Customer Service

[VballMichael]

A shout-out to Uncle Mike for excellent customer service.

Despite a full-time job and working like crazy to get our next Cycle ready, he is quick and thorough in customer response to game issues.

I had a couple of odd results from subtle nuances over the last couple of months (one yesterday), and he identified them quickly and fixed the item or the code as needed (or just explained why the subtlety works as it does).

I try not to email Support too often as i know the program generally works, but this recent one had me stumped.

Thanks, Mike, for your quick and thorough response.

[HeadHoncho]

Any general code nuances or learnings you'd be interested in sharing?

And yes, I echo the shout-out to UM!

[VballMichael]

Nothing too tricky, just an aspect I had not considered.
You can declare someone an ally to inflate them to Friendly and they cannot then take themselves to Friendly, or if they are friendly you can declare them ally and they stay at friendly. Then, when ready, if you see an invasion coming, you can declare them enemy and they actually drop 2 levels with no recourse. This is another minor outcome from the removal of that second level of friendly that used to exist behind the scenes.
It seems like the right outcome, just have to prepare for it.
I always thought you could only move from ally to neutral and then to enemy or vice versa, not a jump from ally to enemy. The wording of 440 seems to suggest that, but you can in fact move it to the other extreme. 

[Diamond Cutter]

The Frenemy strategy...

[Jumpingfist]

I had figured it out not to long ago but did not have a chance to use it right away. Was also thinking of using it when someone takes the region from you. They attack you declare ally. Then as you loose control they would also take the reaction hit. But ally then enemy is better to help stop an invasion

[unclemike]

I had figured it out not to long ago but did not have a chance to use it right away.  Was also thinking of using it when someone takes the region from you.  They attack you declare ally.  Then as you loose control they would also take the reaction hit.   But ally then enemy is better to help stop an invasion

Will that strategy really work against an experienced player? Of declaring a neighbor an ally (without talking to them) which raises their regional reactions to Friendly automatically if you have control of the region?

For example, you declare me as an ally, my reactions bumps up to Friendly. Then I move a bunch of emissaries into your region. Since you declared me an ally, your groups will not be able to block my emissaries that are moving into your pcs.

The following turn, my guys rebel/usurp at Friendly level. You declare me an enemy which doesn't occur until later in the turn (after my guys rebel/usurp), my reactions drop twice, but I can raise in the same turn right after your enemy declaration to end up being lowered only once overall.

By declaring a potential enemy your ally, they'll have easy access to all of your pc's (can't be blocked) and they'll have higher percentages of being successful since they have a free Friendly status in your region. The following turn they may drop one or two levels but by then, you've already lost all of your pc's by having them revert to neutral. Losing control of a region will negatively affect you as the previous owner more so than your invading enemy.

So I'm not as experienced as some of you guys that play this game but I'm not too sure it's good advice to declare your neighbor an ally without speaking to them first regarding their intentions because you're essentially providing them an open door to invade your region with ease.

[HeadHoncho]

JF is saying that say you're invaded, to the extent that you know that it's very likely your opponent will knock you out of control next turn.

On THAT turn, one turn post-invasion, declare your attacker an ally. You lose control of your region, you take a reaction hit, but so does your "ally" which hurts him.

The turn AFTER that, you're fighting back, and maybe you can get control again. So you declare him enemy, and then you potentially hit him again, if you take control again.

[Jumpingfist]

Another could be your spying on someone or divine there reaction and know they are friendly. If you know they are friendly declare them ally and then enemy they will drop two levels. If your lucky you actually time it to be when they are attacking.

I am not advising to try this just pointing out it is out there and had thought about it before when the double friendly and hostile was removed. But never really found a good time to use it before.

But now that I am thinking of it you could also if you have an ally and are hostile in there region have them declare you enemy then ally and go to tolerant. More likely something to use if your playing warlords, Titans, or dual dual.

[HeadHoncho]

Absolutely right. These are viable tactics, and potentially an "unintended consequence" of removing the "phantom" reaction levels from Clipper.