Again, TMP and Treaty Friction both are punishments for failure to adhere to desired gameplay mechanics. This is the kind of coding we need to get away from - and it's the kind of coding that's killing the game, by making it less fun. There are no BENEFITS to these actions (just normalization of game play. Which, despite what everyone might think is not a benefit. You should have normalization with minimal efforts involved)
I'm in C'Thonia right now - my unit dropped to 11% training from TMP (from around 50-55%), making it effectively useless in battle. I can't even go fight rogues with that - never mind go take on Zonasa or Cathay or Arcaea. We're desperately trying to get into war, but region maintenance and TMP combined have effectively crippled our military. We can't war, we cant fight, and we can't leave our Realm. Basically, we are !@#$ed.
And this is not because we don't want to do these things - it's because the punishment based system of coding has destroyed our ability to do them.
We need to restructure the game mechanics to provide INCENTIVES. Making bad things happen to players or Realms because things aren't happening is a very, very bad way of trying to make game play happen. This is the single, biggest change that needs to be made to the way coding and game changes are made.
You want to avoid cold wars? Then have take overs, large battles, conquests, looting, pillaging etc all add to the "bonus" War provides (whether you're doing it or the other person is besides the point, so long as it happens - the peasants are joyous when they are winning, but get fearful and sign up when they are losing). At an initial declare, have a small positive effect - it can grow (helping the Realm stay at war) as "combat" related actions occur. If like the Astrum-Madina war there is no combat, then it should drop towards zero bonus. If the war isn't happening, the peasants lose their fear/enthusiasm for the war and eventually it becomes meaningless to them. It's the reverse of the TMP code - good things happen when you fight, as opposed to !@#$ty things happen when you don't. Fight because it's good for you - not because you'll suffer if you don't.
People like to have lots of treaties because it keeps them safe (and helps keep the realm safe) - but there's also no advantage to NOT being in mass alliances and peace fests. There is a distinct DISADVANTAGE to it however. Treaty Friction is another punishment way of trying to destroy these mass alliances.
Provide bonuses to Realms who *don't* have lots of mass alliances and peace - a measure maybe where having an ally or two and a peaceful relation or two is normal, or where being part of a small federation (but with no allies) is considered "normal" - being above that incurs negatives on your realm morale/loyalty/glory (a realm that never fights and is at peace/allied with everyone is hardly "glorious", more like a cowardly nation that can't stand up to anyone and never shows any military might). If you have less than the "normal" level of allies/peace you gain bonuses to your realm stats and glory. Bigger realms suffer higher negatives (but normal positives) since they shouldn't need allies to be safe, smaller Realms gain more positive benefits (but suffer the normal negatives) since they probably could use more allies but not having them should be rewarded.
This "balance" act works in the favour of everyone - it makes it possible to do ALL these things, but harder to have lots of alliances (but if you're at war, you may not notice them). Where as if you are smaller without a lot of allies (but at peace often) you'll still get some benefits.
The play styles and actions can balance out these differences. And the best part is that Realms with low-ally counts who fight a lot receive the best bonus combination - and that kind of small-realm constant warfare is what we are TRYING to encourage hopefully.
