well, if there is any interest to further think on that, a wider discussion could be open.
if you find out exploiting scenario as you mention, would it not be incentive to make some other changes to diplomacy system. for instance, weight could be mostly given to neighboring realms, not distant realms. relations to distant realms are anyhow quite senseless - in my personal view - similarly to "teleport" wars.
was it ever discussed that realms, for instance, cannot wage wars within anyone else but neighbors? that could possibly remove some current "illogical" things in diplomacy. among the worst in current situation - though i could count more than one - are weak small realms that are inferior to neighbors, but have all neighbors as friends. instead of senseless sending troops over the whole continent width just to find some amusement to nobles, such realms should either try to ally with one neighbor against another - or simply disappear, which should be much more logical course of events than it is now - in my view.
as regards to wounds worsening, with all good intention in trying to see it as intent to give more realistic feel, i feel nothing else but thorn in my side. previously you would be wounded little or much, which is random, and than you would have some stable course of healing. currently it really feels as harassment - after few days of healing wounds worsen again, and that lasts for the whole week effectively putting character out of any game.
i personally feel it would be much more fair to simply kill character through random game mechanics, than harass it just to create - in my view - fake feeling how player has a choice. there are some of my characters which i would never shut down naturally, and if i do so only because i cannot stand game-created harassment, i really don't feel it was my choice - i was forced to do that because of mechanics' bullying.
it is even worse that i do not see that only old characters suffer from that. every of my chars which are even moderately experienced suffer from wounding most of time. that practically means my characters are forced to leave the game right in the moment when they gained sensibly high skills, recognition within some realm etc. at the age of 40.
that does not make sense, really, that is in vile contraction with any attempt to develop stable long-term career, which is "promised" by many other game elements. i see only glum atmosphere where nobles in age of 35 are making last attempts to accomplish something before being sentenced to endless wounding. moreover, what accomplishments should there be? i am pretty sure i am not the only player who finds no joy in quick rush after titles.
