I am not looking for in game strategy advice. This is a question for the veterans.  Looking back through your years of playing on the site, if you were to go back what would you do different?

Hmmm...

Good Question.  I would say...

#1 Patience/Know when NOT to attack. Some boards you NEED to attack out right away and often, but most of the time especially on big maps with lots of players its better to stack troops strategically, avoid conflict, and wait for the opportunity.  I'm still far from perfect, especially with the T button, but I definitely noticed a difference in outcomes the more I did this one. 

#2 Always check comments before moving. Never know when you're going to miss or forget about a truce, or in a team game requests/strategy from your partner.

I would have taken the time to understand the rankings from day 1. If you ever want to be on the leaderboard, you need to know. 

I also would have joined games with the really good players in them, and learned from them. 

Watch Game Histories. This is the single most useful thing you can do for yourself - get in the habit. Use the history in game to remind you what has come before.

I'da been less afraid to ask in the beginning too... 

Addendum:

I would have taken a good try at designing a board. It forces you to think about game mechanics, why things are the way they are, and you can improve from that.

Thanks for that. Good insight. Ratsy, could you expand on your first point?

Since I have been with the site for most of it's 5ish year existence I have greatly benefited from many strategy discussions that have taken place in these forums.  So as a new player coming in now I would suggest taking time to go back and read the ones that you can find.

Most are in the "Strategies and Tactics" area, but there may be others in other places.

Feel free to revive an old thread with a question or thought and maybe spark some response.  Or start a new thread with a question like you did here.  Many of us are happy to talk strategy.  We don't always give us our "secret approach" to certain boards, but we certainly will talk strategy in broad strokes.

Abishai wrote:

Thanks for that. Good insight. Ratsy, could you expand on your first point?

I can't answer for ratsy, but if you think your 'ranking' is going to be important to you, you are best off learning how the system works.  In its current form, there are many ways that players are ranked.  Global Ranking, Championship points, Tournament Rankings, Team Rankings, H-Ratings, to name a few.  Some players focus on some over others. Some try and spread the love, while others don't care at all.  The system is somewhat complex and also potentially in flux.  There are many threads in the forums that address the issue.  Not to mention in the wiki  (The "Help" tab). That and just exploring your own stats, etc.

In terms of ranking, my thoughts are that if GR is important to you, then play the most popular boards - WarGearWarfare, etc.  You'll get lots of newbs getting booted, lots of players with a 1000 GR that don't deserve it, etc.   If Championship Points are important to you, find less popular boards that you like, play a couple of private games or review the history of top players to figure out your strategy and then focus on those. 

Ozyman wrote:

In terms of ranking, my thoughts are that if GR is important to you, then play the most popular boards - WarGearWarfare, etc.  You'll get lots of newbs getting booted, lots of players with a 1000 GR that don't deserve it, etc.   If Championship Points are important to you, find less popular boards that you like, play a couple of private games or review the history of top players to figure out your strategy and then focus on those. 

Looks like i will have to find a balance, because I intend on boosting both.

Abishai wrote:

Ozyman wrote:

In terms of ranking, my thoughts are that if GR is important to you, then play the most popular boards - WarGearWarfare, etc.  You'll get lots of newbs getting booted, lots of players with a 1000 GR that don't deserve it, etc.   If Championship Points are important to you, find less popular boards that you like, play a couple of private games or review the history of top players to figure out your strategy and then focus on those. 

Looks like i will have to find a balance, because I intend on boosting both.

I would advocate a different approach.  If GR is important to you then it's not about playing the popular boards, but, instead about playing patiently and consistently winning on boards with a lot of players!  It can be popular or not, but, the trick is to win 8+ player games, even 12+ player games, with great consistency.  That was how Luieuil once made a great run at climbing the ranks and could be #1 today if he had quit while he was at his height (like it seems falker has?)

If you specialize at winning games with lots of players you will see your GR be the most sustainably high.  Unfortunately, if you like 1v1's, they are generally death to GR.  Except in tournaments where you can specialize in BlindAnts 1v1 and make great strides there simply because many players are not keen on doing all the homework to be successful at that, yet all types will join the tournament regardless.

