Closing Islands ?

[Qyasogk]

We artificially restrict new players to only being able to play on two out of six islands (I've been playing for almost 8 months and still only get 2 nobles), if both of your nobles are on the same island, then you only get to experience ONE of the six.

I don't know how you can have a discussion about character density and not address that you have a lot of players that would love to play on more than one or two islands, but you are preventing them from doing so.

[pcw27]

Character limits start at 2 for new players? When I first started you could play three.

[Gustav Kuriga]

We artificially restrict new players to only being able to play on two out of six islands (I've been playing for almost 8 months and still only get 2 nobles), if both of your nobles are on the same island, then you only get to experience ONE of the six.

I don't know how you can have a discussion about character density and not address that you have a lot of players that would love to play on more than one or two islands, but you are preventing them from doing so.

This is a huge part of the problem.

[Penchant]

We artificially restrict new players to only being able to play on two out of six islands (I've been playing for almost 8 months and still only get 2 nobles), if both of your nobles are on the same island, then you only get to experience ONE of the six.

I don't know how you can have a discussion about character density and not address that you have a lot of players that would love to play on more than one or two islands, but you are preventing them from doing so.

One island is just your own fault, but I can see some reason for two although it still seems to me like some players just aren't really doing much if they don't have 5 fame after awhile. I had I think 10 after playing for a year.

Some easy ones IMO:

1. 10 prestige for a character
2. 20 prestige for a character
3. 20 prestige for a family
4. 2000 family gold is easy with a little bit of effort over time
5. Family Investment can be done if you go for 2000 family gold

There isn't much reason that those can't be achieved within say 6-8 months although if you got a lordship you would get a fame point there and you could found a guild or Secret Society for 2 fame points.

[Ketchum]

Hmmm the Colonies are undergoing a bit of player forced restructure...if we can ever force the last hold out nation into the Colonial Federation that is.  It is basically a reset back to single city realms with perks for infiltrators and a few other little tidbits all in the hope of creating more action.  If the Colonies were to go...its not bad timing.

Cons are that it is the single turn island... and also would be the end of Outer Tilog.  But tough times call for tough measures.

I am good with what ever... so long as the game keeps trucking.

Well, that is why you and others do a player forced reset or something like that 8)

One unique thing I like about Colonies island is there is 1 turn a day. Other islands have 2 turns a day. Battles on Colonies will be slow, and you need to rethink strategy and adjust to it. Couple with older players who have almost to less time on playing Battlemaster, they mostly prefer Colonies island. Also many island(2 turns a day) Judges seems to like to deport infiltrators here as a kind of "punishment of 1 turn a day". How about if we do a Graph checking on Battlemaster players ages instead? Then we can cater according to the age groups and so on, just like in real life surveys ;)

EDIT: Also if I recall correctly, EC has a Peace time period until Tom decided to lightning bolt all the Rulers and thus the island started their wars again. Will this method work again to regain players interests? ;D

[Revan]

Third, changing character limits. That can be discussed in a different topic, it doesn't solve the problem of dropping player count.

Can we discuss character limits in another thread? We know that an island or two is going to be closed now and discussing character limits/which continents go is perhaps less important than refining the method:

Gathering everything that has been said, I think here's something that most people could live with. Yes, I realize it will be unpopular still, but frankly, if we don't do anything, the game will run into the ground. Please read this in full before you comment:


On the island(s) picked for armageddon, we will implement some kind of "slow" destruction (meaning a few months at most from start to finish). There is a bonus for holding on and surviving. Something along the lines of honour and prestige gains for everyone in a realm that still has more than half their original regions (or something like that, just thinking out loud there).

Some fully-automated outside force will push realms down. A combination of starvation and monster/undead spawns would be fairly easy to do. Rogue regions can not be taken back - what is lost is lost.

However, we realize that people hate losing their realms and social connections. So every realm can retreat in an orderly fashion by declaring a target island. We will manually re-create the realm there and those who flee can join it. Details TBD (landing location? how to get a region or two to get started?). This way, people can move to a different island with their entire realm. Sure, you lose your land and all, but the people are sitll there and you can rebuild.

The longer you hold, the more you win, but if you miss the optimum point to leave, you will make your re-start on the target island more difficult.


This is just a thought, nothing has been set in stone. But do let me know your thoughts.

As I said, lots of things are not thought through.

Religions may have to be re-founded, or we find an option for them as well. Gaining a foothold will be hard, and I expect quite a few realms to perish. However, those with the right strategy, good diplomacy and a tiny bit of luck should be able to make it.

[Revan]

Speaking from experience, you're no less thrown into the deep end if you get a lordship after two years then if you get one after two weeks. As it stands now, being a Knight doesn't prepare you in any way for a lordship because there are virtually no shared mechanics. Being Steward might help a tiny bit.

