HOW TO SUCCEED AT PLAYING
Credit to Clever, Meg, Muse, Barker, Shanyes, Wind, Mason, and many other anonymous sources for contributing to this!
Have the right mindset going in!
Socializing is important!
...but also be ready to take other people out!
And most of all, just have a good time!
- Every single thing that happens is an opportunity. At times it might feel like something negative has happened, but taking that and flipping that to your advantage is what makes winners.
- Go in blind. You may understand what the rules are to the game from the tv show but try to not know that Alliance is actually based off of survivor at all (for example I thought it was going to be more movie-based since the community originated from a movie community).
- A big one that some don’t do very well is to get familiar with command hunting and spending a lot of time doing it. You're not gonna figure the advantage out in 10 minutes. It's gonna take lots of trial and error. So if possible get some friends or alliance members to help lead you to some clues and then when you think you're close go alone and grab that thing yourself. Don't be afraid to go on cascades together.
Socializing is important!
- Be active of course. If you're inactive you'll never do well in not just Alliance but any org really.
- Talk to everyone, think who you would want to vote for at the end. Juries be salty but respectful so think about others!
- Be kind. People usually don't bond well with mean or disrespectful players and jurors tend to not vote for them either.
- The most important thing to remember is to try to be as social as possible. You don't have to be messaging people every second of the day but make sure people know you exist and want to keep you around. Social game is everything.
- Use your DM channels! You will need to be proactive and request these when you’re first placed in a tribe and after any swap or merge. Make sure you have one with everyone available to you. Check in with people every day, even if it’s not about the game. Having an open line of communication with other players is incredibly valuable. You won’t win an Alliance season without being social.
- Make relationships with everyone, even if you don’t think you’ll be an official alliance. You never know when the game will get turned upside down (or your ally will be voted out), and all of a sudden you need that other random player on your side. If you have a relationship, then you’ve got a head start to saving yourself!
- Form Alliances*! It's the name of the game!
*With the right people. Be a yes person and accept everything that is offered to you, but pick and choose carefully who you want to actually play the game with. The most unbreakable alliance is one in which everyone believes they have a shot at beating each other in the end. While it sounds counterintuitive, try to ally yourself with people who think you are beatable while you play an unbeatable game. But pick and choose carefully who you want to actually play the game with.
...but also be ready to take other people out!
- The game moves quick. Make sure you are flexible with your game and your allies. I found it a lot easier to move in voting "blocks" rather than full alliances.
- Do not let emotions cloud your judgment. I get it, cutting people you really like sucks. You spend a lot of time with them. But if cutting them benefits your game, or they if can beat you, then you have to overcome that and do it. Being cut throat is not a bad thing.
- Don't wait until it's too late to take out the biggest threat. Some wait until the biggest threat is protected on all angles and then it is impossible for them to advance into the first place spot. So if possible make your moves early.
- Cut your allies at the right time. To expand on this, if you're thinking you gotta cut them eventually, they are also thinking that too most likely. You just need to put yourself into a good position to not need them. For example, I cut a close ally near the endgame because I didn't need his information from the other side anymore, and I had several people who wanted me at the end with them.
And most of all, just have a good time!
- The game is still a fun surviving experience. So be true to yourself!
- There’s many various ways you can win. All depends on the cast you’re with. Just gotta have some fun.
- Just have fun with it. If you stress yourself out you won't enjoy the experience therefore leading to bad gameplay. If you just let the game be a game and have some fun you'll do a lot better.
- At the end of the day, no matter what you do, there’s going to be someone who doesn’t like your moves, has criticisms of your game play, or maybe just doesn’t like how you conduct yourself in the game. Play the game for yourself, not the viewers. As long as you're happy with how you played and can go to bed at night with a clear head, that’s the important thing.
- I guess the one universal "tip" that I see as the most important is to just have fun. I know it doesn't sound like much and everyone kinda says it but it really is important. At the end of 39 days, you have to look back at the game you played, and whether you played well or not, you'll mainly remember the experience for how you felt about it. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try, but it's always important that you're enjoying the experience along the way. It also can have benefits in the actual game. If you're just having fun and being yourself you'll usually build more genuine bonds that will help you more throughout the game. If you're just having fun people may be less threatened by you and let you go that one extra step. Just enjoy the ride.
HOW TO SUCCEED AT VIEWING
Credit to Meg, Hersh, and other anonymous sources for contributing to this!
Remember that the people you spectate are real people too.
Don’t feel limited by anything. The lounge is your oyster!
Follow a process while reading the season itself.
And most of all, just have a good time!
- Remember that the people playing the game are just regular people on Discord who will be able to read what you say afterwards. It’s not the same as yelling at someone on tv who’ll never know what you said. Being critical of game play or moves is fair game, but everyone has feelings, so be mindful of that when commenting on the game.
- Above all else, take everything the lounge says with a HUGE grain of salt. We can say some stupid shit sometimes in the moment if we disagree with a move or convo within the game. But we also forget about it a day later and move on to something else so never take anything to heart.
Don’t feel limited by anything. The lounge is your oyster!
- Don’t be afraid to talk. Those of us who have been around since the first season love having new viewers and getting their take on things. And feel free to disagree, give a hot take. There’s nothing better than having a convo in the lounge to get all the perspectives.
- Don’t worry if it’s not game play related. Wanna talk about cats? Do it! 99/100 someone will pick up the convo with you. There can be a lot of downtime where players are MIA. Lounge Llamas/Lizards love hearing themselves talk and we’ll talk about pretty much anything (pants, pockets, purses and bananas is a great example) Feel free to jump in!
- Do you know someone who’s playing? Do you have a different view of them than what’s being said in the lounge? Speak up! Don’t hesitate to let people know. Most of the time we comment on only what we see in game and forget that they’re people too! ( Not the Soylent Green kind) Let us know. At the end of it all, we just love getting to know everyone.
Follow a process while reading the season itself.
- Don't feel like you have to read EVERYTHING. Mark as read is your friend. Been 3 days since you've been in the server? Don't sweat. Just hit mark as read and start fresh.
- But how will I know what's been going on? Well, just ask. The Alliance Lounge is notoriously vocal and effortlessly friendly. We love new people. And we like to talk. If you want to know if someone found an advantage or how, just drop a note in the lounge. And someone (probably Penny) will answer in no time.
- Okay. I'm all caught up. Now what? Here's a thought: pick a few favorite castaways to focus on. Check out their DMs. Check to see if they've shared any confessionals. If something comes up in one of those DMs with player X and player Y about player Z, maybe check out what player Y has really been saying to player Z. You can branch out as far as you want.
- Sure that sounds great but I just really don't have time for all that. Well, Meg, a very friendly and not at all judgy member of production, does Key Event updates after every tribal that summarize the previous challenge, any advantages found or played, and the vote breakdown. If you read nothing else, this will help you know what's going on the game and who is getting voted out.
And most of all, just have a good time!
- Have fun! There is no right or wrong way to be a viewer. Be engaged. Be civil. Be open to interacting in what is likely the most unique (and in my humble opinion, best) viewer lounge of any ORG.