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1

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Features Thread

« on: April 15, 2015, 01:09:34 am »

Two suggestions:

Have an extensive private beta with lots of folks from these boards, and don't release it until it is feature parity with the existing online system. Especially with how badly the original Goko rolled out, profitable Online Dominion probably really can't survive another botched launch.

Keep the existing Online Dominion up even after the new one is released. Let players "vote with their feet" to move over to the new system once they think it is better. If nobody is moving, then the new implementation isn't ready yet. Shutting down the current one prematurely would likely annoy current customers, and it is the current customers that are going to help spread the word of a new mobile release.

2

Dominion League / Re: Standings & Results

« on: August 16, 2014, 02:55:54 pm »

C1: Popsofctown - Slyfox 3.5-2.5

3

Dominion Isotropic / DougZ wasn't generous just to us

« on: August 11, 2014, 12:25:36 am »

Not really so Dominion related, but I thought those of us that are fans of DougZ (and, really, who isn't?) might want to see this news article that shows DougZ's generosity extends beyond just the awesomeness that was Isotropic:

"Google engineer, Michigan State graduate donates $2 million for computer science professorship"
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/08/msu_computer_science_gift.html

4

Dominion League / Re: Standings & Results

« on: August 05, 2014, 02:56:19 am »

C1: Slyfox vs Alan Malloy: 3-3

5

Dominion League / Re: Signups Season 1

« on: April 13, 2014, 11:59:39 pm »

Slyfox, GMT-5

6

Goko Dominion Online / Re: An attempt to determine what kind of behavior is badmanner and what isn't

« on: January 19, 2014, 02:24:57 am »

Did anyone else playing little-league baseball (or similar sports) in which after the game the two teams lined up and then walked by each player saying "good game" to each as you sort of hand slapped or hand shake each player on the other team?  To me, that is what saying "gg" is.  A sort of ritualistic hand shake after the game is over.

7

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Please Do Not Say "GG" Before the Game Is Actually, Literally Over

« on: October 07, 2013, 02:21:38 am »

I understand, but I also can see people being annoyed by having to think a lot on what to discard to Militia, only to realize afterwards that you are buying the last Province.

The trick here is that I would never trust a person that said "gg" that they actually really were going to win.  So, I would still think hard about what to discard to Militia, just in case it was a psych-out or a mistake on the other player's account.

8

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Please Do Not Say "GG" Before the Game Is Actually, Literally Over

« on: October 05, 2013, 03:52:29 am »

I don't find it annoying so much when the losing player says "gg".  But I find it super-annoying when my opponent is in the lead and they say "gg".  Sort of a cocky, "I'm going to win this one". 

I also recently had someone say to me "easy win" after winning a Grand Market/Peddler board, which is just ripe for one player to pull ahead and crush the other player.

9

GokoDom / Re: GokoDom II: Round 6 *RESULTS ONLY*

« on: September 22, 2013, 11:57:21 am »

Slyfox defeats DG  (3-0)

http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130922/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1379863247762.txt
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130922/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1379864172357.txt
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130922/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1379864858538.txt

10

GokoDom / Re: GokoDom II: Round 4 Discussion Thread

« on: September 05, 2013, 01:29:13 pm »

Slyfox and StrongRhino tie 3-3

#1: Slyfox 39 - StrongRhino 25
Key cards: Ghost Ship, Embassy, Fortress
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130905/log.512fe24ce4b08cb66ebe7d7f.1378392290783.txt

A 5/2 start allows me to buy Ghost Ship/Candlestick Maker.  I pick up two other Ghost Ships, trash down with Spice Merchant, and win the Province split 5/3.

---

#2: StrongRhino 36 - Slyfox 32
Key cards: Quarry, Stonemason, Caravan, Catacombs
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130905/log.512fe24ce4b08cb66ebe7d7f.1378392848690.txt

I try to be (too) clever with Quarry/Stonemason to pick up lots of actions on the cheap, but there isn't really an engine to be made, so I end up with six Caravans (as the cost of three Stonemasons in my deck), which doesn't really help me much.  My opponent plays double-Catacombs terminal draw, and I end up losing by 4 points. 

---

#3: StrongRhino 30 - Slyfox 21
Key cards: Young Witch (Loan as Bane), Cartographer, Menagerie, Scheme
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130905/log.512fe24ce4b08cb66ebe7d7f.1378393727493.txt

A Young Witch board with Loan as Bane.  I opt for Scheme+Young Witch, but his first-turn Loan buy blocks my Young Witch three times (while also trashing down his deck), so even though we both have just one Young Witch, I lose the curse split 7/3, resulting in a solid victory for StrongRhino.

