Gaming The Price of Jupiter's Folly

Does the sequel to the highly addictive Neptune's Pride provide the same fix?

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2011/10/13/the-price-of-jupiter-s-folly/1

 

Neptune's Pride. God damnit. Sitting by the PC at 4am with a pot of coffee and bloodshot eyes, not making any moves in the game, feigning inactivity, waiting for an adversary on the other side of the Atlantic to make his move from a different time zone. When he did, when the fleets moved out en masse and he sent his apologetic message, indicating his betrayal, he could not have known I was awake, watching, until I sent him a message back after his ships were locked on course. "Gotcha." And lo were his fleets destroyed, and there was much rejoicing.

I never, ever, ever, want to play that game or anything like it again. Indeed if I thought I was going to, I'd have myself sectioned. Verily. It created a monster.

 

Stop it. You're making me want to go back even more.

You may hate what it did to you in retrospect, but weren't the highs higher than any other game you've played?

 

Not really, because the victory was tainted with the realisation that the game was won by alliances, cold hard maths, and the simple fact that I had more time to kill. Puts me to mind of the early days of Pirates of the Burning Sea, when I and a bunch of similarly ragtag players of the Spanish nation pulled marathon stints defending ports from hordes of British faction players, many of whom were simply in the USA, so we couldn't match them at all hours.

All things considered, I think gaming is healthiest when it is conducted within a clearly defined time frame. Otherwise it can mess you up.

 

I tried Neptune's Pride for about three days. On the third day I found myself worrying about it during sex.

That's when I knew it wasn't for me. I quit that night and have never gone back. Keep this evil away from me!

 

It's when I read stuff like this that I wonder just how seriously some of you take your games. I mean, I enjoy gaming, sure - but worrying about a game during activities of that nature?

 

Have they done a single player neptunes pride yet, hell i would pay for one!

 

You, my man, have clearly never played NP!

 

I did not need to know that, Ben.

 

Oh god I remember the forum game, don't need that kind of stress again!

 

So how is the celibacy going?

;p

 

So ungrateful. Some poor woman/man has decided to have real sex with you...like you see in porno's an ting...and you think about a game! Shame on you - think of all the poor nerds out their not getting any action - but don't think about them during sex!

...or maybe it was an anti-climax measure...if so well played.

 

Had a go but seems to over complicated and time consuming. I much prefer vortex wars.

 

Let me re-phrase, it was more I was being propositioned but found myself thinking "hang on, I just need to check if anyone's launched an attack..." It wasn't actually during the physical act or anything.

And to Joe: Given what I've seen of you over the years, you really can't complain!

 

This doesn't make it any better!

 

doesn't look as good as Neptune's pride - in which I've played 5 and won 5 now

 

Not played us then have you?

 

I agree about the victory system (I was Troy Redshirt in the game). My biggest problem is, unlike in NP, there's no way to reduce what your opponent has already mined.

A better solution would be to increase the cost of harvesting minerals, but have mines store more of them. That way, if you're being attacked there would actually be a real danger you'd lose victory points as you mines were captured. Which would stop anyone getting so far ahead they were essentially unstoppable.