Agreed. I just can't get my head around this "rule". If everyone knows the info, then everyone is on equal footing.

And in my case, I was publicizing that someone was sitting in a sector that was right outside of SD. The easy solution to that problem seems to be, don't sit right outside SD if you don't want everyone to know where you are. Hehehhe.

If a corp wants to know who is sitting around SD, then that corp must dedicate a fedsafe player to sit at SD and watch. There are only 5 players per corp, so I get you to join the game and post this information to everyone and I have an extra player on my corp. That is CHEATING!

But then everyone knows, so it's a wash, right?

What is so wrong about corps or players teaming up to take out other players or teams? Unless, such was an explicitly stated rule to the game in question?

Mega-corping, would involve more the secret exchanging of assets from one player or corp to another such as passing credits through the bank or leaving products or figs on an undeveloped planet, or a developed planet with a zero reaction set, no?

Still in the end, there can only be one winner. However, in the meantime, if alliances are formed through the dissemination of information (even in exchange for agreed upon fees), isn't that a valid strategy? Similarly to spying on another corp's SS channel for logistical information and sector data.

Of course, in all cases, it is entirely another thing to betray your own corporation.

No, it is still cheating!

There is nothing I would like better than for my enemies to know what the other is doing. That way they can attack each other and I can sit back and watch. I used to play risk on pogo, until I realized everyone was "mega-corping" against me. I even tried getting my roommate to team up with me, and the bastard backstabber me.

It is just one of those "unspoken" rules. It would be like putting 22 players against 11 in a football game. Unfortunately, there isn't any way to stop it.

Exchanging assets, is clearly Mega-Corping, but from there is gets a bit grey. What if I form a non-aggression agreement with another corp. What about 2 corps invading a third corp at the same time. Some consider any exchange of information illegal. Where exactly do you draw the line?

Information is a commodity. In the commodity exchanges, I believe it is called insider trading and you would most likely end up in jail.

I remember a tournament where two of the corps killed the third corp, and then declared themselves "co-winners", so no there isn't always a single winner.

Exactly. I just don't see how that's cheating.

Then why don't you go try it at a chess tournament.

This isn't a chess tournament. I could make a better argument using a multi-player Go Fish tournament. When player 5 tells me to go fish, then everyone in the game knows he doesn't have any of the card I asked for. All public == all good.

No, your looking over my shoulder and telling everyone I don't have any sevens... BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

Wrong, looking over the shoulder would be cheating. Finding your base location is not cheating.

If I find your base, or your location, or whatever, it's because I spent some resources (turns, time etc) to find it out. That information then becomes just another resource for me to use to try and win the game. I can share it, sell it or use it however I please. I could post it in a google group, post it on FriendFace or whatever I want. Trying to stop the flow of information in this day and age seems a little hilarious.

Try and find me an analogy that actually works. Lets use Star Citizen, or perhaps Eve Online. Do you think there are similar information embargoes in those games? They are similar in that they are online, multi-player space games.

We're playing the game on the information super highway. Let it flow, bro.

It amazes me this is even a discussion.

We let people bot each other which is pretty much sanctioned duping.

Yet people think sharing info or publicizing info is cheating???

It's just a aspect of diplomacy. I find a base of X and can't invade it, but I could subtle set Y onto that corp. I think I get a perceived advantage.

The only time it's an issue for me is if someone isn't playing but just sitting at Dock or Terra announcing things like "X is here" or "X took Y Cols so must be Z hops from Terra". There not playing and just being a pain.

Rest of the time if you want to play to just find peoples bases, and sharing the info, good on you. All part of the diplomacy of the game.

As others have said, good luck policing this sort of rule anyway, so may as well not bother.

Anyway, I'll play games with either rules

while on the subject of publicizing information in tw.
i have just started using mombot (for the ice tourney).
man, i have a bone to pick:
i am shocked that mombot exposes important sector numbers on subspace.
peeps are running subspace snoop scripts and when they latch onto a frequency, they sure are not disappointed. Mombot gives up everything to them.
An example: your sitting in your gate, running "foton on a" and every 30 seconds the script blabs "over here, here is where i am" my home base sector number. Well call me paranoid, but that bugs the hell out of me.
A corp. mate who has the ability to strip those sector numbers out of the display, has done so. I am not the only one feeling sold out.
Surely all data dump could go to corp. memo. Well, i like mombot except for that... it has made me a "quicker responder" to the fast changes in tw.

About Hammers comments:
I try to relate my gaming to "real world events". I see no problem in mega corp'ing. It is all about the benefit realized and released. That being said, I can see no clear benefit to yelling "he is over here". Hey, if you see him over there, Hammer... go and kill him, yourself. Selling information to opponents is a reasonable strategy, as sometimes it is in your best interest to push two enemies toward war.

Oh and btw, Hammer... your with the wrong crew in the ice tourney... i asked you to join my team and sure was disappointed you did not. Now look... my team is way out in front, with 11 or 12 kills. With you on our side that count would have been 14 or 15 kills. Your from "down under" and the underdog team was for you. On top of that... Canadians and Australians are tight, cousins.
Brother, ya let me down.
cc bee... out

I thought I was the only aussie...

I changed my foton script to
send "'{" $bot_name "} - Adjacent Foton Running from my TA " - " $PHOTONS " Photon(s) Aboard!*" rather than sending the sector number. Sometimes corpies don't like taking a moment to check my TA first though.

Look for this line 156 in my editor:
send "'{" $bot_name "} - Adjacent Foton Running in Sector " $psec " - " $PHOTONS " Photon(s) Aboard!*"

It's not only SS they can pick up on, but also the reverse video banner with all your stats that runs with some of the scripts.