Hunger Games Simulation (Daedalus 3.1) file

Yes, the lava firewall event and releasing Mutts are available in this version. :) The firewall starts on turn 3000 by default. To make it ignite on a different turn, change setting "z" in the "All Settings" command (";" hotkey) as described at Astrolog.org

Mutts are controlled by three settings: Setting "m" is the total number of Mutts (in arena to begin with + released later). Setting "n" is the number of Mutts withheld until later. Setting "o" is the turn later mutts are released. For example, the 74th Hunger Games replica arena (Shift+F2 and enter "7" for Arena Type to play it) internally uses settings "m24n22o2000". That means there are 2 Mutts to start out with, but on turn 2000 another 22 Mutts are released into the arena.

Yes, AI can fall into Net Traps, stumble into tracker jacker wasp nests on the ground, or step on active Landmines. 90% of the time they'll notice and avoid these hazards, but they'll still occasionally make a mistake. :)

To change Feast items, in the "All Settings" command (";" hotkey), enter "X33" so the Feast contains random items. The default set of random items in a Feast is: Grenade, Trident, Gun, Bread, First-Aid Kit, Nightvision Goggles, and Body Armor. If you want to adjust that list, change setting "e" in All Settings as described at Astrolog.org

Hmm, I just tested an "X33" Feast, and got an even distribution of the 7 items above. In your game are you sure those items actually appeared at the Feast, and weren't left over from before? Feast items appear in the middle of the Cornucopia in the nearest unoccupied spaces, so will appear around existing Rocks and such. Rocks and Arrows shouldn't be created in random Feasts (unless you changed setting "e") but its possible for the random number generator to give you all Grenades.

Sometimes the cornucopia is made out of glass/crystal instead of metal, and sometimes trees are assumed to have less foliage meaning you can see through them partially. These options have always been available (see Indiedb.com for an example of semitransparent cornucopia and trees). In 3.1 the transparency for cornucopia and trees are randomly chosen each game by default. If you want them to be completely solid, in the "All Settings" command (";" hotkey), enter "G0".

The number of inventory slots is now an official game setting, and is no longer something you need to use the Daedalus command line to change. To change inventory size, adjust setting "i" in All Settings, e.g. enter "i5" to have 5 slots.

You can save settings so they're present the next time you start the game, by editing the "hunger.ds" file in your Daedalus directory. Insert the line "$1 'A1B2' *Parse @SLand -1" (minus the quotes) at the end of the file (right before the "*FStart" line at the very end). Replace A1B2 with the string or a substring from the All Settings command, and it will be prepopulated every time you start. :)

I haven't listed the main/obvious changes in 3.1 yet, and you already want to know about the more obscure things? :) Ok, here's something new that can only be changed via the Daedalus command line. Press "Enter" and type "@SCorn 3" (minus the quotes). Start a new game, and notice the Cornucopia will be lit up at night! :)

Guns in the game haven't changed: They're like energy pistols, and produce their own ammo (which can't be picked up afterward). This behavior can be changed by editing hunger.ds in the line starting with "SetVars %JUse". Subtract 16 from the number for Gun and they will require Bullets in your inventory. Subtract 16 from the number for Bullets, and Bullets will remain in the game after being fired (like Arrows).

The way to decline an alliance is to attack them. ;) The message just means they're treating you as an ally, not that you have to treat them as one in return. An alliance just means they won't attack you, so if you do want to be attacked for some reason, attack them (with a low damage weapon like a Rock if you want to keep them alive but unallied to you). However, this does suggest having a new setting which allows you to decide how to respond to alliance requests: Accept all (the default), decline all (if you want to go solo), or pop up a message asking you what to do.

The alliance grid as displayed with the "~" key shows how everybody feels about everybody else. Black means like and red means hate. Try the command immediately after starting a new game, and you can see how every tribute likes themselves the most (black), their District partner 2nd (very dark red), the starting Career alliance between Districts 1,2,4 (dark red), and everybody else is neutral (medium red). After a few turns when tributes start fighting, increasing squares on the grid will turn to anger/enemies (bright red). The screen is a grid, with District 1 (Magenta) located on the left and top, with the axes labelled with the tribute colors on the right/bottom.

Sponsors always give First-Aid Kits if you're injured, else Bread or Berries if you're hungry. Otherwise they give a random item as defined in setting "e" in the "All Settings" command (";" hotkey). That setting takes a number formed by adding together other numbers indicating which items you want available. Visit Astrolog.org and scroll down to the text for setting "a" which lists which numbers correspond to which objects, and give an example.

1: No, the mutt release turn (setting "o") and firewall start turn (setting "z") are fixed numbers, which can only be turned off altogether by setting them to 0. Some settings do have a particular value which means choose randomly, e.g. "h0" means tributes have a random number of hitpoints from 1-20 each game. It's possible to randomly set these values with minor scripting. For example, press "Enter" and type "@Sz Rnd 500 5000" (minus the quotes), and the firewall will appear sometime between turns 500 and 5000.

