Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Issue: 1   Editor: Nyxxie


Can YOU See The Finishing Line? Frick
The same thing happens at the start of every round: a player feels they need to be the highest rank, the first one to reach Nation Don or become a State Don, and a rank race commences! The Buzz got in touch with some of the top competitors in this rank race, and asked them a few questions.

The first question we asked the players, was how they got motivated to rank so quickly. David (also known as Kamikaze) said, "After ranking quickly at the start of the last round, I didn't go into this one planning to do the same thing. However, I ended up getting competitive with Suzpaz and wanted to reach Gangster before him. Unfortunately, I hadn't realized just how much effort RD104 had to put in to reach Gangster off crimes last round which set Revelation on there way." Another player, MrLarkin, said, "It was circumstance that got me to rank quickly. The reset occurred in the early morning my time. I came back home, drunk, and made an account and started playing because I didn't want to go to sleep. Then I had the whole weekend with nothing to do but drink and play Bootleggers. So I played a lot of bootleggers. In addition, a group of us had a plan to use the old bootlegging system to accumulate capital very quickly and grab a Bullet Factory. Obviously, that failed, but while bootlegging was down I got into the ranking race."

Next, the Buzz asked we asked the competitors why the joined the rank race. Suzpaz said, "I think it's fun for the people who are invested in it. Someone is going to be number one to a rank anyways, and if you're the first, kudos to you. Some people have the time to rank, and most often share their statistics and tips to other players, who will be glad to see the light in the end of the tunnel." MrLarkin said, "Well, I think it has quieted down siginificantly now that so many people have reached Gangster and Hitman. I wasn't one of the fastest rankers by any means, but I'm pretty well up there at this point. I think at the beginning it was a good competition, but now that OCs are in the mix for nearly everyone its not as important, until we start getting Boss plus ranks. Right now, I think the race for money is more important, as there are lots of resources like casinos and crew spots available still."

For the final questions, the Buzz asked those taking part why they were taking part. MrLarkin said, "Like I said before, circumstance. I happened to be online, and have a lot of time on my hands in the first few hours and days of the round, so I was able to get out to a good start. An all-nighter doing homework really propelled me past a lot of people though, as I was able to do lots of crimes while still doing my school work. I don't really consider myself to be part of the rank race, to be honest. I'm just trying to do the best for myself and my crew right now, not beat anyone to a certain rank, or claim to be the 9th Hitman or Assassin or whatever." Finally, JDM said, "Well, for me, it wasn't so much the desire to rank quickly as a habit. Doing a crime every two minutes between forum posts and OCing every twelve hours isn't really that hard to do, and as a habit, I just do it."

Lastly, the Buzz got in touch with the people who reached Thug, Gangster, Hitman, Assassin, and Boss first, and asked them how it felt. Suzpaz, who was the first Thug in the game, said, "It was an achievement, I guess. Now, after TFKyle reaching Boss first, I think the biggest challenge is to reach Respectable Boss. Even though that race hasn't really started yet, I think I'm out." TheKing, who achieved the rank of Gangster first, said, "It was a great feeling to be at the top, even if it was just for a while." And, finally, we asked TFKyle, currently the fastest ranker in the game, achieved the ranks of Hitman, Assassin, and Boss first. He said, "It felt great at the time, but then I was worried about getting too popular, and ending up getting killed. But, I found out it wasn't that big of a deal, especially since no-one really remembers the first Boss from last round! I would also like to thank those who congratulated me on ranking."

The rank race for Round Six will be coming to a close soon and boy was it exciting. Watching players do crime after crime, counting dollar for dollar, each one equally as important as the last, was sure to be entertaining. The finish line is still far away for those keeping their eye on the golden Nation Don rank, and there are many contenders expected to make it there, with only one reaching the end first. Could it be you?