Is that normal for this server?? If so I pick the wrong dang strat.

Pretty much. It will usually start hovering at 105-110, then you might see it at 130 starting Thursday. CIs have been sort of nerfed lately.

I see. Thanks NukEvil

All true stories.

Last set there wasn't even a single C/I in the top 10.

20 bucks higher than in ffa few hrs ago. troops were under 110 bucks.

C/I has balancing issues have been fixed. It had previously been OP

CI can still win. Look at these finishes and then look at the wars he was in
http://www.eestats.com/express/oldcountry/1140/26
http://www.eestats.com/express/oldcountry/1145/1

Count the number of techers/cashers/industrialists in the top 10 in the last 5 sets. I think you'll find the numbers are skewed.

just takes the right people to play CI and it would be different

I also think you'll find the people(s) that ran the two countries mentioned above are extremely talented netting veterans. It takes a lot more work and skill to achieve that score vs playing techer in the current state of the server.

Try it yourself. Play an all-x techer and an all-x C/I and see what nets more.

That is my point though. If the right people play CI it can and will win, so it's not that nerfed really... And before, it was like it could never lose.

So, your saying there's a chance...

... if the right people play Techer they can't lose now. So we traded one for the other.

That depends on the round. If the average tech price is upper $2000s then it will be hard to beat but if it's under that the commie can take it. But the country I linked got in big wars and still beat every techer except one.

One of those countries was in a "big" war. The other was hit a few times and slightly retalled with missiles. At which point they probably only loss the difference in income from cashing 2 turns instead of the 2 turns sending missiles.

The land loss definitely hurt... but both those countries were low to mid 30m finishes. Techers have been hitting 35m+ consistently.

The fact that a very skilled player at C/I 'CAN' win(or finish well) does not negate the fact that recent server markets have highly favored techers/cashers. What KingMe is saying is that a lot less skilled players at techer, or even other strats, are ending with higher net averages because of the markets(if you just look at final net you can't necessarily tell the skill-gap). This is why you see so few C's in top 10 or even 20 lately. The fact that you have an outlier here or there doesn't change that fact.

The reason why markets are so skewed is because the bots are programmed to continually buy ridiculous amounts of tech, thus bumping up the prices(as they're not really programmed too well to sniff out a good deal or know when it's beneficial to put that money somewhere else). Also, the reason why unit prices are so low is because the bot indies are undercutting the market and they use turns every, what, few hours or so? So they continually post cheap units because they're not trying to win and are playing by bugged code. No C/I would normally post anything in the 70s or 80s because it's just too cheap and such a big advantage for your competition.

IF you want to claim that for some reason you feel C/I was stacked all these years, well you could show the math and we could discuss it like gentlemen. And also you could tell me why every set has not been won by C/I before the changes, or even the majority? Was someone playing C and happened to be doing well with it so everything was just changed for 1 guy? What if he was just good and bunch of other people sucked? That's not a good reason to change it....if we saw 8 of top 10 all C/I at the end consistently we could suspect it...but I don't think we see a flood of C's in top 10 consistently? What about all the other C's lower than that? How did they do so bad if it was so rigged? And if any part of this sounds hostile, it's not meant to be. Just some honest thoughts.

Jets at $59 and Turrets $80 right now :)

C/I are more balanced on this server.

Farmers need a boost.
Cashers are fine.
Oilers need a boost.
Techers are fine.

Just play delayed C/I, and you'll be fine.

Oilers and Farmers don't need a boost... they need a miracle. When was the last time someone one with either?

Posting for the sake of posting....irrelevant coment, this is express....

@Kingme
I could with farmer, but it's impossible with pure oiler, because there's not enough consumed on the server.

Oil is on private too so it is hard to keep the price up.

I have won with farmer but it was over a year ago.

bones

Theo farmer selling on private always wins why won't anyone believe me and try it

Oiler in express is depressing lol

If tech is so expensive and techers so successful, then casher would have a hard time keeping their tech levels up. Casher has not overtaken commies. I think people are correct that the commie prices suck now but what you're forgetting is how much better C was than the other governments on Express before, so even if it takes a huge hit, it's still strongly competitive. The only strategy that's debatably overtaken it is techer and even then it's not a slam dunk unless the prices are really crazy.

Is this really up for debate? I thought everyone knew and agreed that commie was the best gov type on express by far, at least until the recent price crash

its saying that market prices are fluffed up on other servers too, not just express.

