Topic: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

No offense to Pinwheel players, but I'll quote from the wiki here:

Pinwheel

One of the many galaxies within Imperial Conflict, normally classed as the n00b galaxy...

...it is where most the new players go straight from Virgo...

...PW isn't a real n00b galaxy anymore. Lot of old vets join PW so they can play a little more "relaxed" round.

Now let's talk about Milky Way Round 51.  So far this round we've seen two wars between top alliances stop before they started.

#1) 7878/7884 vs 7870/7880 - The Tale of the Mixed Toys: http://imperialconflict.com/forum/viewt … ?id=181852

Didn't happen.  70/80 offered to pay to avoid the war.  78/84 accepted the offer.


#2) The Phaedra and Accumulator War: http://imperialconflict.com/forum/viewt … ?id=182565

7872/7881 vs 7878/7884.  It even had a cool title.  Didn't happen.  78's leader would not be able to be online during the war start, so they offered to to pay to avoid the war.  72/81 accepted the offer.


And now we're looking at our 3rd big alliance war, which would actually be the 1st:
#3) 7870/7880 vs 7873/7882 war in 48 ticks: http://imperialconflict.com/forum/viewt … ?id=182641

Will the trend continue? I guess we'll see but I hope not.


But what does this say about what Milky Way has become?  People are saying that his type of play is smart and that if you're not playing to win then why play at all.  To that I say, if winning a war game requires you to avoid fighting, then are you really playing a war game?

What does it say about the galaxy when the top fams are praised for "playing smart" to preserve their rank at the sacrifice of experiencing the wars that are supposed to be at the core of this game?  What does it say when smaller families are called "stupid" for choosing to fight back instead of paying planets to end a war?

To me, it says Milky Way isn't the "tough" galaxy it used to be.  It reminds me more and more of what Pinwheel was meant to be.

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

I voted yes here and I will explain my reasoning for it.

Can the top fams be good at attacking and warring? Absolutely...do the majority of them try to be? no...fams in today's IC care more about farming and eco-whoring than anything else. Noir's fams were always proof of that.

The biggest reason I see as for why it has gone the way it is, is due to fams/players not being willing to "lose" a war. in today's IC it seems to be more of a pride loss to have been beaten in a war than it does to simply pay out to a fam.

I am not sure where this mentality comes from actually. I can understand paying if you really need to do so just to keep your round alive at least, but if a war is coming where you will lose the typical 20% or so then you might as well fight and save what I consider to be real pride.

The other flip side though, are when families realize they will lose and run to their old "bread and butter" move of opping a fam until eor!!! WTF is that? you are so sore you lost a war that you have to try and drag them down from having a shot at improving after winning a war?

I have lost plenty of wars, i have made plenty of mistakes. But the one thing I have never done is avoid a fight just because I knew I would lose.

Can't say the same about most fams today. Pride has a different meaning than it used to.

Solis - #7872

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

If you want IC to "actually" be considered a "WAR" game again then go back to the old ways that you quote so much.

Do away with the 40% rule so anyone can attack anyone because after all war is war and America is not limited by a 40% rule that will not let her attack a tiny island like Granada.

Do away with the rule that keeps an attacker from being put into pmode on new planets, if I can get into a fams core and have half my planets taken and get pmoded then too bad for them.

Anyone with any common sense know wars are not JUST FIGHTING.

There is always building up to prepare for war. Thats the eco part of war.

Then there is the diplo part

The bible that I wrote many years ago even says
Luke 14:31 what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

Then and ONLY then after you have prepared the eco and diplo has not worked and you have counted the cost do you GO TO WAR

ONLY fools go to war not knowing if they have a chance to win and cause needless death to their people.

so anyway claim old school all you want IC is no more old school and has not been for at least 4 years when they started the political correct CRAP of not allowing bigger fams to rape pillage and farm anyone they wanted to which is real life. smile

I am the flail of God. Had you not created great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

Because WIKI needs updating lol big_smile


Pinwheel: Come on over have some fun! smile

Milky Way: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious... yikes


tongue

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

WS IC Legend wrote:

If you want IC to "actually" be considered a "WAR" game again then go back to the old ways that you quote so much.

Why do you think I make threads like this one?  Unfortunately I am only a dev, and there is a lot of resistance (including and sometimes especially from Mods) to things I want to change that could return this game to what it used to be both in terms of experience and in terms of player count.

Of course that is a good thing.  I shouldn't be a decision maker, that's not what I'm here for.  However, these conversations need to happen first so I thank you for participating in this one.

