Sniping. How to avoid getting sniped.

[Ebeondi Asi]

The main problem of getting sniped is 100% the Great Building owner's fault.
that may seem like a horrible thing to say, but it is true.
Players need to understand how the snipe works, and how Arc rewards have shaped sniping, to be able to stop doing dumb things that give snipers a free ride.
To know how to stop sniping one need to understand the concept of "lock" as used in leveling Great Buildings. And why it is critical to stopping sniping.
The reason snipers can get away with what they do is players do not understand how to fill Great Buildings properly.
If players always followed the rules of lock and did not ever overpay into their own buildings. (and did not use swap threads) , most sniping would vanish!

(and no I did not explain all that stuff. LOL it is complicated... maybe if players post and I feel like posting more later on.)

 

[Flynn013]

I snipe every day because I can. I agree it is on the building owner to make sure it can't happen. If you don't want to be sniped prime your buildings properly, Only put in enough FPs to ensure that P1 and P2 can only be taken at the amount you want donated. Then do P3, then P4 etc. People that prime for all positions open themselves up to being sniped. Once a building gets to the levels where P1 and 2 can be locked with no owner FP input you need to set up a group that will be on at the same time and will take all positions as soon as the owner unlocks the next level.

That being said, I don't use 1.9 threads and never have. I usually prime my buildings so that positions can be locked at around 1.7 to 1.8. If nobody donates at that level I just add more FPs until somebody does. I think getting back more FPs than you put on a building is a good thing.

 

[tigerkitkat]

Not very many people put FPs on any of my buildings at all so I don't get sniped much.

 

[Sledgie]

There are some situations where it is not the building owner's fault. One I have seen is where the building owner had the building properly prepped for 1.9, but their guild's 1.9 thread moved slowly and they were third sniped. Another situation is when a building (usually a treasury building) is primed for 1.9 but generous guildies give break even which turns out to be more than 1.9, thus leaving the second slot open to sniping.

 

[Ebeondi Asi]

To explain "third sniped": when to player each take a third of the remaining value. It is a pernicious method, particularly when used on very high level Arcs.

There again it is somewhat the fault of a player who uses 'slow moving' threads. The "third sniped' is difficult to protect against I agree. but can be done. It is also very rare event.And to mention again, it is particularly used on very high level Arcs being worked on.

 

[Ironrooster]

I level up my buildings as I can and want to.
If someone else adds forge points that's great - all contributions welcome.
If they make a profit off it, that's great too - doesn't cost me anything.
The game encourages contributions to other players' buildings by providing rewards to the top contributors. i take advantage of this by contributing to other players buildings from time to time.

The concepts of sniping, 1.9 threads, etc. are artificial constructs that are not actually part of the game itself. They don't particularly interest me, so I ignore them. Looking around the neighborhood from time to time, it appears that most other players also ignore them.

 

[Richard Rambone]

I have made a lucrative haul of sniped fp on a weekly basis. This week already I have collected close to 2000 free fp. The surprising thing is how many points I get from the left end of the hood. I guess having 8 and 9 digit ranking and the ability to stop a sniper do not necessarily go hand in hand.

 

[Queen Bevalon]

I snipe every day because I can. I agree it is on the building owner to make sure it can't happen. If you don't want to be sniped prime your buildings properly, Only put in enough FPs to ensure that P1 and P2 can only be taken at the amount you want donated. Then do P3, then P4 etc. People that prime for all positions open themselves up to being sniped. Once a building gets to the levels where P1 and 2 can be locked with no owner FP input you need to set up a group that will be on at the same time and will take all positions as soon as the owner unlocks the next level.

That being said, I don't use 1.9 threads and never have. I usually prime my buildings so that positions can be locked at around 1.7 to 1.8. If nobody donates at that level I just add more FPs until somebody does. I think getting back more FPs than you put on a building is a good thing.

But how do you actually prime and figure out how much you need for everyone to donate?

 

[Kranyar the Mysterious]

But how do you actually prime and figure out how much you need for everyone to donate?

You can do the math manually, but ask in your guild how they do it, since we aren't allowed to tell you here.

