Freestyle Games.. what is the point of them?

[c4747500]

I've been playing quite a few freestyle games to try to determine what the purpose of them is.

The only thing I can see from freestyle is a way to play the system in order to gain an advantage you can't get in sequential games.

It destroys strategic placement of troops in order to break continent bonii. It lets people refortify troops in order to stop an advancement into their territory. All the time people hit 'begin turn' to get their troop bonus, and then wait to deploy until they see what everyone else has done. This tactic makes it impossible to strategically break anyone's continent bonus, as they just wait until you finish attacking them, and just conquer everything back.

So whats the purpose of having continent bonii in a freestyle game if once its taken, you can't ever lose it, unless you simply overwhelm the opponent with troops?

Freestyle games are pretty much determined by who gets the best drop in the beginning. If you can get a continent bonus early, you can hold onto it forever, and use it to win the game.. and noone can break it. So whats the point of freestyle games?

[Seinfreak]

It destroys strategic placement of troops in order to break continent bonii.

Bonii?

[Rocketry]

if you approach freestyle, with a sequential attitude, you will find all of those problems. If you approach freestyle with a completely different stratagy, you will enjoy it. Freestlyle is like a different game. Learn it, get used to it, play it and you will find its good.

Rocketry

[dcowboys055]

Yep, you aren't playing them right.

[stringybeany]

You've described all the benefits of freestyle, not the disadvantages.

It's the fast drops, high speed decision making, adrenaline rush click-fest that is exactly what makes it fun.

I would rock at freestyle if my 49 year old heart could stand it!

EDIT: I've got just over 250 games in here almost all sequential 4-player and I'm getting kind of bored.

I may have to test my heart. Who's ready to be owned?

[c4747500]

Okay.. so how do you play them then?

[sully800]

You've described all the benefits of freestyle, not the disadvantages.

It's the fast drops, high speed decision making, adrenaline rush click-fest that is exactly what makes it fun.

I would rock at freestyle if my 49 year old heart could stand it!

EDIT: I've got just over 250 games in here almost all sequential 4-player and I'm getting kind of bored.

I may have to test my heart. Who's ready to be owned?

Set em up!

I'm always in for freestyle games, especially with some decent opponents. I still join a few open games now and then but I typically find myself gang-attacked by the privates That sounds funny

[oVo]

Nobody should attack your privates just because it's freestyle Sully.

Try a speed game freestyle if you really wanna go nuts.
no pun intended

[johhny-turbo]

I've been playing quite a few freestyle games to try to determine what the purpose of them is.

The only thing I can see from freestyle is a way to play the system in order to gain an advantage you can't get in sequential games.

It destroys strategic placement of troops in order to break continent bonii. It lets people refortify troops in order to stop an advancement into their territory. All the time people hit 'begin turn' to get their troop bonus, and then wait to deploy until they see what everyone else has done. This tactic makes it impossible to strategically break anyone's continent bonus, as they just wait until you finish attacking them, and just conquer everything back.

So whats the purpose of having continent bonii in a freestyle game if once its taken, you can't ever lose it, unless you simply overwhelm the opponent with troops?

Freestyle games are pretty much determined by who gets the best drop in the beginning. If you can get a continent bonus early, you can hold onto it forever, and use it to win the game.. and noone can break it. So whats the point of freestyle games?

Erm, how exactly can you not lose a continent in freestyle? You have one hour to make you move and unless it's RT people rarely take turns in quick succession.

And yeah, you are playing it wrong. If you attack someone with a bonus of +2 with an army that's strength 12 and lose maybe one army you're he'll probably wont' take it back even if he managed to get his bonus and deploys five armies.

I actually enjoy freestyle more since it encourages you to be more elastic and flexible in stragtegy. I play the occasional sequential but on the whole I find freestyle better.

[Elwar]

RT Freestyle is all about brinksmanship. Theres not much strategy, you simply want to be the last to deploy and make your moves, take a big continent and take your turn again before its broken. It does not take brains, it takes quick fingers and a quicker connection. It can hardly be called 'risk' in that sense, and I understand your points.

24hr turn "freestyle" is generally another way of saying "sequential".

[c4747500]

Sorry, I should clarify that I'm mostly referring to freestyle speed games, or freestyle RT games.

Freestyle original games are very different, ya.

[johhny-turbo]

Sorry, I should clarify that I'm mostly referring to freestyle speed games, or freestyle RT games.

Freestyle original games are very different, ya.

