It's a different scale though.  I'm around 18 to 21 on the overall rankings, shy of 100k points.
The #90 player currently - and granted we don't know if he has fleets in the air, or what-not, so the rankings aren't necessarily to a "T" ... is an AZG player with ~30k points.  Yeah, I'm a good bit bigger, but that's 70ish ranks.
Then you go to a top 5 overall and the point gap is 3x for a ranking jump of only 10-15 ranks.  There's not much for it.  There are players in the 50s that have planets too heavily-defended for me to attack or fleets that I can't single-handedly crash for a profit.  I mean, I can destroy their fleet totally, but at a net loss to myself as well, so I don't do it.
Most of the Vengeance guys don't have that issue.  If they want to crash someone it's as simple as "will I hit him, or will he get out of the way."  There's no specter of losing a fleet.  If you throw everything at them on an attack they might lose more than they expected, but you'll lose everything.
Meaning that it doesn't impact how I play that much.  I'm not going to waste time probing planets of players who have almost as many points in defense as I do, total.  I'll hunt players within 75k or so of me either way, and avoid the players with 150k+ points of me.  Somebody sends 7 death stars and ~1000 destroyers at me?  I move.  Can't do anything else.
It'll change somewhat over time, if people are dedicated enough to closing the gap - has to, for the game's health.  It's not good for the game when the top 20 players are all in 1-3 alliances.  But it will take time and if someone's committed to keeping it from happening they can really impede parity.
					
															
															Re: SirDuction [Vengeance] VS Lukin [RAWK]
#41I got the rationale of a New York cop
I got the patience of a chopping block
					
					
					
																																																			
					I got the patience of a chopping block

 
  
 
 Lay down your souls to the Gods of RAWK 'n roll
 Lay down your souls to the Gods of RAWK 'n roll  - Istalris
  - Istalris