Bottom Feeding?
April 30, 2008 by claireanne
In another KOTW paper, the author brought up the topic of bottom feeding. He saw it as one group of people taking advantage of another, weaker group of people. Those who bottom feed “have no honor.” In the KOTW discussion boards as well, the topic of bottom feeding has at times surfaced. This got me thinking…a lot of people and alliances bottom feed. Many people see bottom feeding as dishonorable, but it’s still legal. Should it be?
There are ways to both justify and condemn bottom feeding. For those who would try to justify it, one could say that bottom feeders do not truly have an advantage at all. The way points are calculated, a bottom feeder won’t have any overpowering military power. Their AWFs and troop numbers easily match those surrounding them. For example, one player may have 2 AWFs and 15k troops whereas another player in range of them has 12 AWFs but only 6k soldiers. Therefore, a bottom feeder truly has no military advantage over the others in their rank.
However, bottom feeders do have knowledge that other players in near rankings do not. They know what gives them points, what the ratios and formulae are, and what buildings will help them most. With this knowledge, they can easily win a “battle of wits.” Also, many bottom feeders have alliances with high AWFs to back them. They, unlike many low ranked independent players, can afford to attack with all they’re troops, knowing that their alliance will be there to back them. This makes it very easy for them to win BSs and increasingly difficult for them to lose their own.
I realize this isn’t a full analysis of the rights and wrongs of bottom feeders, and there are many other opinions out there, so I want to open this up for discussion. Do you believe bottom feeding is wrong? If so, what steps should be taken to stop bottom feeders?
I think that bottom-feeding is a sad way to get BS. But used right it can also be seen as a strategy. I would have to say i’m neutral
I think bottomfeeding is a fair and honorable strategy. I think it is one of many ways to succeed. As long as you are being mature, kind, and tactful in your dealings with your opponents, I have no problems with it.
One thing to add to your analysis is the construction element. In a strategy first pioneered by JP Mulhern, I believe, players build dozens of construction companies, have little to no AWFs during maintenance, and then build dozens of AWFs. The construction is completed just after the next day’s maintenance, and they have a massive advantage over their neighbors.
that is very true “ghost”, and that’s completely with timing… *sighs* there is no way to get around it