[NO PLAYERS] Lurking and Mapmaking PB55

[Charriu]

And just when I'm so close to doing my T150 tracking report.

[Charriu]

Lewwyn playing the same time I was, we basically were both like "so who is holding out here". Can the lurkers please bully the holdout(s), maybe by continuously requesting demo screens, until he/they concede?

I have to say I'm starting to get annoyed by the current meta. This is not a jab at Commodore in specific but rather at the community at large. I feel like right now a lot of games go this way:


1. One player gets slightly ahead of the pack, sometimes even in very early turns
2. Other players notice the lead, but think somebody else has to do something to stop that leading player.
3. The advantage for the leading player grows
4. Players start noticing the gap and start conceding
5. Now instead of doing anything against the leading player they start attacking other contenders, who haven't conceded, therefore forcing a concession.

I find this really annoying and kind of unfair towards the contending players. Am I just too critical?

[El Grillo]

PB54 spoilers:

Perhaps you're including PB54 among your sample, so here's my perspective coming fresh from a situation like this, if I'm correct in assuming that everyone has either verbally or non-verbally conceded that game. While there are certainly still some interesting turns to play out and goals to strive for in my part of the map (Taj, Liberalism, trying to conquer India), the overall conclusion is not in doubt when Mig is 2x my 2nd-place MFG and CY and city count, and if everyone else is checking out then who am I to insist we play on? Perhaps the lurkers would have been more invested in an alternate timeline where one player emerged victorious from each continent at roughly the same time and then we progressed into an Industrial/Modern endgame, but it is what it is.

That said, I don't feel bad or treated unfairly. Clearly I could've made better decisions earlier to improve my own current position, chief among them not getting set so far back by Mjmd's attack, but I don't know what happened in the Mig continent other than that he seems to have played a really strong game, with a clear plan from the start that he proceeded to execute very effectively. Should that timing attack have been able to kick 3 other players off the continent, I don't know, but it did, so shouldn't an achievement of that magnitude be good enough to be considered game-winning? It's hardly like we start these games with the expectation of actually reaching an in-game victory condition.

[Tarkeel]

A trade embargo of the running away leader would be a rather efficient way of hobbling them, and should be feasible with the AI-trade options.

[El Grillo]

Eh, not really, not without a hot war generating war weariness as well. Taking more than your fair share of land usually means having more than enough luxuries, and also likely means having enough islands to fill up your trade routes with decent domestic options.

[Zed-F]

I personally don’t see anything wrong with closing out a game where nobody feels like taking on the leader. Maybe it’s better if people try to organize a dog pile against the leader, so we could remind them that that option is on the table. But otherwise, it’s better to free up players so a new game can be started than to allow a game to drag on.

[Charriu]

I personally don’t see anything wrong with closing out a game where nobody feels like taking on the leader. Maybe it’s better if people try to organize a dog pile against the leader, so we could remind them that that option is on the table. But otherwise, it’s better to free up players so a new game can be started than to allow a game to drag on.

Of course I did not want to imply that this game isn't over. It certainly is with the last contenders more or less out. I also did not want to take away from any accomplishments by the leading player, which are definitely earned.

[Tarkeel]

And just when I'm so close to doing my T150 tracking report.

Well, we reached T150. Is it time to call this one as well, or should we see if Amicalola can organize a dogpile?

[Charriu]

Well actually it needs to be T151, because I only get the T150 data on the turn roll. But it is only Gavagai who still has to play and he could play his turn when we end this if he wants. If not I can still end his turn via the server to generate the last turn report.

But this game isn't as clear cut as PB54. Like you said a well organized dogpile could still bring civac down or at least knock him out of the leading position.

[Lazteuq]

Has RB just been failing at dogpiling the leader lately? Is this good or bad? Was dogpiling ever common or effective? I haven't been around long enough to say. I'd like to hear what some long-time players think.
Here's my thoughts about recent events:
In PB48, Superdeath had a clear lead after eating Gavagai but wasn't dogpiled.
In PB49, Fintourist/OH/Hitru weren't attacked until the end. Not a great example though because Cornflakes was also quite strong.
In PB50, Cornflakes wasn't attacked until it was too late.
In PB51, Plemo wasn't dogpiled early, and then was able to resist some dogpiling because he was so powerful already. (partly my mistake)
In PB52, Pindicator/OH were in a lot of intense wars, but not really dogpiled.
(not sure about PB53)
In PB54, there was a failure to dogpile Miguelito/Rusten.
Here in PB55, everyone seems aware of Civac's lead, but no-one is even fighting him right now...
Is this a controversial assessment?
Do players not have enough faith in eachother's ability to attack?
Is this an artifact of the influx of new players from early 2020 (like me)? Or have things always been this way?