Conversation with a new Simcountry Player

New Player: This game is pretty neat. I am just starting to understand corporations and most of the workers in my country are now employed.

Vet: Uh huh

New Player: I got my tax rate set reasonably. I started to reach out to some CEOs to let them know that my country will be a good place to continue to build their corps.

Vet: Yep

New Player: I am starting to send messages to other Presidents. I have some ideas about making a common market that will be beneficial to all of us.

Vet: That's nice

New Player: I am thinking once my economy gets going; I can start to be a force to be reckoned with. I noticed you have an established federation. I think I want to learn the war game and build a powerful army. What do you suggest?

Vet: You need to raid.

New Player: Um, ok. You mean I need to expand and build an empire of several countries. Together these states can form a powerful union. Right?

Vet: No, you need to conquer countries from the computer, transfer out their cash, and drop them.

New Player: ok, I think I read a bit about that in the documentation. How you fight ever more powerful computer opponents, raise your war level, and earn rewards, including gold coins.

Vet: Sort of. You really only just need the cash and it is best if you do not raise your war level.

New Player: huh. So attack the same computer opponent over and over again? Just to get started with some building cash right? Eventually, my empire will be making wares sold all over the Simworld. Enough to bring income to meet all my needs.

Vet: No. You pretty much need to raid, raid, and raid some more. At least, if you want to have a military that is worth a darn.

New Player: ......

soo true

Cute

Now I'd have to tell the new player to spend six months to a year meticulously playing the economy game before even thinking about war. Even then they will never be a match for the vets. Actually I'd tell them not to bother in the first place.

But if they insisted....

I'd tell them to hoard every cent they make. God fordid they'd have to spend real money by making the mistake of building an army to soon. Who wants to build an army anyway. Pretty much every noob that starts but hey ho.

The real reason for this change is GC purchase by noobs who make that mistake. It's finally dawned on me, and has nothing to do with more pvps. That's ridiculous. But you fools are championing it ffs.

All moves made by the GM in the last 2 years have been to this end. This is just more of the same

Squeeze Squeeze

Thee End

Amen!!

Figured I would let this settle for a short time and get some initial thoughts. There is no doubt that this is the state of the game. Many new players have experienced this conversation and many vets have given this advice.

The question is. In the context of growing the game and luring new players, is this a problem? Why or why not?

well, VX, i'd have to point out that the ammo consumption, with the dismatling of units, while limiting those countries to just the normal monthly income, will dramatically reduce the space between newbs and old school vets

It must be a problem. The game isn't growing at all. The opposite is true. Many good players have left through being squeezed for more cash. Which they understood well.

This wont do nothing to lure new players in.

Hey you new player, come play my awesome game. You'll love it, There's so much to do. You can run an economy, build an army (after a year or 2) You can run a space programme. Buy and trade goods for real cash. Join up with many other players into a meag federation and fight mega wars. ( After a year or 2) Sound fun? It does actually but be advised the game gods will change the rules constantly which will get your head in a fucking spin. So don't be foolish and set long terms goals or risk disappointment. Every change made will be to extract more and more from you whilst giving back less and less. Still sound fun? Errrrrrr

Thing is I wouldn't mind spending more cash if I was incentivised. But being forced just rubs people up the wrong way.

Thanks for pointing another thing out that rubs me up the wrong way orbiter lol.

The fact that your country will implode on itself whist eating up all your ammo if you don't log in regularly really winds me up.

There's a way around it though that I know 1 vet on FB does. That's to keep your soldiers unemployed and have you weapons in a ceo. That's what I'd do myself.

Hey VikingX, just to be clear on the CEO and weapon strategy? The CEO doesn't spend ammo every month by just holding weapons in stock, even if the ammo is also available in stock? Is there any other benefit to CEO holding them?

Thanks and good debate here, even tho I'm not perfect sure on all the points.

Hey Perival. That's right, weapons in a ceo don't WASTE your ammo. The strategy is to store the weapons there, keep the ammo in your countries. Shuttle the weapons in through space when needed. You'll save yourself a ton of cash in the long run doing this. Important to make sure you have the low level workers and medium level managers available when you move weapons in. Even for very large armies it's still a good strategy to have a few million of those workers unemployed.

Downside is you wont be able to fully upgrade the way someone with a standing army could. But the upside far outweighs this imo.

VX, i'm personally in the middle ground

either you spend hours and hours, for weeks or months raiding to get any where, then have to spend hours raiding to maintain, or you log in once or twice a day to shepard your countries, for a couple years to build up enough assets to do anything

the new idea that after 4 "fake" wars you auto-go up a war level, is a good idea, that allows players to play the war game, based on monthly profits at a low war level, while those that want to invest more time, are able to at higher WLs,

the GM have been saying that they're going to add incentives for war for about 4 years now, to me, thats just hot air

much of the complaint about space transfers, can be eliminated with space fighters, space raiding, space blockades, and such, but we've been waiting even longer on that

they've mentioned "missions," country resources, monopolies, and partial victories, again hot air,

thats what i find discouraging

Viking, thanks again for the advice and warnings.

I have added a suggestion to the appropriate forum for Battlegrounds. Please check it out and comment on that thread.

I think it can be an exciting addition to the game.