This guide will take a look at different scenarios and the stance of the rules (mostly the pushing rule) towards them and help you to avoid unnecessary bans.

You can find all other information about moons (moon usage, mechanic of moonshots etc.) in other FAQs and Guides.

Link: board.ogame.org/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=331194

General information:

• A Game Operator needs to be informed only if the lower ranked player intends to transport resources to the higher ranked one.

• You can contact a GO via ticket: support.ogame.org/ or IRC: board.ogame.org/index.php?page=IrcChat

• All attacking/transporting (as in trades and returning DF from free moonshots) must happen within 48 hours. If for some reason there is a delay, you must contact a GameOperator.

• If you wish to get a moon via trade, you may be able to find a trading partner in the trade section of the universe where you play. Don’t forget to tell the percentage you want to go for (ie 10%, 20% etc.) and explain what kind of trade it is.

Scenario 1: Moonshot trades

Light Fighters are most commonly used as moonshot fleets. The reason for that is that they are the easiest to kill with some Cruisers. If you do not wish to build Cruisers, you can build more defence on your planet and use Battleships as moonshot fleets. Moderate defence itself can kill them with acceptable loses. Use a battle simulator to make sure you’re capable of destroying a moonshot fleet and to determine the optimal fleet.

Links:

websim.speedsim.net/
drago-sim.com/index.php?lang=english

a) Moonshot swaps

The most widely used method of getting a moon, moonshots swaps, consist of two players each crashing a moonshot fleet over the other player's planet, where they both get to keep the debris fields. The easiest way is that each player keeps the DF at his planet. A ticket is not required in this case.

Fleets of both players must have the same value (same metal : crystal : deuterium ratio), so both players (higher and lower ranked) lose the fleet of same value (the moonshot fleet) and gain the same amount of resources (the debris field), therefore there is no pushing concern.

Question: What if someone steals the DF on the lower ranked player’s planet?
Answer: Then you have to deal with it. Noone will get banned for pushing, but to be on the safe side, send a ticket to the GO to let them know it's been stolen.

In most cases, after a few months of a new universe, or even less in speed universes, moonshot DF's aren't particularly huge anymore, so you won't usually have to worry about it. However, it's recommended that you have recyclers on the planet where you are receiving the moonshot, just in case.

Question: Can I use different ships for a moonshot than my friend in a moonshot swap (ie BSs and LFs)?
Answer: You can, but you have to be careful as different ships have different values. DF resulted form moonswaps must be equal if each player is harvesting the df from the attacking fleet near his/hers planet, if not, the difference must be returned to the lower player.

Question: If I am trading a moonshot with a higher ranked player, and we decide to harvest the DF above our own planets, and I need to send an extra couple of LCs for fuel, would the extra DF be considered pushing?
Answer: The resulted DF must be equal in a moonswap when each player is harvesting near his/her planet. If there is a small difference, it must be returned to the lower ranked player.

b) Buying moonshots with resources

When you don’t wish to build Light Fighters, the easiest way to get a moonshot is by paying someone to crash his moonshot fleet at your planet.

• Paying someone ranked higher to crash his moonshot fleet at your planet

A Ticket is always required in this case. The maximum amount of resources you can pay is the exact cost of the moonshot fleet and deuterium cost needed to fly to you.

If you harvest the DF, you have to send back the full value of moonshot fleet.

If the player who’s crashing a moonshot fleet at you harvests the DF, you have to send back the full value of moonshot fleet minus DF.

Example: A moonshot fleet consisting of 1667 Light fighters will cost you 5.001.000 metal + 1.667.000 crystal (plus deuterium cost to fly to you) minus 1.500.000 metal minus 500.000 crystal (amount of resources you get back in the DF).

• Paying someone ranked lower to crash his moonshot fleet at your planet

The higher ranked player can send the full amount of resources needed for the moonshot, but it is also acceptable if he sends the bare minimum, which would be the df, although that would fall under the category free moonshots, explained later on.

Some players decide to pay for moonshots with one kind of resource, ie. Deuterium (it’s most common that miners do that as they have a lot of extra deuterium). This is allowed, however, you have to keep in mind the official trade rates of your universe.


Scenario 2: Free Moonshots and moonshot accounts

Free Moonshots consist of a player crashing a moonshot fleet over another player's planet without any compensation for it. Some players ask friends to play an account just to give them free moonshots; those accounts are called moonshot accounts and are legal.

Keep in mind that if:

a) A moonshot account is ranked higher than the player who receives free moonshots

Player receiving moonshots or the moonshot account player can keep the DF. Note that if a player receiving moonshots harvests the DF and want to send it back to moonshot account, a ticket is required.

b) A moonshot account player is ranked lower than a player who receives free moonshots

Moonshot account player must keep the DF. It doesn't matter who harvests the DF, as long as it's returned to moonshot account. No ticket is required.


