Sometimes your operatives steal, sometimes they destroy. I think I've even seen a combination.

This leads me to beleive its based on your own cash on hand?

If thats the case would I be right in assuming that this is a 2 stage calculation.

First figure out how much cash is 'bombed' (x) based on how much they have on hand (D)efender i'm guessing around 0.3%?

Then decided how much of that you steal and how much is destroyed - Is this based on your own cash on hand (A)ttacker

e.g

(s)tolen = x * (max(1,(A/D)))
bombed = x - s

or is there something else going on here? or is it secret sauce that we are not allowed to know?

I suppose the question is, do they destroy more than they steal. If your purpose is to cash starve the enemy then maybe destroying does more harm than stealing (assuming you don't mind not getting the cash?)

super sekrit "make special spies" checkbox on military settings?

I had that the other day, and so today I tried making sure I had plenty cash on hand and bingo bango bongo. Free monehs!

Could be a server thing?

Cashing will create an additional $2,967,349 per turn.

or

Your agents stole $4,897,319 and destroyed $0!

Hahah thanks :)

I'm just back to see in 2025.

I'll never really think of it as "Earth Empires" ;)

Oh I be scrapping with #94 alright, due to my error he decided to FS me. I can respect it.

I decide I could spare a few turns on a little CS just to keep things spicy.

Ball is in his court now, just waiting for his next move ;)

If I was *really* evil I'd take advantage of my DR's and topfeed a few fatties heheh.

I'm a good sport though and that would just be rude!

Well that took a turn I wasn't expecting!

A+ would read again.

So I understand what you wanted to do with the AB everyone that hits you method, I used to totally subscribe to that. It was affectionately known as "Nostra Tourney fluff" to everyone else in LCN (RIP) that played the same, and there is still definitely a place for it - Tournament! It doesn't really work in express though, and I think thats right because taken to its logical conclusion it makes express a totally PvE server and actually I dont think anyone wants that. Bu maybe I am wrong I dunno.

I've done my bit taking on the establishment in Alliance, a few of us old LCNers got together after it finally disbanded and ran an undercover op to 'teach people a lesson about playing with no defense". Each of us ran a country in the various different alliances - so that no one could be held accountable - then just as people's stockpiles were fat and undefended we came out of hiding and grabbed it all. Project "Firebase Gloria" all our countries were easily identifiable from the start. (I love a good easter egg.)

People called us "suiciders" too. I chuckled, we'd spent weeks on setting it up running top notch netting countries to blend in, all the planning like we we're in Oceans 11 or something). People thought it was for the land "oh you guys, that was pathetic, people have grabbed loads more land than you did etc" nobody ever did the math on the cash and bushels though and absolutely nobody realised it was just to see what was possible. We had no beef with anyone.

So I was a naughty boy, and for a reset I got to play the villain. Next set I was killed on sight by LaF, a task made easier by me tagging "UgolinoII" lol.

Anyway to make amends I spent a reset with LaF where I played (I think) my first ever FFO, which was fun but I only got 320m and didn't make t10. It's weird not seeing LaF around tbh, I always liked them.

I've retired from all that now, but it's always easy to spot my alliance country. Every other server I just play under my name, that way if anyone has beef with me they get to take their shot and get it out of their system. Its all just a game after all and I don't want to leave anyone feeling mad at me for anything I did (intentionally or not).

I'm way too old for all the drama on AT. I prefer irreverence if pushed ;)

Once I figure out how express worked though I kind of liked how it played, admittedly I had a slight accident this round, which I was unable to talk my way out of. So instead I had to BR my way out of it instead heh.

Incidentally that guy could have retalled and I would have sucked it up as it was my mistake, I'm very reasonable I even stated my retal policy a few weeks back. Essentially 1:1 https://www.earthempires.com/...intent-52649?t=1714653649

Immediately following that I hit most every human player on the server, and accepted every retal in good spirit. I hope all the people that scored a great hit enjoyed it. I know I love hitting a fat retal, the moment of anticipation as you send, praying to metal that you calculated the break right, and that RNJesus doesn't choose this moment to smite you!

But anyway it seemed like #94 wanted to war so.....

I certainly wasn't. I thought hard about it, my suggestion would likely create an OP casher.

The high commissions would make public market overly expensive, and the increase in private costs would force them to spend that cash on the public. This would push a lot more cash through the market in turn juicing other strats that sell goods.