WS IC Legend wrote:

Do away with the 40% rule so anyone can attack anyone because after all war is war and America is not limited by a 40% rule that will not let her attack a tiny island like Granada.

Do away with the rule that keeps an attacker from being put into pmode on new planets, if I can get into a fams core and have half my planets taken and get pmoded then too bad for them.

There is a balance within game design to be achieved between realism and playability.  Right now we do neither well.

WS IC Legend wrote:

Anyone with any common sense know wars are not JUST FIGHTING.

There is always building up to prepare for war. Thats the eco part of war.

Then there is the diplo part

Of course.  However, what we have now is more than that: it is outright avoidance.  Again, the balance is not correct.

WS IC Legend wrote:

ONLY fools go to war not knowing if they have a chance to win and cause needless death to their people.

so anyway claim old school all you want IC is no more old school and has not been for at least 4 years when they started the political correct CRAP of not allowing bigger fams to rape pillage and farm anyone they wanted to which is real life. smile

We're in more agreement here than you probably realize.  I wasn't around when many of the current restrictions were enacted but I honestly despise most of them.  However, when they were introduced it was the right thing for the time given the activity level of the dev team at that time (only Stefan).

Right now however, I am here along with Elro and Torqez, and Stefan still working behind the scenes.  That is why I feel so strongly about these issues.  The game has been on the decline for many years.  There is clearly something wrong, and the attitudes about what it means to win and what "skill" attackers have is a manifestation of the game's imbalance.

I'm doing what I can to start conversations but in the end we need the devs, mods, and players to all be interested in where those conversations go.  In the meantime, as a player who enjoys fighting challenging (and sometimes losing) wars more than winning easy ones I'm going to call players on their bullshit when I see them run away with their inflated egos as if their rank says anything about their war skills.  That includes you. =P

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

WS IC Legend wrote:

of not allowing bigger fams to rape pillage and farm anyone they wanted to which is real life. smile



And in one line you've explained to Pie the exact reason the rules were put in place, and funnily enough the Major reason of the decline in numbers.

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

I've always understood why the rules are there.  Don't assume I'm oblivious to this all.  I agree with their intent but not with their design.  My point is, something needs to change because the current game isn't growing or even close to.

Milky Way is boring.  As the main galaxy, this is a big problem for IC, and I'd like to fix it.  First though I need to know how the players as a whole feel.  That's the point of this thread.

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

And is why I posted wink

Fam Bank is also a problem. tongue

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

There's much work to be done for sure.  Thanks for posting and voting, looking forward to hearing from more current MW players.

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

Also your question was kind of hard to answer, there are great attackers there, they just sometimes don't. lol, which seriously brings me back to my point of the psych of players that are still here, I mean, to lose it all after putting so much time and effort into the Month leading up to it? "remember how it felt last time....?" "maybe if I say I can't make the war at that time, maybe just maybe, I won't feel that way again...."

ahhh so sweet to be human with feelings and shit smile

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

As Fam Banks get bigger, so do the losses, if your Fam Bank doesn't have the Billions the top Fams talk about having then.... meh

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

lets make it a rule to not have feelings

fourdb

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

It's a flaw within the game honestly.  I don't blame anybody for the way they play, but again I am also a player so if they talk the talk one day and then back down from a fight the next then I'll call them on it, especially if/when they insult me and/or my family for "playing dumb" because we prefer fighting over a rank that is imo meaningless.

Anyway, as a dev I have a higher responsibility to make such things unnecessary.  If for example, WS Lee and HydroP had some way within the game that showed their history as attackers (attacker score, achievements, etc) then they might feel less included to be so wordy about themselves.  Or maybe not, who knows.

In any case, it would also allow more quiet but just as skilled players to also have the recognition they deserve.  It could for instance, show that a player in a small, "doomed" family is actually outperforming a attacker from a higher family.  Not only that, but if we had the proper motivation then the attitude could shift away from "must not lose this war, i worked so hard to get here" to something more like "oh man this is gonna be a challenge.  i better pick my moves correctly so my score is good".

We just have to be creative.  We have the potential to make this game more rewarding for everybody involved including the small guys.  The first step is seeing how people feel and so far from this thread's poll anyway it seems like people are bored.

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

hmm then maybe we re-ignite the Debate with Stefan on V.I.P customised Galaxies..? (as an example). smile

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

It's an option, though i think addressing some core features would be more fruitful.  MW should be the standard for the game, we should fix that first before addressing secondary features imo.

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16

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

I like pie wrote:

...  "The game has been on the decline for many years.  There is clearly something wrong, and the attitudes about what it means to win and what "skill" attackers have is a manifestation of the game's imbalance."

