Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

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Bean
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Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Bean » Tue Mar 26, 2019 5:20 pm

Background:

Have you ever found the last bot isolated from you, so you are cool and leave it, only to find that not taking out the human in the way costs you the game? Or when an opponent has a small defense on a large income and being cool requires you to let it go, even though it would be super easy to pop it? Or when someone makes a habit of such weak defense to take advantage of "cool"? Or when, no matter how "cool" your play is, someone always heaps score and venom upon you for not doing what they prefer? If these seem familiar to you, here is one alternative "way" for you to play? Ask your opponents to use this protocol, or just use it on your own.

In brief:

Keep it simple and sorry-free. Lux means never having to say you're sorry. Don't be cool. Don't be sorry. Don't ever be mad. To play Lux and have fun, try as hard and aggressively as you can to beat your opponents and always forgive them for doing the same. Don't give unsolicited feedback. Ignore unwelcome feedback directed at you.

In more detail:

a. Kill bots first where practical, but not if it costs you the game.
b. Pop weekly defended income whenever you can. Defense requirements start lower but get higher round by round.
c. Prevent income or block kills whenever you can.
d. Kill the sat, kill halfway, whatever. Just damage your opponents as much as you can without damaging yourself too much.
e. Avoid one sided trades. Do not burn or move out unless there is a clearly stated and easy to implement agreement with the other player. If you can't reach such an agreement easily, simply move on without sorrow or blame.
f. Pay attention and learn about how far resources tend to go in this game. In other words, still follow rule #2. Don't go around depleting yourself while damaging your opponents, only to lose the game after running out of armies too quickly or putting yourself in a weak position for the end game.
g. Forgive others for doing these things to you, for missing kills, and for trying to beat you. Do this always and without exception. Don't be sorry and don't expect them to be sorry.
h. Be a good sport about losing and about giving feedback. Do this always and without exception. Don't even give others feedback unless they ask you for it. If you must give feedback, give it to yourself to show you are caring and thinking about the game and your fellow players.

Pros

a. Reduced conflict. No sorrow, no anger, no angst. This is because players are expected always to damage each other where possible. Fewer violated expectations of the kind entailed by the "we cool?" protocol. Reduced amount of endless bickering over unwinnable subjective issues like whether or not the balance sheet of favors is equitable.
b. More peace and quiet in chat.
c. Easier to stay within the rules compared to the be oft-unspecified "be cool" protocol.
d. Just easier and more relaxing.

Cons

a. Backlash. Others think "be cool" is clear a bell and may be surprised when you try to harm them in game, even though that's the whole point of the game.
b. Identity. It might be lonely not participating in the bs "be cool" way that has caused so much damage over the years.
Last edited by Bean on Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:34 am, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: "Love Story" Protocol for Playing Lux

Post by plane crazy » Thu Mar 28, 2019 9:59 am

Bean,

I love this. All of it. All who have played with me over these many years know that this is the way I tend to approach and play the game.

Long may you Lux my friend.

PC

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Bean » Sun Jun 23, 2019 1:37 pm

Here is a note I asked King Size to translate for Malik an Italian player who does not read English. I felt like writing it to everyone I play with:

Dear XYZ,

You are fun to play with and I would like to be playing under the same rules together. Sometimes, you seem to have invented non-existent rules, and then you get mad when they are broken and start targeting and flipping the board. I propose we play as follows to avoid anger and rule breaking: Keep it simple and sorry-free. Be a good sport always, and don't ever be mad. Try as hard and aggressively as you can to beat your opponents without weakening yourself too much (e.g. suicide), and always forgive them for doing the same.

Love Bean

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Dangerous Beans » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:48 am

I definitely say sorry in Lux, everyone makes bad plays or mistakes, and owning up to them when they happen and apologizing when appropriate can go a long way in the community.

The whole "I'm cool" thing is definitely not a valid strategy and is on the borderline of threatening/bullying or coercing opponents, there are more than one post on this where others and I go into more detail.

