This is why PA has no players left
 

I decided to signup for this round more out of nostalgia than anything else. I figured running a scan planet would a suitable means of being a useful contribution, but not dragging me into being online at specific times and therefore late for work and such.

The galaxy I landed in after the shuffle was OKish, hovering around the top 60 for the first week. There were a few active players, who were able to arrange a registered IRC channel to chat with each other. I had the impression the gal was entirely euro-centric, since all this chatting was done in the mid-late evening peak times. After this they would all quit, and the channel would be left with just P and my IRC bouncer. Now since I work fairly long hours during the (UK) daytime (often 8-12 hours a day anywhere between 10am and midnight), my IRC-active times would tend to be in the early am. In this galaxy of euro-centered and painfully average players, no one would be online after midnight and I'd have no one to talk to. Nevertheless, I continued to report the incs for those that had given contact details.
One night I log in to find I'd been exiled and kickbanned from the gal channel for 'not chatting on IRC'. Certainly made me look like a shmuck for helping them out, didn't it?

The next galaxy I land in was in a rather better position, holding comfortably in the top 40. They had a few more people on IRC than the last gal, which even stretched into overnight activity. These players were delighted to hear I was a scanner, and when online I provided them as needed. My defense fleet - comprised of a few fighters - wasn't great, but I sent it when I could.
Around ten days after arriving I find (after no warning) that I've been exiled and kickbanned from the gal channel so they 'could recieve a bigger planet in the next exile'.

The silver lining to this is that yesterday morning I arrive in a galaxy that is just out of the top 20. It's full of decently ranking planets, and during my lie-in that morning I'd recieved two PA mails asking me to join the IRC channel. I enter it and greet the channel to find one active person, who asks if I'm the new guy. Then he (or she) stops talking.
With that day being my birthday, I decide the abandon the computer machine for a few hours to indulge in some alcohol-related activities. However, I'm back home by midnight to a more active galaxy channel. I say hi, confirm which planet I am to the paranoid dude who notices me, then leave the computer to cook some food. Because I'm very hungry.

Guess what happens next guys! I'm exiled and kickbanned from the gal channel for 'not helping [them] much'. Shocker! Apparently during my 30min eating absence they'd asked me some question and because I hadn't replied, this was a worthy reason to be immediately removed from their presence.

Before I get into the point of this thread, I'd like to name and shame the primarily responsible person in the final galaxy as being Frizz, a member of Omen. Congratulations, in your quest to build up an elite galaxy of experienced ever-active players, you just kicked out an experienced and active player who happens to leave the computer for food occasionally :up:

My main issue with PA now is the exile system being so depressingly geared for making players feel unwanted and unecessary. Why even bother sending an automated mail stating the reason of the exile when:
a) 99% of GCs don't change the default reason and
b) 99% of exiles are voted on and go through before the intended target can read the mail.

Surely there should be some system for galaxies comprised of people from differing timezones or active times to exile each other without it being so faceless and immediate. People are always complaining over the lack of US and Aussie players to watch their gals at night, yet I can easily see why we have this absence if those that have signed up recieved the same experience as me. I understand the need for removing 'dead weight' from galaxies, but surely this can be accoplished through a server-side activity check, removing planets quicker the longer they don't log in?

Also, having to change my auto-perform and reintroduce myself every week sucks.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

amazing post and your 100% correct about everything

the reason PA fails is because of the exile system. Also im sorry about the bad luck in the gal, id love to have a scanner in my gal. I think that this definately needs to be addressed.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

I've long thought exile was one of the biggest problems in the game, I'd never have dreamed however that someone would get exiled becuase they went to get some food :(

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

I really think this validates the thread Remy started a couple of weeks ago. Going back to a no exile or a very limited exile system would be good for the game, at least for a round or two.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

:/ hmmm well i would welcome a scanner and an early morning speaker it gets so boring when ppl sleep sorry to hear u were not given a chance

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

dont agree.

You got 24 Hrs to PM/Mail/Contact the GC in any way to tell the galaxy what you can do and what you cant do for them. I got 2 Scanners ingal, and it worked nice with both within the 24 Hours. We are all happy bunnys and ranked Top10 with gal...

Those 24 Hours Exile Protection are enough, if you are absent you just mail the GC and he will understand.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Clearly you're a retard. You didn't read his post. I've summarised why your post is shit and even bolded some bits, too.

Xto is saying how he *did* meet the requirements and did everything they ask and yet they still exiled him.