2: No, Careers (and all tributes for that matter) will only break alliance when there's no non-allies left. I agree experienced players are aware of how the AI behaves and can take advantage of that. Therefore it would indeed be a good change to have the AI sometimes "unfriend" people even when there's still a few people being hunted, to keep players on their toes. :)

Yes, the AI already treats more powerful tributes better than weaker ones. AI is more attracted to weaker non-allies, and is more likely to accept alliance proposals from stronger tributes. Therefore it makes sense for the AI to prefer turning on weaker tributes. The AI should at least not break alliance with somebody much stronger than they are, because that would be suicide.

I appreciate your enthusiasm. :) It's indeed too early to say what might appear in the next version, however the list at Astrolog.org indeed indicates some ideas that have been considered.

Cool, one of the nice things about the Hunger Games Simulation is being able to play as a Gamemaker, and come up with interesting arena configurations to play yourself or post for others to try. :) Translating the above into "All Settings" language, press the ";" key and paste in the following to play it:

s5K10m50n50o1500l1001q3X33S375z2250

If downloading from this page doesn't work for some reason, there are various other places to download the Hunger Games Simulation 3.1 (or Daedalus 3.1 which is the exact same setup binary). For example, try Gamejolt.com or Indiedb.com or Astrolog.org or Download.cnet.com or Sourceforge.net :)

To remove Guns and Grenades from Feasts, edit setting "e" in the ";" key All Settings command, and make it a number composed by adding together all the values for the items you do want to potentially appear (see setting "a" for the list). For example, to have Trident, Bread, First-Aid Kit, Nightvision Goggles, and Body Armor, make the number = 65536 + 8388608 + 33554432 + 67108864 + 268435456, i.e. enter "e377552896" in All Settings.

It's been made. :) You can see the news item "The Hunger Games Simulation: Version 3.1 Released" at Indiedb.com or by clicking "News" at the top of this page.

Yes, you're seeing the Daedalus engine that the Hunger Games Simulation uses. :) The game comes with it! Once installed, to play click "The Hunger Games" icon in the "Start / All Programs / Daedalus / Scripts" program group, or inside the Daedalus program itself select the "File / Run Script / The Hunger Games" menu command.

Use the "move forward" command (Ctrl+f) to free a tribute from a Net. This behavior is documented more in the advanced commands section at Astrolog.org

No, the Net and Wasp ground placements ("t" and "w" settings) can't fall below 1% density. I'll see about allowing finer control in a future version. For example, instead of t1 to t100 for 1% to 100%, it should be t1 to t10000, for 0.01% through 100.00%.

Yes, freeing somebody from a Net is worth 5 alliance points, the same effect as giving a Trident or First-Aid Kit, which is enough to update their feeling category by one. :) A great way to make a new ally, or improve an existing alliance to almost ensure they never turn on you (because they like you better than others, so will turn on others first).

Actually, successfully allying with one person (through giving items or using the "propose alliance" command) makes you an ally with their District partner and other allies as well. You basically get yourself added into their alliance group. If you attack your ally's District partner, both your new ally and your target will dislike you. That's because tributes start out "close allies" with their District partner, so if they see two of their allies fighting they pick sides with whoever they like more, which is usually their partner over somebody from another District.

Yes, normally without Nightvision Goggles AI can't see tributes or items in the distance. However, one exception is that tributes they consider "enemy" can be detected in the darkness, as if it were still day. That's for gameplay balance, to prevent you or a computer tribute from attacking at night from a distance for free, with the target not knowing the direction the attacks are coming from and not being able to respond. The D8 tribute above was probably already your enemy, perhaps because one of you took a swing at the other during the Bloodbath, so they stayed "aggro" on you and can keep detecting you.

When you initiate an alliance, you (but not your District partner or other allies) are made an ally of the person you asked (and are added to their other allies). For example, if you give or propose to a Career and are accepted, then you're in with the whole Career alliance, but your District partner is still neutral to all the Careers. The reverse happens if a Career proposes to you, in that you're only with that one person, and not the whole Career alliance. Therefore after the above you were only with the D4 Girl and not the other Careers, which is why the others were attacking.

My statement above is accurate. :) It is true that, "Successfully allying with one person (through you giving items or you using the propose alliance command) makes you an ally with their District partner and other allies as well." However, that only makes YOU an ally with their District partner and other allies, and it doesn't create any new allies for your District partner or for your other allies. The issue with your game is it happened in reverse: The D4 Girl offered an alliance to you, which made the D4 Girl allied with you and your District partner. She got in YOUR alliance, but you didn't get in HER alliance. :) That means to get in with the Careers, always requires the new person to give or propose to an existing Career, and not the other way around.