---

#4: Slyfox 45 - StrongRhino 30
Key cards: Highway, Quarry, Squire, Worker's Village, Smugglers
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130905/log.512fe24ce4b08cb66ebe7d7f.1378394393390.txt

A Highway+Quarry board with lots of +buy but no trashing.  A 5/2 opening allows me to win the Highway split 7/3, but StrongRhino's buy of Merchant Guild on Turn 3 (instead of a Highway) contributed to that.  I exploit the Highway/Smuggler synergy to smuggle the final Province to end the game.

---

#5: Slyfox 39 - StrongRhino 28
Key cards: Wharf, Chapel, Fishing Village, Remodel
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130905/log.512fe24ce4b08cb66ebe7d7f.1378395507799.txt

A Wharf/Fishing Village game with Chapel, too.  After my opponent gets a 5/2 split to open Chapel/Wharf, I am not too optimistic.  My opponent chooses playing Wharf over Chapel when they collide on turn 4 so I'm able to thin down my deck faster.  We split Wharfs 5/5, but my 7 Fishing Villages provide more economy (one of which I later Remodel).  I get a lucky draw when I purchase a Remodel on Turn 9, and draw it immediately on the next turn with a Chapel, allowing me to remodel the now-not-needed Chapel into a FV.  StrongRhino buys two Provinces on turn 13 to take the lead.  I'm able to buy two Provinces in turn 14 and 15, plus remodel a FV->Duchy to take a 14 point lead with one Province left in the supply.  Although I still won in the end, I actually mis-played here, as I should have instead Remodeled a Province instead of the FV so I could Province->Province Remodel to end the game.

---

#6: StrongRhino 38 - Slyfox 25
Key cards: Bank, Catacombs, Embassy, Stables, Market
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130905/log.512fe24ce4b08cb66ebe7d7f.1378395917163.txt

With Bank and Stables on the board, I get too cute and try for some big draw to pump up Bank for some big turns.  I trash out my estates with Develop, purchase a Market for +buys, but my opponents's superior Embassy/Bank big money strategy leads to Province buys in turns 7, 9, and 12, and my opponent thus out races me for a solid victory.

End result: 3-3 Tie

Comments/suggestions welcome.

11

GokoDom / Re: GokoDom II: Round 3 Results *ONLY*

« on: September 01, 2013, 04:29:51 pm »

scott pilgrim defeats Slyfox 3-1

http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130828/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377742476682.txt
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130828/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377743243416.txt
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130828/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377744138598.txt
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130828/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377744933789.txt

12

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Goko: End of Summer Sale

« on: August 26, 2013, 10:25:15 pm »

Goko friends!  We're celebrating a great Summer and the beginning of an even better Fall. We're giving an extra Dominion Expansion (for free!) to anyone that orders $20 or more of Dominion Expansions in the next 48 hours. If buying $20 of expansions means you've got them all, then we'll give you Promo Cards, Adventure Finales, or Zaps instead!

Does anyone else think this might be some sort of "end of the quarter" scramble to up their numbers in terms of paying customers, perhaps as part of calculating a valuation for another round of VC funding?  To me, it doesn't seem like a promotion that was well thought out (then again, it is Goko), so it seems more like a desperate attempt to put up some big numbers.   Overall, I think such a sale is likely a bad sign for the overall health and viability of Goko as a company.  Of course, I may be reading too much into it...

13

GokoDom / Re: GokoDom II: Round 2 Discussion Thread

« on: August 25, 2013, 11:45:50 pm »

zaubererer defeates Slyfox 3-1.

*Game 1: zaubererer 28, Slyfox 25
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130825/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377444182807.txt
Key cards: Marauder, Remake, Laboratory, Shelters

Close game, but zaubererer's five Laboratories help propel him to the win. I bought two copies of Remake, hoping to trash down more quickly, but they collided twice (and perhaps I should have trashed the Remake into a Laboratory one of those times, but did not).  And Remake isn't so good at trashing Shelters.

*Game 2: Slyfox 42, zaubererer 28
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130825/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377444942813.txt
Key cards: Ambassador, Tunnel, Inn

I bought an Inn with my 5/2 opening, and then Ambasssadors in both turns 3 and 4.  zaubererer picks up one Amassador and not until turn 5.  Inn/Tunnel gives me 10 Gold (out of 27 cards) in my deck by the end to win the Province split 6/2.

