I have gotten to play a number of rounds in express and have a few thoughts about why it sucks (at least in terms of getting randomly suicided on).

It seems many people use it as a playground to gangbang people with informal alliances (or illegal accounts; hard to tell). Everyone in the top 10 for this round was hit by suiciders except the theos who were in GDI.

So, it's easy enough to play a techer and tech warfare, weapons, etc. and pummel the crap out of anyone either at day 4 or 5 into the round.


Rather than just complaining, I have a few thoughts to try and save the server. I think that this game has so many different servers, but AT THE END OF THE DAY THE RULES ARE ALL THE SAME except for how quick turns are generated!!

Why not try and totally revamp express? Since a new round starts so quickly it would be easy enough to change back if rule changes are total failures. This could be used as a beta server or at the very least be different from other servers.

So, rather than just complaining, here are a few thoughts:

1. Put in some bot countries (I don't know how easy this would be to actually do, but it has been an idea thrown around before in alliance). It would be nice to see more countries again. It seems like the more people quit, the worse everything gets, therefore more people quit. Why not try something significantly different to reverse the downward spiral?

2. Automatic GDI (this would cut down on suiciding). However, make the ability to declare war on another country more relevant to the server (i.e. 12 hours).

3. Decrease effectiveness of SS and PS to some degree. Everyone complains about being farmed in express and it is really easy to farm someone since you can have up to 450 turns at one time.

4. Decrease max warfare tech from 5% to 2-2.5%. This way people wouldn't be able to shoot off 50-60 missiles at the end of the round "for fun"

5. Think about changing other tech levels around. Such as increased military strat max to 200% to make it more viable, reform spy ops/spy effectiveness tech (take some out/change the formulas). Who cares if it is even unbalanced or not. I think any change of pace would be good.

6. Try out an oil floor price. This has been talked about for years. Why not try it out on a server that has such a quick turnaround?

7. Add a new tech. Something to decrease the effectiveness of special attack/missiles against you. I have no idea what it would be called!

8. Make changes to declare war or GDI altogether. GDI is lame! Maybe make it an actual organization, where being a member would add additional benefits.

GDI: Mythical organization to prevent suiciders and/or prevent being farmed by > 1 country at a time. Ghey!

Declare War: Make it so that you have to declare war to attack anyone; instead of just getting around GDI and to have +10% attack ability. Make it so you HAVE to declare war to AB/GS/missile someone?

Or declare war to hit anyone period (allow 2-3 countries to be declared upon rather than just 1 if this is the case).

Change humanitarians to not allowing > 4 hits (for example) within a 24 hour period (for example) instead of just based on nw for SS and PS.

9. Make it where you are automatically placed in a tag of 5. (You have no choice).

Lots of random thoughts!

Looking at the news, it looks like 106 and 107 are the same person and "they" both just suck.

It doesn't appear that he is GSing just to bring into DR.

Way too much to read. No one cares.

The only cheating I see with all of this, is that it looks like 106 and 107 are multis.

On the one hand, the sparring on the forums makes things more interesting, but on the other, the accusations are always ridiculous!!

Obviously, people who have played together before may be inclined to ally up and work together. This is not necessarily cheating. FA isn't even cheating. If it was, then it would not be an option to have.

I would only really consider cheating having multiple accounts.

lol @ this game

I can gain land a lot quicker by attacking than by going all explore.

If you want to be a vigilante and attack me for hitting other people who have nothing to do with you, that is your call. To make yourself out to be some kind of hero/martyr for that is dumb.

I can play an all explore too, but that gets boring. It seems like you like to hide and take your aggression out on whoever is doing well for kicks. This server enables you to do that. There is no way to fend off every attack that can be made on you by someone who is out to get you.

Last round I really pulled in the reins on attacking and double tapped maybe twice. I then got gangbanged by you and others that I never hit.

I realize this is your way to make the game fun for you and try and feel more important to the game, which is fine, but being destructive 100% of the time will only get you so far. This game is considerably shrinking even since switching over from omac. (alliance was 1k countries first round and now has 520).

100% destructive actions do not help anything. If there was 10k players then who would care, but the game is barely viable at this point and your actions do not help the cause.