My point was more that a lot of players now are being thrown into positions of power with only a shallow grasp of the game and the roles they're being asked to fill. The mechanics aren't that difficult but people are rising without any sense of what's expected of them or being able to interact well with their fellow players.

The hierarchy in each realm should look more like a pyramid. Lots of knights on the bottom, fewer lords in the middle, then the council and ruler above. Nowadays though hierarchy is top heavy in many realms. Lords and council members can outnumber knights. That can't be healthy from a standpoint of integrating players into the game and spreading around knowledge and experience. I've seen more than one person appointed General simply because no-one else was interested and when called upon to make a city assault, they haven't known about siege engines.

Players shouldn't join BattleMaster and immediately find themselves at the top of the hierarchy in a matter of weeks. Fair enough, we don't want a return to the times when you could wait years to finally find yourself a lordship but it has gone too far in the opposite direction now. That's one of the reasons why it will be a good thing to lose a continent or two and condense the existing player base. Hierarchy will function more like it should.

[Jaden]

I feel that there should be more positions like Stewards that will enable knights to do more stuff.. Perhaps a Chancellor? Chaplain? Champion?
they should be like Stewards and not show up in titles to prevent people from having a whole page of titles
Small things like those really makes knights feel appreciated
I would also commend Perdan on their system of army promotions, it really feels like you are progressing somewhere and you are not just stuck there as a knight and that your efforts are actually noticed.

[Eduardo Almighty]

While there's no problems in have more thing to give to the Knights, it's important to have more Knights, after all.

Players shouldn't join BattleMaster and immediately find themselves at the top of the hierarchy in a matter of weeks.

I had to play in a high level for years, fight against many and many enemies and fight even inside my own Council to become Duke of Avamar with Erik. After that, with the decline of players, I saw many people becoming Duke in a blink and disappearing without a trace in the same speed. Now, even with some solutions like direct appointments, we have people becoming Lord without a word... or worse... I faced some situations with no candidates at all.

[Tiridia]

One thing that occurred to me is that now that we know an island is going to sink, it should begin as soon as is feasible. I only play one character, and right now I notice it is demotivating me to do anything much with him regarding the continent and its developments as I am wondering whether or not it will be the island to sink or not. Whatever happens and whichever island is chosen, I hope it shall be declared soon. There may be others who share this sentiment.

Whilst I love Dwilight, if it were to be sunk, my character would live on.

[Stabbity]

Not to mention Dwilight is the one island where sea travel is actually interesting. Its the only continent where you can do more than sail in a circle around the island... Sea travel on Belu? Yay, one big circle. When it gets implement on other islands? Just as bad.

[Eduardo Almighty]

I dont know if it helps with density, but that would be good to close an island and then send the people to Dwilight.

[Revan]

Nothing good can come of a negative poll and discussion. If you want to weigh in, I am a LOT more interested in which islands to definitely KEEP and why.

I know closing islands is about density and this may sound counter-factual, but I think there is an argument to be made for keeping one or even both of the largest continents, Dwilight and Atamara. Solely on the basis of their geography really. They are unique in BattleMaster in the sense of being large, wide and expansive continents. The result is more realms, which should lead to more wars and an absence of monolithic north vs south power blocs. Wars can and do start without an island wide conflagration and they tend to happen all around the continent as opposed to a singal central area on the map. I think it would be a shame if we lost this more open BattleMaster experience completely.

[Valast]

Hmm... I am not saying it is a good or bad idea but... the Colonies could go.  Let the players emigrate to where ever they want (or need due to character limits on islands) but transport Outer Tilog (and any others who wish to join them) to the Zuma's lands.  Then Outer Tilog continues to exist and can carry on the history of the Colonies.  (Hitch a ride with the Lich King to visit the Zuma)

Sure we loose the Zuma but Outer Tilog is the nearest player driven nation in comparison to them already. 

This would put about 100 characters onto other islands.  Do not get me wrong.  I love the Colonies but truth is we have a lower player count than other islands.  We are the least thought of and least used...but on the other hand also the least complained about.

What the game will loose from the Colonies is a one turn per day island... but all islands and nations are directed to not judge a player by activity level anyway.

Would doing something along this line be considered too much work due to restructuring the Zuma lands ownership from GM to character?

[Foundation]

Consider:

Close BT, migrate to Dwilight (the only testing island left). Close Colonies, migrate to other stable islands.

If the Zuma can be replaced, not assumed, by players, a lot of Zuma specific code can be removed. (Outer Tilog)

Result:

3 stable islands and 1 testing island left (I recommend making Dwilight immigration-only like BT so new players can concentrate on stable islands).