Pokemon: Zero Alliance event!

[Amethyst]

Some of you might remember when Nations had its first rocky start, I mentioned I would be taking over that project. Obviously that didn't happen, but why let the ideas I had for it go to waste? Since Nations has been running well enough for a while, it's time to introduce my... slightly more cut-throat... spin-off: the Pokemon: Zero Alliance game.

As before, each player will join a group, this time known as an Alliance. Each Alliance will own certain types, and players will be restricted to using only the types within their own alliance. But...

The goal of Pokemon: Zero Alliance is to eliminate all other alliances by taking control of their types.

Many of you might be familiar with the concept of the 'zero-sum game' but for those of you who aren't, the idea is that it's a game in which however much you win, you also cause others to lose in the same amount. Victory for your Alliance implies the defeat of another. If you want to win, you'd better be prepared to crush your opponents underfoot.

This is done by acquiring game pieces called Zero Cores. Zero Cores will be purchasable from the Site Shop in limited quantities, but once they're all in circulation, you'll have to forcibly take them from your opponents.

Each PZA battle should have a wager on it. I encourage players to declare these wagers at the start of each battle. Typically this wager will probably be a Zero Core for a Zero Core; the loser surrenders theirs. I wonder if somebody could be convinced to accept other bets too?

A set amount of time after all Cores are in circulation, we'll have a full count of the total number of cores under each Alliance. At that time, the types will be reset and an auction will be held using Cores as the currency. In other words, the more Cores your nation collects, the more leverage you have to gain types.

And if, for some reason, your Alliance doesn't have enough Cores to secure any types... then that Alliance is out. Game over.

There are two additional key points:

The first is that when someone makes a PZA challenge, the person who is being challenged has the right to set the rules of the match. That means clauses, tiers, battle format, etc. If someone who you don't think you can beat challenges you, try to get creative! Or pick CC and just get lucky?

The other point is that unlike Nations, all players are allowed to freely leave and join any Alliance. You can pick your team! Isn't that wonderful? But-- uh oh... what if someone betrays your Alliance and carries your hard-earned Cores off to an enemy? That would be simply tragic... I wonder, who can you really trust?

I'll be posting some more detailed rules shortly, but in the mean time feel free to ask any questions you have about the event here.

Check out the Zero Alliance subforum for more details: http://www.pokemonreborn.com/forum/index.php?showforum=49

~ B. Guardian

[Shadow Tack]

dayum, this looks fun

[Void]

sounds powerful, looking forward :]

[Joker]

I'm in too. This is a really awesome idea.

[Sheep]

I've read through this a few times now in an attempt to wrap my head around how it works.

Is the auction an event that is repeated as many times as is required to eliminate all but one team? Who's in control of the types when the auction starts and where do the cores spent there go?

Will there be a system in place to stop everyone abandoning an alliance on its deathbed?

How does the distribution of zero cores inside an alliance work? Surely you can't just join an alliance and instantly come into possession of all of their cores?

Is there structure within any given alliance? Is there a leader?

What if one of the 6 alliances doesn't have a single member when the game starts?

[Amethyst]

Fantastic questions. I'll go in order.

Is the auction an event that is repeated as many times as is required to eliminate all but one team? Who's in control of the types when the auction starts and where do the cores spent there go?

Correct- it will happen every week until there is a winning Alliance.

Once the auction starts, types are reset, so technically nobody owns them at that point.

Also, calling it an auction is sliiightly misleading because the alliances actually keep the cores even after the auction! They're only 'spent' as theoretical currency for the auction. So say there are 17 cores in an Alliance total, it basically means they get 17 points to use there. The Cores themselves don't go anywhere.

Will there be a system in place to stop everyone abandoning an alliance on its deathbed?

Nope. That might happen, too. I suppose it's up to whoever wants to cling to that alliance to rally the troops.

How does the distribution of zero cores inside an alliance work? Surely you can't just join an alliance and instantly come into possession of all of their cores?

I'm a little confused by this one, but if you join an alliance then you would probably have to start by proving yourself to the existing core-holders in that alliance in order to be entrusted with one. Or you could just try and convince a different nation to bet or give you a core for something else... Who knows?

Is there structure within any given alliance? Is there a leader?

That's completely up to the members of the alliance themselves. By the way, there's a subforum in Indigo Plateau for PZA, and anyone can make a topic there, so if people want to make a topic for their Alliance, go for it.

What if one of the 6 alliances doesn't have a single member when the game starts?

That alliance will bid by default as described in the rule-book for the first Auction. If it still has no members by the second auction then it would probably lose by default due to having no cores.

[Antares]

So Ame, for starters the concept sounds pretty motherf-ing cool, also I have a few questions about this.

• How will you format this game? Will you use PO, another game engine, or something of your own creation
• Doesn't this sound like Pokemon Conquest spun a different way?
• How long would matches run for?
• Will this be like a Clash of Clans game in terms of managing resources (other than Cores) to overcome an opponent?

Look foward to this idea becoming real. Peace.

[Amethyst]

So Ame, for starters the concept sounds pretty motherf-ing cool, also I have a few questions about this.

• How will you format this game? Will you use PO, another game engine, or something of your own creation
• Doesn't this sound like Pokemon Conquest spun a different way?
• How long would matches run for?
• Will this be like a Clash of Clans game in terms of managing resources (other than Cores) to overcome an opponent?

Look foward to this idea becoming real. Peace.

Battles will generally be conducted on our PO server. However, if players agree and want to use Showdown or something else with veritable proof of battle, then that's fine.

