As good a place as any to plug for a Viking43 (43 SCs to win), a vDip community requested version of the VikingDip variant.

What if we make the target-SC's a game-create-option...?

that is GENIUS!!!!!!!!

indeed! but to your question, I had the same puzzling thought when i first played viking. But in the end it was this feature that made the game exciting. A race to 26, multiple stabs, difficult lines to hold etc

The default for the variant would have to be what the designer intended the victory conditions to be.

I imagine there might be a rash of Classic games that require 34 SCs for victory, which would make a whole new set of dynamics available to players.

(but yeah - converting variants you need to adhere as close as possible to the creators intentions. In this case Joe Janbu wished the victory condition of his Viking variant to be 26)

done... you can set a new target SC count in the gamecreate options...

sweet :)

is "double the initial SCs of the country with the most SCs" also the default setting for new game creation?

no.
default is like the variant-developer decided. (Usually half +1). It just can't be lower than "double the initial SCs of the country with the most SCs"

I can see some pre-games with the minimum scs setting on, and some of them seem to be unintentional; I tried to start new games ignoring the field "Alternate winning conditions" and the game was set to 8scs win (Russia X2 on the classig board) and 6scs (ancient med map).

So does this mean that fubar is now the only variant on the site where you have no SC target options? :D

Now that's strange...
I'll take a look at this.

Fixed...

Oli..I think is simply awesome. Everytime he just says 'Fixed.'
Its like clapping hands and fixed.. He is awesome.

Who developed diplomacy as a online game..I mean this platform?

Although I got some doubt, I'm rather happy of this new feature.

Actually, main doubts are not big issues:
A) A lot of new games with freaky VC will be created. Meaningless too short race-games in which LUCK is all. And too long boring games that can have only 2 possible result: Say Classic VC=34 SCs, now either one or two:
- 1 - After a player got 20 SCs, the rest of the game will just be a boring death throes;
- 2 - If a player has been able to lock himself into a, say, 13 SCs stalemate line, then the other 21 SCs player will be forced in an incredible 2-way draw.
Not a big issue, I just don't join these freaky-VC-games.
B) Variants' stats are now totally screwed. Not a big issue, too. They weren't that reliable also before now. The bad "performance" formula was based on win/draw/surv results, which usually got their reason from outside the map itself (if you survive or draw with 8 SCs is a diplomacy matter. It doesn't depend on how the map was built).
The only meaningful stat i'd like to have is: "Average SCs at the end of the (gunboats only) game". Everything else is just choreography.

Why am I happy then? Because I can finally play Viking with a TRUE Victory Condition, and not the one his drunk creator stated. I want HALF+1.
I've always thought that only 3 variants in here have actually a REAL REASON to have a VC different from "half+1":
1) WWIV. So less than half, but still a very long race. Longer would be cruel.
2) Lepanto. Simply a different criterium.
3) Duo. (Devonian docet) Because of his peculiarities: a 1v1 map with a VERY LOW SCs density make sense having it half+2 or half+3 (but not half+5, the loser always puts all holds last year(s).

So, this is the list of non-half+1 maps that now I can (thanks Oli) play with a straight VC rather than with their weird standard default.

Variant.........Current VC is half±

Viking Diplomacy IV.............-16
Youngstown - Redux.............-12
Classic - Economic................-7
South American Supremacy..-2
USA..........................................-1
Colonial Diplomacy.................-1
Europe 1939...........................+2
Germany 1648........................+2
Mate Against Mate.................+2
Habelya...................................+2
Rinascimento..........................+3
F.Am.Empire: Civil War!........+4
F.American Empire IV............+5
Duo..........................................+5
Sengoku..................................+6

So...Half+1.
What else? Why ruining a nice map with anything different?
:)

@Diplomat: The software is maintained by Kestas Kuliukas.
You should check the credits here: http://www.vdiplomacy.com/credits.php

7:40- I'll take a look
7:46- fixed
Oli is like a ninja, quick and effective :P

I'm not excited too about the possibility to set the Victory Conditions.
I feel like the number of variants and options were already enough...
Changing the VC leads to a completely different game, doesn't it?
Yes, there were 2 or 3 boards that needed an adjustment, but not the other, say, 65 variants.
Moreover we'll see some VC around that really miss common sense, but, as Guaroz mentioned,it's not a big issue, I'll just stay out of them.
It's a pity for the stats (game duration, performances, etc), that's sure, I was starting to enjoy them.

Anyway, "vox populi, vox Dei".

I will change the stats to include only the "default"-SC's in the variant-overview and a configuarble-SC-count in the stats-page. But it will take some time to do.

Thanks Oli, but it wasn't a critique. It's a minor issue.

Thanks. It would have been a pity ruining new avg. duration stat. It's so useful...everyone should learn to use it.
Tanks for SC-count, too.