There have been some comments lately about the scoring boost that Masochistic games have been given in the newest release. It seems many overlords are thinking the only way to compete within the Metaverse is to play Masochistic games. This is a flawed thought process, to say the least. By definition, the Masochistic difficulty level is very difficult. Though there are some players who have adopted some winning strategies, Maso difficulty was meant to be an almost unbeatable level. Many overlords try to increase their difficulty levels as they go, moving from Cakewalk up through Painful. But from there, a significant difference is noted in difficulty. Many overlords fail at Crippling several times and get frustrated. Even more play a couple of Maso games and find they get masacred. This push to the higher difficulty levels creates a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness for many overlords. Frustration sets in as they see other overlords routinely get 30-50,000 points per game. They feel there is no way they can keep up. And in truth, there is no way for a player to keep up with that kind of scoring. Perhaps we should take another look at why we are playing this game in the first place.

It has been said over and over that we should play the game and not the Metaverse. It is especially true now. Many players feel "unworthy" or "inadequate" because they can only play competitively at Normal or Challenging difficulty. This is far from the truth. Overlords should play to the highest difficulty they have fun with. For some, this can be Normal. For others, it could be Painful. Still others enjoy playing Maso. But for all, the difficulty level they play at is where they feel most comfortable and have the most fun. If you enjoy playing the game, you play more often. If you play more often, you submit more games. If you submit more games, you remain competetive in the Metaverse. It's just that simple. There can only be a few overlords at the very top of the leader boards. The rest of us fight for the lower positions. I find no disgrace in fighting to stay in the Top 50. In fact, this is where some of the most competitive gaming is going on!

The single largest mistake an overlord can make is to play at a higher difficulty level than they feel comfortable with, and therefore stop enjoying the game. If you are consumed with attaining the number one spot, so much so that you stop having fun to do so, you're not getting the full experience out of the game or the Metaverse. Play the game at your comfort level, enjoy your gameplay, and continue to improve. If you get good enough at the game, move up to a higher difficulty, but only if you are comfortable and still enjoy the game. Don't worry about your Metaverse ranking. If you are enjoying the game and playing often, your Metaverse ranking will reflect it.

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The Metaverse Review staff is just returning from vacation, and is currently trying to sort through the developments of the past several days. Here is the empire news that we know so far:

The battle between the ANZAC Republic and the European Alliance reached epic proportions as the overlords from down under overtook the Euros and Canadians for 4th spot! The Canadian Star Federation fell to sixth, as battles continued to rage between the ANZACS and Euros. The ANZAC Republicans became the fourth empire to reach the coveted 1 million point mark in the Metaverse during this war, with the Euros very close to breaking into the million zone as well. The Canadians are within sight of the million mark, but will need some dedicated gameplay to remain competitive with the battling ANZACs and Euros.

There appears to be a movement within the European Alliance to oust Emperor Impune_Lacessit in favor of a new and dynamic leader. Reports are streaming in that the overlord G-Force is the leading candidate to replace the missing Emperor as diplomatic well-wishes have come in from many empires. We at the Metaverse Review will keep you informed of any developments in this important story.

The New Texas Republic has undergone a complete revival, as recruitment drives began springing up in the Metaverse Forums. The mighty empire from Texas has now attained the 11th place spot, and though they are around 200,000 points behind the Evil Empire, have proven themselves capable of great things. If recruitment is successful, the New Texas Republic could move into galactic dominance soon. The Evil Empire should keep an eye on these developments, as the threat could become imminent at any time!

The Fellowship of the Ring and G.R.O.S.S. continue to slug it out at the top. At the time of this printing, the Fellowship maintain a slight lead over the pirates, but these two empires have proven that no lead is safe.

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For those of you interested in some very good strategy and informative hints, check out the blog of the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring, Ray the Wanderer. His site, named The Fellowship Halls outlines his thoughts on various aspects of the game.

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The Metaverse Review is going to start a new section, called the Weekly Spotlight Empire. I will attempt to spotlight some very worthy empires who could, with a little help, become empires to be reckoned with.

This week's Spotlight Empire is the Kingdom of Aldar. This empire has been around for a long time, as the colonization date of 4/7/2003 denotes. Though this empire has been around for a long time, a lack of recruitment has left Emperor Aldar rather lonely. But instead of hanging his head low and giving up, Aldar has been very dedicated and is lurking at 20th spot and is very close to moving up to 19th. The Kingdom of Aldar is currently looking for any unaligned overlords to help them in their struggle. Any interested party should inquire at the Kingdom of Aldar empire page.