Newbie Protection
From OGame Wiki
Newbie Protection is designed to allow players the opportunity to grow without being destroyed by much stronger players. It also stops new players from attacking much stronger players who would destroy them in the ensuing melee.
[edit] How does Newbie Protection work?
The Rule of Fives
< 5.000 points: You can´t attack players with more then 500% of your own points or less then 20% of your own points. Those people can´t attack you either.
(e.g. A player with 3,000 points would not be allowed to attack someone with fewer than 600 points.)
Players with fewer than 20% of your points will be displayed on the Galaxy View screen in green and will have a small "n" displayed next to their names. No player may attack another who has more than 5 times their points if they are still in newbie protection.
(e.g. A player with 3,000 points would not be allowed to attack someone with more than 15,000 points.)
Players with more than 500% of your points will be displayed on the Galaxy View screen in red and will have a small "s" displayed next to their names if you are still in newbie protection.
> 5.000 points: You can't attack anybody who has less than 20% of your score and is under 5000 points, and they can't attack you. You can attack everybody else, and they can attack you.
> 25.000 points: You can attack everybody who has more then 5.000 points and those people can attack you too.
Simplified Explanation
If you have less than 5,000 points you cannot be attacked or attack anyone with greater than 5 times your score.
Anyone you are noob protected from will have (s) next to their name and be in red; anyone who is noob protected from you will have (n) next to their name and be in green.
Anyone above 5,000 points can attack or be attacked by anyone else above 5,000 points.
Newbie Protection also extends to Espionage Probes and Interplanetary Missiles.
If a player is inactive, Newbie Protection does not apply.
Note that if one's points was at or above minimum amount of points required for a certain player to attack you, but has since dropped below it, if that player has already sent a fleet to attack prior to the drop, one will still get hit.
At some point in the game, a player comes completely out of newbie protection- any player can attack them no matter how many points they have. Some players watch for new players coming out of newbie protection, because they know that inexperienced players such as these can be easy and profitable targets.