My best suggestion

Tony wrote: But have you considered  my suggestion.  limiting armies to a short range would really shake it up. It would be totally good.

I did, which lead to my first response--where I basically pointed out that limiting players will only bore the established ones (i.e. about 2 months in) out of the game.  The reduction in threat/danger to new players will also only make most of them complacent as well, and the few who remain motivated will still dominate locally (first by outpacing neighbors economically, which goes unnoticed)--and then quit from boredom as further expansion becomes overly difficult yet retaliation from neighbors equally so.

col0005 wrote: Or perhaps a capture and hold form of attack which would have a simmilar effect but the attacking army would remain in the city untill destroyed or told to go home.

Involuntary protectorates.  HonoredMule approves.  In 3rd person, no less.

It's a happy middle ground between obliteration/total conquest and pointless skirmishes.


Edited by HonoredMule - 06 Jul 2010 at 18:17

We have seen the idea, but don't have a strong opinion on it either way.

There are many things about to change in the game and so we need to consider everything balanced together; especially when a suggestion involves a *fundamental* change to the way the game operates.

On the whole, we like it when players discuss the pros and cons of a suggestion, as they often come up with things that we might not have spotted ourselves.  The more comments, opinions and ideas the better.

So yes, we have read this; no, we're not ignoring it; yes, we're interested in what everyone has to say; no, we're not sold on the idea; and finally yes, we'll continue to keep tabs on the thread.

Regards,

GM Stormcrow

This idea could also give the game a nice feeling of expanding an empire, and away from the centre of the map would give huge strategic benifit to 'holding' potentially hostile towns even if these are small towns with only a relativley small population as they are all potential gateway.

Tony there's already a built in limiting factor to how far a player will send their army: time. If it takes a week to get where (and thus a week to get back) you're not sitting defenseless for two weeks. Time does this in a far more natural and less arbitrary manner than you speak of. Plus look at it this way. right now you can actually choose your alliance mates. In your plan you would be stuck with whomever you spawned next to. Plus what do the ppl at the middle of your expanding blob do after the blob is bigger than 20 squares?

Why don't you try joining a large alliance and see for yourself what form of gameplay is truly stagnant?

Heck, take a leadership position...you could be working in-game from sunup to sundown and never get to launch an army.

Playing lone ranger is deterring your own progression and limiting your own game experience 100-fold.  I can see why from that perspective you should feel like you can lark about with small skirmishes or diplomatic missions on a daily basis without fear of getting steamrolled, because that's the whole game to you:  carving out one small niche amongst 10,000 small niches.  But that's actually a pretty mundane gaming experience, and most eventually get bored and leave if they aren't destroyed anyway.

Alliance members have a chance to be a part of something that may grow large (and sophisticated) enough to earn respect and recognition amongst its peers.  It doesn't require being "first to market," either--a new player will likely never catch up to the strength and development of a 6-month veteran, but a new alliance has a far better chance with so many more factors at play not dictated by game mechanics.  It isn't at all fair to limit our game experience so profoundly (and this certainly would) because you choose not to partake...especially when forces you don't even know about are sticking up for you and your right to play the way you want (even if we don't understand it).

Browser games are a mere platform for much more intricate social battlefields containing allies you haven't even met.  Multiple alliances label themselves as training or protection alliances and harbor newbies until they are developed (Shrapnel heads one such alliance).  Several other large alliances promote by peaceful means a nurturing attitude toward new players, or at least disallow their own members from attacking them.

Also, a day or two away isn't that far.  And as pointed out earlier, limiting recruitment choices by locality really narrows your neighborhood from a social aspect.  The only players you get to interact with meaningfully (and therefore at all in practice) are those well within your control radius.  Tough luck if they're all jerks.