Rankings & News February 2023
February 2023 #
News #
Unfortunately I can’t give a date or anything close for new custom theory releases. Still I haven’t lost hope and look forward to the time Gilles makes his glorious return to destroy all authors with critique on their theories to then graciously accepting changes and flooding us with new content!
- The ban hammer has fallen at least: both on iOS and on Android we no longer have cheaters at the top of the leaderboard!
- As far as I know we had no new milestone broken this last month. Well, no news is also news?!
- AfuroZamurai joined the e6800 overall tau club
- NGZ, Gen and AfuroZamurai have joined Playspout and XLII in the e500 CT tau club
- AdamH99 ruined the previously perfectly distributed top spots for all original theories by claiming not only the top spot for T1 (see last month) but also T5
- If we have no news, one can always count on the d4Nf6Bg5 vs birrel69 feud: a race (or you might call it bet) was called out and now we have until June 1st to see if d4Nf6Bg5 can overtake birrel69 on their main save
- Repeat from last month: not much else is happening for the game because the grind is long and without new CTs progress is slowing down while we have discovered and done so much already it starts to get exponentially more difficult to expand (or at least feels like it) - so we get the nice idle experience of an idle game!
- Personal reasons (not the bad kind) have once again delayed the rankings, I sincerely hope I’ll can turn it around for March
Obligatory plea for feedback: If anyone has ideas, please let me (and/or the guide team) know. If you have criticism do it as well. If you don’t want to end up in any news/rankings outside the server, then contact me so I could either exclude or anonymise you.
Rankings #
So after once again avoiding the rankings in favor of news for a bit (and being extra late anyway), it is finally time for the update!
February 2023 Top 20 on the leaderboard, their \(F(t)\) at the time the list was compiled and their Discord connection (Discord names in brackets are not their nicknames!):
- (+1) HeadedArt26 (Playspout) - ee68230:
If you ever looked at the record sheet you should know him because he’s literally everywhere there (still holding him off from T2/T4 for now^^). Also pretty active here, doing everything imaginable! Added fun fact: did ee50000 without T9. I wonder if there is anything he isn’t active in^^
Playspout is the Ling Ling of Exponential
IdleActive with 40 hours a day (and more saves than any person should have) and still searching for new theory strats and writing and and and. Having established a firm lead the only question to remain seems: will Gen still try again or will Playspout lose some motivation and allow someone else to get close? So could you slow down please? The answer is: yes and no. Gen is trying but not showing, Playspout hasn’t lost motivation or slowed down, instead playing for the long game (and slipping by getting his updated score here, so no longer shadow #1).
- (+1) AdamH99 (nemesis) - ee67798:
Found the server some while ago and no longer an unknown! Looks like he is going fast and steady, this time overtaking me. There we have someone on a mission…
So for quite a while now he is consistent in doing hardcore active pushing and so I just hope
he loses motivationhe continues to go strong. Good at minigames! Too bad for him Playspout just posted his score again but I doubt this will deter him.Also whatever EI steroids he’s on, I think I’d need them too^^ I mean at some point he’ll have to pay the price of not overpushing but that spirit is commendable.
- (-2) Eldrail (AfuroZamurai) - ee67757:
Always a bit difficult to write about oneself^^ Activity here is more in phases but at least pretty regularly (so hopefully daily), in the game I do like my idle theories (who could’ve guessed?). Favourite phrase: Time for active theories I guess^^ (while not doing that until I set myself a challenge). Also loves chess.
Finally got #1 in the last rankings but without actually ever being #1…! Too bad Playspout showed up again before the cheater was removed. I guess I’ll have to keep hunting!
- VintageSurfer56606 (kinger55) - ee67735:
He has discovered the main reason to be on the server: the tau bot^^ Else he’s not really participating (unless I ask for a tau update) but he’s a force on the leaderboard for sure. He certainly figured out CTs and firmly planted himself in the Top 5 until Adam showed up. If I had to bet I’d say he’ll get at least Top 3 one day! Not that anyone above would want to give ground though but that is not necessary if he keeps pushing harder.
- BlackSeal94 (BlackSeal) - ee67600:
Seldom seen here but always great to see him update his insane T6 stat (discounting Playspout who shouldn’t count anyways)^^ Custom theories have kind of awoken him to be more active here, which is nice. It also made him more active in the rankings, which is not so nice ;)
He had turned on CT overdrive but as the new CTs lose their power he’s back to catching up. Looks like he is firmly settled into 5th place (well, with a grain of salt being Gen) after kind of losing the battle against his adversaries.
- (+1) Finalultima (Finalultima) - ee67202:
While they showed up a day before the rankings they got into the Top 20 in “real” Discord conversations (after some month of talking with the tau bot!) activity is still almost negligible but happy to have them and looking forward to seeing more!
