Given the current state of the game...

[Quina Quen]

What amount of time (and effort if you wish to be specific) would it require to take a base account (one that has just registered) without in game contacts and an ounce of ingenuity to achieve a respectable account? Respective being a very open and negotiable word based upon different peoples definitions of what a decent account actually is.

Ascensions for instance are ten a penny these days, but, for those that are brand new to the game (who have read a few FAQ's and understand the process) how many could benefit from some sort of progress chart in order to know if they are on the right path? What exactly does the game require from the individual these days in order to a relatively good player?

We all look at individuals who are on their twenty-something ascension, and for those who languish desperately at the bottom without an ascension being new to the game, look up in awe (and jealousy). With the game in its current climate, and the ever growing sigh of defeat in respect to a reset because of the profitability of the server towards the adminstration, how are individuals to mount a proper forward charge upon the ranks (or accrued army size/potential earnings)?

It has often been mentioned that the gap between the new starters and the established players is becoming ever increasing. This situation reminds me of the 'Top 4' in the English Premier League (soccer for non Brits). The monopoly is set, and continues to be played out by those who have the existing base stats and the support already amassed through the years of play. Notably though, with comparison, individuals rise up and unknowns with the help of their own cash injection. This is fine of course, but suppose yourself as a smaller establishment with little to zero money to put into a game. Where do you stand? A nothing, or a nobody?

Hardwork works, that much is true, but how much hardwork is required? Are the efforts of honest (but financially defeated) players just in vain?

What sort of time scale, realistically, would a top flight player expect of a new-born who has started from scratch in the cosmos to become an active and independent 'machine', that is geared not just for cosmic warring but potential personal profiteering?

Couple of grammatical errors fix'd. Apologies.

[Tekki]

While it is possible to gear both for war and for profiteering, you almost have to pick one if you want to be the best at it that is.

For best results war requires attack planets and at least the ghost of a MS. Profiteering requires income planets and those don't tend to stay much if you get into a war.

Additionally, while this may seem rather bias, because my account is or at least has the potential to be one of the top accounts, I do not see the problem with the newbies not being able to attack me. I had to work for months before I could even think about attacking one of the top accounts, why should that be any different now?

Now let's assume someone just starting wants to get to say lv 15 ascension and then be in a position to pick what they want to really gear their account for.

How about we say 2 months worth of work to get the account to the first ascension? Then it's another 30 weeks of flat out ascending to get to lv 15 ascension, IF you can get into 5 glory range and don't run into trouble with naq or UU requirements.

I do have to admit though that that is a very long time and is possibly too long. But the question then becomes are people playing this game for 2 weeks or for 2 years then retiring? And I think that's what needs to be answered first.

[SSG EnterTheLion]

I think this is the easiest time for a newbie to prosper. So many turns, accounts to farm and raid around. In the old days you had to use turns with care. And of course then there was no raiding..at the end of the day it depends how much time you are willing to put into it. People have raided some incredible sums.

[moses]

It would be hard untill they got Full S.S then would be quite easy to amass a rather large army and start to speed ascend

[bebita]

farming selling naq for $ in 30 days u can be with a account for top 100
one of the best accounts in this game in like 3 months

[~Insider Trader~]

farming selling naq for $ in 30 days u can be with a account for top 100
one of the best accounts in this game in like 3 months

Thats only if you have no life.

If you have a life and can only get on for 1 minute to bank in the mornings before you go to work and maybe 30mins in the evening in between cooking dinner for yourself, chatting on the phone, time with your lady friend etc etc then it becomes a challenge.

Those are my circumstances, and its taken me 18 months to get 13 ascentions, 170m units (it bounces around between 160 and 190 due to said ascentions) and a 320b MS. It's not a bad effort, but I know I can't compete with the established top accounts, and I've made my peace with that thought.

..at the end of the day it depends how much time you are willing to put into it. People have raided some incredible sums.

100% agreed. But if admin wants to expand the player base to a wider variety of people then he needs to have a look at making his game a little more friendly to people who can't get on every 8 hours

[Quina Quen]

... if admin wants to expand the player base to a wider variety of people then he needs to have a look at making his game a little more friendly to people who can't get on every 8 minutes

Fix'd

[Norbe]

Honestly, it depends on your style of gameplay. There are shortcuts you can take by trading, especially if your trading accounts. However assuming that you build your own account, without the aid of cash... well I dont think its possible to build one of the top 5-10 accounts without cash now... or without another form of help. But you could build a top 50 account in maybe a year to 18 months of hard work I think.

~Norbe~

[Tekki]

While i don't think the game should be tilted towards those who can play 24/7 I think you need still to cater towards those who can actually put some time into it. 8 minutes a day is a little too brief. There needs to be a happy medium though.

[schuesseled]

Their are plenty of games about where you only get one turn a day, i.e you use said turn and then thats it for the day till 24hrs are up.
If you literally only have 5 mins a day to play then SGW isnt really for you.
But with the example I am playing, its called Dino RPG, you get 1 turn a day, unless you pay gold to get more turns, now your dinos earn you a certain amount of gold, you can either use this to buy more turns or more dinos. Still their is a limit as too how much you can do, the more Dinos you have though, the more you can. But if you were to spend lots of £££ on the game, then you can literally have as many turns as your willing to pay for leading to a massive advantage over other players.

SGW has a turn every half hour, where you really should be banking your naqudah and farming/raiding your targets, now ofcourse it isnt a must, but the more turns you leave without logging in the higher the chance someone will farm you.
But if you are active and farming/raiding, growing, above and beyond normal expectations, then the players who pay £££ to get ahead, wont get as far ahead, or wont get ahead at all.

[minisaiyan]

i started a new acc about 100 days ago. im a prior, gearing for 2nd ascension, quater of a tril ms, 50mil army and have spent most of my time languishing in war. i dont think its too hard to catch up if u know what your doing. and if it was too easy to catch up with everyone, what would be the point in playing for so long, or wasting money buying new accs from other people if u could be at that same standard so quickly?

[bebita]

with 8 minutes per day u can't say u play sgw

[minisaiyan]

^^ good point. that is merely holding a rank that an active player could have.

[Neimenljivi]

Well after I've started from stratch second time in SGW, it took me about 10 months to get to 330mil army size cap, WITHOUT raiding or farming much. Don't know if I've raided even 50mil UUs. Had some help at begining and without it, it'd take me MAYBE 2 months more to get to 330mil army size. With trading accounts and stuff, now, 15 months after starting from stratch I've got account that has been ascended 11 times, 330mil army size, very nice ascended account, haven't really put much naq into MS so it's only 200bil, will ascend 12th time in a few days, and already sold 50tril naq for €.
So with knowing what the game is like, having a sense for finances, you can easily get to army size caps, a good ascended and main account, without spending much time farming/raiding and without spending any $$ on the game..

~N

[Quina Quen]

The game seems a little locked down, and stagnant to better describe it. It requires a reset, but it won't come because Jason, our wonderful admin is making too much money from THIS server as it is.