The Complete Interview - Kedalion

Here is the complete interview (as seen in the Planets Newsletter), this month we talked to Kedalion - Enjoy!

PN: Tell us a little about yourself.

K: I've been a passionate planets player for many years and also enjoy building plugins for planets.nu. 

PN: When did you first start playing?

K: I started playing with friends in high school in 1994. We would exchange a set of floppy disks every day. I rediscovered Planets just when Planets.nu started the first alpha games, playing and winning Rebirth 1 and 3.

PN: What's your favorite race and why?

K: Clearly the Privateers as they almost purely depend on the player skill. If you don't play smart your neighbors can stomp you easily. 

PN: What do you build on first three turns with them (or your general opening strategy)?

K: MCBRs.

PN: How many games do you play at the same time?

K: Between 1 and 2. Any more and the quality of play goes down or I neglect real life... 

PN: What types of games do you like playing most?

K: I prefer classic games as it's always clear what racial capabilities all players have. That leaves only their skill and play style as a unknown.

PN: What's your most memorable game, and what made it so interesting? (link or id number)

K: Rebirth 1 (http://planets.nu/#/sector/815) and 3 (http://planets.nu/#/sector/817) as the players were great in those games that have accompanied me ever since as enemies and allies.

PN: Name a memorable friend and/or a memorable foe, and what made them stand out.

K: Kwesy was a great and fun foe in Rebirth 1 and 3. Though we stomped him in both games, he has since been a good friend and often ally. Likewise, Figak was a great ally in Rebirth 3 and has since been a good enemy (Die Hard 7 - http://planets.nu/#/sector/71509) and ally. Both of them a great players and best examples on good coordination in team games.

PN: Give an example of excellent tactics you've used or seen (w/ details so readers can view it, if possible).

K: A privateer flash invasion through robot minefield coverage. Unfortunately, the robot player saw the problem coming and quit the same turn. I gave the             substitute (Big Beefer) a turn to settle in... not a smart idea against robots.  (Die Hard 7 - turn 55-57)

PN: What do you think is the most important skill for a Planets player to succeed?

K: The ability to plan ahead instead of just for this moment and turn. 

PN: Describe the process you use to make a turn.

K: I go through all planets and ships by region (my own Idle Object Visualizer Plugin is now a must for me) and deal with all trivial things.Taxing happens usually through Beefer's taxing script, most planet infrastructure is dealt with by the auto targets, but some planets still need some manual attention. This first round also usually determines the routes of a lot of 'simple' ships. Then only long term movements and strategic decisions at the front are left. The visualizer plugin still highlights them and ensures that I don't miss anything. All requests/info details for my allies get written up in a text file so I can send just one message with everything and gets sent at the end of my turn. Once I get confirmations and requests from allies, I mark the turn as done.

PN: What is your favorite thing about Planets Nu?

K: I enjoy most the fact that the game is almost completely skill based. Money cannot buy advantages as in many modern games. Small amounts of randomness in battles and minefield travel keep things just a little bit uncertain, but still predictable. The concept of giving (intended) commands at the same time and anticipating the moves the other players might make this game amazing. And naturally the community is made of pretty great people.

Thank you to Kedalion for sharing his thoughts and Planets Nu experiences!