Rankings & News July 2023
July 2023 #
News #
News, we need news! And wow, do we have some!
- First and foremost: Gilles graced us with presence and not just for single answer! Cheaters were purged and questions answered. Do we have anything of real substance yet? No, nothing on new CTs but still hope!
- There might be some changes incoming though, aimed at improving the appeal of custom theories over the theory automator; I’ll don’t want to go further as its not like aynthing is done yet but there were discussions about it with Gilles involved.
- More game related we have Playspout who surpassed another milestone in e7000 tau!
- Last time I mentioned 2 years of letting t build up and this month I actually got the first 1e16 t on a legit save!
- These suddenly returning players, they continue to ruin other people’s leaderboard spots (Thomas for main save T4, Solarion for main save T2 and now naesi did one impression for iOS by claiming the highest main save T3)!
- As it won’t just finish this month, let me tease a bit: there is race going on between Snaeky and me. What for and who will win?
- I solemnly swear I will ignore every news the coming month again until it is time to get into a panic on the last day. Or maybe I’ll grow and do better?
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!
July 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!):
- HeadedArt26 (Playspout) - ee69404:
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? There are some challengers but not like really close yet. So no, he isn’t slowing down^^
- (+1) VintageSurfer56606 (kinger55) - ee69024:
He has discovered the main reason to be on the server: the tau bot^^ Well, that joke lost its meaning a lot of months ago but it is hard to let go^^ Else he’s not really participating (unless I ask for a tau update and recently not even then…) but he’s a force on the leaderboard for sure. He certainly figured out CTs and firmly planted himself in the Top 5. Top 3 was only a question of time and when I wrote it was because of the courtesy of Gen not updating - well, I was wrong! I have to add: he has definitely overtaken me in any imaginable way and the question remains: can he do the same for Playspout in the future?
- (-1) AdamH99 (nemesis) - ee69002:
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! I’m pretty sure he had the number 1 spot for a brief while inbetween, so good for him(and time to stop)!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. Also come back please to Discord and share your secrets…
- (+1) Eldrail (AfuroZamurai) - ee68892:
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 rankings a few month ago but without actually ever being #1…! Too bad Playspout showed up again before the cheater ahead of me was removed. I guess I’ll have to keep hunting! Note: hunting can be defined broadly and this absolutely
inefficient phase of idle is certainly just a long-term plot to regain my #1 spot for real. Totally.Well, yeah, about that… I’m back to being the Idle Lord and have found my fun in that. Still trying though, just not very hard. At least I’m back at cashing in with actives somewhat regularly, so with more tau than Gen (oO) maybe I can challenge for higher places again.
- (-1) GenErationNation (Gen) - ee68688:
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. While he did slow down, he passed 10000 messages!
Maybe not at the absolute top for CTs (though I think in terms of efficiency he actually is or at least very close) and maybe suffered a bit in originals but still going strong enough with accel (the madman^^) to have more f(t) than one would expect. Last month he was out (except as the drop-out) of the rankings and I wished for him to come back - and here is! I hope it won’t be over half a year for another update^^
- (+2) colinc719 (?) - ee68679:
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 and made clear Top 10 was just a step on the way. I feel scared…
- (-1) Finalultima (Finalultima) - ee68521:
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! Though others aren’t here to settle down either…
Looks like maybe this was the height for now.
- (+1) some gibberish I won’t even try typewriting[name may change any second] (nubest) - ee68517:
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! irmly Top 10, maybe climbing. Maybe its the cat emojis^^ Or the elaborate strategies which are surely not active because nub only idles, sure.
Looks like the competition isn’t making life easy but never count her off!
- (-2) BlackSeal94 (BlackSeal) - ee68500:
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 lost their power he’s back to catching up. After a long time in the Top 5 he’s out by virtue of Gen reappearing and not even one ee difference. Well, with the competition hot on his heels this begs the question: can he keep up? I should really learn: ask and you shall disrupt. Sorry Seal.
- (+1) ReckonCrew (ReckonCrew) - ee68400:
They have all their messages on the server from a single day about 27 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)^^
- (-1) UpArtz (?) - ee68399:
Seems to be active on Reddit but not here, though this is unclear.
They were already out of the Top 20 and were 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! Applause for reaching the Top 10! Despite Gen appearing it is still the Top 10! Moment of glory over for now because that bad update before a grad can hurt.
- (+2) hotab1 (hotab) - ee68296:
I have a vague feeling he shouldn’t have been in when I first included him but well, now he’s in for sure. Right now he’s the player with the third 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. Note: always push T6 (unless you’re XLII).
