Zorg Empire, and games like it, will teach you a little bit about what kind of person you are.

I fancy myself a pretty nice guy, really, but a similar game taught me that I have the capacity to be a real ******* lurking beneath this cheery demeanor. It's OK, I have gotten in touch with my inner *******, and we have come to terms with each other.

But I understand that I sometimes aggravate people in games like this, through my actions. I'd apologize, but ... if I stopped playing the way I do, I wouldn't have as much fun, and apologizing after you mollywallop someone is a sure-fire way to make it look like you're an insincere *******, which I don't want to do.

Overnight, however, I was attacked twice, by two different players, from two different alliances, presumably in retaliation for attacks, by me, against them and/or members of their alliances.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 38637 units of Metal, 25531 units of Crystal and 7406 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 16.700 units.
The defender has lost a total of 260.000 units.
A debris field containing 124.620 units of Metal and 41.400 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.
The probability of creating a moon is : 1 %

And then, a few hours later, in another galaxy entirely ...

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 8333 units of Metal, 4044 units of Crystal and 991 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 135.000 units.
A debris field containing 40.500 units of Metal and 40.500 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

Now, to be clear:

Both of these - especially the first - were good hits. Taken in a vacuum, by themselves, I applaud them. The second attacker should've collected the debris field, since it was worth more than the hit itself, instead of allowing me to recover it hours later, but both are good. Both are also, to some extent, my fault; the first hit was several hours of production as well as a couple cruisers, which I was forced to queue up before logging out because I had taken in more resources (mostly through force) than I could readily deal with -- so I had to start a shipyard queue and cross my fingers that nothing would happen. The second debris field was a couple of cargo ships whose presence on that planet I forgot.

So it goes; those are on me. The hits themselves don't anger me, don't annoy me. However, prior to the first hit, that planet was struck with 4 Interplanetary Missiles. Prior to the second hit, that planet was struck with more IPMs than I can readily count, amidst all the din of the hits and espionage attempts by the players that launched them and their alliance-mates.

I'm not much of a "missile guy," myself. I don't think they're economically viable, much of the time. Yes, defenses were destroyed, but neither of those players NEEDED to destroy defenses to take what was there. Furthermore, missiles themselves cost resources and are a one-shot deal. This is not to say they're useless; if there's a large volume of resources behind a stiff defense, by all means, volley away if you can profit in the aftermath. I appreciate that. MY defense against IPM attacks leans more towards the "don't make it worth the missiles" more than "have a bunch of ABMs."

The second attack, in light of the number of missiles launched, was actually a net loss for the attacker. The profit from the first attack is diminished a fair bit, in light of the number of missiles lobbed at the planet before hitting it.

Neither was really economically viable.

So why, then?

Out of vindictiveness? As a warning?

I've seen this in the past - massive missile volleys that appear more retaliatory than they do a preemptive opening to an attack. I'm just letting those that don't know already (for several players here have seen the same and probably understand it as I do) ...

As a warning, this does not work. My defenses are not going to turn up on your planet and plunder its resources. It appears very petulant.

I might assault you, but I will respect you in doing it. Launching a barrage of missiles without a profit-earning attack behind it is perhaps the most disrespectful thing you can do to another player and remain within the confines of the rules. I tell you this so you understand what you're doing, before you do it.

As an act of revenge, it frequently emboldens the person on the receiving end, because it annoys them and tells them that they're getting under your skin (or the collective skin of your alliance). In some players, it can inspire acts of retribution in kind. In others, it can inspire them to, rather than taking it out on you, taking it out on your nearby alliance-mate.

To wit:

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 190357 units of Metal, 59080 units of Crystal and 60559 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 6.500 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 95229 units of Metal, 29569 units of Crystal and 30290 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 47655 units of Metal, 14807 units of Crystal and 15154 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 23864 units of Metal, 7425 units of Crystal and 7585 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The person who lobbed the missiles at me, you see, is keeping all of his eggs in one very thorny basket. Retribution against that planet, right now, is not cost-effective. But I have defenses to rebuild, and, apparently, anti-ballistic missile platforms to construct, so someone has to pay the piper.

Instead of building more IPMs, you may want to forward some resources to your alliance-mate a few systems south of you; his production just took a dip.

Discourtesy is an expensive proposition. Be sure you are willing to pay for it before you engage in it.
~fin

Edit

P.S.:

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 54752 units of Metal, 10263 units of Crystal and 7216 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 21.500 units.
A debris field containing 900 units of Metal and 9.000 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 124680 units of Metal, 60450 units of Crystal and 32408 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 27560 units of Metal, 8905 units of Crystal and 4452 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 13781 units of Metal, 4453 units of Crystal and 2226 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 133333 units of Metal, 133333 units of Crystal and 133333 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 150000 units of Metal, 150000 units of Crystal and 143303 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 83333 units of Metal, 83333 units of Crystal and 71660 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

The attacker has won the battle !
You receive 50000 units of Metal, 50000 units of Crystal and 35835 units of Deuterium.
The attacker has lost a total of 0 units.
The defender has lost a total of 0 units.
A debris field containing 0 units of Metal and 0 units of Crystal has formed in orbit around the planet.

All from the aforementioned alliances. A few weaker players; a couple stronger players. One player about 25 ranks higher than me. I spread the love.

I've pretty well recouped my defensive losses.

I've not yet, in my estimation, recovered the lost resources.

And then the lost ships.

Then, of course, comes the interest accrued.

And then, once I have gotten all my reparations, I will consider punitive actions.

The game's other alliances may wish to thank you for the "Day Off From Coolhand."

rofles.

I've just been informed that the first fellow also has now IPM'd an alliance-mate of mine.

See, now? Now you are going to make me become legitimately unpleasant.

Doesn't anyone realize that Coolhand has some fairly lethal friends?

This is going to be fun.

Well written. Although the people it is aimed at will probably not take the time to read it.

-Istalris-

LOL (note to self) do not cross coolhand...

It always amazes me that people fail to realize that there are some players who have been at this sort of game for years. It isn't smack talk or bragging. It's just plain ol' fashioned experience.

Coolhand has seen it all and half of it we invented.

exactly, and that amount of experience is my number 1 reason to not piss him off..lol

I am actually very slow to get angry.

The attacks, like I said, were good. I saw them first, and said to myself, "well, that's what you get, isn't it?"

Business as usual.

The missile attacks ... THOSE are a little irritating.

In the immortal words of John F. Kennedy, "Beware the fury of a patient man."

Well said.

And i do not use IPM's mainly because ide rather spend the money somewhere else