After reflecting on last night's joke-of-a-"Declaration of War" and the subsequent conversation that followed, I decided on an appropriate response. And there you have it, DrunkSEX. There's my response.

For those who can't see it, I just spent 40+ turns doing nothing but diffusing missiles in all of DrunkSEX's countries. Part of it was to maybe increase what's left of our team's chances of making it to the end of the reset. The other part is so, at the very least, when they are done bullying us, they can't ship those missiles in anyone else's direction.

Maybe I'll see you guys next reset here it team. But it's not looking good.

This is very true, and I don't deny it.

Like an excited child, I was pushing all the pretty buttons that gave me free stuff with no consequence as long as I didn't get caught. I'm in no way, shape, or form guiltless. However, now that I've learned that overusing it on unprovoked targets is more of a no-no than I thought, I'm more than willing to apologize for my behavior, move on, and allow us all to enjoy the game a little better.

I guess every story needs its villains. Who would have thought that the villains aren't from the "Villainz" tag?

Plot twist!

I don't want to come after you. That's not the reason I'm playing.

Good night, all.

Ten Sectors of Eden. Still standing for now. I didn't op DrunkSEX either. I was told to not op any tagged players after that little oopsie with Elders.

At least Elders understood it was a mistake, and that I was still new.

While I would love to sit here and continue trying to, essentially, justify ruining the fun for the newer players, I've got to be up at 4:30 am tomorrow, and it's currently 11:30 pm.

I suppose I should just not bother signing into team tomorrow morning. More than likely won't have a country to play.

Someone with 350 posts on the forums should know what a land-grab is by now.

That would be an almost-guaranteed no. Almost...not sure

Regardless of our countries' makeups, not a single one of us was considering using any of our arms against anyone. We were just playing the game and soaking in the memories.

I even alerted the whole team when Seize the Beer failed spying me, and I asked them what to do. And everyone was like, "Meh, whatever. They're not bothering us. They're probably just poking around looking for a quick land grab poke. Let them be." (Paraphrasing, of course)

It's looking that way. I'm now strongly reconsidering playing this server in the next reset.

I know I was being a little out-of-control with all the random spy ops and all the shiny new buttons that do things when I press them. But I think I'm past the "Oh, it's new again" phase. And now I can just sit back and play the game a little more conservatively now.

Did you think maybe the reason we are not "netting" countries or "warring" countries is because we're doing this is a recreational distraction? At least that's what I'm doing. It's my first time playing in 16 years, after all. And from what people have seen of my "Performance", there's still a lot I have to learn about this game and the community that plays it.

I was getting good vibes about the community, too. Seemed like a great group of reasonable, fun-loving people...

...until this happened, of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T69IS5VGBc

I like how they're all like, "Prepare for war! Rawr!"

And then kill 2 of our countries before either of them get a chance to see the message and respond.

That's totally fair and awesome![/obvioussarcasm]

Wait, what? Why war declared? Did we do something to you?

And I'm still learning the lingo around here. What's FS?

He can still PM using the forum's PM system.

Edited post. Nevermind...

Bone-us

Even Country #44? (He's currently 2nd place at time of posting. And his country is looking pretty beefy <.<)

Don't need to read!? Poppyfluff!

It just...looks like....

Diddy Kong: *Boop*
Red Rocket: *Boops back!* "Stahp!"
Diddy Kong: *Boops again*
Red Rocket: IMMA FIRIN MAH LAAAZZAAARRRR!!! BBBLLLLAAARRGGGHHHHHH!

I'll think about it lol ^.~*

Won't hold it against anyone. Not going to sit here and pretend like I don't deserve it. ^.^



This is pretty much the conclusion I came to that resulted in me posting this:



We're thinking the same thing, just wording it differently. Matter of fact, the current game of express I'm in is proving to me that the farmer approach looks more and more appealing to try here in tournament. Might add my own little spin to it because that's just the way I am, but at least it doesn't involve spies, stealing, or bioterrorism. >.>

I agree, This is not a working strategy for a lone country on servers where you don't have teams, clans, or allies. And yes, it's definitely not a winning strategy. And I'm seeing now that trying to solo-country this strategy in Tournament is a diluted pipe-dream that will never in a million years work me to first place. But never did I once think I was invincible. My memory isn't THAT bad. The only reason I started using it here first was because tournament was the closest fresh reset at the time I wanted to try it from a fresh start to see how it could keep up.

