[princeofpersia1992]

Nope I don't feel there's any problem just going fr 2nd in muti p I always try go fr 2nd if I know 1st position off reach or even smtime I will try to make a trade which will make other guy win and me cming 2nd if I know I will loose without a trade

[trace567]

If a player has 100% clear 1st with there being no possible way he/she can ever drop to 2nd (this usually only applies in the last part of the game, during ec when the game has clear shape to it) then trading with them would be considered a cheat trade, as the player in 1st cannot possibly gain a higher end rank, whilst their trade with you may mean you grab a higher rank. They have no end rank reason to trade with you, therefore it is considered cheating.

All the time their position is not a concrete 1st trading is fair and reasonable to do. Even if this then insures they gain 1st, and you increase your chances of a better end rank. It is sometimes necessary to give another 1st in order to gain yourself 2nd, or 3rd.

For instance, say a player gained green early in multi, this doesn't actually mean they will gain 1st. Later in the game it may become very apparent that there is just no possible way to beat the player. But early on, if a player were to manage to get cyan and red upgraded their income would whilst being practically equal, with double land covered actually be a better odds for 1st.

So going for 2nd is not a problem, and can be a very good way especially in 5 player, as 2nd would usually result in winning points not losing any. But trading with a 100% clear 1st player is by definition classed as a cheat trade. This would usually carry a borderline judgement resulting in 25% reduction in points.

[Bleu_Soul]

I dunno, but I think this might have referred to a game I was recently in. =) But I'll still share my own view.

I don't think it is actually wrong for someone aiming for second to hitch a trade with the clear first place player in order to gain the advantage, so long as they are not in cahoots to team and boost their own ratings. If the other players did not think to trade with the first place person to do so themselves, then too bad, that's their fault.

HOWEVER, the thing is, it's always very hard to tell whether or not the two people are teaming or not. Even if they had not planned it out in the beginning, the first place person may favor one player or another for whatever reason, simply because they had taken a liking to them or the other person had saved them in the past. And that is the definition of cheating, if one person is clearly favoring one player over another, thus giving an unfair advantage to the recipient of whatever trade/help there might have been given.

That said, such trades should always be avoided, because people are always biased in one way or another towards others unless you are just totally unfeeling. I'm also a hypocrite here, since I know I've done that a couple times quite willingly, once because I thought it would make no difference, and once because I just really didn't like a guy.

Hope that made sense.

[-Legend-]

i recently just finished a game that works in favor of playing for 2nd.

There was a clear first place in a 4 player game...
he had cyan and yellow upgraded and started to get cash consistently his only competition was 4 whites by 1 player and 4 blacks by another..
He also owned 1 green.. i had 2 green 1 purple and 1 orange and about 7k in cash...

recession was closing in and after many trade attempts for the green or purple i realized no trading was going to occur especially any that were reasonable..

the other 2 players were both much lower in cash than me and i feared a long game might be ahead where thier whites or blacks might income more than my cash.

I auctioned both greens the purple and orange... even tho i had spent roughly 2400 on the 4 pieces i let them go for 360 to the guy in first place.

He eventually upgraded them and made the game end much quicker, My cash dwindled but managed to snag a 2nd whereas i was more likely to finish 3rd or 4th without the green in play.

I am all for doing whatever u have to do to boost your position in the game.

[trace567]

[-Legend-]

the reason i basically gave the green away. was because if the game would of been long my lack of income would of came into play and probably got me 4th.

Where as with the green in play my cash helped me ride out the shorter much bumpier ride while the other 2 struggled to stay afloat...
Because they both had 4 whites and 4 blacks the longer they are alive the more chance i am of being last.... so bringing the green in basically shortened the whole game meaning my cash that i had was worth more.

If i would of had any type of income or any possibility to trade and maybe go for first or 2nd with property income i would have.. but that option never presented itself and so instead of dwindling away slowly i changed the stakes and it worked in my favor boosting my rank.

with only cyan and yellow black and white the game could have lasted 90 minutes.

with the cyan yellow green white and black the game ended in under 50.

[trace567]

I do get what you mean legend, I guess I just worry it could be miss used as a strategy. Its the ex mod in me I mean you auctioned the property and it went to the already winner anyway, so it didn't unfairly advance them at all. It just threw the game open for the rest of the players ranks. I'm only thinking it could easily be miss used is all, so whilst under certain conditions it can be a good advancing method, if miss used it would in theory break the auction rules (but I don't wanna go in to that lol)

[-Legend-]

I was quite suprised it went for so cheap...
the purple was in the auction and would have given the whites another set... but no1 wanted it and hence it went for so cheap...
I was not going to bid on mu action and rebuy the property ^.^

[MrCrabbs]

This strategy, of deliverately shortening the game when you are cash rich but propert poor, sounds like a very good one to be honest.

[theunknownamus]

Blasphemy!

[MrCrabbs]

Quite the opposite. The rules are crystal clear, that players are to try to enhance their ranking.

One is almost obliged to use this strategy!

[theunknownamus]

Then I am a heretic. Crucify me.