisit alliance limits
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 46): <Angelus> The communication between the team and the public/players leaves a lot to be desired. Reading the portal, 90% of the posts are all "downtime" and "more downtime", are there plans on keeping us more updated on the issues when they arise and when they're resolved? Having a few "good" posts on the portal will help PA's image too
<Appocomaster> that is obviously an issue. we'll try and post more positive things, like this, on it!
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 47): <TXC|aweh> is it posible to runn speedgames whit r13 -r20 codes soon?
<Appocomaster> it's possible for r14, and 16+ (I don't think we saved r15 code)
<Appocomaster> whether anyone would want to (there's so many missing features that you take for granted ...)
<Appocomaster> we can look at changing the stats, which is a lot easier :)
<Appocomaster> but most people prefer playing last round's code - a lot of people use it to learn / revisit the game
<Appocomaster> there are quite a few new or returning players playing the current speedgame (http://speedgame.planetarion.com)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 48): <Angelus> Are there only two "creators"?
<Appocomaster> no
<Appocomaster> There's Pete and Fubra
<Appocomaster> who do all the owning and stuff
<zPeti> :)
<Appocomaster> and Pete does the decision making :p
<Appocomaster> and then myself, Cin, Fiery, Lunar_Lamp, Markb and Kal
<Appocomaster> who are the PA Team, and between us cover game development, server administration, IRC, forums, multihunting and support
<Appocomaster> then there's lower level MH/forum mods / support team / #planetarion ops
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 49): .add <NitbiT> can there be some in-between-rounds (or even all the time) related fun besides PA be created? for example, for new ones, a quiz, or tutorials so they can learn the game.
<Appocomaster> tutorials -> speedgame.planetarion.com - learn through doing!
<Appocomaster> it's on all the time
<Appocomaster> on a 2 day cycle
<Appocomaster> like a really slow washing machine
<Appocomaster> quizzes are great ideas
<zPeti> yeah
<zPeti> I agree
<Appocomaster> I promised someone I'd steal the quiz idea but I haven't found people willing to do it
<Appocomaster> or actually looked that hard recently :)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 50): .say Game yes, we saw it the first time :P we'll get to it
<Appocomaster> gay
<Appocomaster> er
<Appocomaster> *gah
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 51): <Angelus> Who is the current PA Team? There doesn't seem to be an actual list anywhere that I've been able to find (easily).
<Appocomaster> ^^
<Appocomaster> we'll look at making a proper organisation chart once Pete is happy with who he has and what they're doing, I think?
<Appocomaster> do you agree, Pete?
<zPeti> yep
<Appocomaster> Just to clarify an earlier answer btw, free accounts will still exist next round
<Appocomaster> but upgraded accounts will still be present
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 52): <Apu> reading the following.... was that Fubra are "trying" to run a cloud hosting system
<Appocomaster> yes
<Appocomaster> with some degree of success
<Appocomaster> but there's certainly teething issues, which we've hit
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 53): <Game> when you first came here Pete you said that your number 1 priority was creating a facebook app, has any progress been made in terms of design, coding and estimated dates of it being 'ready'?
<Appocomaster> Pete?
<Appocomaster> (btw, my bad: http://www.planetarion.com/misc/pages/staff)
<zPeti> no, I've been concentrating on other issues
<zPeti> appologies if that promise isnt true then
<zPeti> but I think the game needs some more urgent updates
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 54): <Aries> more suggestion than question-but maybe add a US player or two to the mh/pa teams for those with more unusual active hours when most euro's are sleeping
<zPeti> good idea
<zPeti> I believe we have some already though
<zPeti> no?
<zPeti> ok nm
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 55): <elevator> Do you, zPeti, personally have money invested in PA?
<zPeti> no, but I do have ownership in the company now
<zPeti> so that is something to look after and increase in value
<Appocomaster> (to Q54 - we do, Fiery and Monroe being head of Support/MH and deputy head of Support respectively)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 56): <NitbiT> can you create a channel with only current status updates, there is no good communication about when there is a problem (game dodgy, inaccesible or down) and also when the game is down without info ppl are guessing what to come, that's not good.
<zPeti> I have however added my game to the umbrella company, so I guess that's a sort of investment too, Fubra now own some of my game too
<Appocomaster> oh my bad
<zPeti> nm
<zPeti> appoc?
<Appocomaster> er
<Appocomaster> well, this topic and support have the current statues
<Appocomaster> *statuses
<Appocomaster> the best thing to do if in doubt is ask in #support
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 57): <Angelus> If you do bring the bots back, would there be a way of preventing people abusing them? Could you even randomly seed them through the universe but have their score not count towards the gal's actual score?
<Appocomaster> it's easier to keep them in one place, like 1:1
<Appocomaster> I think there's another question on this in a sec
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 58): <Zeb> The in-game ally tools are proving to be more and more useful and chance they will continue to be improved via player feedback?
