Split or Steal – Gameplay Tips and Tricks

Getting Started

Note: Credit goes to CheeryMan

I bet that most of you, who are reading this text have already started to play, built several buildings and stole several times. But I still want to write how to make a good start.

First of all – Split! Yes, I wrote it right! Actually, that’s what you’ll do in most games. But for now it has a special reasoning: you need to earn money for at least 5 LoanSharks. This will make your steal multi higher, give you more chances to be invited in org with steal bonus and allow you to know some players and community. Don’t be isolated, speak with players in chats, ask for advice, get info. You will learn more about community and gameplay. It’s harder to do it when your first round is “Steal”. You will complete this goal in several minutes.

After that, you should look for org with steal bonus, the higher the better. Even low bonus will give you boost. Also, I advise you to buy any cheap skin, better 2-4 (many people are suspicious about “defaulties”), and all earned money waste on building LoanSharks in HQ until 10-15 of them.

Basic Gameplay

The game itself is hostile to thieves. You get “Recently stolen” tag after stealing someone. You lose your karma, and players start stealing you just because of it. People see your nickname, remember you and steal. But there is a place, where all these rules are not working. High Stakes! (“HS” briefly). You become anonymous, the only info about you is skin/lighting and your words. Also, rewards are much higher. In average completed “split-only” run without any bonuses you get 20-25% from tier 1-7, and other 75-80% from tier 8-10 (HS). So, stealing in low (t1-3) and mid-(t4-t7) tiers for earning cash is stupid. That is why I recommend you to always-split these tiers. And DON’T cash out! Forget that button!

From T8 to T10 – steal. Earn your money. That won’t always be easy. Players stolen from in T10 will be more ♥♥♥ off than stolen in T5. Also, you can meet another anonymous thief there, who thinks in the same way. That will be hard. That’s why illusion is your best ally.

Also, if you put your success above having the cool karma rank “Plague on humanity” – clean your karma from time to time. 2-3 absolute split runs return it to “in good character”.

As for how to spend money, your strategic goal is 45 LoanSharks. Why not 30? Because it will make your steal multi even higher, and increase your lifespan as a thief.

Disguise

Huge amounts of skin and lighting combinations allow you to fool most of the splitters. They are afraid to press the “Steal” button unless they are sure YOU are a thief. So, just changing your outfit will help with most splitters in HS.

Another more advanced tactics is to memorize outfit of some nice splitter and use it in HS. In such case it’s also recommended to memorize your source’s behaviour, how he speaks or stay silent. Most players, familiar with your source, will split easily, but can ask questions, ordinary or clarifying. Anyway, that will make you less suspicious. But it demands from you a wide amount of bought skins and lightings, which inexperienced thieves don’t have.

All these elements cost money, from cheap to mega-expensive. Well-known and regular splitters usually use as expensive outfit as they can afford, to show their difference from less active players. That helps them to look more trustful, cause not many thieves waste money on it. So, enlarging your wardrobe must become your top priority along with increasing your LoanShark HQ. I can’t recommend to you the balance of distributing your coins between these, you should decide it according to your usual gamestyle and how you steal to get your coins. I guess you will have already played 100+ games when this dilemma appears. Just know that the more respected player you will copy, the easier to steal from your victim.

Don’t forget to change outfits before and after HS. Your outfit in HS should be distanced from your dirty thief identity. Also, don’t use the same outfit in every run. Players will memorize, that you are used to look like some “Player1856”, so they will double-check you and probably ruin your run.

Also, if you will meet your source in round (you both will have the same outfits), I advise you to laugh about it and… split. Let’s respect the guy, whose look provide you cover, at least for now.

Make Yourself an Image

There are many thieves, who come and go. So many nicknames, so many nonames. I advise you to create some image of yours, roleplay. Org of rogue bards, wild pirate, thief who won’t steal if you write his name etc. Maybe some pattern of behaviour.

Surviving

Foes and Allies

Time passes, you get yourself a name, and your list of victims becomes larger. Most of them would like to avenge and some will even hunt you down around every corner. Splitters are not idiots, after being stolen in HS several times they will get the best way to deal with you – is to not allow you to get in HS. Not all players wish to put a knife in your back, but their numbers will increase. How to manage with such situation? You need allies!