 

[Ebeondi Asi]

Folk good at basic math can do it with a calculator. Folks poor at math can use something else. (as mentioned it cannot be discussed here)
The main things are to use the actual numbers given as rewards winning each Great Building position. In a 1.9 thread that number is multiplied by 1.9 for what a person with a Arc at level 80 (the gold standard of 1.9) wins. They win the Great Building reward, plus an additional 0.9 so the reward play an additional 0,9 adds up to 1.9
One may be in a 1.85 thread and that is the same thing just using an Arc level 70 (1.8 is an Ac at level 60)

For lock. imagine the Great Building is a jar. It can only be filled to the Forge Point number total that flips the building to the next new level. No one can add more than that.
And lock is created to avoid sniping. There is a "magic" good number for Lock. not too big, not to small. (twice the 1.9 value of a position)
If one adds too few Forge points from the Lock number, then after a donor add the correct 1.9 amount to 'win' a position. Some (sniper) can add one of a few more over the Player who honestly took the position and steal it. (Players with a higher than level 80 Arc can easily still make a profit doing this. or may even do it to be nasty to the honest player. so the honest donor gets cheated (since he then will be pushed down to a lower reward.
If the owner adds too many Forge points for a position to be just locked (or adds all they would need to cover the entire cost they would pay right off) a sniper can steal the reward position at less than the usual 1.9 amount.

So there is a special amount to give Lock. and it is exactly leaving open two times the biggest reward at 1.9 total
Why you ask twice?? Because once is exactly the right amount to pay an Arc 80 owner the full reward. and the equal amount left .. even it filled cannot overtake the first person asking it. So no sniper can 'beat' the system at that moment. If a sniper type takes the position at 1.9 it does not matter except they were not invited. They paid the 1.9 price. so no actual harm.
Calculating twice the 1.9 value as the remainder left on the GB is easy to many, hard to some. It is almost universally a bit difficult to grasp why and how for a new player. most can learn it with not too much difficulty.

One other point in sniping is once sniped, a player is far more likely to be sniped again. For two reasons: the player does not understand how to not get sniped. and secondly once a player is sniped the snipers watch that player much more closely that players they cannot ever snipe. And they may even tell other snipers that player is a great target to hit!
One in awhile even a smart player makes a mistake and gets sniped. When that happens just be really careful to do nothing a sniper can steal from. and after a few weeks they will no longer be watching you (like a hawk) anymore.

 

[Ebeondi Asi]

One other ploy snipers use is to place one, or a few Forge Points on you Great Building.
(some players just add odd FP on GBs.. so it can be hard to know who is a sniper and who is just dumping FPs!)
When a sniper adds one Fp or a few, they can then still donate to it at anytime, as long as your Great Building is not leveled. (the person no longer has to be a Friend, Guidie or Hoodie and stil lan add FPs. een months laterif yo never leveled the GB. )
The one FP or a few FP drop is a bit devious, and when you calculate lock, you have to incude the difference of the one or few FPs. If you do not include that in lock, then that person can still steal a position because they (and only they) can manage to get a higher FP total that the legitimate donor. and steal the position and have lock themselves. (so it cannot be taken back.)

This is why I dislike others randomly dumping a few FPs on my Great Buildings. because it causes more work to make sure the positions are safe for 1.9 players.
At times a friend may add FPs, So many FP it is hard to make lock for 1.9 usually i write a message in the 1.9 saying the player is not a threat and I guarantee the position for the donor.
One other way players adding a bunch but not enough to take a position is harmful, is the inability to cover lock and finish all five positions. Ot it actually adds too many so a sniper has a target while owner is trying to cover the spare FPs on the Great Building.
Then it may pay to not cover it and ask players to take the 1.9 with guarantee of safety. This also may allow you later to ask for extra FP on a position and bump the stranger's position well down. out of a good paying spot

 

[Chino Kafuu]

People who snipe my building I put that building on hold for a few weeks to hold up their fps.

 

[The Lady Redneck]

People who snipe my building I put that building on hold for a few weeks to hold up their fps.