<Appocomaster> yes, they will, both Cin and I
<Appocomaster> I think the alliance defence is going to get a buffing, and I might look at alliance attack
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 59): <Aries> regarding the "farming" of the 1:1 bots-possibly a ban on the pa team defending them? as it is supposed to be used for new players, when n-scanning the bots, there were a lot of the zik pa team members that were defending against new players who were attacking, and stealing their entire fleets
<Appocomaster> the pa team generally tried to stop those players hitting the bots repeatedly, especially those more experienced members who were after cheap roids
<Appocomaster> whilst I think a few smaller fleets were accidently targetted, most of those who suffered losses were bigger planets hitting at their bash limit for cheap roids
<Appocomaster> 10+ times
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 60): <Kila> Do PA team intend to change the production hiding mechanism at all?
<Appocomaster> not at the moment
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 61): <Considence> Have you considered changing the noobie basher limit to protect the smaller/less active players?
<Appocomaster> it's quite high already, tbh
<Appocomaster> too much higher really causes more stagnation and boredom
<Appocomaster> I'm not sure if that's a good thing?
<Appocomaster> it's a fine line to walk
<Appocomaster> .nqp

<CH_Bot> (Q 62): <Devlin[aw]> can all of the admins perform seppuku and die honorably if we have a 4th rollback this round? :>
<Appocomaster> no :(
<Appocomaster> no one else would want to volunteer for this thankless job
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 63): <MrLobster> Does Angelus have a higher priority on asking questions?
<Appocomaster> no, he just asks more of them
<Appocomaster> and thanks to him, as he's had some good points
<Appocomaster> I need to re-read the log afterwards and come up with some minutes or something :(
<Appocomaster> it's going to be a long long thing
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 64): <hairypalms> will zpeti be on irc on a regular basis? this community is his investment and the first rules in business is to protect ur investment!
<Appocomaster> he's on IRC on a regular basis talking to us
<Appocomaster> Pete, will you hang out here / et c ?
<zPeti> sure, ill start to yeah
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 65): <Zeb> What about creating a site for new members to play on that can be like a free novice zone and then if they like be moved to real universe.. Thoughts?
<zPeti> speedgame?
<zPeti> but that should be made clearer
<Appocomaster> speedgame!
<Appocomaster> yes
<zPeti> so we should do that
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 66): <Angelus> If PA does get integrated into Facebook, will the current login page still exist for us that don't actually have a Facebook account?
<Appocomaster> yes!
<zPeti> yes
<Appocomaster> the same if we finally get our passport system
<Appocomaster> we'll always allow a single point of login
<Appocomaster> for things like phones if nothing else
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 67): <Methedrine> If you notice that a basic game mechanic simply does not work, would you be willed to change it even if a majority of the current playerbase would be upset because of the change?
<Appocomaster> Pete?
<zPeti> I'd have to weigh it up
<zPeti> do I stand to gain more players from the change than what I lose
<zPeti> obviously this is impossible to know
<zPeti> and core players are much more commited to the game
<zPeti> so losing them is not something I want to happen
<zPeti> but I am prepared to make tough decisions if needed
<zPeti> I've never been afraid to make decisions
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 68): <damo8|hockey> what kinda nub doesnt have internet at home?
<zPeti> one who lives 4 yards away from his office
<Appocomaster> wifi!
<zPeti> also, it's actually nice not having internet in the evenings
<zPeti> everyone here should try it :)
<zPeti> a new realm of life opens up
<zPeti> :)
<Appocomaster> pfft :(
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 69): <xarg> how are you planning to alter the game? take it back to some of the earlier and better versions?
<zPeti> what is "better" is the ultimate question
<zPeti> I think weve answered this though
<Appocomaster> ye;
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 70): <Light> Are we ever going to have the 1 permentant signup implemented? so we dont need to constant signup every round? (i.e. it remembers our login)
<Appocomaster> *yes
<Appocomaster> yes, passport system
<Appocomaster> eventually :P
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 71): <Angelus> will the promised (about 10 or 20 rounds ago... back in the beginning of the PAX days) integration between the portal, forums, and the game ever actually occur?
<Appocomaster> ^^
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 72): <Onim> what about promoting this game on the internet again? Perhaps there could be an emphasis on PR if there is so many offers to help PAteam?
<Appocomaster> I don't know what offers Pete has had, excatly
<zPeti> yes, definately something that I will do
<zPeti> before next round too
<Appocomaster> :)
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 73): <Bams> I know you answered both my questions positively, but i was refering to adding new races or new in-game stuff.. so i don't mean facebook and a new portal, but real ingame strategic differences.. and if so; what do you have in mind?
<Appocomaster> not really, we're still considering
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 74): <[lfc]stif> Can there a max gal size? ~10-15 should be plenty
<Appocomaster> not under the current setup
<zPeti> also talking about this, but changing this is less likely
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 75): <Murfdawgg> some people (probably more than some) have been working on the game from their phones; how about drop down menus for anywhere you select coords (ie. messaging, gal page, missions) just an idea maybe to dance with in a beta
<Appocomaster> it's probably easier to type co-ords than select from a dropdown?
