Planets: Classic is very different from Standard or League play. Some of us like it; some prefer the New Standard Queue system. Your own mileage may vary.
But if you’re going to play Classic — and so many people do, especially new players who don’t yet know the difference — there are a few ideas you need to understand.
Continue readingWe now have three different queue systems where this topic is applicable, and the thought of jamming the Queue is becoming more and more confusing. What’s getting stranger even than that is the curious circumstances of the newest Queue (if you keep track of them as they go by), in that it can sometimes be a greater advantage to keep it flowing smoothly at one time, then paused, then flowing again; or, if you have several bases all ready to build at once, you might well prefer a one-time massive construction surge.
When the revised queue system was first released as an alternative to the Classic ship build process, it met with some opposition. Today, it is being systematically replaced by the new Planetary Production Queue with its random build options.
And yet, at least in my opinion, the original objections have yet to receive even a satisfactory hearing, and they certainly haven’t been addressed. Sure, anyone who objects to the new system can go back to play Classic if they want — but that’s no answer; some of the advances since 1991 haven’t been all bad. And it’s no use saying you can pick and choose in Custom games unless you and ten of your closest friends all agree on exactly which new options you like.
So let’s take a moment and review one example: the Hull Penalty.
Continue readingNOTE: PPQ is an experimental system, still in development. Joshua has mentioned that he’s not satisfied with some aspects of it and intends to make a few changes. So this should not be considered an authoritative guide, but rather a collection of logistics tactics and stratagems that anyone can read and use. That way, we’re all facing what could otherwise be an intimidating innovation on a relatively equal footing. That’s the intent, anyway. -G
Well, it’s official: We’re using the New Nu Queue in League games as well as in some private ones, and a lot of you will have run into it by now. That doesn’t mean, however, that everyone will be equally familiar with how it works and how best to take advantage.
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