P.S. I agree, the exile system is complete shit.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Totally agree with you xto, there's nothing that's ruining the game as much as the exile-system.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

How about removing the exile system, replacing it with an auto inactivity (people inactive for a certain amount of days gets auto exiled)system, have somewhat bigger galaxies. There would be need for some admin leverage as certain people will prolly just login to annoy the rest of the galaxy so that people like that could be exiled manually by the admins if proof etc given.

In another game I have played abit, the court marshal system is in place. This system is something PA should have a look at. The system is built to make it possible to courtmarshal planets for certain offenses etc so if you think you got a spy in your galaxy, u can courtmarshal him and he will not see galaxy status for example.

How about having a galaxy preferences screen where the galaxy indicates what type of activity is required to stay in that galaxy, if the players are not that active (based on activity logs) they can be exiled.

Just throwing some ideas around.

Im really appalled by some of what you wrote in your post Xtothez, this is not the way galaxies should work. But then again, I prefer removing galaxies as a whole.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

I don't totally agree thats its shit. Like alot of aspects of PA its not the feature thats shit but the way groups of people abuse the feature. If we were to totally remove the exile system it would drive just as many people away from the game.Inactive or disruptive galaxy members simple prevent you building a team and they often need removed from the equation.

What we need is the community to be more welcoming and patient and most importantly more responcable with their exile power.

There would potentially be a couple of changes I would make mind you
1) Galaxies get the same scoring system as alliances. So exiling someone simply because you might get someone bigger is less of an issue
2) Self Exile starst expensive and gets cheaper as opposed to Cheap and gets expensive so as to encourage people to try and make galaxies work
3) Upon self exiling some or all the exile costs goes to the galaxy fund so it can be used to try and bolster the galaxy that just lost a potentially good and useful player

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Unfortunately I believe this could lead to the rather appalling situation of top gals forcing players to self-exile so they gain the resources through threatening them with being roided if the gal itself was forced to pay for the exile.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

With 1) though that would lose them score, score which they would be unable to regain quickly. Certainly the exile costs is always going to be worth a fraction of the score of the planet lost so it should make such a tactic unappealing

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Depends on how early in the round it's done. Certainly after tick 6-700 it's going to be a bad idea but look how much we've managed so far this round.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

I had a similar situation. I exiled about 5 times at the beginnig of the round (I signed up around tick 100 or so).

I ended up back in one of the galaxies I'd already been in so PMed Appoco and asked if he'd mind moving me. He randomly exiled me and luckily I ended up in a gal just outside the top 50 (which was a vast improvement on what I had been in).

Anyway, this one guy wrote loads on the gal forums and seemed to be active and helpful. I messaged him and told him I'm active etc and experienced, but that I wouldn't be on IRC for a day or so (mainly because I couldn't be bothered, but I didnt tell him that). He wrote back and we exchanged one or two mails.

Anyway, I went out that evening for about 2 hours.

I return and there's 1 mail from the GC saying "hello????? are you there???" and then another one about 1 hour later telling me I've been exiled for not coming on IRC. Apparently the guy I mailed didn't pass on my message (thanks!).

The bitch of it is the gal is quite a strong gal now and I know who the GC was who kicked me out (Exilition). Plonker!




The exile system has two main problems as I can see:

1. People using it to force themselves into super-gals with their mates, which is not what it was intended for (hi elviz & co!!!!).
2. People dropping the deadweight at the first opportunity, in the hope of getting someone "good".

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

How about a galaxy getting issued a certain amount of exhile 'credits', which they can use each round. The amount of credits 'issued' is dependant on number of planets already in the galaxy, amount who have exhiled into the galaxy and the amount exhiled out, or something along those sort of lines?

Note : resources still have to be paid for exhiling ofc

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

What about the galaxy ranking though. A top10 galaxies going to need alot fewer credits than someone outside the top50 for example

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Well that could be put in as well. Exhile Credits would make GC's think twice before exhiling and would make galaxies more active in my opinon, taking TomKats example; hes fairly active yet was booted as he wanted to go out for a few hours. If he had stayed he might have a fairly decent planet now

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

That was such a subtle hate on me ;(

How do you know my planet sucks balls?! (it does)

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

<3 really Tomkat

And its just a guess, no-one with such a cool Transformers ava. could be decent at PA as they would be watching Transformers instead of watching for incomings

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Unfortunately the necessary string of events leading to that end is far longer than the mere one-step scenario you have portrayed.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

private galaxies are the solution

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Private galaxies don't really solve the problem because it lumps all the newbies together, all of whom are clueless and don't have anyone to teach them what to do. Because of this they get roided to death and still leave the game. Plus with private galaxies, does that mean you fix the size of galaxies? I kinda like the current system where the number of galaxies is fixed and they just slowly grow over time.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

this is retarded considering playing with scanners/support planets and such on out of tag is not what the alliances tag are created for either! however these supergals are pretty cool representation of the whole 'it's about who you know' thing

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Most people say those are a problem as well :confused:

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Well I reckon it should be galaxies of 10 which are private and then galaxies of randoms a limit of 20 or what not. But this is a completly different argument, priv galaxies are the way forward imo but still...

