Trade War Vets: How Not to Play

I’m going to use Dsar as the example of how not to play Trade Wars. Dsar begins his game with a baggage of attitudes towards other players. He likes to chat and give advice. He may not win, but will insure others lose. A few days into the Game, when everyone is ferrying colonists, Dsar is a one man Ferrangi Exterminator. His whole game is concerned with fighting Ferrangi, capturing their ships, selling the ships at the Dock, saving credits. When he has enough credits, he buys an ISS. He buys a Twarp drive for his ISS. He buys full holds for his ISS. He gets around to planet building sometime deep in the Middle Game. This is when all the other players have a number of planets at T-Warp level going to Shielded. Whoops! Colonists willing to leave Terra are down to 750 per day. The other players, who haven’t been so noisy and boasty are topping up their worlds with a trip of cols or two. Dsar is lucky to get 100 colos a day. As Dsar doesn’t know the difference between Trade Wards and IRC Chat he starts yammering to other players. He tries to wheedle colonists from them. He gets angry when they won’t load up his ColT. He launches an attack on a player whose strenght he misjudges.

He wastes fighters and turns. His opponent, who has lots of shields is left alive and kicking and angry. Dsar now decides to go evil. He hasn’t merely gotten a Fed Com but has more than doubled his good alignment, which he was trying to whittle down by attacking a good player. The Game in now in the last days of Middle Game, everyone has a few Sheilded planets, a Mountainous at nearly maximum fuel production. Everyone has a Space Station. Dsar however, is doing what he ought have done a week into the game. Dsar can’t be a real threat as evil. He can’t capture planets, he can’t do anything except be a pest. A player takes him out as one would spray for roaches. Mistakes? The first is not building planets but buying the ISS. This ship a white elephant. Yes, in Mid game when you’re rolling in Credits, with your Citadel holding a few million and a 500k account at the Star Dock bank, buy an ISS. But the cost of a full hold transwarpable ISS, isn’t worth it if you’re sacrificing planet building. If on a low turn game you’ve spent your turns for three days to amass the wealth to buy this puppy, you will find you are behind those in freighters who have been planet building and you won’t catch up. Dsar, unable to planet build, frustrated, attacks other players uselessly.

He disables mines…why? He kills Toll fighters…why? Dsar hasn’t comprehended that where his enemy can go back to his/her planet and regain fighters, he has to buy them. If Dsar were playing with newbies or those as silly as he is, it is one thing. But he isn’t. He’s playing with those who work out every turn to drain the most usage. Dsar is the first casualty of the End Game. He’s the player everyone hates, and his demise simply cuts noise levels. Dsar’s major mistake was in not planning what kind of game he would play before he logged on. That mistake compounds like interest. Hence, as you join a game, make up your mind if you are playing good or evil, and don’t switch after a Fed Com.