Amazing fast progress and now the gap to close is pretty big. Still an impressive achievement getting here and after seeing their distribution I have no doubt it is fully deserved!
- (+1) some gibberish I won’t even try typewriting[name may change any second] (nubest) - ee66799:
She has been a long time member of this server, with quite a lot of messages a name to know. Maybe not the founder but excessive user of a rather unusual kind of text emoji: ouo and variations of it. She also likes to call hax and people bad which seems to correlate with her orthographic skills.
Unfortunately life came in the way and besides a pause on the server her leaderboard placement was suffering for it. Fortunately she is now back! And what a statement to get back into the Top 10 and even climbing! Maybe its the cat emojis^^ Or the elaborate strategies which are surely not active because nub only idles, sure.
- (+1) colinc719 (?) - ee66786:
They were maybe the biggest surprise when entering the rankings, shooting up from somewhere I cannot even remember directly into the Top 20 and never looking back. We cannot even know more about them because it looks like they are still not on the server. Maybe the future will give us more (so far not). For now they just entered Top 10 after first disappearing for a bit from the leaderboards completely.
- (-3) GenErationNation (Gen) - ee67017:
While he cannot consistently keep up the 1000 messages per month, the Juggernaut is not stopping any time soon, neither ingame, nor in the server. Don’t be deceived by his stagnant \(F(t)\), he’s actually very close to Playspout!
Maybe not at the absolute top for CTs (though I think in terms of efficiency he actually is or at least very close) but still going strong enough with accel (the madman^^) to keep closer to Playspout than he should. If this will be enough to get back his #1 can be doubted though he will try it. I also wonder when he’ll be updating his score (and similarily dreading it because it will be high).
- TREDEC42 (XLII) - ee66994:
I don’t even know where to start but he’s doing amazing ingame and out of the game! Rising more and more thanks to his CT prowess (in absolute values currently #2), original theory pushing, the newly reached insane 1e9 stars and lots of pushing. To add to that he’s a minigame record hunter, sim programmer, CT balancer, helper and very active on the server!
Really happy to see him enter the Top 10 for a ranking and not only for a short time! Go ahead and rise some more! I heard he’s ready to cash in and start the hunt, so my expectations are high^^
- spqcey (randomname) - ee66964:
No idea what the name means but not that random of a person^^ We have another minigame master with a very impressive 2.55e8 minigame stars. Not only that but he’s also pretty active in the realm of collecting data in sheets like the theory strats, variable power or (sadly inactive for now) the tau graphing sheet and the \(F(t)\) sheet. He’s pretty active on the Discord server and a very impressive custom theory master.
When Top 10?
- (+1) UpArtz (?) - ee66954:
Seems to be active on Reddit but not here, though this is unclear.
They were already out of the Top 20 and are often on the edge but because of that I’m even more impressed by their fighting spirit, seeing the gap closing to actually entering the single digits!
- (+1) ReckonCrew (ReckonCrew) - ee66907:
They have all their messages on the server from a single day about 22 months ago, which is an achievement in itself I guess^^
Not much else to say except they are pretty stable, mainly gaining a place now and then (and sometimes losing one). I do like stable players for this ranking^^
He did give me some work by switching places but at least he remains mainly in the same rankings group (which is now irrelevant but whatever)^^
- (-2) Antharion1988 (Antharion) - ee66807:
The original legend, longtime #1, creator of the original tau simulator and sadly not that active anymore (both in the game and on the server), though we can still see him (and he’s certainly not given up^^) from time to time.
It was a surprise but a welcome one to see him back in the Top 10 and staying! Now the competition sadly got him but no reason to give him up. Gogogo!!!
- (+2) harumaki200 (harumaki) - ee66756:
So far with the lowest amount of Discord messages but at least still here^^ Custom theories required some posts but that was it somewhat sadly.
Activity on the server is no where equivalent to activity ingame and this held true here very well. For a while they had stopped playing completely but now grinding is back on the menu! Welcome back!
- (-1) adequateryan (adequate ryan) - ee66747:
Entered a few month ago. But who do we welcome into our ranks? I have no idea as they are seemingly on the server but with a whooping 0 messages so far. While I always feel a bit of sadness seeing veteran players fall, I do like new players coming in, showing all is fluid and you can catch up.
Now I wonder if they’ll stay or even rise or maybe even more surprisingly start to talk on the server! So far only rise and no talk… Or no rise and no talk…
- (-1) SnaekySnacks (SnaekySnacks) - ee66399:
Had a hard time not to think of sneaky but okay^^ Maybe the most active person on the server [citation needed]. Also known for his contributions to the guide and answering questions seemingly everywhere and everytime^^ Due to his work he’s been less active lately (which seems still pretty active to me). You’re doing a great job though! Same goes for his own custom theory idea (EF) which got implemented with the help of peanut and XLII.