The mechanic is simple: They will help you to get in HS, and you won’t ever steal them in HS. No need to declare that directly – your behaviour is the best way.

First of all, it is members of your org. Almost every org, no matter the type, has a rule of not stealing from org members. So these guys are your allies by default.

But that’s not enough! You should look for more of them. The problem is that these allies will decrease your income – you won’t steal them in HS. When you got too many allies, it’s possible to play a whole run and don’t steal a single time (e.g. Ally#1 in t8 and t9, and Ally#2 in t10). So you should pick allies carefully. Best of them are:

• Splitters who largely socialize. They often speak in global chat, have a lot of friends ingame and very kind. They can say something in your defence, or call you the worst person. Their influence is from socializing, not playing. Besides, if you are part of the community, why not to be friends with them as well?
• Very active splitters. They spend several hours everyday ingame, they can help you or become a big pain in the ♥♥♥ in almost every run.
• Late-game players. Players with huge coin multi and months of this game behind them. Except that they are usually active players, their connections in-game are strong, and they can afford to play without wins just to press you. Also big experience makes them dangerous. Besides these old jerks can consolidate just because all the others are newbs to them.
• Leaders of orgs. Not every idiot, that wasted 1mil on creating org is worth it. But leaders of active and not small orgs can mobilize their org members to hunt you.

That doesn’t mean that every guy from these types must be your ally, enemies are inevitable. But if you need to have players you won’t steal – why not to make such from potential threats?

Increase the number of allies when it becomes harder to play and decrease when there are too many allies along the way.

Thief-hunters

It will happen! Sooner or later you will meet a superhero, fighting for justice. Or an accountant, who multiply your steals by 2-3 and return them back. Or a wild maniac, who doesn’t care and just hunt. Or, just a salty victim, who becomes enraged by your steals, their failed runs, thirsting for your blood. Their game can be illogical. Their actions can be unprofitable. Their mind can be insane.

Anyway, usually every time they meet you – they steal. At tier1, at tier4, at tier6. No matter what. Thief-hunters usually live less than even thieves, but that’s not the topic. Just know that in most cases, such behaviour stays for a couple of days. How to deal with such people is up to you, but I write possible ways.

• Ignore. Why not? Yes, he will ruin several runs. Maybe that will make him chill out. And he will forget. Besides, by stealing from you he gets “Recently stolen” tag and have some issues with it. That’s for short-term avengers.
• Fight! Don’t steal at T1. I even recommend not to struggle until T4. After that – make him fall. It’s even pleasant when you at T4 meet him at T7. He almost got to HS. Now try again=). Make this struggle more painful for him rather than for you. Power of will is the key. If he persists – better stay out of the game for a while and cool down.
• Negotiate! Look, strength deserves respect. Maybe this guy doesn’t want to be a sheep. Maybe he decided to protect his time and rewards. Negotiating is not a sign of weakness. That doesn’t mean that you gave up. It’s up to your image and goals to decide, should you make a deal like become allies or continue to fight and ruin his game as well.
• Run. That is the BAD way to deal with him. To stop playing when he is online, and return when he is off is MISERABLE! Splitters can do such things, but not the thief. Today you run from 1 guy, tomorrow – from 10. In the end you will die. Respect yourself!

As I said earlier, thiefhunters often don’t hunt for long. They can do this from time to time, but they usually transform into splitters. Or die because of their failings. So, I advise you not to be afraid thief-hunters, but stay cautious. If you want to survive and earn, of course.

Other Thieves

“Honor among thieves”. Other thieves do the same: they disguise, lie and steal. The only way to deal with is to coordinate your actions. Like go in HS one after another. That needs non-game tools for chatting. Another variant is to stay away from the game for a while and play later. And of course you can steal them too. The choice is yours, but I never saw rival thieves. They usually deal with each other somehow.

But it’s possible.