This country build is ultimately not about networth or winning. Something like this is best suited for team play, where someone with high spy count can soften up targets before the allies sweep in for the kill on designated targets. This way, the allies can focus on having a beefed-up military for the strikes, and I can just tweak the odds from the shadows.

But in order for me to try to enact this strategy for future teams:

1. I have to learn how to use it. (All over again, in this case. Which is why I'm being so active with it right now.)
2. I have to once again recognize it's strengths and weaknesses.
3. I just need to have a better overall understanding of this game and its community. (Been playing for only 3 weeks after a 16-year hiatus. Gotta learn.)

Like I said, this country build won't see the light of say on solo servers from here on out. It just won't work that way because there's no team to assist. And even on the team servers, I'll be using this very sparingly, and only on designated targets. Now that I'm confident I have a feel for it again, I can scale back being so "Aggressive" with it.

I was thinking the same thing about the changing of the country's name. But I more than likely will not try this strategy again in Tournament. The 25 Spy Op per day limit makes things kind of restrictive. And it actually factored into the reason I got caught. I didn't refresh my spy information and just went with the day old stuff so I wouldn't waste the limited number of ops.

And yes, wherever I attempt this, I know that there will be cans of whoop-ass on wholesale if I get caught. ^.^

Oh wow...just noticing this thread.

Yeah, I have been informed that that my actions in this regard were a big no-no. "Blissfully unaware" is pretty much hitting it right on the head. I will try to pay more attention to who is at war with who and all. Been back into this game for less than three weeks, and still getting the hang of the etiquette and rules and all x.x

Sorry sorry sorry. <.< Very very sorry!

Now I just wish I had noticed it BEFORE spending my turns. Well, lesson learned: Read forums BEFORE playing.

Interesting. *Learning*

So would you say, if I were to continue crafting the finer points of this strategy, that I would want to limit my thefts to as sparingly as one would limit his or her land grabs? As in doing it no more than once or twice to any one country?

Really!? Oh wow.

I mean, I was under the impression that it's not nearly as bad as an out-and-out land grab. You're only stealing Tech, Bushels, or Money one at a time. You're not Taking land, destroying/taking buildings, taking Bushels, taking Money, taking tech, AND killing thousands of military units at once.

However, you did say "To me, it's on the same level..." So I'm pretty sure individual opinions may vary. ^.^

It took me 11 turns to recover from 1 plague just today...Someone retalled me with a taste of my own medicine. ^.^!!

I'm finding the thief approach working, though. Instead of poisoning people, just steal from them <.<

Also, Hi, Buttman!

Heehee, I recalled Bioterrorism being much harder to shake. I guess it's one of the changes to it. And I didn't really MEAN for it to come off as "Trolling".

Right now, over in Express, I'm trying to craft a "Thief" country. I only use the spy powers to steal Money, Bushels, and Tech while keeping most of my lands as Industrial Complexes. This way, I'm building a good military while still being able the "Research tech", "Make Money", and "Grow Food". Even though I'm not big on Free For All, I made a country at the start of the reset with this idea. The core concept seems to be working on both servers. I know over in FFA, I'm "Teching" 2000+ points a turn without a single research lab within my borders. Then I sell the Tech on the Market. ??? PROFIT!!!

On the game's outset, I made my industrial Production 90/2/2/2/4, And kept it that way for the first 10 days. I had 600,000+ spies at one point. Had to sell some off as expenses piled up.

You're Welcome!
*Reads P.S.*
O________o'!

The jig is up, the news is out, they've finally found me! However, you're half-right about this, sir. Permit me to explain:

Before I do, though, I want to sincerely apologize to everyone whom I've annoyed and/or inconvenienced by my "Strategy". And from here on out, you all can have the assurance that I won't commit to these methods of play from here on out. At least not here in Tournament.

Moving on: There were four key reasons why I chose to perform this way for this reset:

1. It feels like I'm new to the game all over again, and I wanted to get a new feel for the spy-op system - This here, was the biggest reason. Back in the old "Earth: 2025" days, I was always helping out my teammates with spies, assisting from the shadows. I wanted to see if I could create my old country build over again. I jumped in late in the Primary server, the Team and Alliance server games were near the end, and I'm not big on the Free For All. So I wound up trying the old strategy in Express. It took me some time to notice it, but the way spies work has changed from then and now, and I found myself failing ops and getting retalled for it. I needed to start over, and a fresh new game of "Tournament" was the next-closest place to start.

