PWNED by Grey

I would say no.

Was smurfing a problem yes but did i leave because of it no i left because game got boring after awhile and also i did not want to get diplo because it was based around single player.

I think all in all i agree that diplo killed online sins but that is just me.

Yes.

Smurf-stacking was the single reason that I stopped playing this game online. It was impossible to get a balanced game. That was the main reason I left, but before I did, I saw plenty of new player getting harassed and accused of being smurfs. How many of them actually were smurfs, I really don't know, but it's safe to say that such a greeting from the community drove off a number of new players.

I'm glad that smurfing isn't as prevalent as it was before, but it's still annoying when ScrotieMcBalls joins with a 25/22/0 record. Cmon guys, grow up.

Mr. Flipkicker!

Online multiplayer activity decreased significantly about 1 or 2 weeks after Diplomacy was released.  There might be three reasons for this.  (1.) It divided the community, making it hard to find games in both Entrenchment and Diplomacy.  (2.) People quickly tired of the new double Skinatra/Scramble Bombers rush.  (3.) Diplomacy and its related updates may have introduced a new round of minidumping and desyncing.  That's now been fixed, but the damage from that may have already been done.

It gets even better, btw.  Newbies who purchase Trinity cannot join online games!  When they try to join they get a Mesh File error.  It isn't too hard to fix, but it's an eyesore and it can't be helping matters.

I have to admit that I smurf like a MoFo, although it isnt how you think.

My main name is (and forever will be) Mr_Blunt3d. While my stats may look bad at times, it's only because I delete and refresh that name after 500 games played. I've personally stopped going online because of a majority of reasons. One of those reasons is the community's reaction toward newbies. All they see is the zeroz and start trash talking. I tell them I'm a smurf, but they hardly take it seriously. Then if they get spanked in the game they message me with all this trash and cry about me being a smurf......

When it comes to actual newbies, I try to help them a lot. If they need protecting, ill send a starbase or some ships. otherwise i give pointers.it's sad how some others act towards them.

Well, I'm back playing online, Played a few games yesterday too. ................. with 8 players online i got a 2v2... hehe

but I have to smurf. This game is still the only recent space fleet rts/rt4x around.

Why is everyone who play sins of a solar empire, all people who love starcraft, and is waiting for starcraft 2? I always thought people who play sins will not like how starcraft is played. Maybe Sins isnt a game that I should be playing.

I think most of ICO's problems were caused by the players who talk about themselves in the third person.

 karma for you my friend

So, Astax, did you buy Diplomacy and when will you be coming back? 

This game is dead, right?

It's not as full as it used to but u can get 50+ people on at night. I think our best ever was close to 300 when Sins was super popular?

Yes

Now, I wasn't around on ICO or the forums when this game came out...but, since I started playing this game I have managed to get 7 of my friends to play this game, and I have one other who owned it before me...

That is 8 people I know personally who own this game and play it...I have played LAN games with all of them, so these people are not inherently opposed to MP...yet, not a single one of them plays on ICO...and the reason is, they don't want to get their butts kicked...

All of my friends (and I'd bet probably most people who bought this game) came from a background of strategy games...and most of those are grounded in SP, not MP...they are used to SP, they are used to an AI that they can always beat...playing against someone that can actually beat them is not something they are used to or comfortable with...

How is this related to smurfs? 

You love sins, you are looking for an extra challenge, and you learn about ICO...you are finally willing to come out of your comfort zone and risk actually losing...you play a 1v1 against a guy who says he's a noob and isn't very experienced either...and then, he rushes you with 3 carrier caps and 20 LRFs and absolutely hands it to you...the thought of total humiliation hanging over your head is a huge reason to never play again...

When you can look at someone's stats and get a good feel for what level they are, you are then able to find players that are the same skill as you...you are willing to play 1v1s with people who aren't going to beat the crap out of you...you're willing to participate in a 5v5 because you know the teams will be balanced even if you're a noob and some players in there are pros...

But smurfs throw all that out the window...its hard enough for a lot of people who own this game to even accept the risk of losing to a human player...but if you can't even find players your same skill level, the fear in knowing you'll likely get humiliated by a pro is enough to prevent you from playing again...

The, shall we say, unpleasant communication of some players doesn't help either...

The people who play sins are strategy gamers, space genre gamers...these people are not switching from Halo 3 to Modern Warfare...these people are switching from GalCiv II to Sins...

Trash talking is fun on Halo 3...there is an understanding that no one really cares who wins...most people trash talk because it's funny...it is understood that it is not personal, not serious, and likely uncharacteristic of the person doing the trashing...it is simply part of the entertainment...

Sins is different...the most trash talking these strategy gamers ever get is a half insult from Emperor so and so when they open the diplomacy tab to trade a new technology...these people will take trash talking personally and/or be easily turned off by it...

Smurfs can get away with trash talking because of the anonymity...and therefore, they are more likely to trash talk...if people know certain players are jerks then those players become unpopular...when those players can simply smurf as Barney Killer or some other ridiculous name, and then do it again, and then do it again...it becomes a huge turn off...

Of the nine people I know personally who play this game (including me) I'm the only person who plays on ICO or has played MP with someone I did not know personally...I'm also the only person to have played a MP console game online...I really do believe there is a correlation...

I  agree...but not everyone has the desire to improve their performance...

Ultimately, the point of the game is to have fun...if you are already content playing single player or just playing LAN games, why invest the time in becoming better so you can compete on ICO?

I sympathize with this...but every person is different...some people don't care enough to get better at the game, and if you have no intentions of getting better then ICO is probably never going to be fun...

That may be true for some people (obviously it is for those who continue to play on ICO regularly) but not all...as someone stated earlier, there is a bias on the forums...anyone who bothers to read these things and actively participate in community discussions probably is the same type of person who cares to improve their gameplay...

I've enjoyed most of the games I've played on ICO and have tried to learn from my experiences...but its nice to go back to SP sometimes and just...have fun...without there necessarily being the ultimate challenge of another human player...

Nevertheless I agree with you 100%...ICO won't be as fun as it could unless I invest time and effort to get better and more comfortable with the faster speeds...but not everyone is willing to invest that time and be trash talked while at it...