Tough Times

“This game is boring!”, “Why everyone hates me?”, “All of you are idiots!”, ”This game isn’t fair to stealing”. By one reason or another, but thief becomes depressed and disappointed in some time. He is very vulnerable to death. He is ready to give up. Problems and medicines are here:

• Base concept is not the concept of this game. “You don’t know prisoner’s dilemma! It’s normal to steal! Why are you so angry and steal me without reason?”. Usually happens at the start, when some newbies read smth about base concept and ready to roll. But SOS is not a purely “prisoners dilemma”, it’s adapted and repetitive.
• Medicine: admit that nobody likes to be stolen, and stealing is commonly evil. Or die. But this is newb’s issue, who doesn’t even deserve to be called a thief.
• No income for some period. You met allies in HS too often, and too often didn’t get to HS because of angry splitters and hunters. As the result – spent 2 hours, and almost zero income. Stay calm, don’t delete game. Just close it. For several hours. Maybe for a day or two. That’s ok. You will cool down, and other players too. Next time it will be easier.
• Ignoring in chats. Somehow you managed to alienate most of society. They ignore you. They silently steal you without any word. You feel yourself exiled. An outcast. Don’t get yourself upset. Usual leaving for a while won’t help. On the opposite, it will power up your wish to never come back. First, you should feel yourself a part of at least some community. Your org (usually org of thieves) will help you with it. Speak with your colleagues in global or other nongame chats. Maybe coordinate some attack or report to each other about who was seen where. Also you need to speak with your allies, on any topics, but in global chat. Maybe someone will join your conversation somehow, which will transform you in their eyes from evil in flesh to usual player, but with stealing. And for the last, you can join any existing conversation. That will also help.
• I strongly advise to be always a part of community. Don’t isolate yourself, you won’t live for long.
• Too close to allies. There are too many allies. But you can’t decrease their number and start stealing from them. Your conscience prevents you from doing so. It’s better to prevent such relations from start. Or not with all allies. Maybe some of them as friends, and others as situational allies. But we already have this problem, too late to think about it. Maybe it’s time to fix your gamestyle by less stealing. Or tell former ally directly, that you have this problem, and you will steal him again like everyone else. There is no universal cure from this problem, if it’s evolved. Dying is not an option.
• Rewards from stealing are not as cool as from splitting anymore. For mid-players. This is an inevitable problem for those who got high enough coin multi and/or a Museum HQ. You must know, that multipliers are additive, not multiplicative. So if you have 6x coin multi and 10x steal multi, your multi from stealing will be 16x, not 60x. The developer’s idea is that this should make players to go away from choosing sides and become a balanced player, who splits and steals.
• So sooner or later you will get only around twice as much money from stealing instead of 12x much. You start to think about leaving, playing thief is too hard and unworthy. From this point rewards can’t stimulate you to steal and struggle. Only your current fun and another motives can help you to stay on this path. But, according to the developer’s idea you don’t have to be a professional thief forever. If you survived until this point – than you are not stupid, not exiled, your name is well-known and anyhow, you are a respected player. You can reform and become a splitter. And steal anytime when you wish. And hunt any thief, who messes with you. All roads are open, though the process of earning turns into routine. Or you can die because the game isn’t interesting anymore. Such a death is not so bad. And you don’t have to quit entirely, you can join an artifact org and collect arts once a day like all mummies do. Who knows, maybe new updates in the future will bring something new.

Demand for Changes: How to Reform

You want to bury (not too far) your axe and become an honest and honourable player? Piece of cake.

• Split-split-split-split-split-split-split-split-split-split. For several days – always split. You are bullied by other aggressive sheep? Split! You are now getting stolen by your old colleagues? Split! Believe me, all your victims will understand it.
• Increase your karma! By doing the previous instruction, you will easily do it. No splitter will steal from “Upstanding character” or “King of kindness” guy. Indeed, they will be pleasantly surprised, that you have changed.
• Join some positive org. Stealing orgs for former thieves are troublesome. You can return later maybe, but not today. Artifact orgs are most likely the best choice.
• Speak in chat about it. That you wish to steal less, to split more, to respect others and some other tales. Believe me, some splitters will admit it publicly and agree with you.

Congratulations! After 3-5 days you’re reformed! Now you can publicly blame your old splitters-enemies, that they are thieves and stealing; punish those who steal from you and do anything. You have created a positive image, legalized your gains and become a respectful player.