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

point is that tomkat doesn't though, does he?

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

It's not so much the exile systems fault as the idiots who used it.

Name and shame please xtothez

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Yes I do? :confused:

Last time I checked this thread was about exiling, not support planets though.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

The galaxy exile system needs fixing, not removing.

Players who login once, then logout again need exiling a lot faster. As a GC I have to wait 24 hours to exile a player at our cost, or wait 72 hours or more before auto-exile kicks in. I hate the fact it costs resources to remove these people, as well as taking yet another hit on our number of exiles for any future exiles.

The cost of a galaxy exile should be based on the galaxy value and position, not the exiled planets value. Why should the top 10 galaxies be able to exile a planet for the same cost as a galaxy who probably gets a quarter of the resources which they do? Infact, should the top galaxies even be able to get a replacement if their rank with fewer planets still beats the majority of galaxies?

Don't blame the exile system for everything, the implementation is bad but some sort of exile system is needed or you'll risk players getting highly frustrated with useless players joining galaxies.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

only exile if a planet cost me below 20 K of each res. Thats a fair low recruiremenst to stay in my gal. Just play with the peeps you get. And help them. Galchannels/galforums still can be fun with these peeps who are not so active!

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

ok so why not bring back private galaxies of ten with 5 randoms on top of that making gals of 15. Giving each galaxing 2 exile credits and then implementing the auto exile if the planet is inactive with the "wanted/un-wanted thing".

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

10 is too many privates
7 absoulte tops, 5 is recommended

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

5 is the current solution. :p

But I still don't think privates are the solution, exile credits might be, but controling the number of them each gal gets would be tricky.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

maybe u give a galaxy a certain number of exile credits per tick dependent on score

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

After a good few rounds I am inclined to to agree with Pig on this...

Sure I get the odd gem in terms of an apprentice (me waves to horn for r14) and I have one this round just not as much time I would like.

But there is a non stop flow of dross planets, and I am a bit sick of having to pick up the cost of an exile and it is annoying to arrange mates to bash them for a cheaper exile, all because they dont answer forms, pa mails for join the gals irc channel.

:crymeariver: Sad but true

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Not that I don't agree with Xtothez entirely, but he did have 24hours in which to introduce himself and answer any questions. And explain the low score. It wasn't just '30 minutes away' that cost him the place..?

Oh and... private galaxies FTW. I've always argued for private galaxies, and this is one of the main reasons. At least have an occasional private round..

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

The exile system is bad, its true. Galaxies spend roughly half of the round exiling people in the hope that good players are exiling. In reality, there aren't many good players exiling (they're busy exiling newbies, not themselves) and you just get more crap planets.

I'd like to see a system of no exile for a round, but I think private galaxies are a bad idea. A galaxy with 10 elviz will win every round :P

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

BASICALLY

The exile system works ok, its just tehre are alot of people around who are mean and cruel and selfish and will not put in the effort to befriend and tutor a new player into a fluorishing little flower. it is these selfish players that are the downfall who are mean and just exile click click until get someone good, without giving players a chance.

Its not the system, its players being CRUEL and abusing the system just because they dont like someone, or cant be assed to be a proper gent like n train the newer players up. and if they dont wanna scanner, then f them. idiots heh. ingal scanners are defo assets.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Indeed

-- i remember once voted on a exile then he logged into gal chan moment we exiled him .. was sad moment.. to be honest i felt well bad and thought all things u said ..

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

I like you smudge a lot, but you dont play the game.

Its annoying. I have paid for every round since its gone p2p on average buying 3 accounts.

Even though I pay for a service its all down to luck as to how I do to a certain extent.

Paying for it, having my own private galaxy no longer do luck factors of exiling etc come into play but insted its my own cock ups that lead to my downfall.

Adding to this, 5 players isnt enough. The galaxies are what 15/16 now? Thats still 10 randoms on top of the "5 bp", bps are 3 so potentially you get minimum 3 decent players in a 16 man galaxy.

