Untagged countries realistically serve no purpose on this server anymore.

Of the untaggeds over 1m NW at this point, you've probably got a couple of all ex- all defense guys, a couple of true newbs, and a 5-10 vets with a vendetta or just looking to suicide. That's about it. The exploring 100% turret guys serve no purpose, I'm not sure why they're on this server. The newbs will be farmed into bolivia until they quit or join a tag. The vets will do what they intend to.

The only viable method of netgaining has become landtrading (you know I hate to say I told you so, right?). This is because the target pool for bottomfeeders has become non existent.

When I last played regularly, 12-18 months ago, the goal of the admin seemed to be to nerf landtrading after the first reset where landtraders regularly flourished. Landtrading has been nerfed, yes, but in its most efficient form it's still quite viable and there is no realistic alternative for netters, given the death of bottomfeeding.

This server should require active players to tag up. Of the untagged pool now, the newbs will find a home, the all ex-d guys can all ex in peace, and the vet-suiciders will do as they may. This server -- and likely only this server -- given the landscape, is the perfect testing ground for a pool of untagged bots, especially if those bots have retal capability for over-aggressors.

If it works, it'll be quite productive and re-introduce bottomfeeding as a viable alternative to trading, breathing new life into a stagnant landscape.

This game needs to be shaken up, this server is the perfect arena to require real players to join an alliance, while providing bot targets for everyone to improve the stale netting landscape.

Either that, or we all need to fine tune or landtrading skills, because that's the only option. I'd rather have multiple options.

Well said.

i will be the MOD for BOTS!!

Once the bots come into play and everyone can get their land from bots will alliance politics even be necessary

Will the players even be necessary?

I'd like to correct you on that one... The biggest nerf came to bottom feeders with the new DR rules. The new DR rules do not affect a trader while they make bottomfeeding pretty damn hard if not impossible.

As someone who bottomfed last 'set and part of this 'set:
The DR change is fine, the real issue is targets.

You can't say DR change didn't impact anything though, Because now a farmed player's DR will never end whereas, before, DR camping existed, and you could sometimes reap a lot of land if you hit the second DR ended. Now DR never exactly "ends"... The DR change is fine but Requiem is not wrong.

Never said he was! He's entirely right.

To my knowledge martain never did investigate it? If he did, he did it on his own since I didn't bring it to him, I brought it to pang years ago. Pang admitted it happened already though, at least in relation to me, so maybe talk to him before you call bullfluff?



Yes Pang, like how I didn't landtrade because I was only good at old strategies and couldn't adapt. Except I won doing that too having never done it before. So I'm going to guess that's just an attempt to troll me into playing again? and you complain about the server being toxic for the game... how about the admins?

The truth is winning untagged would be hard but still possible, but not because of the nw required, but because of getting suicided by someone (probably both tagged and untagged suiciders in this instance) knowing there would be no ramifications for the suicide.

Hi SS!

Wow! Good to see you SS!!

Cry me a river.....

Winning untagged. Now that I would like to see.

Might be possible if you could get a C/I to like 70k A. Otherwise, no.

*sighs*

This is why it would be possible to win untagged now.

my only input about what SS said is this "The whole EWPP thing was just another way for leaders to put even less time into their alliances over anything else." well honestly thats because the alliance leaders aren't 13 years old anymore, the ones who have stuck it out this long have all grown up and have jobs and families now...Text based games aren't played by new players or younger generations anymore.

Well it is unfortunate that the contention that someone playing untagged could win comes from someone who doesn't play.

The notion seems doomed to be untested.

Although, I suppose those currently playing untagged are trying to win. So, judging by how far short those trying fall, the chance of such a thing happening seems so remote as to make the idea a bit silly.

I agree. It doesn't change the fact that the EWPP is a means to invest less time in the game, which has the domino effect of increasing the speed of the decline of the game.

I'd love to see it. I assume you would try a techer? Would be very tough to stock as much considering the military you would require in comparison to the competition.

I have since earth 2025 wanted bots run by the game admin and still want them to this day! Bring these on Pang, even if it's a test server. IMO it would greatly improve the game or at the very least be fun for a few sets!

What is the danger of bots in the game? Give it a try next set. Even if they arent finished to your standards. See how it goes.

boo

Got to agree that it's an interesting idea.

I think it's worth trying w/o any other change but it occurs to me that if there were to be any desire to nerf land trading it might be possible to get rid of ghost acres, or radically cut them down, as long as the bots were introducing enough additional land into circulation. Conceivably returns on exploring could also be looked at.

Balancing things up might be tough but we are a very mature community. Perhaps the game itself could be its own beta test?

Why take away a way to net gain? Variety is far better.

Yes, there is something in that.

I'm with locket on that one. There's no reason for the admins to touch land trading; if people don't like it they can fight about it.

Also, I'm not going to even bother arguing about that smartass remark about an untagged country winning the server, there's just no point.

That's exactly the point. Keep trading the way it is, give bottomfeeders targets -- but not so many that it overpowers the landscape. Let there be variety, yes please. The goal, I would think, would be to allow multiple playing styles to compete on as even a playing field as is possible to promote competition.

Give the CI a steep military upkeep bonus too, while we're at it.

this has happened to me a few times in tourney:
some random guy i never attacked dumps 40 missiles on me and says "fluff you fluffer" and self-deletes immediately after doing it

personally im toying with the thought that people like that should be banned from the game, i dunno. anyway though happened again today, i had 50% sdi and it was game C so ill probably still finish top 3, and i wasnt netting anyway Heh

I know, I know give everyone a million acres then they all can win!!!!!!!!

Suiciding should be a part of the game, it is only natural plus it gives the 'smaller' country at least some sort of recourse.

However, I do feel in extremely rare cases that suiciding possibly should not be allowed. One huge red flag is when the suiciding country self deletes after. I think any such case should be looked at more thoroughly. I dont even object to allowing it to still happen even if it wasnt that set, but the one immediately prior, especially if there was an issue towards the end of the set.

The only issue is that doing something about it such suiciders that may warrant disciplinary action is a very fine line. One has to keep in mind that every time something is done that it opens the door for other similar issues. So if such a rule is put in place about it, it must be a strict cut off point on when and where it is or is not allowed. Something that I would think is not easily done.