It's extremely hard to enter a long running game and build up a high rank. To0 many top ranked players who are hunting for inexperienced players leaving their fleets unattended. You have to read through the forums carefully and even then you have to practice tactics. Assume you will be hunted and play defensively.
As a recent player I found the same situation. While I was building my empire and learning the game I was attacked by a top ten player in a major alliance. I could have quit in disgust. Instead I have found it more enjoyable to have them chase me around wasting huge amounts of resources while I get to practice strategy. How often do you get a chance as a new player to have someone destroy a colony so they can put a new one close to you to send a death star at you every day. Great practice.
So look for other ways to learn strategy while you build up your empire instead of quitting.

Finally some common sense shown from a Standard player

You sir will go far in this game.

Weasel wrote:It's extremely hard to enter a long running game and build up a high rank. To0 many top ranked players who are hunting for inexperienced players leaving their fleets unattended. You have to read through the forums carefully and even then you have to practice tactics. Assume you will be hunted and play defensively.
As a recent player I found the same situation. While I was building my empire and learning the game I was attacked by a top ten player in a major alliance. I could have quit in disgust. Instead I have found it more enjoyable to have them chase me around wasting huge amounts of resources while I get to practice strategy. How often do you get a chance as a new player to have someone destroy a colony so they can put a new one close to you to send a death star at you every day. Great practice.
So look for other ways to learn strategy while you build up your empire instead of quitting.

Helfenstein wrote:Thanks for the info. I looked around on the forums a bit. Appearantly I will need to learn how to fleetsave better. I was hoping for some other tactics. And also hoping that the alliances would find a better tactic to change the score board .
Let the battle continue and see where it gets us!

Helfenstein

Being attacked and facing other players gets people better at the game. Even if you lose your fleet in the process, you gain more skill. I crashed Helfenstein a bit before VMing, if that was the raid that inspired you to go on forums, search for the knowledge, get involved and talk here, then has the teaching process not been started? Yes, a lot of people who are clueless will leave, but think about college, high school, university etc. A lot of people are quitters, and they will just quit at adversity. Players like the two Standard players whom I quoted there, they have someone after them, and you know what their response has been? To improve their gameplay. To learn. To get better whether to get revenge, or to stay unprofitable. If ten people leave for every one that get motivated like this, I would still have a smile on my face. Two things I do in this game, on any server (though I am only mining speed for now): (1) Hit for profit, (2) teach those whom ask. Any player that responds with a question will get an answer whether in 5 minutes afterwards, on in 5 days after a VM. I get back to the curious ones when I get a chance.

On that note, anyone remember when I was bringing people into BR back in the "old days"? Most of the core of that group, Nobody, Thorr, Raptor, Snave, Ree, think about those guys that became long time friends of mine, even though all but Thorr have now moved along... Guess how I became friends with them? Either through crashing them, or having them evade me, and having a person eager to find out more information, more knowledge of the game. See what I am saying here? If someone thinks any of the Wank Tank are a bunch of bullies, send us a legit PM asking for advice, tips, or just gameplay strategies and you will almost certainly be in a conversation with someone willing to help you. Just because someone attacks you does not mean they hate you, or are trying to stunt your growth. MY favourite example: When you play poker with your friends, do you fold every hand? **** no. No need to bunny around then either!

As for attacks in a war game? Get used to it. I have lost 4 moons pointlessly in the war from someone just overkilling. Had well over 1k IPMs wasted into defense, and easy a couple dozen profitless D bashes as well. How many topics crying have I made? Zip. Its ALL a part of the game, especially the profit (only thing you see me doing, eh?) stop crying people.

/rant

Thought I might weigh in as a new player. I havnt played this game very long but i can tell you that it is a PvP game. but from what ive seen, without war, there would be absolutely no PvP. i design games for the school i go to, and everyday i wish that my small playerbase would start anything close to what Wank Tank has started.

lets look at how this game was designed...

mining -
more mining
more ships (for war)
more defenses (for war)
more research...

research -
better ships (for war)
better defenses (for war)

ships -
war

defenses -
war

Is there anything that is not meant for war??? My point is, Im completely for the "Standard Server "teaching" war/exercise," even though i"m on the losing end as a new player. I cant wait to get a good fleet built up and get in on some of the action with you guys.

bring it.

ALIENtechnology wrote:Is there anything that is not meant for war???

I suppose that would depend on what we make of the game. From what I can see, the field is wide open. This game shall essentially be conducted as the players choose to conduct it. You have listed applications and developments that from your perspective appear geared ultimately for combat and for war --

However, these very same applications and developments also could - if the player community so chooses - facilitate a much more complex organism of a game than a currently pronounced inclination towards fleeting and raiding might lead one to believe. Avenues exist for trade and commerce, politics and diplomacy -

And yes - commerce, politics and diplomacy happen all to remain War by any other name - but not necessarily combat operations. The difference is as between Antonio Gramsci's Wars of Position and Maneuver. There's room for both in this game. Indeed, as we progress, grow, develop, we may be both simultaneously.

Are you suprised this server *****!!!!

Join EXTREME!

I left Speed round after purchasing the extra planet and 11 moons(cost - $100). I was attacked 6 - 7 times a day by the largest players of the game. When there is no honor figured in the attack, things like this happen. And, NO, it is not fair for a new player to be "kept" form growing by players that are 10 to 20 times his strength. How can you expect to keep new players if you do not let them grow.
On another game I play, if you attack someone less than 70% of your score, you loose honor. The loss of honor decreases your moral causing a recession in your economy. This "honor system" was adopted solely for the purpose of preventing the loss of new players.
Maybe it is time to start discussing a new strategy for the game, that will encourage new player to continue playing, and keep player that have 1,000,000 points from being able to attack a player with 10,000 points without some form of retribution.

I've only been playing for less than 1 day, but if this game has no form of newb protection down the road, where players with lots of experience/fleet/time/money(pay to win) have nothing stopping them from puppy-stomping people fresh out of the tutorial, this game won't be for me, or many other new players. Tons of successful game companies have spent a considerable amount of time and money researching this very topic and the general consensus is, to allow it to happen is bad game design and bad for business. Level 85 PvPers aren't matched up against level 15 PvE players, and if they are allowed to for some reason, the level 85 gains nothing from puppy stomping the level 15. Gold league players are not matched up with Copper league players. Casual FNM players don't lose anything when they get face-rolled by a Pro-Tour player at their local game store's FNM. Sorry for not actually naming the games I'm referring to, I suspect that naming other games in Zorg forums is bannable?

The point is, newbs like to learn at their own pace, and generally enjoy playing against other newbs. Its true that the learning curve is faster when playing against really good opponents, but not every newb has the commitment or patience to stick to a game if they get facerolled all day every day. It may be an honor to play against a Pro tennis player, but if you're still learning how to hold the racket, getting aced with 100 mph serves isn't fun, and you'd most likely quit tennis before even learning how to swing.

the protection is long enough for players to get a handle on the workings of the game imo.