I found it. You're right - points and ghost rating mean nothing, in the big scheme of things. I'd add that they mean even less if you got your high rating by cheating your way there. It doesn't mean you're good; it means you're a total d-bag.

They want to get more points so they can play in better games? They have nothing else to do with their time? They just want to win, they don't care how?

I can see how someone would want to - it's kind of fun to put on cheats in a FPS and run around slaughtering things, isn't it?

Nah, if I cheat and beat you, it means my dick is bigger than yours.

(Sorry Ashley - it means my boobs are bigger than yours)

Oh yeah, I forgot. Thanks for clearing that up Dingle. Makes sense now.

We can't stop them from cheating but we can kick their butts when we play with them. We know who they are, some of them any way. Just eliminate them first.

I should add, too, that it's somewhat ironic to have an anti-cheating thread about a game that involves lies and deception.

In live (in-person) games, eavesdropping on two other players talking about their plans is a legitimate tactic, from what I've read. In postal games, forging a letter from someone else and showing it to another person is also okay. We've talked on this forum about how it's okay to copy/paste someone else's message to a 3rd party, and even changing a word there is also okay ("I will not attack Austria" becomes "I will attack Austria")

Multiaccounting just seems beyond the pale. All of the other elements I mentioned still have something to do with a simulation of international diplomacy. I fail to see the parallel with multis.

There's quite a clear distinction between cheating and lying though. As a rule of thumb, if you couldn't do it face-to-face you can't do it here.

people cheat so that they can feel like competitors. they know they suck at the game and the only way to win is to cheat. its pretty sad. anytime i play with someone and suspect multis, i immediately notify the rest of the map of the potential and work to remove one of them. after that, it levels things out.

Others cheat because they get a kick from trying to beat the mods

My favorite was when azogar called dangepise stupid.

Dangermouse that is

@MKECharlie - the nice thing about FTF, of which I played for over a decade, is that you could spot the "multis." If two people obviously made their orders to work in conjunction with each other, everyone else would just get together and say "Truce. We kill those two, and then get back to the game." Basically, we self-policed. You just couldn't walk in with a friend and both act in perfect concert.

Some peoples want to be in the top of diplomacy sites. And for that, they will create many accounts and organize some games between them to reach a big ammount of coins and make everyone say: "Oh, he's so good!"

Some people are just stupid. End of.

Human nature cant change...but problem is that cheater are spreading that evil meme to others.

But this is a game where lying and backstabbing are a part of the game... it's why we all love it... Why would you add that extra bit of malice?

@jimgov - I was thinking about FTF with a group of people who you know. But yeah, showing up in a FTF tournament and allying with someone because you're friends instead of because it makes tactical sense to do so sounds like bad form, and the FTF version of multiaccounting here.

It's not multiaccounting to always ally with friends. It is, however, unacceptable metagaming. Multis *must* be the same person. That is the definition of multiaccounting. But metagaming in that manner is just as unacceptable.