No more words needed spoken, you should paste that^ in your signature
it's a manifestation of the world itself, when you bring your rl to this game you bring also the misseries.

maybe, and only maybe the 1st step to get in the good trail again is to open a new Virgo, and start from zero with the new players, because they are being killed in the kompetitive gals we have in the game  (I have just killed one and I'm not happy, but if I let him be then my family round will be ruined hmm)


It's sad
sad

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

I can't take this topic seriously. Please edit the subject.

Is Milky way the new Pinwheel*

TAG POINT big_smile

Oracle | Bane | The Justice 7873

18

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

a new Virgo should be different, the other was plain stupid, ezplo 10 and you're in, plain stupid.

We'd need vets leading and mentoring the noobs, and give the aproval when they're ready to move to a competitive gal, not just achieve some goals, it has to be the mentor who says "ok you're ready for the real thing" and then keep track of the noob in the standard gals, so every new player would have an indicator showing he was mentored by this vet and he can contact him when he needs support.

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

I like pie wrote:

MW should be the standard for the game



And there in lies a big problem, when some people there would just Farm you down to your undies without thinking "hey, this guy is actually contributing to the game." smile

~*✠ ]PW[ Forever ✠*~

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

NathanLee i'm not sure what you mean.   Pinwheel looks correct to me.  Is there a typo I'm not seeing?

Render, those are good ideas and I think that's a good start.  I think though that some core change are needed as well though before that can be as effective as it should be.  Things like score/ranking changes, achievements, revised history, etc.

We're on the right track though.  Thanks for your input!

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

"Is Milky Way is the new Pinwheel?" I think he means the thread title pie, one too many "is" there wink

Miss Che Vias-Sprite
Yehes ha sowena whath dhewgh why ha 'gas henath

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

Hahaha ty both for pointing that out.  I seem to have developed dyslexia or something within recent years.

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Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

No MW isn't the new PW, this game is just old and falling into the same circle everytime.

~ Cloud

"I Cannot Awake From This Nightmare As Long As You Exist..."

24 (edited by Satanic Spawn 08-Mar-2013 22:47:59)

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

Pie for you to say that attackers in the top fams are not effective attackers or war planners is silly. they have different motivations than the mid/small fams and therefore their strategies differ.

When it comes to war planning, personally I don't think there are many people in IC better than me. I have won rounds in IC where we started as barely a top 10 fam and because of my planning/coordination we not only won size, but we took down the #1 fams while doing it. As smaller fams!

For example, Capricorn 1...due to my planning (and a good full fam effort) we destroyed 3 different #1 fams that round en route to our #1 victory in size. And if you go look at the NW ranking at eor...we weren't at eco.

So when I make my claims to being an elite attacker, it comes from the days where i consistently beat better fams and always made my bankers #1 in size.

Ask hellraizer, new radicals, and any of the others i did it for!

EDIT: and when i did most of my awesome work, it was when we had 100 fams and being top 10 meant you were a solid fam.

Solis - #7872

Re: Is Milky Way the new Pinwheel?

Satanic Spawn wrote:

Pie for you to say that attackers in the top fams are not effective attackers or war planners is silly. they have different motivations than the mid/small fams and therefore their strategies differ.

When it comes to war planning, personally I don't think there are many people in IC better than me. I have won rounds in IC where we started as barely a top 10 fam and because of my planning/coordination we not only won size, but we took down the #1 fams while doing it. As smaller fams!

For example, Capricorn 1...due to my planning (and a good full fam effort) we destroyed 3 different #1 fams that round en route to our #1 victory in size. And if you go look at the NW ranking at eor...we weren't at eco.

So when I make my claims to being an elite attacker, it comes from the days where i consistently beat better fams and always made my bankers #1 in size.

Ask hellraizer, new radicals, and any of the others i did it for!

EDIT: and when i did most of my awesome work, it was when we had 100 fams and being top 10 meant you were a solid fam.

I think you misunderstand.  What I am talking about is events in this Milky Way round.  If you have proven yourself elsewhere then kudos to you for having done so.  That goes for Lee as well.  However, within this current Milky Way round all I have seen from both or your families is a fair amount of successful coordination.  I'm not saying you guys are bad attackers, but rather that you haven't proven to anybody that you are good ones.

Yes the motivations between top fams and mid/small fams are clearly different.  However, when two different wars between top alliances stop before they happen and planets are paid out, it's pretty obvious that the motivation is to retain rank.  That has nothing to do with how effective at war any player, leader, or family is.

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