Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ukma!rex!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!wildfire
From: wildfire@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Douglas B Rusch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Ideas about Spaceward Ho!
Message-ID: <Y5`&36@rpi.edu>
Date: 22 Feb 91 21:11:26 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 36
Nntp-Posting-Host: aix01srv.aix.rpi.edu


  Ihave been working on a game like Spaceward Ho! for years in my spare
time. When I saw Spaceward Ho! come out, I rushed out and got it to see
what other people have done. Anyways after getting over my addiction to
Spaceward Ho! I decided to start up on my game again. Anyways there are
several things I would change but I'd like some input on this.

1st - I think there should be tankers. Its a pain in the ass to have to build
	a whole colony ship just to get some ships off a useless world. It
	would be a lot easier just to build a cheap tanker which is expendable
	rather than risk the expensive colony ship.
2nd - I would have Shipyards. Spaceward Ho! makes every planet the same,
	they have little importance strategically except in the beginning
	when you may only have one or two planets. Shipyards while
	making a game more intricate give some planets a much greater
	value than others, so now you have something to protect other
	than a shapeless interstellar empire.

  These are my two first big changes, amoung others I would like shorter
turns (in time, 10 years is just too long for any tactical situations).
Repair bases similar to shipyards ( and of course this implies damaged ships).
Also I have been toying with the idea of removing the metal requirement
and replacing it with a maintanence cost to keep a fleet operating.

  Some of these ideas come from other board games like Axis & Allies and 
Federation & Empire. The idea is to make a game with many levels of
intricacy without adding too much towards the bueracracy of completing
a turn.

  Well those are some of the ideas I have had. Now, if I should finish
this game, how do I go about making it available (probobly as shareware,
but maybe just available for free). Most importantly, do I need to 
get permission and/or copyright inorder to make the game available for
widespread beta testing?

Wildfire@AIX.RPI.EDU