T Minus 28 Days

[OFaolain]

As a developer myself I can say this is a very bad idea on the developer's side. Those who say this is selfish are unjust in there cause. These lands that the developers are just wiping out are built in history and player creation. By wiping these out you are removing all that has been achieved which is a real shame.

I play in Dwilight and I can say by forcing the west east, you are removing all the great cities and homes they have worked upon. This is a real shame as the game was truly developing in this continent and I can say as a new player how active and alive it felt. But this new idea will not make the game more exciting but will force people away. Your idea of trying to bring more players  is only pushing players out. If this is what you want the end Battlemaster itself is near, as word of mouth is a powerful force positively and negatively. 

Perhaps a better plan would be to reboot the game and give people an even footing to reclaim smaller lands, rather then crushing all that has been achieved. A game called Utopia used to do this and made it fair and just for all.

Advertise that Dwilight is sinking and let everyone emigrate to a new, smaller continent as a fresh start?  I like that idea, actually, that'd be pretty cool.  I am, however, not looking forward to the flood of Asylonian refugees I expect to show up in Corsanctum.

[Andrew]

If we sink an island, why not just nuke the game from orbit island-wise.

New islands, new maps, no history, fresh start, period. THAT, would be interesting.

As it stands now, I'm a bit annoyed that I chose to come back to BM just in time to have it all turned upside down again. And in a realm at the fore-front of it at that.

Actually, I wonder how hard it would be to implement the map logic that Tom is using for M&F over on BM. Make the maps more fluid, and fluctuate the size based on the number of players. Heck, you can buy the game that BM's maps are made from on Steam right now (That's Age of Wonders 1, by the way). It'd take some effort to do, admittedly, but it might be better in the end.

[Chenier]

I'm a little worried about the effects, particularly for Dwilight, though I assume they probably assume.

In the past, we've seen a number of west-east wars. I think it's been generally agreed that having as many neighbors as possible is a good thing, and that long linear continents are contrary to this. Indeed, Dwilight's halfs are so thin, that there are no realms side by side, save for Corsanctum which almost snuggles in between Morek and Swordfell anyways.

More people per realm, great, for sure. But even in the earlier days, when the whole north had a lot of people and grew, laterally, into a snuggle-fest, options quickly became limited for them.

[Logar]

I am not knocking the methods that the Devs have used for the recent changes on Dwilight, I will keep on playing regardless even if it means moving my home. I would have prefered a complete wipe for the island though, starting it out fresh.

A meteor strike could have landed in the sea dead in the centre creating a destructive sunami wiping out all life everywhere. After the water receded, life once again began to re-root with the mosters being the first to arrive. Now the humans arrive with the drive to once again make this island their home, as it once was for their ancestors. Many ruined temples are discovered with hidden relics of the old empires giving the chance to discover how their ancestors once lived. Let the conquer of lands begin, but first the monsters must be driven from the hills.

[Andrew]

Actually, the East Island and Far East Island are thinner than Dwilight. It's just that Dwilight hasn't had enough protracted civil wars to really break up the realms. It's got the cities to break it up a lot more, it just hasn't happened. Not enough people ruffling feathers I think. That and the Astroist realms didn't want to declare war on each other for fear of pissing off every OTHER astroist realm.

[Anaris]

For all of those asking for a complete wipe, really think about what you're saying for a minute.

Right now, this is pissing off players who care about their realm and history in Barca, Kindara, Darka, and Eponllyn.

If we were to simply wipe the entire game and start fresh, it would piss off all those same people, plus the people in Sirion, Suville, Arcaea, Morek, and even Riombara, Thalmarkin, Oritolon, and Outer Tilog.

Yes, this results in some people losing land to ice or monsters and others not.

The answer to that isn't to complain that it's unfair. It's to make sure that the people not losing land to ice or monsters lose it to you guys.

Furthermore, given the scope of the problem we're trying to solve, making completely new maps for the entire game just wouldn't have been realistic within the timeframe we had in which to act. I know: I suggested it first. My original proposal to the dev team to counter the idea of just simply sinking 1 island was, indeed, a total reset, sinking all the existing islands and making new maps (I even bought Age of Wonders; just $6 on Steam!). But realistically, that would have taken months—months when the problems of the game wouldn't have been getting any better, because not only would we have not put anything in place to slow the bleeding, we wouldn't even have time to do bugfixing and new development.

So while I've still got my original idea in my back pocket for some future time when we need to spice up the game further, for now, this is by far the more preferable option.

[Chenier]

Actually, the East Island and Far East Island are thinner than Dwilight. It's just that Dwilight hasn't had enough protracted civil wars to really break up the realms. It's got the cities to break it up a lot more, it just hasn't happened. Not enough people ruffling feathers I think. That and the Astroist realms didn't want to declare war on each other for fear of pissing off every OTHER astroist realm.

Pretty sure I saw that linear geography named out a few times back when both of these islands got a little stale, too.

Not saying something better could have been done. Not really any easy perfect solution out there.

[Zadar]

Yes this event sucks. I don't know whos idea it was and I don't care. You should have just inform us on Atamara that just stop playing, This can happen only in eastern europe and propably someone will be pissed about this messages aswell .

Why we can't disagree what you have done? Don't you have any kind of pride at all ?

[Zadar]

The north or south polls? But no-one was told what those polls were about, were they? It's more than a little bizarre to have based the direction of freezing on that.

Indeed ,it should be posted on game not here where only couple of brainwashed will answer.  I do suggest that everyone will pause their characters and concentrate to play there where they really wants.

[Velax]

Enough, Zader. You don't like it, that's fine. We get it. But the constant hostility and ridiculous hyperbole is unnecessary and won't be tolerated.

[Chenier]

Does this move suck? Sure. But where the game was headed sucked too. Not all problems have nice solutions to them.

[Penchant]

Does this move suck? Sure. But where the game was headed sucked too. Not all problems have nice solutions to them.

Thank you Chenier. 

[jaune]

I have not followed recent player/character count, but atleast in Darka we didnt have that much problem with lack of nobility... What i try to say, were Atamara somehow troubleous with lack of nobility?

AA @ BT sure could use some nobles... but this thing doesnt seem to directly effect BT, but ofcourse if half of Atamara is frozen, sure some will move to BT.

-Jaune

[Chenier]

I do really hope, though, that the Dev team attempts to find a way to crunch the continents together to form some kind of Pangaea. Smaller continents mean higher density, and it was required, but it also means lower neighbor count, which is bad. Short seas separating the continents, perhaps some of them crashing into each other completely, physically in contact with a few mountains springing up in between.

[Anaris]

I do really hope, though, that the Dev team attempts to find a way to crunch the continents together to form some kind of Pangaea. Smaller continents mean higher density, and it was required, but it also means lower neighbor count, which is bad. Short seas separating the continents, perhaps some of them crashing into each other completely, physically in contact with a few mountains springing up in between.

That is not currently in our plans.