Thanks for all the kind words from (most of) you - my rapid rise is somewhat unexpected - and I now have the much bigger challenge of trying to keep it.
However as soon as I saw this thread this morning I was certain it would descend into this:
Scott-Land wrote:TheBro wrote:I'm not saying that, but it should be clear that he is technically a multi who did not cheat to get his score right now.
sure
he cheated-- he gained all his strategies and tactics from his previous account to apply it to his new one. according to wicked from a conversation weeks ago, a player [he] is to be stripped of his premium and forced to play with his original account. if this has been a repeated offense , the player [he] is to be banned.
"cheat" is a very very big word that I am - to be honest - devastated to have had leveled at me. The majority of my games (with this
and my previous account) are 1v1 sequential games - so no freestyle shenanigans and no account sitting abuse potential.
As far as I can tell, the only way in which this account is "untrue" is in it's win % (which I will very clearly never be claiming to be accurate or use for any records etc.) - if anything it warns players off playing me! - and I have now updated my profile page to make this more plain.
Scott-land - Please substantiate your accusation - precisely what material benefit I have tried (whether successful or not) to gain illicitly by "cheating". I now have the craziest nickname, which prompts many queries and I have never once not been upfront with people about this being my 2nd account.
You may think that the second time round, I'll gain points more easily to start with, and whilst this is true, it doesn't actually warp the scoring system - why? - because each person's score is only really about the last hundred or so games (maybe a little more if you only play 1v1,dubs,trips quads) - i.e. mathematically, given the same set of results against players of a set score you'll end up with the same score regardless of your starting position. (I would be grateful if someone with a better current grip on their maths would expand on this - Sully?? - but I am totally sure it is true)
BTW - This is the email that "busted" accounts get (and please remember that I reported myself):
Hello BENJIKAT IS DEAD,
Your activity on Conquer Club has aroused suspicion and triggered an investigation by a staff member. It has been determined that you most likely have duplicate accounts, in violation of Rule #1 of Conquer Club (i.e. no multiple accounts) with the following: benjikat.
Multiple accounts pose a big problem for multiplayer games -- duplicate accounts are usually created to get around the maximum number of simultaneous games limit, or to dominate a game with multiple accounts. It is not only annoying to other players, but the excessive use of server resources is unfair to everyone.
Comparing the billing information is the only reliable way to verify uniqueness of an account. It also greatly reduces the risk of someone creating several accounts for themselves.
If you have Free Membership:
We've blocked you from playing new games and posting to the forum. The only way to remove this limitation is to upgrade to Premium Membership. Our Premium Membership fee shouldn't be too much for something you can enjoy every day. Plus, you'll be supporting the development of new features and continuous improvements to the website.
If you have Premium Membership and this is your first violation:
We've cancelled your Premium Membership and blocked you from playing games with the members mentioned above.
If you have Premium Membership and this is your second violation:
We've cancelled your Premium Membership and blocked you from playing new games and posting to the forum. The only way to remove this limitation is to upgrade to Premium Membership once again.
Regards,
The Conquer Club
As you can see, it is addressed to this second account and states that I can upgrade to premium etc etc...
The main reasons that multiple accounts are bad (extra free games - abuse within the same games - etc) have never applied to me.
This is now the third time that I have climbed into the top 100 from 1000 points... and I really don't see how it is all that different from the first 2.
Somewhat annoyingly this has only come up because I have (unexpectedly, but very excitedly) found myself with a hat, but I understand that there are others in a similar situation (She-wolf / Rodger Dodger being the one I have read a few mentions of).
I hate that I am now being tainted in a similar way to others high on the scoreboard who
have used dubious methods -but I guess I'll just have to live with it.
Ben
XXX