There were a flurry of posts while I was writing this - this is in response to Krill's post above the one where he set out the lurker rules.
Well yeah, but I don't Sullla is being influenced with respect to his gameplay (or with respect to how he talks about other teams, judging by his lengthy comment saying that he won't be changing how he reports turns). As I said before, I haven't seen any remarkable shift in how Spullla conducts their diplomacy. They are still looking out for number one, delaying messages, and choosing their words carefully. The only real difference I can see is that they are starting to realize the severity of the diplomatic situation based on the interactions of the Mediterranean alliance, so they are working harder to secure alliances. Their diplomacy with Slaze has been pretty bad (on both ends), and they're having trouble communicating with Danstki. The only team they are actually building good relationships with is Korea, and I don't think that's because some lurkers have been complaining about the tone with which they discuss other teams in their spoiler thread.
I agree with your assessment of Sullla's personality, which makes me believe that if there was some extra-curricular interactions going on between a lurker and Spulla, then it must have been about the tone they've taken in their thread. As I've said, I don't think it's particularly worrisome if lurkers are trying to influence the tone with which Spullla reports on the game, unless you are worried about some kind of obtuse reaction which makes Spullla treat their opponents as humans rather than as AIs in their diplo as well as their spoiler thread reports as a result of the proposed shift in tone.
Basically I'm asking you to trust the discretion of the lurkers. I've been trying very hard to not influence the direction of any team, and I'm sure the same is true of just about everyone else. If you think banning lurker discussion is the only way forward from here, I'll respect that. However, I do think that such a decision would greatly harm interest in this game and would go against what this community stands for.
Well yeah, but I don't Sullla is being influenced with respect to his gameplay (or with respect to how he talks about other teams, judging by his lengthy comment saying that he won't be changing how he reports turns). As I said before, I haven't seen any remarkable shift in how Spullla conducts their diplomacy. They are still looking out for number one, delaying messages, and choosing their words carefully. The only real difference I can see is that they are starting to realize the severity of the diplomatic situation based on the interactions of the Mediterranean alliance, so they are working harder to secure alliances. Their diplomacy with Slaze has been pretty bad (on both ends), and they're having trouble communicating with Danstki. The only team they are actually building good relationships with is Korea, and I don't think that's because some lurkers have been complaining about the tone with which they discuss other teams in their spoiler thread.
Quote:Then again, where else would they have come from? I also get the feeling that if someone would have tipped Sullla off with spoiler info via PM he would have been very upset and posted this publicly -- he doesn't seem the type of person who would want his game spoiled.
I agree with your assessment of Sullla's personality, which makes me believe that if there was some extra-curricular interactions going on between a lurker and Spulla, then it must have been about the tone they've taken in their thread. As I've said, I don't think it's particularly worrisome if lurkers are trying to influence the tone with which Spullla reports on the game, unless you are worried about some kind of obtuse reaction which makes Spullla treat their opponents as humans rather than as AIs in their diplo as well as their spoiler thread reports as a result of the proposed shift in tone.
Basically I'm asking you to trust the discretion of the lurkers. I've been trying very hard to not influence the direction of any team, and I'm sure the same is true of just about everyone else. If you think banning lurker discussion is the only way forward from here, I'll respect that. However, I do think that such a decision would greatly harm interest in this game and would go against what this community stands for.