Hello and welcome once again to another edition of The Chat. This weeks edition sees us make contact with the newly crowned current number one buster on the game, AtreusII, who took over the spot following the death of State Don Jamaican who was killed by BusterCraig, perhaps to protect his own title of best single busting account of the round. However all this aside, we delved into the mind and opinions of Atreus to see what he made of what has been an action packed interesting week of Bootleggers!
Recent updates have sparked much debate and discussion as to the impact we may see come from them and the balance of the game now they are in place. Their longer term effect on the game and indeed rounds to come will of course take time to decipher. In the short term users are pleased to of gained a few ranks and know that should they die they may be able to hit the heights of Don and above a little quicker. But there are of course counter points and arguments against this. We asked Atreus what he made of the updates and the impact they may have and heard both sides of the argument as he told us, "Well, being someone who has directly benefited from a few of the updates - mainly the ranking adjustments - I can only like them! However, I can't deny that it seems as though the ranks that once seemed borderline unattainable (R. Don-N. Don) have been ever-so-slightly cheapened. It may well just appear cheapened for now, as we are still getting adjusted to the new amount OC's required etc." Continuing, "As for the updates in general, it really is great to see Sky listen to the players, and immediately implement changes for the sake of the game." So, has the sense of achievement been lessened as a result of the now easier to attain high ranks? Or will this prove to be more of a basis which sparks conflict among users as they battle for the State and Nation Don spots? The game has been relatively passive in this nature with there still being few with the Statistics to fight for places, but as we see more users ranking to Respectable Don and above on a daily basis, perhaps only time will show whether we soon see fights for States and now just inter-crew brawls.
We moved away from the subject of the new to look at an incident closer to the home of Atreus, a largely un-talked of controversy which occurred within Jailbreak Paradise. We saw member of the crew and current record holder for most busts on a single account BusterCraig kill his own crew-mate and State Don Jamaican as he neared the lucrative title. It would appear BusterCraig was not happy to surrender the title without a fight, and with Jamaican looking set to break the record and take the title BusterCraig opened fire without hesitation. But what was Atreus view on this bizarre situation? He didn't hold back in making his feelings clear as he said, "Well, being a member of Jailbreak Paradise - the Crew that both Jamaican and BusterCraig were a part of - I think it was a pathetic move by BusterCraig. If Craig was so determined to defend his 'title', then why doesn't he try and beat it himself, instead of killing anyone who gets close to it. Shorty worked long and hard to even get close to that elusive number 1 spot, and Craig killed him - a fellow Crew member - because he placed his 'busting title' above that of a friend. I think it's completely pathetic. I know some will say ''this is a 'Mafia' game, people get killed'' and this is true, but still, it was a cowardly move by Craig." But would this prove to have an adverse effect on the busting community? With Craig now operating from the depths of the underground world, would it be a recurring event to see people close to his title shot before they get there? Would this in turn discourage more active busting? We asked Atreus what he thought, and received this response, "In regards to the impact it may or may not have on any other busters desire to aim for that 'title', I hope it will have no impact whatsoever. I hope that the vast of majority of active busters out there will continue to free their fellow busters, regardless of the possibility of a pathetic, cowardly attack - like the one on our beloved Shorty!"
Moving away from events closer to home and now focusing on the broader view of the game which is held by Atreus, we asked what he hoped to see in the coming weeks and indeed months of the game. This provoked an interesting response from Atreus as he told us, "Well, I hope that Sky continues to do as he has been doing, and listen to the wants and needs of the community and make updates where he sees fit. I hope that the N. Don and S. Don's continue to hold their position (as we have seen many S' Don's killed in the past, simply for being an S. Don - which I think needs to be looked into by Sky, but that's another story!). As an active buster, I hope to see the busting community continue to grow, as I believe busting is what makes the game social - and as such fun to play!" Of course the craving for continued updates coming from Sky implemented as a result of both user and Elite Guard discussion is something few would argue against. However what did Atreus mean when he called for the killing of State Don's to be looked at by Sky? We delved deeper into this.
When referring to this, did Atreus mean that State Don's in general should be more protected, as otherwise the constant killing of such ranks could discourage users from accepting invites for such ranks? Not quite he revealed, as he said, "Well, I think that people will kill who they want to, regardless of any kind of motivation. I just think that there should be an update where it isn't a case of simply having enough bullets to kill the State or Nation Don. If the S. Don is in his or her State, then maybe they should get some kind of forewarning, so they could travel or react in some way." Continuing, "I understand there has to be a balance, but it just seems almost off-putting when, after all the time it takes to achieve such heights, anyone with enough bullets can erase all of your hard work." Do you agree with this? Many would suggest that with the bodyguard feature that comes with the State Don position, there is already adequate protection for such ranks. But is this the case or should there be more encouragement to achieve the heights that prior to the rank requirement adjustments would often of seen you killed at first dawn?