That may make a difference to a newer player with a small FP income as they probably need those FPs back . But once you are getting 700 - 100 FP a day from your collections plus what you win in GBG and GE PLUS what you get back from all the other snipes you do. Having to wait a few weeks does not matter. All you are really doing is depriving yourself of the benefits you would have gained from leveling that GB

 

[Ebeondi Asi]

People who snipe my building I put that building on hold for a few weeks to hold up their fps.

Actully snipers expect that ! You are only harming yourself. Snipers laugh at players who try to stop leveling, way way more than the few who might worry about it. They laugh even harder at players who delete the GB. So your stopping means nothing to the vast majority of snipers. They count on some stopping, and some never finishing. They still make enough to no be worried.

 

[DevaCat]

It’s called cutting off your nose to spite your face. I guess that might be an old folk saying with which younger people or those from other parts of the country may be unfamiliar. So someone cost you a few fps and you think deleting that GB is the answer? Or not collecting it or disconnecting it, that’s going to help? Get real. That thinking is as bad as thinking the way to respond to someone plundering a 5-goods production is to not reset your four goods buildings so that the so-and-so can’t get anything overnight. Yeah, you win - he doesn’t get anything. But you lose, every time.

 

[Meat Butcher]

Snipers expect losses, that is why you continue to snipe as often as your FP bank will allow.
Over time the FP Bank will add up in spite of others holding FP's to hold up their own progress, or players suddenly leaving the game.
It would not surprise me in the least if I have over 100 - 200k in FP's that will never come home, you just continue to move forward and not worry about it.

 

[Aurora Arwin]

The main problem of getting sniped is 100% the Great Building owner's fault.
that may seem like a horrible thing to say, but it is true.
Players need to understand how the snipe works, and how Arc rewards have shaped sniping, to be able to stop doing dumb things that give snipers a free ride.
To know how to stop sniping one need to understand the concept of "lock" as used in leveling Great Buildings. And why it is critical to stopping sniping.
The reason snipers can get away with what they do is players do not understand how to fill Great Buildings properly.
If players always followed the rules of lock and did not ever overpay into their own buildings. (and did not use swap threads) , most sniping would vanish!

(and no I did not explain all that stuff. LOL it is complicated... maybe if players post and I feel like posting more later on.)

I can't seem to find a good simple definition of what sniping is? (Maybe 6 days into playing) TIA

 

[Chino Kafuu]

Actully snipers expect that ! You are only harming yourself. Snipers laugh at players who try to stop leveling, way way more than the few who might worry about it. They laugh even harder at players who delete the GB. So your stopping means nothing to the vast majority of snipers. They count on some stopping, and some never finishing. They still make enough to no be worried.

Not really I get messages daily to level up my building. Now they add 1.95 then I level. Ots not harming myself in anyway as they are hugh level buildings anyway. No gain if I let them sit.

 

[Pericles the Lion]

Not really I get messages daily to level up my building. Now they add 1.95 then I level. Ots not harming myself in anyway as they are hugh level buildings anyway. No gain if I let them sit.

Yes, really. Any sniper that sends a message to the GB owner is bush league. I invest then move on without looking back. Down the raod, at the very most I might flip the GB if the owner has gone inactive and I can recover some of my investment. I've never messaged the owner, never will. BTW, on any given day I invest 30K-40K in others' GBs raking in a profit of 3K-4K. As @Meat Butcher and @Ebeondi Asi said, snipers expect some losses.

 

[Ebeondi Asi]

I can't seem to find a good simple definition of what sniping is? (Maybe 6 days into playing) TIA

Sadly the word sniping is overused. Now players use it to decry anyone they do not want on their Great Building. Someone adds one forge point and it will be called sniping. adding the proper 1.9 for a low position in advance without the owners consent is called sniping.
Players who do not use 1.9 and consider any additional Fps a bonus. (even so, others may call it sniping)
Sniping proper is a player locking in a reward worth more than the amount paid, on a Great Building. And thus incurring a loss to the owner (who would otherwise have gotten at least 1.9 times the reward for that position. Sniping proper may also be two players working the 'thirds' system to snipe causing the owner to lose even more...