stop running up land auction

[rodz]

a simple way to stop this would be to make any player entering into land auction cannot leave the area.to stop players trapping lowest player, bidder who reaches the highest point will then have to buy plot as they cannot get out

[C64]

We shouldn't even have land auctions after round 8, maybe including round 8.  They are a tremendous waste of time.

It would be interesting to have land auctions be "bid up" only, ie, you can't bid down. 

[leahcim99]

Have auction start at 5k after 6th month....

[Blitzen]

IMO They need to speed up the time and slow the increment down to the original game's speeds so that plots almost never get too expensive to buy.  If they also nerf the amount that go up for sale it would be enough to subdue the new strategy of running them beyond reach without even any chance of getting stuck with it.

That being said 2k for a plot after 8th turn is still a deal.

[Mt Wampus]

I love MULE but this business of running up the Auction price stinks! STUPID! There is a game called Space Horse that copies MULE and you cant lower your bid ! Like that idea better!

[zaphod77]

I have a very simple rule that will probably be useful.

If you at any point in time offer more than everyone else's cash reserve for a land plot you instantly get it, no questions asked.  This would change things up a bit i think. Raising the price well beyond what everyone can afford, then pulling back below the line is just wrong.

[kipley]

If you at any point in time offer more than everyone else's cash reserve for a land plot you instantly get it, no questions asked.

This would fix SOME instances of this exploit.  But not all.  Many times, more than one player has tons of money (>5000, for example).  But the exploit of running up the price can still be done.  A player will run the price up to 5000 or so, to where it's high enough that nobody is interested in buying the land anymore, but it's still not above the amount of cash an opposing player has.

Since the situation I've described is fairly common, your fix, while interesting, isn't quite good enough.  I'd rather see a fix implemented that addresses every case of this annoying exploit.  And this discussion thread has offered many good alternatives.

[Rhodan]

While annoying, running up the land auction is not a exploit but a tactic. One with the most land usually wins if played right, especially if you can hit 12 mining plots.  You could run the price up in the old game albeit not as high as this version. The big difference between the old c64/atari version and this one is in the old version if the land didn't sell the auction ended. While this version the auction keeps on selling and we have to endure price hiking 2 even 3 times in a row. If you knew the auction ended you might be less inclined to run it up and just buy it. At the least we wouldn't have to endure someone running the price 3 times in one auction and the game would flow again. Plus it helps restore balance to the game in regards to the circumstance when a player has more money then his opponents and doesn't buy the first auction so he can buy two more plots dirt cheap. Now he will have to pay what ever the price is from the last auction so you may be less inclined to drive up the price if you plan on buying any.

Please make it like the old version and have the land auction end if a plot doesn't sell.

[Makelith]

I think once the store vanishes (from bidding the price  up too high) it should force the last person in the area to stay in the buy zone, with the option of opting out (pressing button at the store line) of the purchase at a penalty (which could vary on the current mark up).

[Rhodan]

This is suppose to be as close as possible to classic mule. A radical change to land auction in the new version would be good but the current game should be changed to match the old. Have land auctions end when a plot doesnt sell. Also adjust the rate of speed of bidding to be more in line with the old game

[Makelith]

This is suppose to be as close as possible to classic mule. A radical change to land auction in the new version would be good but the current game should be changed to match the old. Have land auctions end when a plot doesnt sell. Also adjust the rate of speed of bidding to be more in line with the old game

If the land auction was like classic MULE this thread wouldn't exist.  Less time, and perhaps increasing by 1s as opposed to 4s would help slow it down a bit, and less time. I do kinda like the fact that even if a plot doesn't sell it doesn't mean the end, it adds a bit of risk to a player if they have a big money advantage, it could pay off, or it can backfire, it discourages others from strapping themselves for cash. 

[veridia]

This is suppose to be as close as possible to classic mule. A radical change to land auction in the new version would be good but the current game should be changed to match the old. Have land auctions end when a plot doesnt sell. Also adjust the rate of speed of bidding to be more in line with the old game

I second this. The ridiculous amount of time given to run up auction prices makes this game way less interesting than the original. It's my least favorite change.

[trellend]

Agree, it's a bit long and $5000 was a bit much I paid for the last lot.  Housing bubble burst remember?

[Blitzen]

Anyone else just notice they did the opposite (ver. 1.3) of what almost everyone agreed was the best path?

Instead of fixing the movement rate and time towards the original they changed the game...

Re-tarded.

Now, we are still supposed to watch people run it up and down for a min and a half, until it settles somewhere around its true max value...

"To devs,

Have you even played your own game?

In my 100s of games played with 4 players on the c64... around 2 - 5k for plots late in game was the norm...

The guys who made this game originally mostly just tested it and added ideas, a single programmer managed to work it into a very playable game...

I don't know what you guys have in programmers, I don't much care, but I do know what you have in terms of an intellectual property.  Please quit doing it on the cheap.  I imagine you are too cheap to buy the original theme music, or to reverse engineer the original code, or to pay people to play the game and to listen to them too... you are getting it all here for free.  You could get even more if you only engaged the community and invested properly.  Does the evil EA still breath fire down your back or something?  Is this remake unofficial in their eyes?  Do they own the original code and music?  Who do we send the hate mail to?

Right now this is all we got. 

[cuda 4508]

If their not going to make it M.U.L.E. then don't call it mule.

Why do developers insist on trying to fix what isn't broken.

If they can't make like the C64 version then explain why, then get creative.