That doesnt mean you cannot focus on something other then war. Or that the dev wont develop other aspects of the game.

This does not mean that you have to be the person harming them. Perhaps your favorite trade partner could do it for you. It just proves my point of it being a diplomacy game with war or... attacking if you will as the most advanced step in diplomacy.

Guff!! Guff.

Rabble.

Guff!!!

Yep.

SMH.

Mag out.

I hope this is your orc alt talking... 

Or find a way to have everyone honor their neutrality.  Not declaring war seems like a good start. 

This does not mean that you HAVE to interact with those players, you may choose to remain silent and to yourself, and that is your personal diplomacy with those around you "I'll leave you alone and expect you to leave me alone". Some players wish to bring strife to their gaming world, and so they instigate PvP or alliance war, through their personal diplomatic actions "I spit in your face, what are you gonna do about it?" Others find people they get along with (and probably would be friends in real life) and develop a positive bond with those around them "I'll help you out if you help me too"

Because of all of this, we say that Illy is what you make of it, and that is a true statement. The incredible scale of the game leads to a better development of positive bonds (my last example above) and that has shown. The fact that it takes so long to build up a significant military force leads those middle example players to not stay around in Illy, though some of the more dedicated people will make it work.

ILLY IS A DIPLOMATIC GAME. It has several elements to it, but it's core is all about player relationships.

The basics of the game have evolved from the early days of 2 years ago.

2 years ago ... Ahhh.... The White war had concluded a couple of months earlier.  The original opportunity to move cities would have been a few weeks earlier.  There was the first war against WE by some alliances.  TMM destruction was under way, iirc - or at least becoming imminent.  

The mechanics of siege are different now.  Combat has been tweaked.   In the military sense I think Illy 2 years ago vs. today is not a meaningful comparison.  

Just send me all your adv res, send your troops to the HOC, and exodus your cities 1 sq north.  You will get a new 'discovery' the illy "Kool Aid"

i'm not apprehending the difference between these two.  in a game in which one's opponent cannot permanently be extinguished, war must be about defining a relationship.

illyriad tends to be a building game at the beginning, and can be many things in the mid-game (the "many paths" tale that is told to developing players), but in the endgame only the military aspects have been developed.  that may not be the case forever, but atm there seems to be little reason to build other than to generate income and resources to acquire income and resources...to build armies.

Or just stick to Luna's ironic formula, "this is a serious war game". 

 

Illyriad can be so much more than a simple game of war and strategy. It is not a one dimensional experience despite the strong opinions that have been voiced in favour of "the war game" argument.

 

Trade now has a highly prominent role in the games mechanics and has not yet been fully understood by the community. Although we had the  "Great Trove Square Grab" after the release of Tv2 only a few people have yet grasped the potential of "trade" .

 

However , for me ,  the most important and enjoyable aspect of Illyriad still remains fantasy and roleplay of the game that is contained within the games narrative, race origins and factional histories. I am saddened that this aspect has been in decline since the game began and feel that  many players who focus on the statistical/ analytical approach miss out on what can be a rich and creative experience that can be enjoyable for all.

 

Illyriad's sandbox is so much more rewarding if the "spirit of the game" is upheld through roleplay rather simply being reduced  to a "who won and who lost mentality..."

 

...good luck for the future all

... you can make your kingdom a shadowy place of thieves and assasins ... 

... you can make your kingdom a benevolent place of elven scouts and special espionage (btw, why not diplomatic commanders ? it just occured to me ... )

... you can make your kindgom a fair trading and crafting heaven ... 

... you can be a mercenary warchief that lends his sword to the highest bidder ...

... you can be a noble palladin constantly in the quest of upholding your ideals (usually with your sword) ... 

etc etc ... 

It is true that the variety and role-play is immense so, I guess that if we had to give this game a label it could only be a "fantasy" game ... if we could stick more labels, only then would open-ended, trading, diplomacy and warmaking would come next ... 

It is really very simple... it is a game regarding various aspects of the Diplomatic Warlord Crafter/Merchant (and eventually a Mage that dabbles here and there in arts best left unknown for now) who is hell bent on friendships and enemies, and not necessarily in that order!

Or we could state that the game is just that.. a game that is as complex string theory and various branches of ideology with it to suit most any appetite for varied game play.

Personally I love the diplomacy, intrigue, and wars.. with peace smattered around for other avenues to test my adventuresome spirit

LONG LIVE THE DWARVEN LORDS!

And 'The Coalition' with whom we side!

Cant believe we are fighting over what kind of game it is. 

I look at it the way the devs designed it. They have stats for highest attacks/defence/siege/blockade. None for diplomacy. 

I'll say it is a war game which the community prefers to play differently.

Something for the suggestions forum, maybe, but what could it do above the number of assassinated commanders?   And when folks talked about a diplomacy game in this thread it wasn't about assassins or thieves.

So we can see military power is just one more avenue to pursue your agenda. Diplomacy game.

 

I think many players will agree that - if exercising power and diplomacy brings kudos then lurking on the sidelines and waiting ....and waiting... brings the opposite ....

 

....Hi Scott . how ya doing