by Kaskavel on Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:18 pm
Hello, I am mc's partner in this game and I would like ot add some things.
1. I am the creator of this game. I have played many double games in hive, with both mc and other players. At some point one of my partners whom I do not even know, tired of playing on and on a completely won game, asked me if I ever thought of adding a round limit. I thought about it a few seconds, thought about the consequences of having to adjust the tactics to have a "strong" player etc but I didnt think about this possibility. I created a new set of games with round limit 20 with various partners. It soon occured to me this problem after the games had started. Theoriticaly, except from a completely won game, in all other cases, both teams should deadbeat on round 18, especialy the team playing first who does not know what team 2 will do. After noticing this option, and it is something I disliked of course, I did not start new games in this settings, I started 2 games at round limit 30, which significaly reduces this senario. Everything happening is not intentional, it is just bad settings that are not going to be repeated from me. I also informed all 4 of my partners in those games about this option.
2. This tactic has already been applied by our opponents in other games (not with mc) and we reacted accordingly. In fact it was funny, because we both deadbeated on round 18 and then our opponents played normaly on round 19 (they were losing with both teams deadbeating) and so did we. Did both teams cheated?
3. From my part, I am willing to advice my partner to follow moderator's instructions in case he/they suggest that such an action is illegal. Yet, there are some further consequences here, as noted below.
4. Claiming this action illegal will lead to further reports since this tactic has been applied to many games before this one in this kind of situation. Especialy hive is a powerful root for this problem. No matter what, your army is huge and deadbeating will always benefit the team.
5. Many players are intentionaly deadbeating for other reasons also, not taking spoils, not losing troops from killer neutrals, giving the impression they will be forfeited and thus inviting the remaining players to kill each other, avoid taking a major decision like to which partner the troops will be added or from which direction we will try to break a bonus, delaying the end of the game for various reasons, etc not to mention what may happen in freestyle games. Also, I always deadbeat lost 1 vs 1 speed hive games after politely asking my opponent if they are OK with it and most of my opponents losing the game do the same, it needs 6-10 rounds to clean up the hive map, depending by whether losing player suicided or not, are all those cases rule abuse? Do we really want to get involved in all that?
6. Rules state in "unwritten rules" that intentionaly deadbeating is abuse but we should really be careful in intercepting the meaning of that. That was created (in my opinion at least) to prevent people from delaying games and throwing games. If the rule gets further enforced in tactical and strategical cases of intentionaly deadbeatings, which have as a goal to lead to the win of the game, then we will have to reconsider many things. Practicaly, in this case, if my team gets asked to make their turn, the result is that we are asked to do something that will lead to the loss of a game that would otherwise be won. Do not take this point lightly please, it is of critical importance and it will create an example for the future. Be careful for forcing players to make unfavourable moves.
7. It is not appropriate to discuss it here, but it is obvious that the problem starts from the combination of two strange rules. 1. Forfieted player's troops in a team game are given to next survivng partner and 2. Team games with round limits are not decided by the team's total troops but from the leading player's troops for each team. This combination is catastrophic in many situations like hive games.