Buying Maps for Credits

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

I think buying maps for SMR credits takes a lot out of the start of the game. Now I am sure this probably brings in a ton of cash, but I think it really does hurt the game. Scouting used to be a big part of early game, but now scouting is non-existent for the major alliances. This also has a trickle down effect on other aspects of the game. For example routes are very dry cause we don't have scouters anymore so everyone is trading in their racial galaxy. In my opinion, taking out scouting takes away a lot of the skill of early game. It was much harder for an alliance to balance scouters/traders/hunters in the early game. It is much easier now to just throw everyone in to trade ships cause you got full maps from day 1.

[Thennian]

taking ways of keeping the server running out of spocks hands isnt a good idea.

[Harry Krishna]

And all that scouting is more boring than trading.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Spock would could really keep the server running if we could buy turns with smr credits. Know why we can't? Balance. Those with money would be put at a far greater advantage than those with out. Just like with buying maps, those with money are put at a far greater advantage than those without. I am sure a lot of alliances didn't have the cash to buy all the maps, so they were put far behind suckas, and crusaders (and any other alliance that could). You shouldn't be able to buy an ingame advantage with money. This is a free game.

[Purify]

At the start of the game a lot of major alliances share their maps with the smaller alliances...... For example, every game we give Newbie Help Leader full maps so he can better help the new people who join....... Also, the small alliances with new players in them are often bought maps by the bigger alliances..... So really the fact that we can buy maps doesn't really imbalance the game at all.... just takes away an aspect that most consider to be boring anyways....

[Baalzamon]

last game AoC gave my alliance maps....this game, Soul_Jer offered to give me maps, but i already had them from buying a few from the credits i won from siege and then pwd maps....

The large alliances generally seem to share their maps with the community, or so it seems to me

[Freon22]

Yelp I know password=maps had full maps by the second day of the game. I maps some and someother maped, then someone with all the maps joined and shared. Maps for SMR credit is one of the best ways for the game to make some of the money it cost to run it.

[Brink]

ya it was kinda cool in the old days having to scout out the entire game, but buying maps actually can make things a lot easier on newbies, and i really dont think there are any vets out there who are unwilling to share maps with people who cant afford them.

[Siege]

I am. Sharing is for the weak and puny.

[Jester-]

We had to scout and put us about 3-4 days behind the major alilances..

Edit: Which means suckas are mining big routes on the 2nd day while we are in semis.