Here are the 40m+ networth scores, from the introduction of bots (round 262) on through the last round before the bot changes impacted the market significantly for techers and commies (round 336):

314 1 VARIS (#26) Game profile 25,936 $43,059,742 CG
314 2 9 (#9) Game profile 28,287 $42,115,158 CG
314 3 Trial 1 (#48) 26,097 $40,136,216 CG
305 1 I Am Not A Bot (#66) 40,044 $54,756,500 CG
302 1 Viagra (#27) Game profile 33,235 $42,020,301 CG
299 1 LaResistance (#2) Game profile 30,954 $40,624,030 CG
297 1 ABCD (#78) 15,642 $41,555,930 DG
290 1 not much time to play (#23) Game profile 34,627 $40,128,922 CG
287 1 GLHF (#8) 28,029 $40,402,611 DG
284 1 Suicidal King (#48) 35,555 $52,994,784 CG
283 1 DeathFromAbove (#1) Game profile 17,186 $47,606,588 HG
282 1 Ecstacy (#28) Game profile 33,703 $45,093,096 CG
281 1 lol score (#10) Game profile 32,851 $44,184,751 CG
279 1 Nemsey Pemsey (#49) 33,625 $45,215,323 CG
278 1 password (#69) 30,753 $45,514,859 CG
270 1 HydroponicAvocado (#2) Game profile 32,366 $40,060,155 CG
269 1 YOU SHALL NOT TECH (#56) Game profile 32,000 $48,300,917 CG
269 2 (#70) Game profile 33,333 $45,869,226 CG
266 1 DeathFromAbove (#65) Game profile 13,913 $42,497,946 DG
264 1 SR20DET (#14) Game profile 27,625 $42,395,846 CG
264 2 I GOT BAKING SODA (#54) Game profile 28,149 $41,668,809 CG

The breakdown is as follows:
Commies 17/21
Democracies 3/21
Theocracies 1/21

40m is a milestone in itself. You can't blame that all on a type of government when other types get there as well. From what I can tell, those C countries getting those types of networths are generally, consistently the same group of people who know what they're doing...this is why you still see C's finalizing low networths as well, regardless of market price. If C was so overstacked why do we see low finishes for many other C's? Also, just because markets are set well for techers doesn't mean those who consistently tech necessarily have the 'skill' to break 50m or 60m, even though it was made possible. As for cashers, yes expensive tech has an impact on them too, but when units are half-price, that more than makes up for. I'd hope players spend more $ on military than they do on tech in any given set.

Did the market for C's change in round 337 I presume? Since then...

348 1 Qfwfq (#105) 15,367 $42,000,000 DG
346 1 GLHF (#71) 11,538 $41,492,117 TG
346 2 EyE m SeKsI (#11) Game profile 18,089 $40,870,508 HG
345 1 Preferred Stock (#7) 29,745 $41,749,146 CG
344 1 MakeMyDay (#63) 19,622 $47,602,896 HG
344 2 Preferred Stock (#10) 32,534 $44,552,983 CG
343 1 Cream of the Crop (#15) 35,822 $43,798,443 CG

Again, all those C's are the Same guy, so you can't assume it's All related to government. There are also many, many other factors that goes into each set that decides final net that's not scene in a blanket 40m cherry pick observation. Look at the rest of the top 10s for those other sets and look at how many C's there are and where they stand. I see too much of a spread to simply assume C is too strong just because a handful are good at it.

Expert netters were posting those scores with commies because commies were the best government for netting, if you ask me. It would be quite a coincidence if the best players all simply loved playing commie for no particular reason.

Don't experts post those nets with other strats too? If a few have, then anyone can, if they were better.

Not debating/disagreeing with you...the "If" in your second sentence is the problem with the last bot change. The tech prices are consistently higher and the commie with the 10% commission cannot compete selling at the current low unit prices and high expenses a good one usually has. However, with 24-48 hours to go, prices will likely improve and playing delayed, as Celphi mentioned, provides a better chance than playing aggressive from the beginning as a C/I might usually play.

I am using this time to play techer (which I suck at, so am getting more experience) after playing a decent c/i the weeks in which I get to play all of my turns. That is another variable with Express, and all of us share it, but is difficult as a commie with goods on market at 130-155 and a bot dropping some for 90...turns accruing as the c/i waits. Compare that to a techer who may be topped by a bot!

I played delayed casher before the introduction of the bots, but was looking like one after their initial inception, so moved to commie. Gradual adjustments to the bots have them playing various govs now and using their turns. A delayed [any gov] shouldn't be mistaken for a bot now if one pays attention to the op, assuming they did one, and the prices during the last day or two should balance out as people begin destocking and jumping.

I might give my old delayed casher another run in the next week or two while unit prices are low, low, low!

Still....how's it rellevant to this server?

KoH, baby!!

Hammer brother!

start a manufacutring company call its "Hammer Co" get it ;) ;) ;)

LOL

lol....you funny dude.

called it haha. you people crying about CI are crying about the beast government thats super beast even now because of the giant piles of bot land out there which helps commies so much!

8 out of the 10 in the top 10 were Techer...

That C/I is most likely that same player that has won recently as C/I. An anomaly. If he didn't play... nobody would be close to the techers.

I was casher. :P

3 aikito 31 20,485 acres $34,034,701 DG 1661

Oh is he the only one thats ever been great at playing a commie? I dont think so.

I lied haha, 7 out of 10.

Most recently... It would seem that way. Are you really so dense that you can't see that Techer is much more profitable recently?

Techer is more profitable than previously., but you can win with any strategy. ( except oiler ).

Im just telling the truth.

Of course... But which is more likely and easiest currently?

Also nice work at top 5 as casher.

Keep telling yourself that new member.

I would agree Kingme. Techer is the easiest currently.