[conquest] conquest etiquette part 2 - suggestions

[Almighty Tallest Cataboligne]

A game is just a subset of rules players agree to abide by in order to
interact in playing.

Interactive computer games have introduced some new factors - things
the designer never intended that may unbalance play.  And most games
have this to some extent.

I dont think any of the VAX issues I mentioned in part 1 are any issue
presently.
I have yet to see autopilot or conqoper abuse.

However I have noticed some players taking advantage of the ability to
play multiple ships.  This could seem a trifle unfair and I have
thought of the following:

When its probably fair:

A single player with no team help protecting thier home system from
genocide by multiple (unique separate player) opponents.  Or trying to
achieve a coup under the same heavy fire situation.  There is nothing
worse than building up the requisite kills to try a coup, waiting for
the timer to count down, and then getting wacked by 2, 3 or more ships
(specially when there are only 2 other players)...every time you try
it.

Help in taking out bots when playing alone and overwhelmed (home team
planets with high army count, or low effeciency ratio).

When it might not be fair:

Using multiple ships to defend your ongoing conquest (your team has a
few more planets than your home system...)
Different players using many multiple ships on the same team (if you
are not alone on a team, you prob, shouldnt be using multiples.)

Preventing a bot from defending its team to achieve a genocide (if you
are going for a geno, you should let the bot at least defend the last
planet you take...and have more than 3 - 10 armies on it!)

Joining a team with a second ship only for the purpose of sabotage or
spying - tho if you only pilot a *single* ship this is prob. ok.  Also
having one ship at war with a peaceful opponent and another at peace -
forcing them to war if they want to fight all your ships...

Using multiples to *unfairly* increase your stats.

My personal feelings:

If everyone isnt running multiple ships (or at least agrees with
it...) I dont think anyone should - just out of respect and fairness. 
Yes this makes  conquest harder, and bots more troublesome...but hey -
why play if it isnt a challenge?

You dont kill a dummy 100 or more times (even if you are alone on a
public server) just to crank your efficiency up.  Or play a user one
time and get the high skill score then never play again.  Bomb armies
and fight bots the hard way.  It is possible to make a conquest with
only 1 ship.  And if you want the high score you need to play often
enough to risk lowering the score and being killed by players, bots,
armies, suns, etc...

If you block a bot to avoid the bot attack with a home planet that has
like 100 armies - stop blocking around 35 - 45 and fight the bot
fairly for the planet.  Same goes for the genocide.  2 or more ppl on
the same team should not be blocking bots either.  Besides its fun for
a player at peace to tow a bot while the other takes the system - then
you put the bot in a sun (Muh-hah-hah-hah-hah...ahem, sorry.)

If you do have multiples and someone keeps killing the ones you arent
paying close attention to, you dont chase down their ship with
everything you have just for revenge...same with taking your team
planets.

The same person having different user accounts is also abuse-able. 
Its one thing to have a dummy account (doodie anyone?), an account to
mess with (backup), and one for serious play (cat)...its quite another
to make a new user just to harass another player, or interfere with
their stats.

If I tell you something is cheating, the above is why I think it so.


Some things are fair (alls fair in love and war?) by the established
rules, but are considered (at least by me) to be dishonorable. 
Tormenting an opponent with overheated weps, or no fuel...endlessly
hounding an opponent with no team or friendly  planets for
refueling...going to war just to take recently conquered planets -
just because you know they have low army counts...

Such are usually followed by comments of "cowardly", "{insert team
name} scum", etc...usually in good fun.


I'm not saying anyone should change thier play style or anything.

I just think if there are more than 2 players on a server, especially
2 on 1 team that multiple ships should be limited to 2 or not used at
all.  (And no creating *fake* identites to get around it either -
thats still cheating.)

Besides - you are a much better player if you only have one ship to
focus on.  Multiple ships usually just lead to easier kills...and we
dont want that.

-Cataboligne-
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