Saturday, June 13, 2009

Tiny Empires, Revisited

Written 13 June, 2009

Tiny Empires, Revisited

I bought the HUD-based Second Life game Tiny Empires a long time-- maybe a year-- ago. See here and here for info on T.E.

By patiently working the HUD, I worked my way up to Duchess, and even finally managed to acquire a subject.

Building a downline is critical for success in Tiny Empires; otherwise you just plod onward and slowly upward. But there's a downside to a downline, for if one or more of your subjects is enticed away by a bribe or otherwise jumps ship, you can be downgraded in rank.

I'm happy to plod, for I know the acres I save and buy are mine and the rank I attain is permanent and not contingent upon keep my subjects loyal to me. I may never become the queen of all creation, but at least I no longer live in a hovel and burn dung in the hearth. Life as a Duchess is good. Just give me my HUD and let me make my decisions.

But Tiny Empires is by nature a social game, and most people who play it use it primarily for the personal relationships they can form. Through the HUD you meet people and socialize with them; some of them become your friends. You hangout with other T.E. players. Many players hook up in SL and even, eventually, on Earth.

For these reasons I would heartily recommend this virtual virtual game to new citizens and to older citizens who are perhaps a bit bored and  looking for something to do.

I, however, keep myself pretty busy in Secone Life. While I'm always open to meeting new people, I would usually prefer not to drop whatever I'm doing and rush off to a Tiny Empires dance or to meet a new member of my line-- and besides, it's all beginning to bug me.

At first I couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me, but last night it hit me: a lot of Tiny Empire players are like Amway people-- fanatical about what they are doing. They want you participate, and they want you under them in the pyramid, and they absolutely WILL NOT give up their efforts to recruit/indocrinate/brainwash you. They won't take no for an answer-- and not heeding a person's wishes about their own affairs is profoundly disrespectful. I hate it when people try to work me to get their way.

Last night, while busy in world with Sweetie, I was getting simultaneously harangued in IM by three friends  all of whom are perpetually insistent that one day I will be in their downline. "We can make you a princess tonight!" one said.

I said, "I don't want to be a princess tonight, "I want to get there the hard way."

At the same time I was getting IMs to come to a dance held by the queen of my line (Laurelin). I wasn't anxious to go because pregnancy is running rampant on the kingdom's land and talking tummies make me want to strangle someone, or at lest use my Mystitool to make the virtual fetus say something like, "Baby Snookums: Hey, Ted Bundy had to be reincarnated SOMEwhere!"

So I took the HUD off last night and came within an inch of putting it the trash and emptying the trash. I would have, had it not been for a friend who has achieved high rank in T.E., seemingly without being crazy.
For now I'm going to doggedly work the HUD. I'll gradually increase my 477 acres to 1000 and become a princess, and then I'll put the HUD away again.

Because, you know, princess is good enough.

1 comment:

Tycho Beresford said...

I made Prince of Camelot the weekend before last, the hard way. Purchasing a few acres a day, praying for the Trader to stop by and hopefully double my land earnings. Now that I made it I hardly seem to notice it any more; I may just take it off because it likely contributes to lag.