Galaxy politics have left the game, and the game is alliance centred which is perhaps even more detremental to a noob coming into the game. I always found it was harder for someone to get into an alliance than a galaxy.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

I think you're getting cause and effect mixed up here.

The "elviz" galaxies win because they exploit the exile bug and arrange to all be in the same galaxy.

If private galaxies were implemented then everyone would have this advantage and be able to go with reliable decent players that they could work with.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

I've not actually read this whole thread (sorry). Although i feel one soulution would be to make PA paid only. No freebie sign-ups. Of course this may damage the player base drastically, but at least then you're more likely to have a galaxy of randoms that are willing to go all out in what is required because they've had to pay for it.
If you still have to exile someone, don't bother having that planet join another gal, straight to c200 untill they've logged into the game more than 14 times in 7 days (just a ball park figure). If the login target is not met - they're deleted from the game unless good reason is given to the PA Team.

Edit: personally i wouldn't like to see this happen though

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

So while these private galaxies are happily being made, round politics are being decided etc...

Who are the new players going with?

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Not only do the "private galaxy" campaigners always forget about the new players coming in but they also forget those people in alliances outside the top 5 or so.

Private galaxies were probally the single worst thing that this cames ever introduced from the pov of the lower 80% of the game. It resigns alliances not considered real contenders to a shit round where their members are bashed daily for easy roids where the supposedly better players in the top alliances get whats bsically a free ride as the only incoming they ever have t worry about is the alliance war incoming.

It was private galaxies that all but drove the alliances willing to take a chance on people out of this game, a situation which its only just recovering from and these alliances play a vital role in getting new people stay in this community. Its especially vital when we have large portions of this playerbase whom are too selfish to even try and help new players in their own galaxy so they are never going to undertake projects like r3 and r4's adopt a cluster campaigns where experianced players took time out to act as mentors for groups of players whom were new but due to the placement method lacked any experiance around them

I know people at the top dont like to admit this but the game can do without them more than it can the new blood coming in. If they all quit others will rise to their level BUT if the lower aspect of the games driven away we have a game which provides a very small and limited food chain for the top players which soons drives both sides away

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Wakey, you havent been a new player since round 1.

Now, PA has done everything to impose rules and regulations to help new players and stop the major alliances. Has it helped? Has more people signed up?
Im leaning towards full random or private galaxies. This setup sucks, and luck plays too much part in it.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

i think a begining of solution would come from a better shuffle at the start.
The difference between top and bottom galaxy right after shuffle shows that it can be improved.
One suggestion about exiles is to send them all in a special cluster where they can fight each others (instead of playing ping pong with them between normal gals). The more actives can decide to rejoin the normal universe once they reach a minimum score.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

full random... possible. I wouldn't disagree with it. Private galaxies = ANY new players getting completely and utterly screwed. While you maybe comfortable in your alliance with a group of mates, other folks new to the game aren't.

Are new players coming/have joined? I'm sure there's been some. Would we like them to stay and not be bashed 6 feet under? yes.

I agree with wakey on the fact that private galaxies are a horrible idea. They make the strong get stronger, and the weak become weaker.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

Either way, this settup doesnt work. I have said this BP system doesnt work for rounds now but it appears we keep using it. Either go completly random or private. But as Squid said going completly private wudnt be exactly fair either for any new players coming into the game. (for obvious reasons)

Perhaps as well it isnt just of course the system but the mindset of the PA players themselves to exile every new player that enters there gal before giving them a chance.

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

If the BP system is to stay in place AND bigger "private" gals, why not have 3 BP's of 3 people and each gal having 3 BP's in it, and the rest randoms? That would give 9 planets together which would be a much larger sizeable force in a gal [re: keeping gal together] and could/should be able to keep things active in-gal with the randoms which wander in?

Re: This is why PA has no players left
 

What about all free players/all players who select "are you a new player who'd prefer a bit of experience outside the mainstream universe" go straight out to cluster 200. Once they reach a certain score they are given the option of moving into the mainstream universe, once they reach another score above that they are forced to move into the main universe. This means that new players start off in a less intense playing-field, galaxies won't get pointless inactives who never even login after the first couple of days, medium-low galaxies won't waste resources they can ill-afford on exiles. Conversely it also means they're not going to jump into the irc-related section of the game straightaway so might potentially lose interest before they get really into it, plus they miss out on scans a bit (I don't think a huge number of those players get scans normally though). To be honest I don't think this will happen though, the fun part of the game likely to keep people, ie attacking, will still be open. If you couldn't be bothered logging in a few times a day to attack you're probably not a PA player.