Your logic is flawed.

Accountability to a very short suicide friendly server

Thanks deerhunter, eloquent as always.

And yes anyone can change their name round to round. I think forcing you into one name for a month might just make people second guess what they do over the first 2-3 weeks and could make things more interesting.

I guess you had a fun birthday?

28 here and first played when I was 19. My brother told me about it and he was 13 at the time...no idea how he found the swirve site.

Good job bobby!

I assume there are not a lot of high school age kids getting into this game now.

I'm thinking at least 25?

I think if anything you need to look at each server individually when adjusting govts.

Id say commie is good in express (but you'll get suicided), good in tourney (a commie won last round) and good in primary (commies can get 60+ million nw).

Commie is weak in alliance and team due to less land and more limitations on who you can grab, but I think the improvements in tech and selling make it very viable.

Make the Country name carry over for one month.

So, same country name for July, and then a new one for August, new one for September, etc.

There would be more accountability for acting like an ass, which could make grudges more interesting too. That way you can at least identify who hit you last round.

Thoughts?

What he said.

Thanks for making me feel retarded for your flub qzjul!

Primary: 7, 8, 8
Tourny: 21, 18, 3
Express: 1, 46, 3, 7, 7, 37, 106, 148, 19, 13, 116, 5, 66, 31, 73, 43, 5, 104
Alliance: 38, 263, 422
FFA: 82-486 range 1st set of FFA
Team: 9

Express only finished about half of the rounds staying active.

FFA played mainly all explore except two countries in a one man tag and took way too much time!!

Occasionally

Ran all my turns, but team was a lot slower than all the other servers.

I keep getting a lot of the "too many requests" error message.

Any spyops seem to freeze things up.

Thanks maz, I value you opinion.

And yes, I think some of those other options could be good as well.

As for this idea, you could even link it somehow into facebook, so it might not totally be random (putting you together with fb friends).

I like the declare war idea, or at least modifying what it is now.

Declaring war only to go around GDI and get a 10% bonus is kinda lame. GDI could definitely be modified too (maybe make it an actual organization, which could offer other benefits to members)

My thoughts were that this would be more "new player friendly" compared to the alliance server, but would still promote interaction.

It could be a stepping stone to the alliance server if players want to play a more intense game. I feel it could help with player retention assuming new players do come via facebook or whatever.

Disclaimer: This post might be a bit long winded.

I feel that there are several flaws with the current alliance server and this suggestion is actually inspired somewhat by *gasp* utopia.

I never really cared for utopia, but did give it a try when first playing earth in 2001/2002. When you entered the game, you were forced into a random kingdom of 25 with 24 other random players.

What I dislike most about the current alliance server is the large degree of bureaucracy in terms of what is and is not allowed and accepted, the ease to kill countries with a first strike, the tools that are implemented for 3rd party sites to make farming brainless, the small amount of players, and lastly, what motivates many alliances to act (ruining others rounds because of long held grudges, vendettas, etc). It is annoying to have to seek out getting recruited in order to play if you are a new player (vets at least know how to go about this if they are coming back).

My suggestion is a new server that would randomly throw you in an alliance of...for example: 20. This server would automatically throw a tag onto your country that your alliance could rename if they so chose. The server would also not support 3rd party sites, so everything would have to done in game. Hopefully both insite forums as well as chat rooms would be supported.

Every forum could have some standard posts by the administrators to both welcome you into the game in terms of basic strategy and generally accepted policies. I think it would also be good to slow the pace down similar to the 1a, 1b games of years ago (1 turn every 40 minutes) with a max of 75 (37). This would allow alliances to not be completely smashed by a FS and actually stand a chance. You would be able to declare war both individually and as one alliance against another.

I believe in utopia wars actually allowed you to grow rather than just destroy. Gains for SS and PS could be significantly improved if at war with another alliance. Other special attacks could be modified and weakened/tweaked to promote more growth rather than pure destruction.

Summary:
-hybrid of team/alliance server
-20 randomly assigned countries
-all work done in game
-no country report options other than ingame
-forums and chat rooms supported in site
-slower pace with less max turns and a longer round
-weakened special attacks (since everything is smaller now and there is no longer 10k + players)
-increased benefits for formally declaring war against an alliance in game
-tweaked spy ops (look into eliminating some ops)

I feel this could be a good intro server that would promote teamwork. Right now all servers are almost totally individual based or overbearing alliance based policies.