Well in that case you're right, a lot of strategic planning does go away in RT or speed games. But I find those also fun since it can give quite an andreneline rush. I like that you could lose the whole game because you didn't deploy on Kamchatka on time since you hit the "K" button to many times.
Though I could definitely see how that could turn off some people.

[bomb_dt]

I like the fact that I'm garunteed a turn at least once a day. I'm stuck in 4 games right now that are moving abysmally slow. And yes, you are playing it single mindedly. There are many strategies to risk, not just taking continents. On top of that, in all my freestyle games i can remember taking a turn while someone else is only twice. Take your turn strategically based on the other players in the game, hold off until someone goes or let loose and attempt to eliminate them before they have the chance to put down some cards.

There are many different ways to play, watch some other strategies and see how they work. See what gives who trouble and learn to recognize people's strategies and attack accordingly.

[sandym12]

being able to play at least 1 turn a day. I've only finished 1 game here, (mid-east/assasin/freestyle-winning pretty easily-more by good luck than good management) so def' a noob, and currently "struggling" in the other games I'm in (sequential), and because of such probably shouldn't comment, BUT- wised up to the fact pretty sharply that in freestyle "timing" of your move can be critical.

[xtratabasco]

You've described all the benefits of freestyle, not the disadvantages.

It's the fast drops, high speed decision making, adrenaline rush click-fest that is exactly what makes it fun.

I would rock at freestyle if my 49 year old heart could stand it!

EDIT: I've got just over 250 games in here almost all sequential 4-player and I'm getting kind of bored.

I may have to test my heart. Who's ready to be owned?

Set em up!

I'm always in for freestyle games, especially with some decent opponents. I still join a few open games now and then but I typically find myself gang-attacked by the privates That sounds funny

thats what happens when you dont use pw or private games (I dont) the cooks always want to kick the leaders out first.

[Nc_Hunt3r]

Like all have said you cant play them like you do sequential... Thats why I dont play them =)

[comic boy]

I thought they were designed so that experienced doubles/triples teams could rob noobs

[firth4eva]

its only because you stated with sequential

[EmperorOfDaNorth]

Freestyle is GREAT if you enjoy sleeping with your laptop rather than your signinficant other.

No seriously, I like it. First and foremost because it's not so EXCRUCIATINGLY SLOW like sequential games. At least one turn happens in no more than 24 hours, as opposed to d$*(&@n near a week in some sequential games.

Secondly, it resembles actual war more, rather than a chess match, in that timing becomes more important. You can chose to wait with your turn, or jump in quickly depending on the situation.

And it allows for players to be active at the same time!! Much more realistic, again.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't like all the dirty tricks, though I would consider at least some of them valid. (Basically anything that doesn't involve letting the clock run down, though I'm not even sure how that bug (if it is/was a bug) even worked.

Main advantage though: Speed of play.

[Hrvat]

I don't play them, my mouse goes on a strike if I do.

[Itrade]

I like them because of the speed the turns pass. Also the new tactics and strategies that are exclusive to freestyle.

I don't like waiting so long for turns and such, I like my games fast and furious.

[stringybeany]

... (Basically anything that doesn't involve letting the clock run down, though I'm not even sure how that bug (if it is/was a bug) even worked..

I think the idea was/is that in a 1vs1 speed freestyle game if you went first then every round thereafter you could wait until the clock ran down to just a few seconds then jump in with a fast attack and grab a card before your opponent could even start their turn.

Which is why you'll never find me in a 1v1 speed freestyle game.

[EmperorOfDaNorth]

Right... though almost EVERY freestyle game ends up with a 1v1 situation near the end after everyone else has been eliminated....

But anyway, this is precisely the only thing that I would consider illegitimate, everything else is fair game and part of the format.

You can reduce the effect by only playing at 3am at night. I guess I'm in a suitable timezone not to have too much problems with people jumping on to me mid-turn.

[comic boy]

You guys are forgetting the abuses in freestyle team games,3 players sitting together or even communicating via Msn will win almost every time by syncronising moves. There are also recent cases of one player who has been taking all the moves for his team and not surprisingly has surged up the scoreboard !

[banana_hammocks]

freestyle is great for non-premium members, as you can only play 4 games. with freestyle that means at least 4 turns a day. With sequential it may vary from 4 to 0. Which can be a drag. I almost entirely played freestyle when i was non-premium, although now i've got premium i mainly play sequential as i can have more games and hence not have the same problems.

However my heart still lies with freestyle, although it does take up so much more time, checking whether it is your go or not.