Kdice/dicewars is a 7-player game. It is meant to be one person wins, 6 players lose. The object is to win. The entire strategy is built around trying to win, and prevent the others from doing so.

The current stats/grading system has corrupted the strategy element of the game, and in effect made the ranking system self-defeating. It doesn't measure how good you are at kdice, it measures how good you are at playing an arbitrary rating system.

As I am an advocate of choice, I do not wish to remove the ranking system for those that like it. I would simply like to see an option where people can play a table that records no ranking points whatsoever.
You simply win or lose - the only stat recorded, if any, is number of games played and number of games won. Nothing else at all (not even placement), you win or lose.

This optional table would completely eliminate the current trend of offering alliances to secure a shaky lead.
I hate seeing this happen in a game, usually just as the strategy is about to hot up, someone accepting an 'offer' of 2nd or third, in exchange to let someone else win.

It simply spoils the game. The other players would all still be in with a chance, if that person likewise played on to win. Anything could yet happen. But when the offer of 2nd is accepted, the game becomes something of a farce, as people start to negotiate for 'finishing order' instead.

I want to see an option where winning is maintained as the ONLY objective.

Example:
In a recent game, BLUE was in a shaky lead, with two colours vying against him. I was in a corner, and looked out of it - that was their mistake. This is were the strategist shines... but instead of the game developing, Blue instantly 'offered' one of the others 2nd place. The third player, who could possibly have won the game, if '2nd' had also played on to win was obviously very upset. And i too, given that they had ignored me in their battle, was now in a position to strike from behind capitalising on their weakened fronts.

Instead of an exciting strategy game developing, it degenerated into people negotiating for who should flag first. Kdice is not meant to be about who finished 2nd.

(as a footnote to this - you would also not have any of the bad feeling and swearing that happens when people feel their ranking has been damaged by a flag attack. People would just play for the fun of it. Which , above all else, is what games are for.)

thankyou for reading.

matt

I'm all for choice. But the kind of brokering for placement, while it is cowardly and honorless and not remotely exemplary of a conquest-type game, is part of kdice. I don't like it, but you learn to find your niche, as well as find players who don't believe in using that pseudo-diplomatic horseshit.

i agree for the special table - should be helpful to new players for one

How about there be 'special tables' where it is a 'winner takes all' approach... the winner gets a set amount of points (or adjusted) and no one else does?

ma1achai, that could be another special table...all for One is good, though the rest of players must lose some pts. it will certainly eliminate some negative aspects.

ma1achai: Nobody should get anything, not even the winner - because it is the points/stats/whatever that people are cheating for. The objective of the game, in its purest form, is to WIN THE GAME. I want a table that is for the game itself.
A win percentage (wins/games played) could be recorded if it must, but the more 'bragging' rights someone feels they have (re: stats) the more it harbours the cheat element.

Improv42: All that stuff about brokering for place isn't part of kdice, it's what people trying to massage their stats have corrupted the game with. If the stats was removed, there'd be NO negotiating for place and i wouldn't be seen as part of the game anymore - at least not on the 'purist's' table. I feel no obligation to defend it, as like you say, it spoils the strategic element of the game, (though you say it more colourfully). :)

copyright: Don't think that beginners would start at this table.. it's more likely that a mix of purists and 'for the fun of its' would sit at these tables... i imagine the games would become very intense strategic affairs - as there'd be NO point in settling for second.

I just feel the game experience would be more enjoyable and also more rewarding on tables where there is nothing to gain, except playing the game for it's own sake.

thanks for everyone's support - i think, if you get your friends to vote, we could get this implemented.

I agree with you completely Nortius. I myself do it. I play the system, not the game. And Its what you have to do to move up quickly. You dont get enough points for a win to just try and go for first or nothing every game. You can move up as quickly with 4th or 3rd EVERY game. I loved dice wars and started playing here because I loved the idea of multi-player dice wars, but this isn't dice wars.

Nortius for president! This idea is genius I would only play on this table if this option were available. I find the game taking a turn for the worse with people playing for 2nd or 3rd.

Thanks for the presidential vote, Dude111, but i think i will stay out of politics, there's enough of that around a kdice table lol... but i'd have to be prime minister (u.k based). ;)

You have hit the nail on the head, GSUTKE476, with the phrase "it's what you have to do to move up quickly". People aren't actually playing the kdice game, the objective has become how many ranking points you gain or lose. The suggestion for a second group of gametables (thanks for everyone's support), would offer everyone the option to either play on ranking tables (exactly as is currently available), or just play the game on these non-ranking, just for fun, tables.
The only option currently is to play the 'move-up-a-ranking-chart' game that happens to look like a dicewars multiplayer variant - but sadly isn't. This 'purist's' table would allow the dicewars/kdice enthusiasts to have the real multiplayer experience, which is what I believe everyone came here for and was the original intent of the designer... but i might be wrong there.

thanks everyone. bye!
:)

I totally agree with this kind of table. However the stat system has the benefit to allow users of the same "level" to play together with the scrore limits.
I think if tables where there are no stats are added to the game they should have their own way to regroup players by levels (Something like the number of games played should be interesting...)