who care about newbies, but then we change the game

before the last word of the documentation is written.

We're notaverse to helping newbies, but how many

times have we felt the pressure to expand as quickly

as possible to sustain our own countries, at the

expense of newbies. We decide we'll "help them next

game," for if we don't take them, and take them

quickly, our neighbors will.

We shorten our games, compact our maps, increase
our tech production cycle, to intensify the
struggle, a struggle that newbies can't keep up
with, so we regulate them to the "newbie" game,
where they may live longer, but never come out
with the true taste of empire in their mouths.



We allow the existence of clients that are

incompatible with current servers. We produce

new commands, we alter old commands, and we put

out a version a week. While it gives the

experienced player eye-candy, a somewhat new

empire experience, it gives the new player a true

barrier to entry. I mean, why play empire in

this situation, when I can play Civilization II?

"I wouldn't get the same experience," you say?

So what? I haven't played empire, so what am I

missing anyway?