I was having a discussion with Kess about ally benefits. She can articulate word way better than I can, but I love her thinking on this topic because it is inline with our shared values.
Back in S1, I decided to make farms in 230 to repay her for a teammate looting her farm. I subsequently made more farms and started making friends in all the servers.
“Relationships are important” (from Kess)
When I started these farms, I was just doing it to supplement my main account when I go to other servers as I don’t loot people during that time. I would also let friends get RSS from these farms too.
I never knew how important this idea was. I made a ton of friends and built trust with so many people. A big part is sharing RSS with people and letting them see your intentions. When I join, I usually tell the R4 of the farm alliance that I will stay out of drama, WC and any planning for EB or SvS. I feel it is just good to be honest and upfront.
The Long Game / Payout
The truth is, I never expected anything besides friendship. I never looked at what benefit or immediate payout being friends with other players would be. I was simply being a friend and playing farms.
Kess and I developed a good friendship and communicated frequently. It wasn’t until migration came up we had a conversation. She told me she was going to migrate out of 230. When I heard that, I had to at least try and see how she would feel coming to 231 and FAFO. She joined and brought 20 other Sins players, which helped transform FAFO even more.
All this wouldn’t have happened if Kess and I didn’t have a relationship. She trusted me enough to hear out my idea. Even to this day, I felt she was probably my best contribution to FAFO. My personal goal with Kess coming to 231 and joining FAFO was for her to have fun. For her and I to play together.
My original idea was when migration comes again, to see how all my friends in other servers feel and if they would like to come to 231 (FAFO or other alliances). My relationship with them could be a the factor for them to come along. At least I know them, how they play and what they could contribute to FAFO.
On the other hand, I didn’t realize that I’ve made strong bonds and that it was a 2 way street. When I unallianced and was going to quit the game, EVERYONE reached out to me and offered me a place in their alliance. Some even said they would shore up an account for me.
I had one person that was feeling down in the beginning of S3 as 3 people she knew quit. So her morale was down. When I told her I was quitting, she said she was going to as well. She did and with 3 of her closest friends whom I was hoping would come to 231 as a group. I feel that migration, playing with new people (but through someone that is trusted) could have swayed them to be part of 231 and boost their morale.
A couple more friends that I wanted to join us originally during the 1st migration was Reacher’s Chaos and Viridian. Both are my friends from KisS. I even asked Mola if it was okay if they came on a 2 month vacation with us and he said it was okay. The cards didn’t fall right as Reacher’s Chaos was definitely and advanced player and we barely got Kess due to 2 advanced slots that were unforeseen to be taken. There was definitely a shift change after KisS lost to STGZ in GW when FAFO helped defend.
My personal idea was to bring in my friends like I did with Kess. Playing with friends improves morale and when you have an established relationship, the trust is there. Having good friends I feel would bring longevity. This opposed to many people that can’t acclimate or blend well because they feel out of place.