Or it could make people run more self sufficient countries (ie rainbows) because they don't want to get burned by commission and the boost to PCI *and* pop means that even with a lower proportion of casher buildings you's still get decent result when teched up alongside your indy/farm/oil production.

Maybe a hybrid tech-casher, a sweet spot where your PCI/Pop boost makes up for sacrificing a little land for labs so that you can avoid the market commissions on buying your tech.

Or maybe the % I suggested wouldn't be enough to make real difference, or would be too much to mess with the current balance.

Tangentially, (I think this was suggested elsewhere), keep the govts broadly as they are with the effects but have the % in a range that changes slightly from set to set, like a shifting global economy (e.g If Theo is normally +35 construction -35 tech, it could be +20% construction and -20% Max tech or +50% construction and -50% max tech, obvs number would need a lot of thinking about!) or even is just totally random for a more chaotic envorinoment!

Also, in order to retal you'll probably be close to NW matching and get like 1-2k off the retal!

> Attacking once is enough for them to get 270 acres.

FWIW you can get that land back in like a couple 2 average bot grabs for <10k jets (not even counting ghost acres!)

> This has happened over multiple sets.

If I could see your profile I could have a look over those previous sets and maybe spot where you might be going wrong - im not the best express player but I know the theory ;)

GDI does not stop you grabbing them back, and in most cases you will get just as much (often more) land than they took.

Express is just a different meta to the other servers, I think once you get used to it its pretty decent.

Mostly netting, but if you are forced into to war you really get to smash fluff up ;)

(you can even solo kill!)

Ah, that was you.

So yeah you were definitely one of the - "I think I might be able get away with a single tap on this human"

Turns Played: A lot (none on hand, not too many stored)
Strat: Rainbow
Tech: Nowhere near enough to produce enough.
Defense: way. way. WAY. too little to defend 10k acres.

That combination of factors made you a very easy 'side grab' when you are at that part of the reset where efficiency is still paramount and you dont want a ton of jets out of action on a PS. 3 other people thought the same. FWIW the one that hit you twice has broken GDI on you soo......



Express has a unique kind of dynamic due to the usual 'turn-based' nature of the game being somewhat scrambled by the rate that turns come in.

The main side effect of this is that, pretty much any country running a 'legit' strat can retal any other country on the server. Unless the grabber takes extreme measures, which kind of makes the whole point of grabbing a human pointless as you are then screwing your grabbing efficiency. Sure defense is expensive but it's not *that* expensive that carrying a nominal amount to deter cheap. grabs is going to ruin your finish.

As you were a rainbow with no tech I knew your production was going to be way lower than it should be for a 10k acre country that had played that many turns, and you didn't have any turns on hand so it was probably going to be challenging for you to get the jets to retal. So I reckoned that if I was in your shoes I would probably reason that it wasn't worth it. So I took my shot. If you retal me then good show, you would have probably got way more land back and as several players on here can affirm, I would have congratulated you on the retal cos its just a game, and I know how sweet it feels when you nail a great retal.

Sadly, I can't even break GDI on you cos of humanitarians, that coupled with the other 5 grabs on you suggest you never did buy up the turrets that you probably ought to have had!

Running a 0 def country is a big risk, and if it pays off I don't think it really adds up to that much benefit over the course of a set.

The only reason to do it IMHO would be to tempt noobs into breaking GDI on you so you can war them.

You can tell us your country and we can op it ourselves ;)










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I forget GDI this set and was killed in co-ordination with countries I hadn't even hit:

https://eestats.lafamiglia-ee.eu/express/oldcountry/2054/102

To be fair by "hit" I mean 6x tapped 😬 so obviously I thought it was a bot, it had already been double tapped & no retal.

Aint' not body got time to be searching every country ;)

Express is a fluff show without GDI.

I used to forget to join it every other reset, and some assclown that was crap at netting would invariably just randomly attack you.

When I returned and discovered that it was the default, and instead you had to explicitly leave GDI then I was delighted.

With GDI you can even run the gauntlet and try grabbing other players (just the once!) and try and outrun retals or w/e if you want an interesting set. Then if *they* break GDI you get the FS.

If you want to pretty much force a war then grab pretty much anyone more than once. I accidentally hit a guy that I thought was a bot this set and they immediately went postal on me despite me messaging to apologise.