- birrel69 (birrel) - ee68200:
The rival of d4Nf6Bg5 (or rather the involuntary rival). While at first falling behind, he has long made his move and passed him for a rising spot in the rankings. 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. For now he’s safely in utilizing the same strat of having 2 saves. Sometimes he shows up and exchanges some words with his rival, staying committed 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) IntellectualPower112 (NGZ001) - ee68071:
Over a year ago he already had an honourable mention. I wrote: Let’s hope at some point in the future he can enter the rankings to join his friends on the leaderboard (XLII already showed the way^^)!
He was far behind but with his activity and passion I’m not surprised to finally see him enter the Top 20! Back then he started to appear a bit more in the server and especially for custom theories. He certainly continued this trend. Very impressive minigamer, second to probably none, having passed 1 billion minigame stars by a fair margin. Equally impressive in custom theories, second only to Playspout and not by much. Here is one player I can see rise more and more!
- (-3) adequateryan (adequate ryan) - ee68000:
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… Or no talk and fall…
- (-1) Antharion1988 (Antharion) - ee67923:
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 at some point and even staying for a bit! Now the competition sadly got him but no reason to give him up. Gogogo!!!
I jinxed him when hoping for a comeback, can I jinx it the other way by prophesizing his fall?
- (+1) AramakiSH (?) - ee67905:
Another new entry! And another mystery person. I know they were already somewhat close before stopping to update f(t) for over 2 months. I guess this is also a way to reappear! Outside of this I have no idea about them at all. Maybe they’ll show up somewhere (or somebody else knows more). For now it’s just admiring the rise and see if it will be a future problem to write about^^ The future is here but not like I have anything to add…
- (-1) harumaki200 (harumaki) - ee67853:
So far with some of 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! Others grind as well though, so maybe that will be a short-lived reappearance?
- (+1) Melv0r (Melv0r) - ee67853:
I have a vague feeling he should’ve been already in a month before I included him, considering my notes on f(t) but hey, he’s here now! It has been a while since he was seen on the server, with messages dating back to 2021 making him an old veteran but still below a hundred messages. But what matters for this ranking is not activity in the server (though still nice) but activity in the game. And there he fought his way up and up until he got into this prestigious list. Now it’s time to see if he can hold his place! Close shave but for now he stays.
- (new) d4Nf6Bg5 (d4Nf6Bg5) - ee67785:
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 in the Top 20 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. His minor misstep of falling out is fixed, though his want for greater heights is still unsatisfied.
Some enter the list and so some have to leave the list as well. Here is our fallen fellow from this month:
- (-2) TREDEC42 (XLII) - ee67608:
I don’t even know where to start but while he’s still doing amazing out of the game and in the Top 5 for CTs, he has stagnated and is thus dropping out of the Top 20. For now I can just let his achievements stay here: he reached an insane 1e9 stars from minigames and tops the T6 main leaderboard. Furthermore he is a sim programmer, CT balancer, helper and very active on the server!
A while back he was close to breaking into the Top 10. Now I have to hope he starts pushing again, to reclaim his place… Note: don’t overdo T6. Hindsight: shouldn’ have overdone T6. Still worth it for that #1 though, right?
An honourable mention goes to #
- (on iOS) neasi_cz (neasi) - ee68199:
A not that new face anymore on the top of the iOS leaderboard! Having overtaken Phask and finally getting to rank 1 after a long hunt, he’s fast increased his lead. 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. After reaching his all-time high of #12 on the combined leaderboard, he has dropped a bit this month. Not enough for worry though.
- (on iOS) Phask (Phask) - ee67453:
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, even losing the #1 spot for iOS. This trend continued and now the second time in a row Phask is out, “only” being #23 on Android (or #24 when including neasi). As iOS is underrepresented anyway and I have some nostalgic feelings, he’ll stay for now regardless. 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.
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 neasi_cz and Phask are technically in the Top 20 rankings (or represent iOS and their top of the leaderboard):
??. ? (IOM) - ee???:
One of the original players, who has sadly stopped playing and showing up on Discord for a lack of time. But his legacy does live on! There could surely be said more about him as I am able to, even with the help of one who was involved more with him but I can try what I can: He pioneered the prestige and supremacy equations. He did a sim before it was cool. He was involved in a lot of strategies, back in the day when those were still unpolished and rare. In the game he was probably leading T6 for quite some time. And his wise presence on many topics and discussions in the last few years on the server were absolutely an enrichement! A tiny hope still carries on that he’ll be back to implement his own custom theory as he had expressed he would like to.
As it turned out to be quite the undertaking to write this month edition (because of other commitments and because it takes some time), I still didn’t care to see if anything changed, so it will be the values of the time today when I looked at them, not when I published it.