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by king size » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:47 pm

yeah I'm sick of touchy players who can't handle being attacked and retaliate super heavily to prove their point (of course a good move becomes bad if it provokes a suicide against yourself)

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Bean » Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:22 pm

This is not a context where the negative-oriented moral/community value of "sorry" is significant enough to outweigh the positive value of "sportsmanship" or "expressing emotions appropriate to the context" or "lighthearted fun." Apology only really valuable when the harm is real and significant in my opinion. Imagine if all basketball players said sorry for every foul, not just the bad ones. That's how lux is sometimes. Have you ever been to a social dance and had your partner make a mistake and say "sorry." It's okay a time or two, and I sometimes slip and say it, but it's totally annoying. We are there to dance. There are various abilities. We want to have fun, not get involved in the game of emotion management ("oh, no worries; it's okay! you're dong great!") Blech! Now, when you say, "i'll meet you at the dance" and fail, then a sorry is in order. I'm okay with the lower orders of apologies if done in moderation: "oops," "my bad," "ugh." But the more important platitudes, if you are not buying my critique of "sorry" are things like "thank you for the games" and various praises for good moves and whatnot.

Sorry I was not smart enough in this post. Sorry for so many words. Sorry for insufficient praise of former posters. Sorry for being an ungrateful tyrant. Sorry for this. Sorry for that. Super sorries say so significant sensible sensibilities.

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by king size » Mon Jun 24, 2019 4:07 pm

escusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta ;)

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Dangerous Beans » Fri Jul 12, 2019 9:26 am

king size wrote:
Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:47 pm
yeah I'm sick of touchy players who can't handle being attacked and retaliate super heavily to prove their point (of course a good move becomes bad if it provokes a suicide against yourself)
A suicide by definition is a bad move on the part of the suicider, not the person being suicided upon. You can't just use someone's suicide as justification of that person's move being a bad move. In fact you can NEVER use that as justification.

A suicide is when a player destroys his own chances of winning in order to attack another player (usually in retaliation). It is up to every player to never suicide and to know how to avoid doing so. An unintentional suicide is still a suicide but it is also a learning opportunity for the new player.

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Dangerous Beans » Fri Jul 12, 2019 9:33 am

Bean wrote:
Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:22 pm
This is not a context where the negative-oriented moral/community value of "sorry" is significant enough to outweigh the positive value of "sportsmanship" or "expressing emotions appropriate to the context" or "lighthearted fun." Apology only really valuable when the harm is real and significant in my opinion. Imagine if all basketball players said sorry for every foul, not just the bad ones. That's how lux is sometimes. Have you ever been to a social dance and had your partner make a mistake and say "sorry." It's okay a time or two, and I sometimes slip and say it, but it's totally annoying. We are there to dance. There are various abilities. We want to have fun, not get involved in the game of emotion management ("oh, no worries; it's okay! you're dong great!") Blech! Now, when you say, "i'll meet you at the dance" and fail, then a sorry is in order. I'm okay with the lower orders of apologies if done in moderation: "oops," "my bad," "ugh." But the more important platitudes, if you are not buying my critique of "sorry" are things like "thank you for the games" and various praises for good moves and whatnot.
When I play basketball I almost always say 'my bad' or 'shit' in order to express regret if I make a bad play or a bad pass. It is called acknowledging when you make a mistake, and it isn't really a big deal just basic communication.

What you are saying is that we should avoid saying equivalents of 'sorry' when we mess up because some players act entitled to an apology?

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Bean » Fri Jul 12, 2019 10:02 am

good point about the suicide, DB. I think "sorry" is just a heavier load than "my bad" or "oops". we probably mostly agree. i just think too much sorry going on in the serious sense. a clear mistake= "my bad." lots of unclear choices and folks apologizing for them. some folks seem to feel guilt just for not noticing a concession (burn, move) they could have made. relax! you didn't burn. so what? cheers

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by The Silken Knot » Fri Jul 12, 2019 7:37 pm

king size wrote:
Mon Jun 24, 2019 4:07 pm
escusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta ;)
:smt054 :smt054 :smt054

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by king size » Sat Jul 13, 2019 11:07 am

Dangerous Beans wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 9:26 am


A suicide by definition is a bad move on the part of the suicider, not the person being suicided upon. You can't just use someone's suicide as justification of that person's move being a bad move. In fact you can NEVER use that as justification.
Exactly but it's too often used as a justification

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Re: Simple and Sorry-Free Play Protocol (SSF)

Post by Dangerous Beans » Sat Jul 13, 2019 3:52 pm

Bean wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 10:02 am
good point about the suicide, DB. I think "sorry" is just a heavier load than "my bad" or "oops". we probably mostly agree. i just think too much sorry going on in the serious sense. a clear mistake= "my bad." lots of unclear choices and folks apologizing for them. some folks seem to feel guilt just for not noticing a concession (burn, move) they could have made. relax! you didn't burn. so what? cheers
Yea, players should never feel threatened to apologize or that it is expected of them. But this just comes to a bigger issue of how bio is played, which isn't going to change at this point.

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