Flame away.

1) How many times have you played express?

7-10
2) do u intend to play again?

Sure, on and off
3) did u detect any multis or clan activity?

People know people across different servers, multiwise...not that I know of

4) do u recruit players to come play express?

No

5) how did u decide to play express?

Ive tried every server at least once

6) what rules would u change?

Maybe tweak governments a little bit differently for this server, make people use more turns for special attacks, etc.

7) are spies just right too weak or too strong?

Spies are fine for me; I think they are too strong for suiciding purposed (bomb airbases, cause dissensions at the end game; but you can always drop acres)

8) is the server just right, biased toward netters, biased toward predators?

Easier to suicide just because of how quick turns come

9) r any gov types too strong too weak?

Theo all explore cash is too strong; I think teching is weak on this server, but that's just me I suppose

10) how would u increase the number of players?

Players won't increased unless playerbase as a whole increases

I personally think double taps are not that bad. I would not feel the need to ruin someones round based on 2 hits.

You guys are being a little absurd. If there was 2k players then since there would be more targets, a double tap wouldn't be necessary. With less targets, double taps happen.

Express just allows someone to "suicide" on someone easier with all the turns that are accrued so quickly.

All explore is a good netting strategy here, but personally that gets a little boring. The landgrabbing in this game is what makes it interesting for me.

Haha I agree with detmer's analogy

Are there no democracies with no military tech that can at least keep bushel prices to $32?

Bushels are at $27 right now...

I am dumber for having read this.

Makes me want to watch Caddyshack again...

"Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh?"


"Oh, it looks good on you though"

I went on a vacation earlier this year in Aruba.

It would be great to buy a condo there, spend some time on the beach, and attempt to write a book.

That would occupy at least the first year of time for me.

"2 chicks at the same time man"

"Message from The Man In Black (#14) sent on 05/23/2010 18:35:53
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SS May 22nd, 12:51 AM Uticant (#64) propah ganja smokahs (#63) Defense Held


LMFAO..."

I find it funny that you are still trying to mock me after bouncing 80% of your hits on me. Are you 15 or just retarded?

You suicided on my set and brag about it. Way to go! Just like you did on MyDecember last set...so again, congratulations!

Being from SOL I would expect nothing less, and yet, you still talk smack when you are going down in flames. The one country that you did hit earlier in the round, you farm for 7 hits and then you still try and be righteous with me when I double tapped on all my targets and preach about my "farming" on the boards.

Your psychological warfare on the boards is funny and if nothing else, I have enjoyed the express set this round, since I have gotten the chance to tool on you. Because of your arrogance I hope that others will join in too.

Further destroy the player base and continue to discourage people from playing by randomly suiciding on people in express. I guess after beating off 10 times a day, you have to occupy yourself with something else.

wwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

DH, you're a tool.

Get some more FA from friends to hit me some more.

He dropped all his land so I can't retal him and so that he can perform spy ops to hit me.

After he suicides on me him and Walding can finally find the time to spank each other.

I've been talking to him in game and he uses the same retarded grammar and hyphens as deerhunter from the boards.

Message from The Man In Black (#14) sent on 05/22/2010 19:32:47
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you can hit me back- and or accept my trade pact offer- im not and was not going to suicide on you or ruin your set. so feel free to hit me back- or call things good enough and accept my trade pact... war will not benifit either one of us...

Instead of 1/10th, is it 1/4th this round?

Former rep, now theo? Just over 28k?

SOL is a very bitter alliance, but hey, however you guys get your rocks off.

lol @ penii

Tech at 1k

I like how the asking price for jets is $26.

SS makes some good points.

If anything, I would try it out in primary server first, but farmer would be considerably weaker as there would be no spike in bushel price.

one shot? I'm mostly too lazy to login information twice.

Strat room is just as dead

Ha, I didn't realize that he never even played.

Makes grabbing easier in tournament.

Never thought I would say this, but I want him back to liven up these forums :-/