2. Since I'm alone on the Tourney Server, I needed to find a way to divert attention from myself as the suspect: The purpose of creating this thread and getting people to talk about it was a risky attempt to draw attention away from my country as a possible suspect. I needed to find a "Fall Guy". When earlier posts in this thread, along with quite a few messages I exchanged in-game, began to show that the finger was being pointed at someone else, I was able to breathe a little easier. Acting innocent via in-game messaging, as Stanrools has pointed out, played a much bigger part in maintaining the halo above my head. The misdirection and subterfuge created that temporary shield I needed.

3. To the best of my memory, Bioterrorism was pretty effective in slowing the growth of other countries' NetWorth: There WAS a bit of competitive spark in choosing to do this strategy. If I slow down the other countries, it makes it easier for me to dash ahead. Unfortunately, wiping the dust off my brain-archived copy of "How to jack up your Net Worth is Earth: 2025" was the step I failed to take as I became more focused on continuing to feel out the spy system.

4. Ultimately, I wanted to get a feel for the people I'm playing with: At the end of the day, we are here to have fun and play a game. And it's just my opinion that no one strategy is the "Right" strategy; you do what works for you! And the game is flexible enough for you to experiment to your heart's content. That's what makes this game so fun! Also, I knew from the outset that if I DID get found out, I could probably expect my country to get all of the blow-up. And you know what? That's okay! I can already feel that I'm really going to enjoy playing with you guys for many resets to come. ^.^!!

Now that the cat's out of the bag, I humbly expect and accept any retaliation for my actions. And next reset, (Unless some smart-aleck tries to frame me ^.~*) You all won't have to be concerned about randomly getting the plague. I'll probably try farmer next reset anyway.

Enjoy the rest of the reset everyone! *Bows*

IIIIIII
AAAAMMMMMMMMMM
WWWAAATTTCCCHHHIIINNGGGGGGG
YYYYOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU
PPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

O_o'

He had to have failed on SOMEBODY by now...

I sign in and I see three dead countries with the same clan tag.

Then I check the news.

*Runs and hides*

Do people still do this?

You lose the start-of-game protection after 100 turns used, right?

So If you only use 99 turns, then wait until you store up 360+ turns, then spend those turns all in one focused sitting, you go from fledgling nation to optimal beefyness with the most minimal risk of trolls and early attacks disrupting you. I used to do this way back then, and giving it a try this time around as well. Anyone else do this?

Oh haha. Okay, I was thinking he went to town on you or something.

I got poisoned again today. What the frack is this guys spy:acre ratio!?!?!

What's a dinosaur to do when there's kids on the ice?

Wow. o.o! What did he do to you?

All right. I understand.

Although, I don't think I want to act rashly on any suspicions, regardless of how strong said suspicion is...Just in case. I'm still getting the feel for the game again, and the few times I've grabbed at people in other games, I got retalled kinda hard. But it's cool; it's all part of the game. ^.^

Still patiently waiting to see the failed op...

Would it be safe to assume he/she is either playing a Communism or a Dictatorship? With Dictatorship getting a bonus to spy effectiveness, and Communism getting Indy and (Spy)Tech effectiveness boosts...

Just a guess...Any opinions?

(If this post has broken any rules by me asking this, let me know and I'll get rid of it.)

I'm thinking the Required GDI is preventing him from getting to you. He's got to be somewhere in the top 20, if not top 30...

That's right, "Mr./Mrs. Spy-ops are fun". We're waiting...watching...with bated breath...for you to fail one op on us...>.> Don't slip up now...Your country may depend on it.

Stand corrected...got another couple of my missiles diffused...>.<

Not sure what to think now....

I'm thinking it's a person. Either that or some bot country strategy <.< But that's unlikely, I'm guessing.

I haven't been hit by this dude/dudette since I dropped from the top 10. You guys still having problems, though? Hmm....

This is the greatest thread in the history of everything ever!

Ah! I get it. Okay. ^.^

I guess I just wait for him to fail an op on me. haha.

It only seems "Random" to me because I've done nothing to provoke anyone. I'm jumping back into this game for the first time in 16 years, and I'm not out to tick anyone off...

...yet. ^.^

But yeah, if anyone can clue me in on who this guy is, that'd be cool.