This will be TL/DR for anyone who doesn't need to know how the swap threads work/why people use them or are looking for other ways to level their GBs. Maybe I'll post a forum guide to it later since I've already written one for my guilds use.
Hi, I'm a new player and I don't understand swap threads. I've read through this forum thread and I've searched other forum threads about fps, swaps, snipes, locks, arcs, obs, and nasty people. All I've learned are... fragments... of a much larger ecosystem of pals, pirates, and oldtimers with views differing on subtle details.
For starters it's obvious by just your one post that you are NOT the type of new player this post was written about. You bother to ask questions and try to find the answer, this was a rant'/question about new players posting things they don't understand and not bothering to ask anyone. It's good to know there are still new players coming in like yourself who are trying to find answers. Your guild members or leader should be able to answer most questions for you without you needing to come here for answers.
As swap threads are run by guilds as are any guild thread you may find your guild doing something different however if you were on W and joined my guild this is one of the welcome messages you would receive about swap threads:
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We have 5-10-20 FP swap groups as well as a voluntary Obs donation thread. Due to issues that we've had in the past with adding new members to our swaps I'm going to give a quick run down of how swap threads work. If you're not new to the game then you already know the deal and can just skim.
1) Swaps- When posting in a swap thread, post your GB using the link feature then add the amount, 5 for the 5 thread 10 for the 10 etc. to the GB listed above yours. When the next person posts they will add to yours creating a neverending swap chain. The swap threads are not to be used for IOUs but only for points you can put on the building above as soon as you post.
2) Sticks thread-This is to help raise brand new GBs not to post buildings you're working on or are hoping to get help with. Please do not post anything other than a GB that you have just put down and need help raising, nothing else. If someone else posts one please put a few points on that building to help your mates.
3) Obs thread- This is completely voluntary but any participation helps the guild. In the title you will see the name of the individuals obs we are currently working on. Please don't post any GB or trade in there. If you make a donation you can go ahead and post how many you've added.
4) Trade thread please keep any trade posted in the trade thread fair. Also please don't post anything but trades in there.
If that all sounds okay to you let me know and I will add you into the threads. If you're completely new to the game please to hesitate to ask any questions you may have, were here to help. Glad to have you with us!
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Now if someone has further questions or wonders why use swap threads I've written a more indepth guide that is also posted in our forum and I send out to all every couple months as a refresher just in case:
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Swap Threads: What they are, how to use them:
To participate in swap threads you first post a link to the building you would like points on then place the points on the building linked above yours. The amount of points are determined by which thread you’re posting in. 5 points for the 5 thread, 10 points for the 10 threads etc.
When the next player posts their building they will then pay the points to your building, thus completing the swap. These are chain threads meant to run indefinitely.
Anytime you post in the swap thread the swap is to be completed directly after your post. For instance the 50 point thread is for players who have 50 points in their bank (or burning a whole in their inventory, no judgement =) ) and are looking to spend them immediately. These swaps are not meant for players to pay points over a series of days/hours but rather at the moment they post.
If you are looking for a 1 on 1 trade partner post in our main chat with what you’re looking to trade to see if anyone is interested. We do not interfere with any private trades among our members, whatever works for you and your partner is just fine by us.
Why use the Swap threads-
By putting the same amount of points you would be putting on your own building onto someone else instead you gain the chance to end up in a reward position on that persons GB potentially netting you blueprints, medals and forge points back in your inventory. If you place all your own points on your GB you will have no chance of those points ending you in a spot. In a swap chain any points you put to someone elses building will be put on yours by the following person so it equals out.
Are swap threads the best way?-
Yes and no, depending on where you are in the game and also your opinion. If you put all your points on your own buildings you will get random donations lowering your cost. If you put your own points on and have people with high boosted arcs willing to lock your spots you can save even more. If you yourself have a high level arc you can trade ‘locks’ IE top spots secured from snipers with other players. The downside to this is unless you are trading locks you are not getting any prints, and medals and no FPs into your inventory.
Another way to trade is to find a partner and swap points, be it any amount per day up until a decided upon amount or X amount per day. This gives a greater likely hood of you both ending up in spots than the swap threads would. Also swap groups which dedicate one day of the week to a particular players building. If you would rather a more secure way to end up in a spot you will prefer 1 on 1 swaps, if you prefer the freedom of spending points whenever you feel like it you would prefer the swap threads.
There’s no need to feel bad if taking a swap means knocking another player out of a spot, the swaps are meant to be ongoing, sometimes you end in a spot, sometimes you don’t. Unless you have been able to lock a position there are no guarantees.
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The section about large arcs I leave out of W when I send this message because there are not very many and my members are all low era so theres no good in confusing people further.
Those should answer most of the questions you had about them but if you're looking for more opinion based info you'll find those scattered across the forum.
How I personally level my buildings:
On W my whole city is centered around my guild and is not set up as a personal/player game. I use the swap threads to put BPs in other members hands and will supplement with some of my own points to lower costs. With there being much fewer arcs around me sniping is typically rare/non-existant.
On N where though I also help run the guild my game is set up for me and to be the best city I can run:
I have a level 80 arc and work with 2 other guildmates who also have a level 80 arc. Depending on the level of building I'm working on I will add enough of my own points for a level 80 arc to break even on spots 1 and 2. They will then add their full value FP to the GB and lock their spots.
I will then add more of my own points to make 3-5 profitable for a group of arc players on my friends list and they will take those.
Depending on the level of building I'm working on this cuts my costs down by 1/2 to a 1/3rd of what it would be normally.
Here's my last Chat level as an example:
For this level you can see I paid 349 and received 854 points for free. As there are BPs for 5th I posted it to the guild for 1 point BPs but no one took it before I was about to do my collection and wanted to flip for the increased boost.
If you level your building this way you must find a different way to gather inventory FP as putting FP on your own buildings obviously means you will get back nothing. To do this I will use my inventory FP to lock up any spots in my hood/friends list that have profit on them. I will sometimes convert my daily collection into inventory FP if asked to lock a building with them still on bar. I will always keep my eye on self levelers and drop 1FP so I can keep them in my contribution list.
