A Lifer's Diary, Part 11: An Eight-Player Game?!

A Lifer's Diary, Part 11: An Eight-Player Game?!

Although most versions of The Game of Life support either four or six players per game (the former applying only to Generations IV and V, and the latter applying to all prior versions), some Generation I sets have enough movers for an eight-player game. This led me to ask: Could any other Generations of the Game of Life support that many players at a time? For Generation III, the answer would most definitely be no - it has simply too few Career Cards of either type, nor are there enough Starter Home, House, and Share the Wealth Cards either.. This is not the case from Generation IV onwards, although you'd need two sets (and one board for either of them) to do this. That leaves Generation II, but there are some caveats, which I'll explain below.

For an eight-player game to be possible in Generation II, some concessions would be required; given that only six (or seven in Generation 2.5) Career Cards in this version are selectable without a degree. Thus, at least two players would have to go to college at the start of the game to accommodate this limitation. Even then, if no compatible Career Cards were available, a player who landed on a Lose Your Job space would have to retain their current career out of necessity, although they would still have to choose a new salary as usual.

Moving to an eight-player format would also have other ramifications as well. For one, with that many players present, the draw pile of 21 Life Tiles would be emptied much sooner. Moreover, the combined amount of money earned by all players would be much higher than it would be in a six-player game, making it far more likely that the bank would run out of money, forcing the banker to write down additional notes in various denominations as necessary. In addition to this, every House would eventually be bought except for one, whereas in a six-player game, . Finally, the chance of all nine Stock Cards being taken would be increased even further, thus increasing the possibility of a player unable to earn a Stock Card without taking one from another player (and even then, only through a house rule allowing it).

Last but not least, having eight (or even seven) players instead of six or fewer would greatly prolong the game - I would expect such a game to take at least three hours on average to finish, what with each round of turns being much longer as a result. Given that in Generation II, a game with six players could take that much time to successfully complete, this would be the biggest obstacle (apart from a lack of supplies) to expanding the Game of Life to eight players. In fact, with Generation II sets only having six movers each, you'd need to borrow two movers from a second set to make an eight-player game possible.

So it's probably for the best that no version of the Game of Life has ever supported more than six players. Increasing the player count would not only add expense and complexity for its manufacturer,  but would also run counter to the current trend for shorter, more intimate games involving fewer players. Instead, the current four-player format should be improved even further - which is especially important given that Generation V feels like a step up from Generation IV, according to most players and fans (including myself). These changes have made reversion to a six- or eight- player format unnecessary. So if you're still struggling to accept the fact that the Game Of Life now only has room for four players per set, stop complaining and enjoy the game!

That concludes my last post of 2023 - I'll see you in 2024. Until then, I'll wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 169: Getting a Grip on Things

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 169: Getting a Grip on Things

With the Ellisbury Update now merged with the public release, there have been many major changes in how some trim options are handled. In particular, tires have been overhauled significantly, with semi-slicks (the sportiest tire choice other than race tires) now only being available from 1997 onwards, assuming tire techpool has been set to 0. However, they are still very effective when used in extreme high-performance applications, such as modern track-focused road cars, especially those with very high power outputs. (generally those from the 1990s onward, although it is possible to unlock them as early of 1982 with +15 techpool) . This is because their extremely soft compound gives them more grip, at the expense of reduced drivability and comfort, in addition to being utterly useless off-road (or on snow and ice, for that matter) and wearing out more quickly than a sports tire. Moreover, they are very challenging to drive on in wet or even damp conditions Finally, they not only increase the price of any car to which they have been fitted, but they increase the service costs and fuel consumption significantly, the latter due to their greater rolling resistance.

To demonstrate, I decided to compare the lap times set by my favorite Automation build, the LVC LS60, around the Airfield test track on sports compound and semi-slick tires. It was fast enough on regular sports tires, but on closer inspection, it needed more grip to make the most of its power. After fitting semi-slicks and tuning the suspension to exploit their characteristics, the result was a significant improvement of around 3 seconds. I later found out that swapping from a handmade interior with a luxury CD player to a sports interior and premium CD player, along with downgrading from an advanced safety suite to a standard one, helped matters even further, due to the weight reduction that resulted. Even without these additional changes, however, the increased sportiness more than outweighed the loss of drivability, comfort, fuel economy, and reliability, considering that the LS60 was a flagship hypercar, and not a mass-produced commuter car.

The tire setup, suspension settings, and lap time of the LVC LS60 when fitted with semi-slick tires (above) when compared with those of the same car using regular sports tires (below).

In short, semi-slick tires are highly situational - although they are seldom worth the extra expense on most cars, extreme high-performance and/or track-oriented cars will benefit significantly from having them equipped, especially if a lot of power is involved.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 168: A Year of Ups and Downs

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 168: A Year of Ups and Downs

Happy holidays everyone! I'd like to use this post to reflect on what turned out to be quite a crazy year. The past 12 months have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but through it all, I kept believing in myself, which makes me more optimistic for 2024.

