Let's talk about the philosophy of life in Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition

The sudden outbreak of the pandemic kept me at home for more than half a year, and I still have no end in sight to this work-from-home period. In the past six months, apart from work, I have devoted most of my time to Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition, and even my beloved console games have been abandoned (although it's because there haven't been any major releases).

The game "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" is less of a war game and more of a "social" game. High-level combat power is important, but the individual impact of high-level combat power is extremely limited. The focus is more on the alliance as a whole, with strategy and diplomacy being particularly crucial. I played on four servers and discovered many interesting phenomena, many of which are even microcosms of real life.

The helplessness of individuals in the face of a "tyrant"

Individual players play a very powerless role in the game; the overall situation is often determined by the alliance leader and commanders. When you encounter a good alliance leader and team, the game will go smoothly, but if you encounter a bad leader, you'll only be constantly beaten and even verbally abused. You can switch alliances at any time in the game, but ultimately you can't escape the larger framework—a region will eventually have a large alliance that successfully integrates it (through force or negotiation), and eventually a hegemonic alliance will unify the entire country. If the leaders of the large alliance and the hegemonic alliance have problems, the game experience will plummet.

The alliance leader's power in the game is "invincible," basically similar to that of an ancient emperor. They hold all power of life and death, and can replace officials or kick people out of the alliance at any time. If you encounter a tyrant, you either have to pretend not to see, remain silent, and obey all his orders, or you have to step down, lose all rewards, and there is a high probability that you will be captured.

Of course, you can rally a group of people to rebel, but how many are willing to give up their vested interests to take that risk? How much influence do you have under a hegemon?

Doesn't this helplessness seem a lot like reality? Whether it's a small family or a company, or a large country, individuals are so insignificant that they can be ignored. They either jump out and bravely sacrifice themselves, or they hide their dissatisfaction and become obedient children.

I encountered the exact same thing on server 1231. At the start of the season, I was a fully-equipped high-level player, but the server was extremely unbalanced, and the season ended in just 15 days. The remaining 60 days were basically spent farming. The usual practice is for the Hegemony Alliance to unite everyone and prepare for the second season (the second season is a war between different servers). However, the leader of the Hegemony Alliance on server 1231 did not do this. Instead of uniting high-level players (who are a scarce resource in the game and are usually fought over by various alliances), he made enemies everywhere, resulting in a very hostile atmosphere on the server. Every time I logged in, the world chat was full of arguments, which drove away a lot of people, and the remaining players were very disunited. The leader was very proud and complacent, and even thought it was strange that people opposed him.

Cognition determines one's consciousness. In games, one can completely avoid contact with such people, and switch servers after the season ends. But in reality, there are too many interests involved, and "switching servers" can't solve everything. Most of the time, everyone can only keep quiet and go about their lives.

The group of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)

The defining characteristic of online games is that most participants are students with limited social experience, which often presents significant limitations. Having been through it all, I can offer a clear advantage, especially in games where social interaction is so crucial. Here are some particularly notable features:

armchair strategist

Since Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition is a strategy game, many players enjoy designing strategies, resulting in a plethora of self-proclaimed strategists who spout off a lot of ideas, only to find that none of them are actually feasible when it comes to implementation. Superficial theoretical discussions may provide a sense of satisfaction, but they are ultimately detrimental to the team's development.

"I'm awesome"

Humility is a great virtue, but once someone openly thinks they're amazing, that's pretty much it. The alliance leader mentioned earlier was a prime example; he believed he had achieved hegemony and could act with impunity, unaware that many were already dissatisfied, just waiting for the right moment. And yet, he remained immersed in a false sense of prosperity.

A building on the verge of collapse cannot be supported by a single pillar. What appears prosperous, if unpopular, will scatter like birds and beasts once trouble strikes. Behind the prosperity lies everyone's self-interest.

The peak breeds false support, twilight witnesses true believers.

Lack of communication

Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition is, frankly speaking, just a game. It doesn't involve any personal core interests, so communication can generally resolve most issues. However, many people don't know how to use this "nuclear weapon."

The importance of communication in real society is self-evident; without knowing the other party's thoughts and needs, any strategy is merely a trial and error. The same applies to communication in games.

But those who are out of touch with society have no idea about these things. They like to imagine things on their own, and then act rashly without thinking, preferring to make enemies rather than communicate, thinking that this solves the problem, but they don't expect to cause more problems.

Civilization of the group

Online games are often filled with diverse groups of people, and the atmosphere can be quite volatile. Many people choose this platform to vent their frustrations in real life, and even do things they wouldn't do in real life. There's a prevailing view that the behavior of gamers is a true reflection of the quality of a person in society, because of their age group and their uninhibited behavior.

Having played Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition for so long, I've noticed that there are still a lot of people who are constantly swearing and cursing. They share some common characteristics: firstly, they have a lot of time and spend a lot of time online in the game (time isn't very valuable); secondly, most of these people who are willing to argue are like-minded, because they generally choose to ignore those they can't stand.

However, I've found that uncivilized behavior is relative; it depends on how it's guided. If a few leaders are very aggressive and use violence to lead the team, then the entire team will become very aggressive.

A person's surroundings shape their perception of the world. If they are surrounded by thugs, then the world they see will also be filled with thugs, and they might feel they can't survive without becoming one themselves. Similarly, if they are surrounded by civilized people, then the world they see will also be civilized, and they will be courteous in the face of conflict because they know they will be treated the same way.

Server 1355 is the server I lead, and it perfectly embodies the above points. Since the server opened, we have always guided people to be humble and civilized. We fight as a civilized army, never inciting hatred, and we do things openly and honestly. After we gained the advantage, the entire server became exceptionally harmonious. Even if there are uncivilized people, their living space has been greatly suppressed. After joining the alliance, they are gradually assimilated into civilization.

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. If a hostile environment is created, it will inevitably drive away high-quality people and attract scoundrels, and vice versa.

Strange people are everywhere

We can't make everyone understand, nor can we put everyone on the same page. So, most of the time, to avoid unnecessary conflict, we choose our circles—talking to people we get along with, and associating with those who share our values. This is why, in a stable society, hierarchical stratification occurs: the weak get weaker, and the strong get stronger. Different perceptions lead to different results when looking at the same things. Instead of spending time trying to make others understand your thinking, it's better to spend time discussing and learning from those who do understand your thought process.

In fact, this rule has benefited me a lot. It has saved me time communicating with different strangers, allowed me to make many like-minded people, made my life more interesting, and kept me away from negative energy.