new player dogpile

[Verynormal]

mostly having fun with multiplayer but games seem to go the same way every time: 1 guy gets dogpiled at the start then 3 nations end up really big and they just dominate the rest of the game by dogpiling everyone else one at a time. everyone just sits there and watches it happen, people get bored and go AI and then someone just wins by default

[Mormacil]

New players are notoriously passive. But why is there no diplomacy going on outside those three players? Where the counter coalitions?

[Verynormal]

i dont know why but people just wont listen to diplo some of the time. you can try diplo all you want but they have to agree to do it and they just dont

[Mormacil]

Those are people to avoid in the future IMO. But yeah no diplo almost always loses from diplo. Nobody diplo FFA can work but the moment some do work together they will win.

[Count von Bunnyhopven]

You'd think that people would gang up on the strong nations that are leading the game? Game theory tells us that it would be the optimal play to prevent yourself from losing.

But in practice not so much. In my MP experience people are very wary of fighting enemies stronger than themselves even in an alliance and would rather pick on someone weaker and bide their time for an opportunity that never comes.

[Necroscourge]

You're always going to run into zero-sum folks that see all cooperation as weakness; I remember one Stellaris game where I asked my neighbor for something, he insulted me, then realized he could not win on his own so he went AI and sabotaged his planet so I could not use it.

Edit: And as Count mentions, players love to avoid fighting anything that is not a sure bet. I remember playing the now dead Total War MMO andwithout fail everybody played as a single army and never helped eachother because it would potentially mean scoring less points.

Write their names down and try not to play with them in the future.

[ulzgoroth]

Originally posted by Count von Bunnyhopven:

You'd think that people would gang up on the strong nations that are leading the game? Game theory tells us that it would be the optimal play to prevent yourself from losing.

But in practice not so much. In my MP experience people are very wary of fighting enemies stronger than themselves even in an alliance and would rather pick on someone weaker and bide their time for an opportunity that never comes.

Being in a coalition against a bigger enemy doesn't prevent them from wrecking you in particular in the process of (probably) losing to your allies.

Of course, it might not be you who takes that hit, but it might!

[DasaKamov]

Originally posted by ulzgoroth:

Being in a coalition against a bigger enemy doesn't prevent them from wrecking you

No, but you it gives you a hell of a more of a fighting chance than trying to take on a massive empire all by your lonesome.

Specifically to the OP, if 'newbies" are the ones getting dogpiled, then it sounds like they dove into an MP game that was out of their leagure in terms of their opponenets' experience.

Maybe try playing or creating a "Newbie Friendly" game (you can gauge interest on the Dominions Discord) in order to slow the pace and level of cut-throat-ness. ;)

[eddieballgame]

Set up a Throne Victory condition & Enable Cataclysm, say around turn 50 to 55...even the guy that gets 'dogpiled' could win that one. :)

[Verynormal]

Originally posted by DasaKamov:

Originally posted by ulzgoroth:

Being in a coalition against a bigger enemy doesn't prevent them from wrecking you

No, but you it gives you a hell of a more of a fighting chance than trying to take on a massive empire all by your lonesome.

Specifically to the OP, if 'newbies" are the ones getting dogpiled, then it sounds like they dove into an MP game that was out of their leagure in terms of their opponenets' experience.

Maybe try playing or creating a "Newbie Friendly" game (you can gauge interest on the Dominions Discord) in order to slow the pace and level of cut-throat-ness. ;)

All of the games i'm in are supposed to be newbie games, but I think part of the problem is there are players joining these games that have played dominions for years. Like there is a guy talking about playing the game by email and llama server. It would be nice if hosts would vet the players joining a newbie game but that might be too much work

[Draken]

Originally posted by cabinboy69:

Originally posted by DasaKamov:

No, but you it gives you a hell of a more of a fighting chance than trying to take on a massive empire all by your lonesome.

Specifically to the OP, if 'newbies" are the ones getting dogpiled, then it sounds like they dove into an MP game that was out of their leagure in terms of their opponenets' experience.

Maybe try playing or creating a "Newbie Friendly" game (you can gauge interest on the Dominions Discord) in order to slow the pace and level of cut-throat-ness. ;)

All of the games i'm in are supposed to be newbie games, but I think part of the problem is there are players joining these games that have played dominions for years. Like there is a guy talking about playing the game by email and llama server. It would be nice if hosts would vet the players joining a newbie game but that might be too much work

I mean, I have played via email and llama server and only had my first multiplayer game last december (disciple against AI).
So that fact isn't a direct indication of age. Nor of experience.

Though yeah, if veterans sneak into newby games, that can be a problem.

[1337Dude]

Originally posted by Count von Bunnyhopven:

You'd think that people would gang up on the strong nations that are leading the game? Game theory tells us that it would be the optimal play to prevent yourself from losing.

But in practice not so much. In my MP experience people are very wary of fighting enemies stronger than themselves even in an alliance and would rather pick on someone weaker and bide their time for an opportunity that never comes.

This has been my experience in the majority of the matches I've played so far. Oddly enough, I don't remember this being as common in Dominions 5. It happened occasionally, but most matches didn't go this way. Better yet, in this I'm usually the one getting dogpiled. It's even better when you're dogpiled by people who pretended to be an ally up until that point.

One thing I've noticed is that anything less than an enforced NAP is basically just setting yourself up for a dogpile or at least a backstab.

[Count von Bunnyhopven]

Originally posted by Draken:

Originally posted by cabinboy69:

All of the games i'm in are supposed to be newbie games, but I think part of the problem is there are players joining these games that have played dominions for years. Like there is a guy talking about playing the game by email and llama server. It would be nice if hosts would vet the players joining a newbie game but that might be too much work

I mean, I have played via email and llama server and only had my first multiplayer game last december (disciple against AI).
So that fact isn't a direct indication of age. Nor of experience.

Though yeah, if veterans sneak into newby games, that can be a problem.

To be fair, there are plenty of old players that are not very good.

[-210]

winning dominions game is actually empty. everyone but me become AI and no one praise me. losing is fun actually. dogbiting around is best play style.

[AspectEmperor]

Reject diplomacy embrace rushing the nearest neighbor on sight, repeat until death

[DasaKamov]

Originally posted by AspectEmperor:

repeat until death

...4 turns later. ;)