Despite all this distractions he’s still consistently in the rankings! Now I’m even looking forward to him entering the Top 10 for the first time (in my rankings, in between he already reached it). Okay, so close but yet so far… Don’t drop :( Too late…
- birrel69 (birrel) - ee66446:
The rival of d4Nf6Bg5 (or rather the involuntary rival). While falling behind, he now made his move and passed him for a first time entry into the Top 20! He popped up on the server to announce his entry into the Top 20 in December, only to be overtaken again before the rankings was made. This time he’s savely in utilizing the same strat of having 2 saves. Sometimes he shows up and exchanges some words with his rival, staying commited to the strategy of not sharing information, instead preferring to use what we find to better climb. Well, its not like anything is forced and in the end it depends on how you play your save, so on you go!
- (+2) Fireburner80 (Gull Dewcat) - ee66402:
His in-game activity seems to mirror his server activity: preferably idle (though he is an old veteran who was somewhat active back in the days). He did idled out of the rankings before but already showed the fire for a comeback. And he did it again! I wondewr when I’ll have to look up who had the most comebacks, though I wonder if he’ll stay for longer this time.
- (new) hotab1 (hotab) - ee66370:
A new entry a long time in the making! Recently with some increased activity on the server and before a steady climb until he jumped into the Top 20. Right now he’s the player with the second highest T4 and a pretty decent theory distribution - but his T5 looks like it could help him get even higher. I’ll be interested to see if he can keep up the pace or if pushing T6 will cost him at some point.
Some enter the list and so some have to leave the list as well. Here is our fallen fellow from this month:
- (-1) d4Nf6Bg5 (d4Nf6Bg5) - ee66301:
He’s been on the server and the rankings hunt for a while. A long while actually. According to him surely every day he wasn’t here too long.
If you know chess notation you can deduce from his name he’s a chess player (you can go as far as allow him his self-proclaimed expert status given his 2500+ lichess rating^^). As I’m something of a chess player myself I already like that^^
Being driven by his desire to finally reach the rankings but hindered by competition, long times for small gains and not much desire to actually cash in on the actives, he decided to do a first here at the top (at least as far as we know): he split his saves. One of them is going for the long haul and the other - this one - got the theory automator running 24/7 for the short-term gain. This can work but for now he dropped out until his cash-in will happen. With the power of active theories and accel I expect him to be back.
- (-4) JuannTitor (JuanTitor) - ee66265:
On the server it looks like a lot of bot commands lately but from time to time he pops up for some other comment.
For quite a while he’s fighting really hard for his place in the ranking and has been out and back again. His comebacks must be a record, right?
Oh no, Top 20 streak is over! Time for a comeback then?
An honourable mention goes to #
- (on iOS) (+1) neasi_cz (neasi) - ee66732:
A new face on the top of the iOS leaderboard! Overtaking Phask and finally getting to rank 1 after a long hunt, getting closer and closer. He is not that active on the server but not unknown either. Maybe we’ll see him more in the future? It might be possible we have in him somebody who is ready to challenge the established overall Top 10 hold by Android players, though it is still to early to say that. For now he climbed to #17 on the combined leaderboard.
- (on iOS) (-1) Phask (Phask) - ee66591:
He was the longtime leader on the iOS leaderboard and actually in the Top 20 overall if combined. For quite some time it looked like he actually might be pretty close to the Top 10 on Android but lately he fell pretty hard. Since some time ago he started fighting back, now being at #19 in the combined leaderboard. He’s also on the server, though his active times are some months ago. Also known as the creator of the first Tau data collection sheet. Unfortunately he finally lost his top spot but it was still a very imprfessive long reign, so he gets this special extra mention! It will be interesting if he can come fully back at some point (despite CTs which seem to be the reason to lose the touch a bit)
And in the end it is of course time for the “real” honourable mention (please nominate someone with a reason for future inclusion of players if you have somebody in mind) as Phask is technically in the Top 20 rankings:
Hah, got you! Actually it will be a month without any extra honourable mention. For one because iOS got to entries and for the other because I’m really overdue and won’t deliver one this time. Shameful mention: AfuroZamurai for bad time management regarding honourable mentions. I’ll get it next time (I realy hope I do, maybe even treating you to an additional mention),
As it turned out to be quite the undertaking to write this month edition (as always, even after the relocation this isn’t writing itself), we might had some changes but because I didn’t look, nothing happened!