*Game 3: zaubererer 30, Slyfox 20
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130825/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377446262232.txt
Key cards: Witch, Scrying Pool, Procession, Haven

I make the bone-headed mistake to go after Scrying Pool in a game with Witch and no good cantrip action or village.  I have no idea what I was thinking.  Procession was the only way to get +actions, and I didn't pick one up until too late.  I got the engine running at the end, but it was too little, far too late.

*Game 4: zaubererer 47, Slyfox 30
http://dom.retrobox.eu/?/20130825/log.50627ce1a2e66a82a6ae24ef.1377446923813.txt
Key cards: Apprentice, Tunnel, Horse Traders

I saw the Horse Trader + Tunnel combo, but I didn't immediately appreciate the synergy of Apprentice + Tunnel, allowing Apprentice to trash Golds for massive draw, and Horse Traders to discard the Tunnels each turn.  Horse Traders also added the +buy and made it easy to hit $5 early.  I made a critical mistake by opening Trading Post (rather than Apprentice) on my 5/2 opening.  And then the Trading Post and my Horse Traders collided on turn 6 and 8.  zaubererer grabbed a Horse Trader, a bunch of Apprentices, and a few Tunnels for an easy win.

----

Overall: one close game that I lost as second player, one solid win, and two games in which I simply got out-played by zaubererer.  I made some key strategic mistakes (comments and suggestions welcome!), so overall I was pretty unhappy with my play, but I look forward to the next round.

14

Dominion General Discussion / Re: WW's Power Rankings

« on: August 24, 2013, 01:42:14 pm »

I would volunteer to run it, but I don't know much about statistics so I would only be able to order them all and that would be it...

As non-statistical alternative, how about running it more like an election using "instant-runoff voting".  The basic idea is that every voter makes a ranked list.  To select the highest ranked card, the algorithm looks at everyone's highest ranked card, if there is no majority, then it eliminates the card with the least first-place votes from all the lists.  Repeat until some card has a majority vote.  That is the top ranked card.  Next, remove that card from all the lists, and start at the beginning (with the origin lists minus the already-ranked cards).

This method is one way to combine many ranked lists without using averaging or statistics.  It needs to be automated, of course, but there are some programs that implement it.  Heck, I'd be willing to write up a script to do the processing if I was given all the input files in a consistent format. 

In fact, it might be fun to apply this to the Qvist's raw input data and see if the above instant-runoff voting results in a ranking with any interesting differences from what the statistical approach generated.

(Of course, this doesn't solve the problem of the overwhelming task to try to create a full rank of all the cards.)

15

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Does this mean anything (good) for us?

« on: August 15, 2013, 03:39:03 pm »

The same site posted a followup article in which they interview the new Goko CEO.  Not a whole lot of  information there over the first article, but one tidbit is that an iOS version of Goko Dominion is supposed to ship next month.

http://pockettactics.com/2013/08/13/visions-of-a-new-dominion-an-hour-with-gokos-new-ceo-kate-connally/

16

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Isotropish Leaderboard (alternative to Goko Pro)

« on: August 12, 2013, 11:12:52 pm »

Maybe I should just switch to Isotropic's exact algorithm and be done with it.

Yes, please.

17

Tournaments and Events / Re: International Dominion Team World Cup

« on: July 27, 2013, 12:04:55 am »

I'd be interested in playing for Team USA.  It sounds like several of the top players aren't from the US, so I guess it depends on how deep in the rankings one needs to go to find the requisite number of players from the US. (I just broke the top 10 on Goko's rankings for the first time and I'm 15th on the Unofficial Goko Trueskill ranking, so it might be plausible.)

18

GokoDom / Re: GokoDom II: Suntastic Summerish Season Signups Sthread

« on: July 24, 2013, 12:15:42 am »

In.  (I have all the card sets)

19

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Automatch development thread

« on: July 02, 2013, 03:48:30 pm »

I think the room switching limitation is a bigger issue than it seems at first. Not only do you have to wait until you AND a match are in the same room, but you have the problem of potential automatch partners (who are also running the script) moving through rooms while you are as well, which makes ending up in the same room at the same time even less likely.

I wonder if there is a way to query which games are available in the other rooms without actually "switching" rooms...  If there is, the script could scan all rooms looking for automatches, even without randomly switching rooms.  The script would still likely need to actually switch rooms before joining the match, which could be especially complicated if the room is at the 50 player limit.  If the limit is enforced on the client side (totally possible) then the script could perhaps bend that rule, which would simply handling such edge cases.

