Hmmm... I logged in to distribute my remaining premium points to the masses and I find this thread and I'd actually like to comment on a few things.
People know only too well that I intended to quit as this world was not panning out like I had intended. I came here to W53 to point whore and to have some fun. I promised myself that I would quit regardless of the state of the world when the fun ran out. The fun was gone well before Nooble declared and many of the tribal leaders know this. As such, I followed through with my plans to quit and I am enjoying not being tied to my PC at 5am while trying to sort out sits, snipes and ops. Whilst I did not primarily leave this world due to family health issues, recent events reminded me that this is nothing more than a game and it should always be treated as such.
My father died while I was playing in W11 and W12 and I was flamed endlessly for leaving W11 while my tribe was in a huge war. At the time I chose to continue to play on in W12. My family's health issues at that time meant that I had to reduce my game time to concentrate on my family, but I loved the game so much (like we all do...) and I chose to cut down to 1 world and see how things went. The result was that I was able to spend more time with my family and also continue to play the game. What hurt most was the constant flaming that I was using an excuse to quit. The fact was that my father had just died and haters simply gotta hate.
What did this teach me? If you happen to leave the game at the wrong time, people will flame you and they will forget that we all have actual lives to live. Is this fair on them or you? Who knows. In a roundabout way, people will think that you robbed them of their chance to kill you.
One thing that people need to realise is that real life should
ALWAYS come before the game. Over the years, I have had so many people come to me and tell me that they are quitting for reasons that include: school exams, university exams, their career and sometimes even their marriage is at stake if they continue on. On every occasion, I have wished that player my best wishes and personally hoped that one day they may return to play another account in the future. Of course, if the player is in another tribe, I've flamed them as it is great PnP, but I've never made it personal. Recently, some people in this world overstepped the mark with this one and my reply the other day cost me several infraction points... but it was worth it...
Bottom line... If Astro needs to leave the game, then let him. None of us are qualified to question his reasons as we do not know all the facts.
Let's just consider Astro for what he was. Astro was one hell of a selfish player and he showed this through his internal noblings, but let's also remember his ability to manipulate the tribes around him. God knows how many spies he had in COMING and it drove most of us insane, but it's part of the game. Ultimately, Astro plays a game that most will consider to be cheap and nasty, but it is certainly effective.
Is Astro the complete war machine like some players...?? No, far from it actually.
Is Astro one of the best manipulators we've ever seen...?? Yes, definitely. We all try to manipulate other tribes to the benefit of our tribe and Astro probably does it better than most.
Ultimately, this is not me getting all teary eyed for seeing Astro leaving the game, but he does deserve respect for what he achieved here in W53. The issue is how he goes about things that will boil most people's blood that have fought his tribe. A leader should share the internals to allow everyone to enjoy the game and to ensure the tribe grows evenly together. More importantly, a real leader shows the way by leading the charge when going into battle. Unfortunately, Astro prefers not to do these things. That's his decision and he will always be judged on that.
Now I know that I annoy the living shit out of most people, but I have always 'tried' to be fair to my tribemates (me waits for the flamage...) and I have ALWAYS led the charge in our battles like a leader should. I know I have made mistakes but I am only human. Ultimately, if anyone wants to compare Astro to me, then please compare how we both fought and let's leave the family issues flaming for another day.
