We probably shouldn't overestimate new players so much. I don't think Dwilight is appropriate as a newbie-accessible island. BT isn't, and that was probably due to Invasions rather than any significant human mechanics. Well, Dwilight is much more different than the other continents (More so than 1 turn a day Colonies). You get only 1 noble character on the continent. You have to have a proper name. You have to be serious about what you say and do (Kind of).
I just don't think Dwilight is a very good continent to let new players join in immediately. It is far better to give them the other options (Yes, even BT) so they have some room to understand the feel of things before going off to the more "serious" place.
Hey, I even got SMA complaints against me for not using someone's full title...and the only time I did that was to this guy who insisted on signing his letters with a period at the end (this: . ) and continued to call me Garett (OMG!!!! How hard is it to copy+paste my signature?!) It made me scratch my head in annoyance.
Anyway, that's what I think ought to be the future for Dwilight. Does that mean fewer players will come? Possibly. But I think that way more people will actually stay.
I completely and totally disagree with this.
Dwilight is a piece of cake to keep new players in. Terran very rarely loses a new player. Constant fighting, frequent position turnover due to regions gained/lost, interesting religious dynamics, opportunities for expansion, constant demand for knights empowering the lower ranks...
Teaching new players SMA improves the whole game. Dwilight is already underpopulated; don't restrict it even more (especially since it's one of the only continents that is statistically not completely !@#$ing up in terms of retention).
