Litotes wrote:

One question, I have so far failed to see the attraction with having fog in the games. Maybe someone can share why they like it? I notice it is featured in a lot of the new games here.

Welcomd to the site Litotes,

Fog is one of the significant contributions to the game that only on-line game-play can offer.  Consider that with classic warfare, the intel you have is basically based on your observations, or site-lines; this is much more like a real life experience, where you can't see behind enemy lines.

With most boards, players have the option of selecting the type of fog in which they wish to play.  Some of the more advanced boards actually use factories and border types to create different types of fog in the same board.

The proof is in the pudding. Most of the top players on the site prefer to play on fogged boards for any number of reasons.  Some will probably chime in, but I'll offer two.  It requires an extra level of inferential logic, and it's harder for players to ally and gang up on other players when everyone has differing intel.

Bottom line: It makes for a better game.

I would qualify that some to say that it can make a better game.  Sometimes it detracts from the strategy and makes it more about luck.  But that can be fun also.  

With the variety of boards here some just play better with fog - and as M said some are purposely designed to work with the fog.  

Boards that lack choke-points tend to stalemate and fog keeps that from happening. 

And welcome! Look forward to gaming with you -

Amidon37 wrote:

I would qualify that some to say that it can make a better game.

Agree with A. I misspoke.  And to that end, there are some boards that are better, or can only be played with no fog.

Amidon37 wrote:

Sometimes it detracts from the strategy and makes it more about luck.  

..and though at first it may seem unintuitive, more often it makes it less about luck, where better players who are adept at hiding their strength and appearing weaker than they actually are gain significant advantage.

It also plays a very big roll in the endgame.  Ask any regular player here what is the worst size game to play, and they'll all say 3-player because they so often stalemate.  (P1 has to spend armies to try to take out P2, while also worrying about P3 attacking him, so instead all three players just stockpile armies and never actually attack).  Even with larger games, once they get down to 3 powerhouses left, they can end up in stalemates.

Add fog to the mix, and now no one knows whether you're way ahead or way behind in the game, so you have to be more aggressive in the end game, which drops the likelihood of a stalemate.

+1. Fog Kills crabs. 

Welcome to the community Litotes!

Thanks for the replies and welcome M57, Amidon37, BorisTheFrugal and ratsy :) I'll see if I'll want to try more fog games eventually, but probably stick to unfogged ones until I'm more experienced.

Another question. Amidon37 said he looked forward to gaming with me. Until now he's the kind of player I have tried to avoid, since his ranking is so high and I am in all probability not good enough to provide him with an interesting challenge. I don't know where my ranking will end up but I'm fairly sure it won't be very high. How are beginners expected to act in picking opponents, so as not to annoy seasoned players?

Litotes wrote:

Thanks for the replies and welcome M57, Amidon37, BorisTheFrugal and ratsy :) I'll see if I'll want to try more fog games eventually, but probably stick to unfogged ones until I'm more experienced.

Another question. Amidon37 said he looked forward to gaming with me. Until now he's the kind of player I have tried to avoid, since his ranking is so high and I am in all probability not good enough to provide him with an interesting challenge. I don't know where my ranking will end up but I'm fairly sure it won't be very high. How are beginners expected to act in picking opponents, so as not to annoy seasoned players?

Don't worry about this one bit!  Join any and all public games that you are interested in.  Join tournaments if you like. Pick the board, the # of players, fog type, turn timer, scenario, and join it.  If you don't see what you like, make one.  The ranking system (though not perfect) takes into account the strength of players.  If you lose to a player like Amidon37, your ranking won't fall as much because you are expected to lose a higher percentage of the time.

Litotes wrote:

How are beginners expected to act in picking opponents, so as not to annoy seasoned players?

Honestly, I just kept joining their games until I got better. Then I asked lots of questions. Then I watched ALOT of game histories.  Then I asked a bunch more people a bunch more questions. The veterans around here are mostly very good natured. If your willing to engage them, you'll figure out which of em are prickely and which of are not. 

And of course, your gonna lose alot of games when you play with the best. But if you learn something from each of them, you'll eventually start winning those games instead. 

That being said, if you manage to annoy someone enough, they can mark you as an enemy, and you will not be able to join any games they create - which allows a player to restrict themselves in terms of their opponents, but it's basically okay, because there are lots of games open all the time. 

Great to have you here Litotes! 

most are of a similar personality (being polite, here for the enjoyment of it, and get annoyed at dumb mistakes), so hope you stick around, it really is a fun place to be.

ratsy wrote:

That being said, if you manage to annoy someone enough, they can mark you as an enemy, and you will not be able to join any games they create - which allows a player to restrict themselves in terms of their opponents, but it's basically okay, because there are lots of games open all the time. 

that only works if the enemy is a Standard player, premiums can override that feature. 

I will say though, that it's on my wishlist to be able to set a skill level range for games, so that you can play against others of similar skill level.  Doesn't seem to be a priority for Tom though, so I don't think we are going to see it anytime soon.

Thanks again guys :) I won't be afraid to join games, then, unless someone askes me to stay away. Maybe tournaments as well.

Making games myself is a good idea, I'll get around to that not too long into the future. 

Hi folks. Still quite new to the site.

What's the protocol on surrendering when you are down and have no chance to come back (in a 2 player game or when only 2 are left)? I was told that some people don't like it because it affects the win/elimination streaks. But I think I had a game where my opponent surrendered and my elimination streak count increased.

Welcome!

I think surrendering is a fine option, but since it's based on whether or not it's accepted, I'd try to finish my turns anyway.  If they accept, great, if not, oh well.

I think surrendering is a fine option, but since it's based on whether or not it's accepted, I'd try to finish my turns anyway.  If they accept, great, if not, oh well.

Not true.  In 2-player situations the surrender takes place immediately.

I play until I am quite sure i am going to lose and then am about 50-50 on whether I surrender or not.  Depends on how I slept the night before.

When someone surrenders against me i am happy for the win.  (Which is the only stat that really matters.)

Welcome Pratik!

As far as surrendering, I will usually ask the other player how they feel about me surrendering because some players care more about that stat than others. But even if a player cares about that, I doubt they would complain much about missing an elimination. Most people here are pretty laid back about things like that.

Look forward to seeing you on the battlefield!

As far as I'm concerned, surrendering is a courtesy to your opponent.  If I'm way ahead and all but guaranteed to win, I appreciate my opponent not making me waste time mousing around the board.   In almost any two player game, surrendering/resigning is a courtesy - period.  Think of it like a chess game.  Don't waste Magnus Carlsen's time... Take two moves, resign, and call me in the morning!

Welcome Pratik!

I'm with Amidon37, sometimes I let it go, sometimes I make em beat me. But I'f I'm gonna surrender I'm pretty likely to ask.  

For me it depends mostly on how much longer and how certain I am to lose, with a bit of random whatever-I-feel-like thrown in.   Sometimes I just don't feel like spending the next week finishing up a game I'm sure to lose, so I just pull the plug.  

Surrendering has no effect on stats and counts as an elimination in 1v1 and final two players situations.  It only does not count as an elimination in multi player games where numerous players remain and have to vote to enact anyways, or, in team games where it can not be assigned due to multiple opponents remaining even if they are 'one' team.

Win conditions can steal eliminations and sometimes surrender is even preferable if seeking an elimination that was otherwise going to be robbed from you by such a win condition.

On a board like 1v1 blind ants, a player refusing to surrender once lost can be simply tedious.

All things taken into consideration, a 1v1 or last 2 players left surrender is the most courteous and best way to conduct oneself.