To clarify (and M57 hit the nail on the head, while ozy and berick have provided perfect examples) the ranking systems are diverse, and not necessarily immediately apparent.

There are lots of ways to approach moving up in the ranks (as opposed to simply winning lots of games). You have to win the right games, on the right boards, against the right players in the right numbers in order to move up quickly, and it helps to do lots of practicing in places where it doesn't count (looking at tournaments here).

This may seem obvious, but it helps to not tank you ranking right away too. I thought I was pretty good at this game when I first joined up.  Ha! I was wrong. I struggled for a long time to just get a GR above 1000. Now my goal is to be on the first page of the ranking table... #30.

Honestly, I'm still not that good... it's slow going - but a rank climbing strategy would have (would) help alot I think.

ratsy wrote: it helps to do lots of practicing in places where it doesn't count (looking at tournaments here).

I don't like the perspective that "tournaments don't count".  Or that they are a practicing ground for other things.  It is a rank, and it counts just as much as the others!  A lot of people put a lot of effort into excelling there!  If you want to play where it doesn't count, then, it's Private or Development games.  Though, I was shocked the other day when I took away Korrun's elimination streak just by winning a Dev game that wasn't even a game but an example of factory mechanics.  So, apparently even Dev game's (and private games) still count for something!  Tom, if you could give Korrun back his active elimination streak by deleting that test, or something, that would be cool...

berickf wrote:

ratsy wrote: it helps to do lots of practicing in places where it doesn't count (looking at tournaments here).

I don't like the perspective that "tournaments don't count".  Or that they are a practicing ground for other things.  It is a rank, and it counts just as much as the others!  A lot of people put a lot of effort into excelling there!  If you want to play where it doesn't count, then, it's Private or Development games.  Though, I was shocked the other day when I took away Korrun's elimination streak just by winning a Dev game that wasn't even a game but an example of factory mechanics.  So, apparently even Dev game's (and private games) still count for something!  Tom, if you could give Korrun back his active elimination streak by deleting that test, or something, that would be cool...

Yeah - Dev games definitely shouldn't ruin a elim streak.  Not sure if private games should.  I'm not sure how deeply Tom follows the forums, so no idea if he will see this here though - probably better to post into the support forums.

berickf wrote:

I would advocate a different approach.  If GR is important to you then it's not about playing the popular boards, but, instead about playing patiently and consistently winning on boards with a lot of players!  It can be popular or not, but, the trick is to win 8+ player games, even 12+ player games, with great consistency.  That was how Luieuil once made a great run at climbing the ranks and could be #1 today if he had quit while he was at his height (like it seems falker has?)

Hmm that is a good point, and I will keep it in mind when balancing out my games. Although, winning 8+ and 12+ games is easier said than done when so much comes down to awesome placement or lucky rolls within the first few turns.  Unfortunately, most of the huge player maps have rankings filled in high and tight. Seems like there is no clear way to boost your GR and CPs.  

Abishai wrote:

berickf wrote:

I would advocate a different approach.  If GR is important to you then it's not about playing the popular boards, but, instead about playing patiently and consistently winning on boards with a lot of players!  It can be popular or not, but, the trick is to win 8+ player games, even 12+ player games, with great consistency.  That was how Luieuil once made a great run at climbing the ranks and could be #1 today if he had quit while he was at his height (like it seems falker has?)

Hmm that is a good point, and I will keep it in mind when balancing out my games. Although, winning 8+ and 12+ games is easier said than done when so much comes down to awesome placement or lucky rolls within the first few turns.  Unfortunately, most of the huge player maps have rankings filled in high and tight. Seems like there is no clear way to boost your GR and CPs.  

Yes, it is easier said then done.  However, even a terrible start can be compensated for by patience and waiting for the right moment to pounce!  The beginning is never as important as the end in large player games, though, a nice start never hurts.

Abishai wrote:

I am not looking for in game strategy advice. This is a question for the veterans.  Looking back through your years of playing on the site, if you were to go back what would you do different?

I've used this very fun site how I want to over the years, so I would do it the same all over again! There have been times when I spent too much time here, so if I could add some discipline to my former self, I might do that.

