Messages

7276

Development / Re: Infiltrators

« on: July 15, 2011, 01:04:19 AM »

I've rarely found that the impact of a single infiltrator lives up to the hype.

You haven't seen enough good infils, then.

Hell, I've had infils who were pretty lousy by mosts' standards and still blew away hundreds of bushels of food a day. Get caught? Meh, attack another realm. No more realms left to attack? Move to another continent, resume.

7277

Feature Requests / Re: Double Signatures from New Players

« on: July 15, 2011, 01:02:51 AM »

Have you asked him?

If you didn't, please do.

7278

Feature Requests / Re: Change the government without a revolution

« on: July 15, 2011, 12:59:17 AM »

There are certain underlying characteristics to the government styles that cannot be changed. These thread through the game in many ways that are both public knowledge, and still undiscovered. For example, monarchies and theocracies get a daily stat bonus to the region the ruler is in. Even if you change all positions to monthly elections, switch tot he republican title system, and pretend to be a republic, you will still get the ruler/region stat bonus. And you will not get the bonuses/penalties associated with republics.

Yes, we know that, we know what the consequences of not being able to switch are.

But why? I don't particularly dislike the restriction, as I find the government settings too easy to switch and would not want rulers to change fundamental traits on a whim, but I find it inconsistent that this trait be so difficult to change while the rest is so easy.

7279

Feature Requests / Re: Booze tax at tournaments

« on: July 15, 2011, 12:56:41 AM »

In response we should next grant the option of creating speakeasies and have a new sub-subclass: Bootlegger. Furthermore, in addition to guilds and secret societies, we should have a new "guild" type: Organized Crime Syndicate.

Hey, it IS historically realistic, you can't argue that.

Was it done by major nobles?

7280

Beluaterra / Re: the conflict looming

« on: July 15, 2011, 12:44:05 AM »

And there you have it. That's how Sint gets away with it - they maintain close relations with the realms that border them.

The surprise is not that some people seek their support, but that those who seek vengeance are not enough to overpower those who don't. Consider Mesh, for example, before they turned on Enweil. Had they chosen to turn on Sint instead, they would have gotten our support, and could likely have rallied at least Hetland to their cause. With Mesh on our side instead of against us, we might not have had time to crush Sint before the invasion started, but we certainly could have cracked some of the realms that surround it (Heen and OG).

7281

Beluaterra / Re: the conflict looming

« on: July 15, 2011, 12:41:12 AM »

Well, it's a Tonker thing.  That's what happens when you make a religion around living mortals, all their decisions become divinely correct.

Ramuh is a daimon in human form, or was just crazy, and Nikki and Solips had some long term discussions with Prudent.  Oh course the whole "war is good for you" and the "cult of heroics" overlap an awful lot.

BK was also federated to Enweil, who was in a strategic alliance with the daimons to fight the monsters. That surely helped.

7282

Beluaterra / Re: the conflict looming

« on: July 14, 2011, 12:41:20 PM »

Really? A mystery? I'll tell you why - it's because they have very good diplomacy. Remember the last war? They were allied with both OG and Heen, which were... The two realms that formed 90% of their borders. There's not much you can do against a realm with buffer states - you can loot them, but only if you get through the realms protecting their borders first. That's about it. They were the big dog on their block, and their neighbors consequently sought protection from them, which they effectively provided. This time around, I don't know... I don't know how OG feels about them exactly, but I suspect they're still on alright terms, and I doubt OG cares about what they did during the last invasion. The daimons didn't bother OG, after all, and they were close in the past. Nothoi is suspicious of Fronen, and so therefore likely to cozy up to Sint. As for the daimons, Sint didn't turn on them until fairly late in the game, and I think the daimons felt they had bigger fish to fry in Hetland. Then the Archons came and that was that.

I think OG still has interests in Sint, as an OG/Fronen conflict is likely to re-emerge at some time.

7283

Helpline / Re: Scouting during sea routes

« on: July 14, 2011, 04:12:09 AM »

It's a really meta work of metafiction. See, our characters in the game know that they are characters in the game and as such actually do use the same technology we use because it's recursive: We, the players, are actually the characters, only we don't know about it.

What a boring game our players are playing.

7284

Feature Requests / Re: Booze tax at tournaments

« on: July 14, 2011, 04:09:23 AM »

I could join, but...why? 1000 gold is really nothing.

Most other tournaments offered less.

And the next one I host will offer much, much less. People got used to ridiculously deficitary tournaments. I'm gonna bring a healthy dose of capitalism to the game.

7285

Development / Re: Infiltrators

« on: July 14, 2011, 04:07:24 AM »

Can you avoid death as an infil by simply never going into a realm you're banned from? Or emigrating whenever you have too many bans on you and coming back a couple of weeks later?

Yes.

Considering how many VERY good infils have recently been captured and killed on FEI, I have trouble believing they are ninja's or over powered. My infil with 80% + skill got captured trying the lowest risk RC sabotage mission, quite a surprise I tell you.

It's a gamble. Even if you have good odds of success, you can lose. That being said, the damage you do, compared to what anyone else can do, is epic.

7286

Beluaterra / Re: the conflict looming

« on: July 14, 2011, 04:04:58 AM »

...I tried leading a unit to burn down Keffa, but fade was a pain.

Fade...?

7287

Feature Requests / Re: Booze tax at tournaments

« on: July 13, 2011, 11:56:56 PM »

I think he's just sore that he only has 20 people showing up for his 'huge' tournament

Yea, these bastards.

Next tournament will have much smaller prize and a bigger fee. If I can't reach the world as I thought I could, I'll abuse the !@#$ out of the local clients.

7288

Beluaterra / Re: the conflict looming

« on: July 13, 2011, 11:48:57 PM »

i concur, what have i hated them in the past...
its almost the greatest mystery of BM why sint is not destroyed by either humans OR daimons.

They pussy out to the daimons all the time, and are more useful alive than dead.

Then, all their neighbours have historically needed their aid in their conflicts against everyone else. It was therefore better for OG, Heen, and Mesh to be nice with Sint rather than making a new powerful enemy in their flanks.

Sint is also far from those who do care. Enweil looted it for a few days when we were at war, but it was more to spit in their faces than anything. Marching from Fengen to Sint is just unbearable.

The only one in a position to attack Sint today is OG. And OG is probably still not on great terms with Fronen, indeed I expect a war to break out there sooner or later, so being friends with Sint is a strategic decision for them, and it makes sense on the short term.

That being said, if Sint's next pussying out costs us the continent, I think I'll make hunting the OG characters to all corners of the world one of my priorities. One has to consider long term, and I doubt that long term is that far away.

7289

Far East Island / Re: FEI Newb seeks counsel

« on: July 13, 2011, 11:17:22 PM »

Of course, this is done mostly in jest, since such a case happening is highly unlikely, nor do I think I would ever get the opportunity or, most importantly, the players willing to go along with it.

Hence why I don't take seriously those who throw a hissy fit about these kinds of things. People who *do* pull it off obviously have players willing to go along with it.

7290

Beluaterra / Re: the conflict looming

« on: July 13, 2011, 10:40:35 PM »

We'd rather be friends with them. We'll see what they do.

I honestly cannot understand why *anyone* is letting Sint live, after turning on everyone twice in a row during invasions and throwing themselves at the service of whichever faction knocks on their door all the time.

Despite what Riombara personally did to us, if Sint was on Enweil's border, we'd be attacking Sint before Rio. That's not the official diplomatic position, but let me tell you I personally wouldn't allow it to be any other way, and I'd start that war one way or another.