Hello,

is there an explanation on how the algorithm that does the automatic placement of initial spots works?

Click on Help and then "How are the territories distributed at the start of a game?"

http://warlight.net/ViewHelp.aspx?s=Distribution

thank you for the quick answer. I have read this part of the help already but couldnt find a deeper explanation of "random" for the automatic distribution. So i suppose random means purely random without weighing the value of a randomly given territory and balancing it versus other given territory. If a team is lucky, it can have brilliant initial spots and the opposing team bad spots. So there is a massive luck factor within the automatic distribution.

And, as its the same with cards: there is no mechanism that equally distributes cards if more than just one type of card exists. I just lost a foggy game because the opponent team could play on me and my teammate spy cards before we got the first spy card on our card stack. Instead we had two airlift cards that were totally useless for us. Always keep that in mind, when you setup a game with more than one type of card. This also is a big luck factor.

I like games with minimum 1 of each card piece, where the card pieces given are equal to 1 for each card type, and just change the pieces needed for each card based on how rare you want them...

course also the different card ratio's provides a randomness that can't be calculated.. ie, if the abandon card has a weight of 0.05 with 1 piece needed, i couldn't be sure if you ever had one, and would have to act reluctantly.. but if it was set to minimum 1/turn, 6 pieces, then i knew i could attack you openly for the first 5 turns, and then would have to merely count your abandons used to see how likely you are to have an abandon.

randomness works in your favor as much as it does against... that being said, alot of people like the strategic 1v1 merely because of the minimal luck involved, while keeping each game unique with the visible wastelands.

Well said, Perrin. I just want to list in this thread the consequences of game settings that are not exactly straightforeward to calculate. As i said: even when the card shares given each turn are identical, i.e. 1/3 each player each turn, then the teams dont end up with the same cards. One team i.e. gets 2 spy cards the other team 2 airlift cards after the same amount of turns. Another luck factor is the playing in teams. I experienced not just once, that in a 3 player team the third player is someone with little or no game experience. This could be solved by the host not to immediately join the game. But often the host already joined or joins too early. Then the game immediately starts when the last open seat is taken. And THEN you find out that a tremendously noob player or double account of the other team kills your game.

And i can only emphasize that gamers who setup a warlight game reduce the luck factor. The 75 % standard setting, i never will understand why this high luck setting was chosen as default, leads to results that can garble the whole game. I still can remember a Europe game i started with 6 troops in North Denmark, 2 troops neutrals, to take it. To take Denmark, normally a 2 turn thing, developed in a 6 turn nightmare. And i saw moves where 10 troops couldnt resist an attack from a 12 troops territory.