But, from a bigger picture perspective, there's not a good reason to limit automatch to a single room. We're having to be creative because of Goko's awful lobby system, but an outside server is a relatively easy way to overcome that limitation. We're already doing that with the script prettifier, with councilroom, with the custom avatars. I think automatch is significant enough of a feature to warrant the external server—certainly more than custom avatars.

The external server is a reasonable approach, but I'm worried about the "I'm not so into dominion anymore" effect that caused Councilroom to be down for a while (which is totally understandable, of course!).  Granted, the automatch server sounds much lighter weight than the significant disk space required for Councilroom, but it still gives me pause.  There were also a few times that Councilroom would be down for a day or two, which is no big deal, but would be more annoying if an automatch sever went down.  It may be necessary to have an external server in the end, but if an adequate automatch can be designed without needing it, all the better.  It is easy to underestimate the cost of relying on an external service.

20

Goko Dominion Online / Re: Automatch development thread

« on: July 02, 2013, 02:29:19 pm »

I really like the idea and the initiative.

The current design calls for a third-party server to run the matching, which sounds like a reasonable but somewhat brittle way to organize the system.

What about further piggybacking solely on embedding metadata into the "title" of the game? 

The current script implements auto-kick below a certainly level, which is *almost* adequate for automatch.  Can that be extended further?   Perhaps the script pulls up a dialog box, you set the parameters, and it starts a game that encodes the right metadata information in the title.  While the game is "open" the script will be scanning the list of games for offer, looking for a compatible game using its game title.  If it finds it, it auto-joins the game (or asks you if you want to join that game).  To avoid both games joining each other (race condition) you would just implement some sort of fair tiebreaker as to whom joins whose game.

This would be limited to a single room, but the script could automatically switch from room to room after an interval with a failed match.

The above could likely be implemented as an extension to the current logging/point tracker script, which would also be preferable to have two different scripts to install.

21

Dominion: Guilds Previews / Re: So when do the rest of us get ours?

« on: June 26, 2013, 12:15:49 am »

I received my copy from Amazon today.

22

Dominion: Guilds Previews / Re: Preview #5: Herald

« on: June 07, 2013, 01:59:56 pm »

...and it's probably a really bad idea to use it with mandatory trashers like Remake. 

I think this is a really important consideration (albeit perhaps obvious in retrospect).  With a mandatory trasher, this card could easily become a trap, forcing trashing of cards you don't want to trash.   But optional trashers (Chapel, Steward, Count, Loan, etc.) will work much better with Herald.  And look at that, we've already seen Doctor and Butcher in Guilds, both of which are optional trashers.

23

Dominion: Guilds Previews / Re: Preview #5: Herald

« on: June 07, 2013, 01:55:42 pm »

So it starts getting the Menagerie treatment where you think "when am I ever going to trigger this without setting it up?" Finally it lands as a decent, but not great $4 and you might hit it often enough to make it at least fun.

Menagerie is an interesting point of comparison.  I think the big difference if favor of Herald is that it is difficult to trigger Menagerie multiple times per turn without extremely careful deck construction (few duplicates) or some sort of discarding (such as Warehouse, Cellar).  In contrast, just spamming Heralds gives them like a reasonable chance of being a Lab+Village on any given play.  Overall, I see this as being a key card on more boards that Menagerie.

24

Dominion: Guilds Previews / Re: Preview #5: Herald

« on: June 07, 2013, 11:25:00 am »

an activated city can too.

This is an interesting point of comparison.  In an action-heavy deck, Herald will act much like an activated City, but for $4, which sounds strong to me.

25

Dominion: Guilds Previews / Re: Preview #5: Herald

« on: June 07, 2013, 11:19:37 am »

How many other cards can provide a net gain in both actions and cards in the same play?  Trusty Steed does, of course.  Throne Room, Procession & King's Court certainly can when paired with a cantrip or better.  Crossroads, but only the first play per turn.  Nobles and Ironmonger generally provide either cards or actions, but not both (edge case: revealing a action/victory card like Great Hall with Ironmonger). 

I'm sure I've forgotten some card, but since Herald can provide both +cards and +actions, it already provides two of the components needed to build a strong engine.

And, since it is a cantrip, when it does miss it doesn't hurt nearly as much as, say, drawing a dead Throne Room.  Deciding when to purchase a Throne Room is tricky: if you pick it up early, it is too likely to be dead in your hand.  You still probably don't want to purchase Herald on the first two turns (depending on the board), but its cantrip natures makes it easier to pick up with a stray $4 with less risk.