Blitzing & The Prisoner's Dilemma

[Cybersaber]

I have had two players Blitz me in the last month, and both players seemed very surprised when I told them that if they Blitzed me again, it would be the last game they ever played with me. Because I don't want to have to keep explaining something that seems so obvious (to me, at least), I am posting my reasoning here.

I want to start with one of the fundamental bedrocks of Game Theory, a famous game scenario entitled “The Prisoner’s Dilemma”. In the Prisoner’s Dilemma, two crooks have been arrested for committing a crime together. The Authorities suspect them of the crime, but don't have hard evidence to prove their case. So the State Prosecutor puts them in separate cells and approaches each prisoner with a simple proposition. If he turns State’s evidence, confesses his guilt, and testifies against the other prisoner, his sentence will be only 3 years. But if he fails to confess, his sentence will be 10 years. So here is each Prisoner’s dilemma. If he trusts his partner, and neither confesses, they both walk. This is the best outcome for both of them. But if he doesn’t trust his partner and expects him to squeal, then he will probably go to jail for 10 years, unless he squeals first. Without trust, they are both better off squealing, even though they get an inferior outcome (both will go to jail for 3 years).

So how does this relate to Blitzing? If neither player Blitzes, they both enjoy a long, satisfying game of MOO with some real strategy involved. But that only works if they trust each other not to Blitz. If either player thinks his opponent might Blitz, then he is better off playing a Blitz race himself and trying to beat his opponent to the punch. But if both players blitz, then they are stuck in a game that is a simple rush to see who can get up a low-tech Battleship first. For me, this is a mindless and highly unsatisfying game. Indeed, the last player to Blitz me admitted before the game that he wanted to play "something mindless" (he succeeded). So if I can’t trust my opponent not to Blitz, I am forced to play a form of MOO I cordially detest. For this reason, I don’t play MOO with players I can’t trust not to Blitz. And I will note that most veterans in the community seem to instinctively understand this. We have never discussed the issue, but they don't Blitz.

Now the reader might object that that everyone has a right to play whatever strategy they want, and whatever MOO they want. I agree! So if you want to Blitz, please go ahead. Just don’t play me...

[red-dog]

Wow. I seldom see an argument that I disagree with 100%, but this is one of those rare exceptions. A successful blitz in a 1v1 game is hardly mindless! You might easily argue that expansion is mindless, but blitzing is hard to do correctly and is not usually successful. I don't do it in 1v1 games because: 1. I'm not good at it 2. It seldom works even for good blitzers.

Bottom line is, the possibility of a blitz makes the game more interesting. If I've got a growth race with 10 nearby Ultra Rich NG GAIA systems nearby, and I get greedy and build just cships with no ops and scouts, I deserve to lose to an early blitz. The possiblity of a blitz keeps you honest. The extent to which you slow down your expansion by using scarce resources to protect from a possible blitz is another of the many choices that you make in the game. Removing that possibility dumbs down the game and makes it MORE mindless.

[Overlord2]

Red, you didn't understand underlying implications of Cyber's proposition. The point is whether you do restarts or not. I totally agree with you that in no restarts game it is silly to cancel blitz or rush possibility. One might get 10 ultrariches, while other 10 ultra poors lgs...Without blitz possibility such game is waste of time. However if you do 5-10 restarts at a time to get more or less equal start with your parntner then it is quite unpleasant to receive blitz when you had intension to play long and interesting game...
Thats what meant Cyber in his post...

[Rolf]

this was me . because i had terrible start with 2-3 ops , and cyber was creative with first system with 2x15 pop rich..


and got that omni guy

anyway . shit happens..

[Staffa]

I am at a loss how someone who is trying to reduce the number of variables present in the game can at the same time call the alternative, 'mindless'

A blitz is something, someone who is trying to build up normally, has to keep in mind. It is a variable they have to keep track of and make plans for. Removing it, is simplifying the game. A blitz is a losing preposition more often then not and only increases your chances if you have a very poor start. And as reddog mentioned, a blitz is in and of itself not simple or mindless.

The more things you ban, the more things you free your self from having to worry about, the simpler the game becomes. Doing so, because you find the game more enjoyable with out it, fine. But don't try to rationalize it using bad logic.

[zoetropo]

Blitzing the AI is easy, so the host should setup for no AI players in the game. Galaxy size and starting tech level can affect the viability of blitzing. You can see if a player is starting a blitz if you are Omni, so use PickHack to make Omni free. Race picks are normally visible to everyone, and reveal a player's intentions. A blitz that's anticipated is usually doomed.

[Overlord2]

Blitzing the AI is easy, so the host should setup for no AI players in the game. Galaxy size and starting tech level can affect the viability of blitzing

Standard game setup is:
Galaxy size: large
Galaxy age: organic
Tech Level: average
No AI
These settings are optimal for interesting games: niether of the strategies dominates, you can blitz or use economic expansion strategy. And both strategies can be beaten by counter if well played.

You can see if a player is starting a blitz if you are Omni, so use PickHack to make Omni free. Race picks are normally visible to everyone, and reveal a player's intentions.

If you make omni a free pick many games will be ended at turn 1. All planets are visible - the better sector wins. At the same time as you rightly noticed it reveals a player's intentions - you can see not only the planets settled by enemy, but also size and location of the enemy ships. So rush or blitz strategy is hopeless.