When I first started the game I was playing another one where battles were very... infrequent. My first character was brought in in Etoge and the next turn was in a battle against a small horde. Almost all of his men were killed in the battle as he was the only one fighting, but he won. And I was hooked.
I think in order to get more player retention we need to give instant battles to them. How hard would it be to code something where a horde appears when a new player does? Give them an instant battle and let them get that rush of adrenalin?
Another thought, People talk about old players possibly coming back. This game has changed a lot over the years with Trade, Estates, Sea Travel etc. Tom, you must have emails for people that have deleted accounts. Is there any thought to write these old players and extend an invitation to come back? Perhaps an incentive where they can start with more characters than a true newb?
I don't think closing an island is a good idea as it will loose us more players. What we need is more players or something to recruit more players.
