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Erian Game profile

Member
702

Jan 3rd 2014, 12:21:29

Since quite a few players in LaF are new to trading I gave a shot at summing up what I think is good trading etiquette. I'm curious what players from other tags think is good etiquette and whether I missed something that tends to piss others off.

If you hate landtrading and would like to troll here, go ahead by all means, this is AT after all, just don't expect any response from me ;)

My "good etiquette" rules
-Only initiate on countries that have no outstanding retals:
E.g. You want to hit country A, but A just hit B. Let B take his land back from A before hitting A. (If B just hit A and A has a retal on B pending, feel free to hit A anyway. I know I'd like it if I was A...)

-Make sure that your target is the right size:
If you can take 5000 acres of your target, and he can only take back 4000 in his retal, you have hit someone too big for you. This is especially important to remember as a tyranny! Normally you would initiate trading with someone who has about 120-125% of your land so that you have the same land after the hit. As a tyrant, you should hit someone significantly closer to your size, so that his retal can take as much land as you took from him. Remember ghosts never count. If you choose to be a tyranny trader, don't expect a dict to make up for that by letting you leech of his ghosts. Make sure the "real" gains/losses equalize well.

-If someone has a large amount of unbuilt acres. Do not hit, wait for them to get built first! You will get more ghost acres, and they won't get shafted by falling farther and farther behind in income vs build costs.

Edit, add:
-Always build your new acres immediately after an initiating hit so that your target may retal at once with full gains.

-Always retal as soon as possible. Don't wait until the end of the retal windows. More efficient for both of you, so you can resume trading faster.

Edited By: Erian on Jan 3rd 2014, 12:30:48. Reason: And one more
See Original Post

Vic Game profile

Member
6543

Jan 3rd 2014, 14:13:38

I don't landtrade but something I observed a few sets back was that PDM traders tended to take 2 all defense allies in an attempt to DH their trading partners.

It seems logical that all traders should keep the same amount of defense, and it should be the bare minimum
(and allies should be frowned upon)

Erian Game profile

Member
702

Jan 3rd 2014, 14:39:28

Yeah, I agree with that Vic. Trading and keeping defensive allies should be a no-no.

I've seen at least one non-pdm-er do the same this round. Just makes us all having to have more jets and waste more units. If you need a break from getting hit to build or whatnot, I think it's a lot cleaner to just buy up defense for a while. Personally I'd never hit someone who currently has significantly more turrets than jets. Just saying...

If a suicider wants to hit you, they can allies or no, unless you have so many units that trading is not viable anyway.

iScode Game profile

Member
5718

Jan 3rd 2014, 22:28:17

*insert troll about dirty netters here*
iScode
God of War


DEATH TO SOV!

ninong Game profile

Member
1575

Jan 3rd 2014, 22:37:57

dirty netters

*goes back to landtrading*
ninong, formerly Johnny Demonic
IX

iScode Game profile

Member
5718

Jan 3rd 2014, 22:43:27

*farms ninong*
iScode
God of War


DEATH TO SOV!

Marshal Game profile

Member
32,589

Jan 3rd 2014, 23:03:58

*farms scode*
Patience: Yep, I'm with ELK and Marshal.

ELKronos: Patty is more hairy.

Gallery: K at least I am to my expectations now.

LadyGrizz boobies is fine

NOW3P: Morwen is a much harsher mistress than boredom....

tellarion Game profile

Member
3906

Jan 6th 2014, 13:28:30

TTT

Nice post, Erian

ZIP Game profile

Member
3222

Jan 6th 2014, 13:40:14

landtrading and landgrabbing are two different things i think. If you re landtrading then these suggestions seams fair and appropriate.

If you are landgrabbing then they are way off the mark. You try to take as much as you can and do the best you can so the defender has a hard time taking as much back.

it is when the attacker see it as a landgrab and the defender wants it to be a landtrade - when the issues arise.

too much landtrading and not enough landgrabbing going on.
fluff your 300 Spartans fool - i have 32 of the biggest fluffed mother fluffers made of titanium !!
A brigade from Blackstreetboyz (#91) has invaded your lands! Your defenses held against the invaders and forced them away! Your military lost:1 Troops

Catchy Game profile

Member
248

Jan 6th 2014, 19:04:22

I include ghost acres in the count for keeping the trade even. Acres are acres even if the dict gets theirs from ghost acres. Seems silly to say that they don't count when clearly they are getting the acres through the trade. As long as the overall total of acres (including ghost acres) is around the same then it is a fair trade.

valky2 Game profile

Member
111

Jan 6th 2014, 21:18:55

seems complicated all this

Erian Game profile

Member
702

Jan 6th 2014, 22:34:03

Originally posted by Catchy:
I include ghost acres in the count for keeping the trade even. Acres are acres even if the dict gets theirs from ghost acres. Seems silly to say that they don't count when clearly they are getting the acres through the trade. As long as the overall total of acres (including ghost acres) is around the same then it is a fair trade.

It's not fair to count that way. Let's take this basic example:

A hits B for 100+40 acres. (e.g. a Dict)
B hits back for 120+20 acres. (e.g. a Tyr)
This means B has gained 140-100 = 40 acres, while A has gained 140-120 = 20 acres. Ergo A got screwed in the exchange.

A fair trade here would be 100+40 vs 110+20 which gives 130-100 = 30 and 140-110 = 3 which is a fair exchange, but the total acerage including ghosts is NOT the same. (Numbers are not exactly correlated to the attack gains in the game, but the principle is exactly the same)

IMO since Dict is the most inferior netgaining government, dicts should *not* be expected to have to deal with totally fair trades in terms of gained acerage with other governments though, but should instead get to keep a bit more land through the ghost acres bonus they have.

Forgotten

Member
1605

Jan 6th 2014, 23:15:10

Land Trading is such a different beast right now, that some people are confused at what is and what isn't a good etiquette.

Some people feel that they are entitled to a fair exchange even if there are no official relations between the two countries' home alliances.

~LaF's Retired Janitor~

Requiem Game profile

Member
EE Patron
9056

Jan 6th 2014, 23:18:01

Erian-- I agree with your post and I do must of what you say as my own personal etiquette.