It is pretty similar to Conquest. In fact when it was a reboot of Nations I was just going to call it Nations Conquest. But that's lame, and since Nations is its own thing, that would be weird.

If by matches you mean individual battles, that's as long as any battle does... If you mean the game as a whole, it runs as long as it takes any single alliance to acquire all 18 types.

I'm not familiar with Clash of Clans, sorry, so I don't quite know what you mean. But there are a few types of arguable resources here: alliance members, types, and cores. Treat them as you will.

Oh, and as was mentioned in a less visible thread, the initial auction for this game will begin on 10/12 at 7 PM EST.

[Felicity]

You weren't kidding when you said Cut throat.

So, a problem was had with nations beginning was the mass amounts of Randoms who signed up with no intention of participating. Will there be some sort of Verification process so the game doesn't get clogged?

[Amethyst]

There's no verification. In fact all you have to do to join an alliance is set it on your profile. You can already do that, too!

However, as described in the rulebook there are systems in place that prevent randoms from ruining the game. For instance if a new user joins, acquires a core, and then disappears for ever, that core will be reabsorbed into the site shop after a couple weeks. Can you think of anything else that might be a problem with those kinds of users?

[Felicity]

There's no verification. In fact all you have to do to join an alliance is set it on your profile. You can already do that, too!

However, as described in the rulebook there are systems in place that prevent randoms from ruining the game. For instance if a new user joins, acquires a core, and then disappears for ever, that core will be reabsorbed into the site shop after a couple weeks. Can you think of anything else that might be a problem with those kinds of users?

Nothing that couldn't be sorted by the Alliance members themselves with decent organisation. Another thing, it says in the rulebook that the types will be randomly sorted for the auction. I assume this means price. I have 2 questions about this, Is there a possibility of buying a type for 1 core, provided no one interferes (Not that thay wouldn't) and is it lke an actual auction where you can up the price to buy the type?

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Can somebody just be a core holder? I might not really have time to battle, but I kinda want to mess around in this, I got the rupees to put down on cores. ((basically I am asking is it possible to be somebody that holds cores, and gives them out to people on the team that need them.))

[Amethyst]

Nothing that couldn't be sorted by the Alliance members themselves with decent organisation. Another thing, it says in the rulebook that the types will be randomly sorted for the auction. I assume this means price. I have 2 questions about this, Is there a possibility of buying a type for 1 core, provided no one interferes (Not that thay wouldn't) and is it lke an actual auction where you can up the price to buy the type?

What I mean by randomly sorted is, the types will be offered in a random order. So the type list will be put through a randomizer and whatever's at the top of the list will be bid on first, and so on.

It's certainly possible for a type to be bought for 1 core if no one else bids on it.

And it is much like an auction in that, yes, Alliances can try to out-do each others' bids by upping their own.

Can somebody just be a core holder? I might not really have time to battle, but I kinda want to mess around in this, I got the rupees to put down on cores. ((basically I am asking is it possible to be somebody that holds cores, and gives them out to people on the team that need them.))

Sure, if that's something your Alliance is comfortable with.

[Sheep]

Once the auction starts, types are reset, so technically nobody owns them at that point.

So who is responsible for keeping order in the auction? Who puts the cores up for offer?

I'm a little confused by this one, but if you join an alliance then you would probably have to start by proving yourself to the existing core-holders in that alliance in order to be entrusted with one. Or you could just try and convince a different nation to bet or give you a core for something else... Who knows?

I understand how this works now.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

I will be the Core Broker for a certain alliance if anybody will have me then. I guess just PM me lol

[Amethyst]

So who is responsible for keeping order in the auction? Who puts the cores up for offer?

Whoever's running the auction should be 'keeping order'. For the first part, that's probably going to be me, but down the road, once I have a solid feel for how it goes and what challenges might arise I can potentially delegate that to another staff.

As for the other questions I'm... not sure what you're going for; the cores themselves aren't up for auction, the types are. And I'd be doing that as well. So I drop them in the randomizer and say grass comes up first. I'm basically going to ask for any bids on the grass type.

Each Alliance will have points equal to however many cores they have, so then they'll be spending those points/cores there. Is that clearer?

[Jaromir]

Oh? Another one of Reborn Forums team challenges?

It looks really intresting. I'll be looking forward to it.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Jaromir

[Sheep]

Who puts the cores up for offer?

cores

I meant types. Why did I write cores? But regardless, I think you've answered that satisfactorily already.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Hoisted on your own Picard there Sheep?

[Felicity]

I will be the Core Broker for a certain alliance if anybody will have me then. I guess just PM me lol

I'm sorry Huk, but that sounds downright stupid, no matter how much someone trusts you. "Gimme all yer cores!" *Sneaks away into the night*

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

I didn't say to give them all to me, and besides, I believe in honour, so uh totes wouldn't do that, unless I had a really really good reason for it.

Like if they gave me all the cores......I would have to desert on principle that they let me do that, because if you are dumb enough to give someone the power to destroy your nation in one fell swoop that is asking them oh so kindly to end them, and I would be happy to oblige. You never put your all cores in one basket. But if you don't do that, you aren't asking me that question, or daring me to do so, so I have no reason to abandon ship.

[Meruem]

so freaking hyped for this

Edited October 6, 2014 by MMM

[TurboAura]

Hmm... this sounds VERY interesting. I'll atleast SEE if I can get involved, life and all those distractions. *Sigh* Lets just hope I can get some control over my schedule, atleast for weekdays.

[Notus]

Uhmn, I better not... irl and all...

Aaah screw it. This is looking too good to pass up.

[Chevaleresse]

Where do I sign up?