GDI isn't perfect but I think its way better that you now at least have the grab/retal option without it being grounds for a KR back in the day.

I'm the pansiest of netgainers, happy to farm bots and take retals, and even I think its good that this encourages a little more PvP action.

earthquake!

O

Hmm, I thought plying turns definitely affected attack DR's. Interesting to know.

Guess I will have to plan a phased attack. Are you able to say how long spy DR's take to reset?

... but its been a long time and things might have changed?

Do spy DR's unwind when the country plays turns (like attacking DR's do, I think)?

IIRC demoralize was 3% per success (additive) is that still (or ever) right? So 20 success => 40% Readiness.

Is readiness is a flat multiplier to the break? ie 50% readi => 50% usual break?

I may be showing my hand here, but I have a job to do, and I want to make sure I do it right ;)

It's often said, but...

https://www.youtube.com/...?v=ZmInkxbvlCs&t=124s

Plutocracy

+50% Maximum Per Capita Income
+25% Maximum Population
+100% Food Consumption
+50% Private Market Costs
12% Market Commissions

ooh I didn't get fluffed, i'm in trouble now :o

Darkness : Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no countries left!
MKR : Yes I have.
Darkness : Look!
MKR : It's just a flesh wound.

😂😂😂

I don't think I have ever netted on teams. Maybe one day :)

still got room for all 3 if you need any im obviously me in game :)

I was told there would be netting! 😂

3:01 exactly! Sorry I wasn’t around to ‘wall for it maybe next time :)

gg

heheh. damn needy users :)

10800 confirmed!

thanks!

this would be funny! :)

yay! thanks <3

although...

["max_time_on_market"]=>int(0)

#7 at 7 :D

This reset doesn't bode well then UgolinoII (#23) heheheh

Great finish that slag

cool cool

What is cheap exactly?

Only thing I can see that isn't pretty pricey is bushels.

Tech and military are riding high, and often sold out.

Would this really create all-x servers?

I assume the bots wouldn't buy this bonus, so they aren't inflated.

People that do become fatter targets, maybe more tempting than ever :)

You don't need to touch the current explore mechanics/maths.

If you make the bonus 8pts for +1 to your explore rate, then by day 60 your explore rate could be up to 70A/turn (premium+form bonus+6/A base rate). The absolute theoretical max you could get (exploring 80 turns a day for 60 days) is ~150k extra acres, but in reality you have to spend some turns building and I think you'd stop exploring way before you get to the end of the set (imagine the build cost!). So it still incredibly inefficient way to play but a bit less boring than 6A/turn for 90% of the set for those all-x that aren't going to change their ways :)

Grabbers still outcompete, explorers add more to market supply smoothing things out a bit.

I dunno.

Obvs if your mind is already made up then please ignore and close this :)

*A wild UgolinoII appears*

Tech startin’

You gonna let 'em do you dirty like that mike?!

Yeah no worries its not urgent, just if it was an easy thing and you were at a loose end ;)

It's not the content, it's the location of everything that is different.

The old and classic had stuff in the same place, the new one moved stuff around it was a bit discombobulating.

However, the new advisor is better - format is nicer, layout is not as glitchy, handles big numbers etc.

If I check server details https://www.earthempires.com/ai/serverdetails I can find:

Time on Market: Unsold goods stay on the market for 3 hours.

For most (all?) the other values on this page I can find a corresponding value in the Rules Class:

{
  "RULES": {
    "maxturns": "1900",
    "maxstore": "360",
    "is_clan_server": 1,
    "is_oil_on_pm": false,
    "base_pm_food_sell_price": 32,
    "max_time_to_market": 1080,
    "max_possible_market_sell": 45,
    "market_autobuy_tech_price": 900,
    "custom_market_times_allowed": false,
    "min_seconds_for_custom_market_time": 0,
    "max_seconds_for_custom_market_time": 0,
    "change_set": 22,
    "ingame_def_allies_allowed": true,
    "ingame_off_allies_allowed": true,
    "ingame_res_allies_allowed": true,
    "ingame_spy_allies_allowed": true,
    "ingame_trade_allies_allowed": true
  }
}

I am wondering if there should be a "max_time_on_market": 10800

Who would do a thing like that!

heh

Though, to play devils advocate, it was kind of forcing me to get used to the new one ;)

My hero <3

Easy work if you can get it :)

If it happens it's cos Tyson been paid to take the fall

Confirmed