<Appocomaster> I'd find that so
<Appocomaster> :/
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 76): <bobbed> will there still be a free option with reduced reserch or will the game be totally ptp
<Appocomaster> free option :) we clarified this a few minutes ago, I think
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 77): <Zvil> Are any new staff/volunteers being involved in Planetarion? I'm sure we appreciate their work, but it feels like the same people have been running the game for a long time with no solutions to the problems. Will any new people be recruited or are we going to have the same situation linger on?
<zPeti> I am thinking about bringing in fresh blood
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 78): <hairypalms> Do you think some kind of develpment diaries would benefit the portal? with atleast one per week to show exactly what is being worked on and what has been done since the take over by renegade?
<Appocomaster> perhaps, though nothing that takes time away from doing the development :)
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 79): <Kenneth> is ANYONE looking at sorting the retardedly big galaxies issue?
<Appocomaster> yes
<Appocomaster> me
<Appocomaster> !
<Appocomaster> I know Pete is aware of it, it's been mentioned around the edges already
<Appocomaster> we have quite a long todo list, if you read through this log
<Appocomaster> so we can't fix everything for next round
<zPeti> yep
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 80): <Anne> What are you looking to do to help build the player base and retain them?
<Appocomaster> use you for advertising :)
<Appocomaster> we need a PA poster girl :p
<zPeti> I have quite a few ideas, you will see them in time :)
<zPeti> but there is a PA poster girl in the works
<Appocomaster> what?!?
<zPeti> the cathaar girl will be nice :)
<Appocomaster> we could have had a competition :(
<Appocomaster> oh
<zPeti> you will know what I mean :)
<Appocomaster> I like the etd girl :p
<zPeti> haha
<zPeti> different taste then :)
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 81): <Gabriel> Are we going to get the vagualy talked about link up between alliances and the game? Instead of just having the dump files and copy/pasting everything else we need? Member's list, def calls etc.
<Appocomaster> this was discussed a bit ago
<Appocomaster> with alliances / dev
<Appocomaster> some sort of API
<Appocomaster> it's not really gone anywhere
<Appocomaster> it's a possibility in the future
<Appocomaster> but we'd like to have ingame tools in palce first
<Appocomaster> *place
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 82): <Devlin[study]> can you rename creators hour to "the people that are currently running pa hour"? this would be more appropriate considering the creators are no longer around :>
<Appocomaster> it doesn't ring off the tongue so much?
<Appocomaster> and everyone knows what CH is :)
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 83): <Light> Any ETA on the forums getting an Arcade? !!
<Appocomaster> no
<Appocomaster> when people stop asking questions! :p
<Appocomaster> and when you send me pics to bribe me :p
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 84): <Methedrine> and for the love of god, if you do another CH, could you PLEASE filter out the irrelevant questions?
<Appocomaster> like this one?
<Appocomaster> we'll try to :)
<Appocomaster> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 85): <May> Will there be a light version for mobilephone-browsers?
<zPeti> haha
<zPeti> in the future
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 86): <Phil^> what do you plan to do, to combat the elitism from members of the community who actively exile and reject new players before given a chance to prove themselves
<zPeti> this is something I am very much onto
<zPeti> and want to solve somehow
<zPeti> but I havn't found an appropriate solution yet
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 87): <ellonweb> Any chance of having some kind of "micro blog" type thing for status updates of the game? Something where PATeam can just spend 30 seconds to write a sentence or two every now and then to keep people informed of the situation when there's down time?
<Appocomaster> similar to dev blogs
<Appocomaster> we can look at it
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 88): <Yeggstry> zPeti are you planning on coming to an ievent at any point to meet your customers? :)
<zPeti> sure, sounds good!
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 89): <Angelus> Please accept my apoligies for all these questions.
<zPeti> the more the better
<zPeti> .nqp
<CH_Bot> (Q 90):
<Appocomaster> that's it!
<zPeti> cool :)
<Appocomaster> sorry, I felt that was a fitting last questio
<Appocomaster> *question
<Appocomaster> there were some other questions
<Appocomaster> I apologise for not answering them
<Appocomaster> we'd be here all night
<zPeti> thanks everyone
<zPeti> for listening
<Appocomaster> thanks for attenting our creators hour and a half
<Appocomaster> we'll have the log up tonight
<Appocomaster> on the portal
<Appocomaster> and tomorrow i'll be writing up a todo list from it
<zPeti> I would just like to ask everyone to bear with me through any future problems
<zPeti> I would like to get this game as reliable and good as possible
<zPeti> but for that I need a bit of understanding sometimes too
<zPeti> and I would also like to ask everyone to be extra nice to new players
<zPeti> everyone please make an effort
<zPeti> to teach others
<zPeti> who are enthusiastic and active
<zPeti> just need help
<zPeti> and may the best win!