Scenario 3: Sitting moonshot fleets
Leaving a moonshot fleet on a planet to be crashed. There are two different scenarios.

a) Randomly crashing someone’s moonshot fleet

This means that a player randomly probes and finds a moonshot fleet ready to be crashed. The prober was not previously informed about the sitting fleet.

If this is the case, the attacker can keep the entire debris field, regardless of rank. It doesn’t matter if the defender is online; it doesn’t even matter if he sends you a PM asking you to crash his LFs anytime after you probed and saw the sitting fleet.

Note that crashing a moonshot fleet does not count as a valid Hof and mustn't be posted in Hof section.

b) Crashing someone’s moonshot fleet when you were informed about the location and time of a sitting fleet - arranged moonshots

This means that there has been an arrangement – in other words; the attacker was informed about the location and time when the moonshot fleet will be prepared to be crashed.

• Attacker is ranked higher than the player who leaves the moonshot fleet sitting

If this is the case, the attacker has to either leave the debris field for the lower ranked player to harvest and keep, or harvest the debris field and send it to the lower ranked player. The attacker can keep as many resources as his losses were. Note that if the defender is returning the amount of resources attacker lost via attack back to him, a ticket must be opened. (Ticket is not needed if the attacker harvests this amount of resources or captures it during attack)

Question: Can the attacker keep the amount of resources captured when crashing a moonshot fleet?
Answer: Since the attacker uses some deuterium to fly to the moonshot fleet (and sometimes loses some ships during the attack), he can keep as many resources as his losses were. This means that defender can leave some resources on the planet to pay back for the losses. Note that the higher ranked player must not profit out of it, so defender has to be careful about how many resources he can leave.

Question: What if a lower ranked player informs me that he will have moonshot fleet sitting on one of his planets sometime in near future?
Answer: free moonshots must be done respecting the pushing rules . If a higher ranked player finds a moonshot fleet sitting on a lower ranked player's planet and there is no prior arrangement , he can attack as in any regular fleet crash. If there is an arrangement, the pushing rules do apply if he will attack and he must return harvested DF to the lower ranked player.

Question: What if a lower ranked player renames his planet to advertise his moonshot fleet (ie "crash my LFs")?
Answer: In this case it is ok to attack him. Everyone can see the change of planet name, so it's not an arrangement.

• Attacker is ranked lower than the player who leaves the moonshot fleet sitting

In this case, it doesn't matter who keeps the debris field. If the lower ranked player harvests the debris field and wants to send it back to the higher ranked player, a ticket is needed. Lower ranked player can only return the amount of DF generated by the ships from the higher ranked player (in other words, he must only keep the DF from his lost ships).

If a lower ranked player loses some ships during the attack, he has to receive resources in value of at least the amount of DF of his crashed ships. He can either harvest his share, or have the higher ranked player return it to him. This is not needed if the attacker captures the appropriate amount of resources during the attack.

Question: What if someone steals the DF? (answer is same for both two points)
Answer: Neither attacker or the owner of a moonshot fleet profits, so there is no pushing concern in case the DF is stolen.

Scenario 4: Crashing Solar Satellites in order to get moonshots after completing Graviton Technology


If you don't have a moon on that planet yet, it's wise to ask someone to crash your Satellites for a moonshot. 8000 Solar Satellites (about the average Satellites needed for Graviton) can be killed in about three weaves of 20% moonchance, which gives you three moonshots. This way you have some of the resources invested in Graviton Technology returned, plus you get moonshots.

Since Solar Satellites can’t be moved, the situation is a bit different from sitting moonshot fleets.

A question might arise when the player, who is crashing Satellites, is ranked higher than the player who owns the Satellites.

Question: If a lower ranked player, who is one of the players I normally probe, sends me a PM asking if I can crash his Satellites, can I keep the DF?
Answer: You can keep as much as you've lost in the attack. If you have any troubles, ask a GO immediately.

Moonshot trade scams: Important information


It has happened before, and will no doubt happen again. To prevent a situation arising, as with trade scams, you must always make sure the lower ranked player sends their moonshot fleet before the higher. Also as with trade scams, be careful of players you don't know, and stick to those you do know. Ask around, even, as there's certain to be other players that know them. Remember, if there isn't pushing involved, then the GameOperator cannot do anything about it.

If you have any doubts over a particular player, just don't trade with them.


A huge thanks to -Kudzu-, Najics and Game Admins, who helped a lot with the guide.

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Last edit: 27th June 2010 - Safira