This year started off like any other, as I continued to fulfill my duties as an Automationeer by experimenting with various build types and entering assorted forum competitions. However, sometime in March, I was faced with a few alarming (but thankfully short-lived) health scares - at one point I had brief (but unpleasant) bout of vertigo, which was cured in short order, much to my relief. Not long after this, I started suffering from insomnia - and once again I took the necessary action to deal with it. It did not take me long to return to full strength again, and I have generally been my usual self ever since, but I learned a key lesson from these ordeals: Sometimes, the most important life you can save is your own, because even though your life is finite, it's still long enough to be worth living to the fullest.

In addition to this, throughout August and September, I also went on vacation three times in total (first to Japan, then to Bali, and finally to South Korea) and hence away from my PC, but to be fair, my parents also had to attend several work-related events during this time, so I had no choice but to accompany them. During this time, I could not contribute as much to the Automation community as I had hoped for, but on the other hand, it gave me ample time to relax, unwind, and de-stress, before resuming work shortly after returning home.

That covers the low points of 2023, but what about the highs? Well, there was no shortage of them, and I remained as dedicated to Automation as I had been the previous year, if not more so. I kept experimenting with a multitude of trim, engine, and body combinations, to see what the game allowed me to do. I still entered forum challenges from time to time (although I did better in some of these than others), but eventually I became ever so slightly frustrated with the limitations of the 4.2 version that had been in use for over a year.

So it was with great anticipation that I downloaded the open beta of the 4.3 version of Automation in September, for although I would have to rework my previous builds to account for the changes that it brought, the update added a lot of new content and features, thereby improving the overall experience. It took eight patches, but finally it's become the new public release. In short, it's the best Christmas gift any Automationeer could ever receive!

Beyond Automation, I have also used this blog to explore the similarities the Infinite Space trilogy (especially the third game, Sea of Stars) has with BattleTech. The results were eye-opening, to say the least, and made me appreciate the subtleties of both games' movement rules, combat systems, equipment, and unit roles, among others. Moreover, I have also managed to dive deeper into the secrets of Hasbro's Game of Life, explaining further why some of the changes made to it over the years have not been as well-received by some players as they were by others.

Finally, I'll conclude this post on an optimistic note: the next blog post in this series will deal with an unexpected Christmas surprise gift in the form of new advice on tire types, and after that, I'll create another series of posts - one related to a game that's I haven't played at all until a few months, despite having been on sale for a few years now. Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year to all!

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 167: One More Patch... Followed by Another

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 167: One More Patch... Followed by Another

After yet another patch, the current open beta build of Automation is now more polished than ever. In addition to some welcome bugfixes, there have been a whole host of tweaks and balancing changes intended to make the game more realistic and engaging than before. As far as I know, these have largely been beneficial to the game as a whole, especially since the gearing tab now shows total ratio and torque limits in addition to drivability, sportiness, and reliability multipliers - and at all times to boot.

More significantly, sandbox mode allows you to install race tires of various types, with each compound being tailored to a specific situation. However, all of these are more expensive than any other tire type. To balance this out, the default unlock year for semi-slick tires (a halfway house between a sports tire and a race tire) has been pushed back to 1997, assuming a tire/wheel techpool value of 0 is in use. The upshot is that we are finally able to create actual race cars without the limitations of street-legal rubber.

One side-effect of this patch is that all of the cars we made in prior versions are now in need of significant revision - and not for the first time since the open beta was first released. Indeed, for some of my favorite builds, I have done just that, in keeping with my longstanding practice of updating or remaking older builds to ensure their viability in later versions. This is particularly important for anything intended for a forum challenge - what was once eligible before the patch will either no longer be viewed as such, or be far less competitive.

Thankfully, I have been quite diligent with my inspection of all my challenge builds, ensuring that they remain compliant with their respective rule sets, while also retaining their competitiveness. I advise you to do the same with yours, if you have any. There may be further patches planned for when the 4.3 build of Automation becomes the new stable public release - watch this space.

Update (December 15 2023): The 4.3 open beta build of Automation is now on its sixth patch, and calculations for all techpool cost allocations have been revised, with total costs for engine and trim techpool totals now being calculated separately. Unfortunately, this has rendered all techpool values uneditable, although on the upside, engine and trim techpool are now calculated separately. Moreover, all of my builds have had their stats changed, and I have once again been forced to rework some of my cars to compensate. However, I have generally been successful in this regard.

Update #2 (December 16 2023): Techpool values are now editable freely once again, but there have been no stat changes as a result of the seventh open beta patch. This is a huge relief for everyone, given that adjusting techpool values for every individual car made in sandbox mode has been an integral part of Automation ever since the feature was implemented a little over a year ago.

