where do the best players play? real time or multi day?

My GUESS is in multi-day. It allows for more strategy and time to think over your moves. Also better for lengthy games that are sure to develop between high-quality players.

Though looking atop the ladder standings I appear to be mistaken as only one (Ace Windu) of those I looked at plays MD more than RT.

Non-ladder competition really does seem to concentrate on real time, though I am not sure why.

In particular the 3v3 players seem to play a LOT of real time games, compared to multi-day.

Maybe I'm just underestimating the percentage of players in general who play real time.

From the top 10 on the 1v1 ladder, 5 players play more MD than RT, 4 have played more RT and Lobstrosity has pretty much a 50-50 split.

I know most of the "Old Guard" i.e. Ruthless, Imp, Eitz, BP, Troll etc. have far more MD than RT. Eitz for example has 0% RT.

The top RT players (70%+ RT) seem to have arrived maybe mid 2011 when Warlight was growing a lot and they may have been vets of other risk sites. They also seem to be more team players with many 3v3s and in general a hell of a lot more games under their belts.

I think people generally start on RT and then many move to MD. I know I can't remember the last time I played an RT game.

Everyone, please feel free to contradict any BS I may have spouted :P

Actually, probably not mid 2011 for the top RT guys, more like late 2010, around when I joined.

After becoming a member and joining the ladders I pretty much stopped playing RT. I find it much more enjoyable to ponder my possible moves without a stressfull timer. In MD I don't have to wait for slow opponents, I can just open up the next game that's wating for me.

Right with you Panix... and let's not forget that many MD games are effectively RT games without the strict timer. I have had many 15+ turn games in multi-day finish in an hour or two.

like a boss

Real-Time Games:
Average: 1 minute 36 seconds

my opinion: RT > MD, especially for 1v1s and FFAs.

1v1s: i dont need or want time to think about my moves. having so much time bores me a bit. i also prefer knowing the other guy is somewhere out there battling with me, and if i want to joke about the game or my/his luck, there will be a response. MD is a lonelier game.

FFAs: play RT and you limit the enemies' ability to collaborate; play MD and maybe they find a way to work against my interests.

Most follow PaniX's experience starting out playing a lot of RT's and then moving over to MD's. Everyone in WM followed this pattern and so have most of my other friends on WL. We play an RT once in a blue moon.

I got 7% RT
one of the main reasons is unstable internet in china, but also I find MD more competitive. Players seem to be more reckless in RT, bit all-or-nothing style, which is easy to defeat when you see it coming.

I also played mostly RT before becoming a member. Now I actually never play RT although that's also due to the bad internet connection I got now... got booted several times because of it and it's really annoying.

And another reason I play mostly MD is because all the ladder and tournaments keep me really busy, so I actually hardly have any time to play RT. And I also think the level of RT 1vs1 is much lower than the ladder games, so less fun.

@ Gui *"1v1s: i dont need or want time to think about my moves."*
really!?!.... our 1vs1 is the slowest game I've played so far. Think it took 1 week before we were at turn 2. I'm ok with it, but seems totally different from your comment :)

given my 1v1 game count and tolerance threshold for the auto/ladder game, i only really want to play 1 ladder game at a time to remain active -- and play that 1 game 1 day/turn. i can't play 1 game and can only play 2-5 games. so i play 2 games 2 days/turn (if forced to double the games i have to play to remain active, i'll simply double the speed i play them at to finish the same amount of games over time).

for others the nature (fixed, heavily start- and pick-oriented, non-fluid) of fizzer's map/settings lead to ladder burnout: zaeban most recently (i hope i didnt play a part in that w/ my zaeban challenge...), denzyman a couple times, retro, maybe mian, possibly impaller, monsenhor a few times, and many others. i avoid the burnout by quitting the ladder every now and then, limiting my auto/ladder games, and/or playing slowly.

the settings are fine in small doses. play too many games at once for too long and you stop caring, pay less attention to your moves or it begins to bother you and burnout gradually sets in. though ladder burnout might be more acute in those who expect to be the best. for those with lower expectations (and results?) who quit the ladder for extended periods or forever, maybe they experience ladder boredom or disinterest!

speaking as a moderate player.. I experienced ladder burnout by the repetitive settings, well before half of the top players became top players...
I don't think I've played a game in 3 months now..

personally I think that MD > Rt just because of the ability to play people of higher quality with MD.. RT you can only play the people that are online *now* MD, you can set higher pre-req's and play better opponents.. and esp. in team games, MD will generally end up in you facing a better overall team then when your playing a RT game, and people are just rushing to get in

Although, I think my all-time favorite settings tend to include FFA RT, much for the reasons that Gui mentioned.. less time for collusion.. people can't think up all the angles and convince people of their positioning quick enough sometimes to team up against you, often not quick enough for it to still be relevant, as 2-3 turns after they start convincing, you could be big enough to be able to defeat them..

last favorite I remember..
http://warlight.net/MultiPlayer.aspx?TemplateID=88494
played with 5, FFA

Don't forget to consider that the reason some people may have more RT games is simply b/c it's a lot faster to complete them. This fact alone makes it easier to have more RT games under your belt...right?

i love both but haven't they both have their advantages and disadvantages

Yea, I experience ladder burnout after a few days, so dull. One day it will get better.