I recommend exploring the site's niche groups. Certain maps attract a following. Once there's a following, people are constantly starting games on those maps, trying to reach the top spot of the map, and before you know it, someone starts a tournament with all the best players on the map. Competitive fires kick in and we have lots of fun.

Hugh wrote:

I recommend exploring the site's niche groups. Certain maps attract a following. Once there's a following, people are constantly starting games on those maps, trying to reach the top spot of the map, and before you know it, someone starts a tournament with all the best players on the map. Competitive fires kick in and we have lots of fun.

Sounds good Hugh.  I have only scratched the surface with the maps on this site. 

Also (shameless plug),  if anyone would care to join my Ancient Isles game I would love to give that one a try. That map looks quite intriguing. Thank you itsnotatumor for already doing so.

Hmmm...

I would disagree with the "big map" pressure.  I would say there is no one way to the top.  Some of the undeniable top players play mostly small group (5 or less).  When I tried to make my "big map" transition about 6 months in and it actually backfired killing my GR, because I tend to do best in the mid range 4-8 player action.  I only turned things back around when I started trying a variety of maps and player sizes. 

I would say play above all else play what you love.  Start with a variety of maps & sizes and figure out which ones you enjoy/are competitive.  The more boards you play the lower the learning curve when you try a new one. And, I don't know about other people, but the boards I enjoy most tend to also have my highest H ratings.

For CP (at least until the calculation system is changed), the newer boards are where it's at. No one has perfected their "killer" rinse and repeat strategy, everyone has a similar learning curve, and no one has that towering point lead yet.  

I ran stats once where I looked at the average swing in board ratings for a number of top players.  8-10 players is where they gained the most. 

Although, winning 8+ and 12+ games is easier said than done when so much comes down to awesome placement or lucky rolls within the first few turns.

Had to comment on this - it's not exactly wrong, but I think experienced players will back me up that large games have basically 10 different parts, with corresponding strategies. 

Part 1 - Start. don't get eliminated before you can trade cards. Very little else matters in early parts of big games. New players tend to try too hard to gain territory and earn cards. 

Part 2 - Escalation. cards are getting cashed, and things escalate like craaaaazy. try to eliminate people so you can take their cards. Try to hang on to turf near where you want to be. Try to cash your cards late -- the first player cashing gets maybe 4; the last player gets maybe 20. On the other hand, players who get eliminated get 0, so maybe you gotta be that first guy. Above all, make yourself an undesirable target for elimination. 

Part 3 - Grow where you are planted. Some weak players are gone, major powers are developing. This is where you maneuver to take over turf you mean to actually hang on to. 

Part 4 - The grind. There are maybe 4 or 5 players left. Any time one player starts to dominate, the others gang up. Expect this, and plan accordingly. 

Part 5 - Wait, what just happened? Somebody gets eliminated and huge stacks of armies run round and round the board with no respect for continents. Your whole strategy blows up. Probably someone wins here. 

Part 6 - The dreaded 3-way standoff. If you get here, get comfy. You're likely to be in this stage for months. It's very stable, the board is big, the players are good, it feels repetitive. You decide you never want to play this stupid giant board ever again. Eventually somebody screws up, tries to eliminate a second player, falls just barely short, and the third player swoops in for an easy kill and destroys the other two handily. Mostly everyone is glad it is finally over. 

Part 7 - Are you KIDDING me? Somehow you got past the 3-player point and now it's just you and this other guy (let's call him Steve). You trade punches back and forth and hope you always get cards before Steve does. Just when you think you have Steve finally down and out, he gets cards and comes roaring back, nearly eliminating you. You take a warm shower and weep to yourself. You strongly consider surrender.  Then you get cards and finally FINALLY put an end to that jerkface no good filthy pirate Steve. 

Part 8 - You WON!  AHAHAHAHAHA. That was nuts! Your points go way way up. You revel in the fruits of victory. 

Part 9 - Epilogue. Three days later, you kind of miss Steve. He didn't really deserve to die. He was a really good player. You learned a ton from him. And look, he left you a note to say good game, well played!

Part 10 - Temptation. oh look, there is a 16 player game open on that giant board...  Maybe you will play just ONE more time...

+1