Another day and a similar story, as we saw more then one million six hundred thousand bullets exit the game in one way or another, as underground crew Asura continued their campaign for dominance with a batch of nearly two hundred and sixty smoking kills. This time, the majority of accounts were ranked below Boss as low ranked users attempted to log in to find themselves even lower! All the kills were completed in a typically efficient fashion, by shooters Dissonance and RemyLeBeau.
As co-ordinated and planned as most of Asura's attacks have appeared to be this round, some questioned whether this most recent cull was a reaction, based upon the kills carried out by Cloudkicker a few days before. Details of which can be found in the 'Events on the Horizon' article in issue #54. We put this possibility to Dissonance, who told us, "There isn't any evidence to suggest we actually lost anything in that shooting. Our shooting wasn't a response at all, we did however know that the shooting was aimed at us and who had funded it before the Buzz reported it." An answer that does not directly deny the loss of some resources in the shooting. However, leaving us in no doubt that this has been a standard co-ordinated attack and not one brought on by the fear of a potential resistance to Asura's on-going dominance.
We continued our interview with Dissonance by asking what therefore has provoked this most recent shooting, with little being removed from the game, it may be deemed by some as less successful than others. However, it is another showing of just how powerful they have come to be. Dissonance confirmed it was to remove accounts from the game, merely because they can, but continued by saying, "Also, for funsies." With players raging and moaning as per usual in the Game Forum, it remains to be seen how they will react to these comments. However, one must question how someone can complain about something but show little attempt of doing anything about it. Where is the fight in those who die? It appears to be lacking, it has to be said!
Continuing on the theme of this lack of resistance, we asked Dissonance if he was surprised by it. He responded, "Not at all. Nobody plays this game correctly. It's ridiculously easy to get rich without trying due to a flawed banking system and I have no idea how others haven't done the same." A concise and clear answer then. Identifying where he feels the issue with the game is, that being the banking system, but also recognizing the fact that most users are not organised nor care enough to manipulate this feature to their advantage, to bring the success that has clearly come to Asura by doing so.
With speculation about this recent mass killing in the Game Forum, along with the standard moaning from many rife, we wondered what Dissonance made of the cries for help and change. He told us, "The people who want it changed are the people who die - avoiding death is relatively easy. There is nothing wrong with the kill system, people should just play the game instead of use it as a social network." It has to be said, we are all on the same game, the fact that one group of people are able to achieve something suggests that others should in theory be able to do the exact same thing. But why haven't they? Perhaps if a majority group did something about their concerns, rather than hoping Asura eventually get banned for having a detrimental effect on the game, things would change!
Moving on, we asked Dissonance how he felt about his current playing style. Does he, on a personal level, get enjoyment out of these killings? He was clear in his answer, saying, "Yep, it's the only way to play the game. The kill feature should be used far more widespread than it is. If I die whilst ranking I'm not upset - somebody has done something right and they probably deserve praise for it." It is true that often this round it seems there are very few groups who actually have the grasp of the kill system in such a way that allows them to use it. It does seem strange at least that despite the thousands of kills carried out by Asura and others alike, that they are yet to meet any sort of decent opposing force!
But do Asura as a whole themselves feel there is any current threat to them and their goals within the game? Dissonance had this to say, "I hope so - competition is better for the game." Indeed it must surely be boring at times ranking up and shooting hundreds, to receive no adrenaline from doing so in terms of the potential to not make it, or die before your ready. Will we at some point see this resistance that even Asura themselves seem to seek? Who knows, but for now the community continues to complain as oppose to taking arms. A stance that will see little change in the future, surely.
