Sins Mp

Yep, fully agree with mindseye, the annoying, childish smurfs need to go. 

I would add to mindseye's post by saying that the randomizer needs to be upgraded.  Also, the ability to choose start locations to allow for more interesting variations of team play (making 3v3v3 much more interesting).

Randomized games would have sub categories, like "close quarters random huge".  Low resource random huge (low neutrals).  things like this to allow for different variations in online and single player play. 

how about a game where you start with a balanced fleet?  your first free 300 supply goes for any ships, similar to the free capital ship. 

Making selectable starting locations would be great

LOL low neutrals and high neutrals random maps? Setting up game would take around 4h then, with around 3h 45min of "civilized discussion" between vasari and advent/tec;)

Those sound like good ideas.  Do note that custom maps made in Galaxy Forge allow the map designer to set the starting locations.  Some of my maps come in different varieties with different starting orientations.  For example:

Kaliedoscope 5v5 (1-2-2-2-2-1)

Kaliedoscope 5v5 (2-2-3-3)

Kaliedoscope 5v5 (random)

Kaliedoscope 5v5 (staggered)

Kaliedoscope 5v5 (suicide)

Kaliedoscope 5v5 (team together)

I think those six pretty much cover all the different starting possibilities except for 4-1-4-1.

It's a war on smurfs! I sometimes think of this scene from the movie 8mm, only instead of inquiring about snuff porno films, Joaquin Phoenix asks if it's OK to smurf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znOn6h2h_gE

there is no 4-1-4-1 unless its a 8v2 you can however have a 4-4-1-1 (assuming you're going in a circle)

Yeah, that's a good point.

This isn't difficult at all to do, esp. the close quarters huge; all you'd need to do is move the starting positions of the factions closer to the sun/center of the map. The low resource is also easy to do; all you'd need to do is make custom Random grouping in the GalaxySenarioDef and slap them into the randomizer in place of Random and WeightedRandom. I've made custom random maps for the record, so I know from experience these can be done.

Due to game mechanics this is not possible. However the GalaxySenarioDef can be coded so that each faction starts with certain ships (like how you start with scouts when quick start is on).

Well, if it's a random "Map Designer" map, as far as I know the team starting positions are still random.  The big problem with the custom Galaxy Forge maps is that the won't auto-download in online multiplayer, so it's rare to play a real custom in a real Sins game (PvP).

THIS

All these problems would disappear overnight if they simply supported map downloads for MP. 

Ya want a custom map with full fleets already, done

How bout actual balanced galaxies and start locations, sure

What about multi star systems that don't lag out, absolutely

Please Ironclade/Stardock

I'm not talking about a Map Designer map, I'm talking about an actual .galaxy file. Though as for randomized starting positions will being somewhat random... There kinda is a bit of a way around it. Lemme show you an example from one of my maps, called Interconnected.

As you can see here, while the starting positions of players is known, the planets themselves are random, what one will stumble upon is unknown. Plus, if randomizeStartingPositions is set to false, one will know that the first player in the lobby player list will start at NewPlayer0-Home, etc. ...Though looking back what you said now, yeah now I know what you mean, it isn't an auto-download like say how it was for custom CoD4 PC maps. 

Auto-download would add a completely new dimension to the game for those reasons.

I was really tired of smurfs lately and a few days ago game that went exactly as OP described pushed me over the edge.

Not to mention that smurfs know who you are so they gang on you resulting in last 10 games at least 8 of them I was doubled and one even tripled in first 10 minutes.

For reasons above I will take a break from Sins and wait to see if Rebellion solves some problems for me. If not ..... cya

Do you really think smurfs gang up on you in the game and target you because you're a non-smurf?  Why do you think you're a bigger target than any other opposing player?  I suspect that you've just been a victim of bad starting positions.  (Maybe what you should really do is become an advocate for custom maps.)  Have you considered making your own smurf?  I hope you'll rejoin the game again soon.

I am not best player around but since I'm not smurfing and other players on my team have recognizable names they know what level of a threat they represent so smurfs-other team can play accordingly. 

Get good player out fast and game is pretty much decided if his ally are mediocre skill....

As much i like to play your custom maps on SP against AIs truth is most of them have too many choke points hence get 1 or 2 SB and then fleets become to big for game engine and connections and/or ICO to handle.  

I think the 5v5 maps need to be played with Small fleet sizes.  There are some that we've never played that might work out well.  I'm hoping we can try the Buzzsaw map and the 5v5 version of Asteroid Belt.

Oh, a little point of interest for those here, if randomizeStartingPositions is set to FALSE in any of the Random maps, the maps will still be random, however, player 1 will be next to player 2 who is next to player 3, etc. etc. This is a very simple change, and can be easily done for either a mod or vanilla Sins (in the main Galaxy file). 

Just a thought.

What if people joined the game with there name but once the game is started the enemy cant see who is who, only see the generated race name like the AI gets. Chat will still show names but you will not know which player is what colour unless they are one your team.

This might go a long way to curb smurffing and not have the better player that does not smurf to be rushed and ganged up on.

I agree about the choke points. I made a couple maps with phase lanes to every planet on the map and turned off phase lanes in-game. WOW what a different game.

Random maps is why i play sins online

If rebellion nerfs this up........................................