Update #3 (December 21 2023): The open beta branch has finally been merged with the public release - and I am eternally grateful for this. I have been craving that extra bit of realism and attention to detail the new game build has brought us, and I finally got my wish. In fact, this new version is the Christmas gift I have been waiting for.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 166: Return to Letara

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 166: Return to Letara

With the recent introduction of the fourth update to the 4.3 version of Automation (which is now in its open beta phase), the long-running Letaran History Challenge has emerged from hibernation, and is now in its fifth round. The timeframe for this one spans the years from 1985 to 1995 inclusive, and in contrast to previous rounds, the techpool allocation was far more generous. Seeking to exploit it, I chose to be brave, and submit a high-priced, mid-engined car for the first time in the LHC - or rather, two trims of one (a road car intended for sale to the general public, and a race car for use in an annual production-based racing event). After some deliberation, I came up with the Wolfram Warhawk - a mid-engined, rear-drive supercar powered by a 5.0-liter all-alloy V12 developing 430 horsepower in the base model, and 450 (the maximum allowed by the regulations) in the race car.

Above and below: The 1989 Wolfram Warlord GT (tan interior) and its racing counterpart, the GTR (red on black interior). The latter is distinguished by its lower curb weight, slightly higher output, and improved aerodynamics, in addition to having more extreme track-focused suspension tuning as standard equipment.

Admittedly, there were other possibilities for the current round of the LHC, but the mid-engined flagship route was the most tempting. It may have been due to the fact that, after testing all the possibilities, it would have been the fastest around a track when configured correctly - and indeed it was.

Above and below: The interiors of the Wolfram Warlord GT (above) and GTR (below), with the former's plush, luxurious and opulent ambiance serving as a stark contrast to the latter's racier,  more spartan and businesslike feel.

But this isn't the end of the story - far from it, in fact, since there will be a few more rounds of the LHC after this one. In the meantime, happy Automationeering!

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 165: Remaking Old Builds

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 165: Remaking Old Builds

The Ellisbury Update to Automation is currently in its open beta phase, and has since been updated four times so far. The upshot is that most (all?) builds made in the preceding game version (which the current stable release still uses) must now be reworked (or remade from the ground up, if the body set they were based on was deprecated in, and hence removed from, the open beta), and although this takes time and patience, the result will be far more realistic than it was in the stable release (and better-looking, to boot, especially when using one of the new body sets introduced in the open beta). I have done this several times so far, as much out of necessity as curiosity.

One such build was the LVC LF2, which I had made a few months earlier in the older, stable 4.2 build. However, with this car, I decided to clone the car and its engine, as well as shifting the model, trim, engine family, two years forward (from 1987 to 1989). With a more sensible techpool distribution (specifically, a maximum total techpool + lab cost of $80 million, as shown in the techpool menu), minor trim and mechanical adjustments, and a few slight aesthetic changes, the car (now renamed LF2R) now looks and feels better than it's ever been. Some of the changes I made for the 4.3 version of this build include a switch to an aluminum/silicon engine block, treated steel outer panels, a 1-inch increase in wheel diameter, and having anti-lock brakes as standard equipment.

Above and below: The LVC LF2 after being revised for the Ellisbury Update in Automation, now renamed the LF2R.

Prior to this, I also chose to revisit two more of my favorite builds from 4.2: the LVC LS60 (a recent pet project of mine) and the AMS Archangel (originally an early 4.2 build I reworked multiple times, and remade in greater detail for 4.3). Most of the changes made to the LS60 involved its mechanicals, but I also made a few aesthetic tweaks to its exterior and interior. Speaking of which, the Archangel finally received one, after well over a year lying fallow as other builds took priority. It also got a once-over engineering-wise, and when all was said and done, it was a real rival to the LS60. In addition, both cars were now listed as 1995 models, essentially making them direct successors to their wedge-shaped ancestors (the LS50 and Archangel Mk1 respectively).

Above and below: Reworking the LVC LS60 (blue) and AMS Archangel (red) for 4.3 involved quite a lot of work (especially when adding a fully detailed interior for the latter), but it was worth it in the end.

There are so many examples of old pre-4.3 builds that I have already reworked (or am considering revisiting with intent to update them) since the introduction of the open beta build that listing them all on this post would be impractical, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that I have been mightily impressed with the results every single time.

Update (December 14 2023): With the release of the sixth patch for the 4.3 open beta build of Automation, I have had to update my builds yet again, and the LF2R was no exception - in addition to having its engine mounted further forward, it now has smaller, narrower wheels and tires, along with retuned suspension, to reduce unwanted oversteer. This is what it looks like now:

Above and below: The LF2R after the sixth update to the Automation open beta build. It now has smaller, narrower wheels and tires, among other changes, for a reduced tendency to oversteer.

In addition to this, I have also updated the LS60 and Archangel, among other builds, to account for the changes brought on by this latest update - hopefully there won't be any problems with them this time around.