Sigh...

[Indirik]

No, I don't think it has. For the longest time it was North&South V. Center. Then once that war series was done, both the north and south turned on themselves. Then they turned back toward the center. And the center joined with the north, then turned on it.... Perhaps it is a bit too early to call it a done deal, but the way it's lined up now, it sure does look pretty locked up.

[Atanamir]

In EC, I can tell you, we don't have a Northern Alliance. But that will happen because of the Southern Alliance.

Sirion is an alliance for itsself.
A realm with 33 regions.
If someone wants to look for stagnation then look on the list of dead realms which are buried of these 33 regions.
The SA was only formed to be able to counter such an empire like Sirion has created.
And that is because as Indirik stated...

The low player count is what got us to where we are.

Perdan in old times with 100+ chars could taken on Sirion alone, which would leave other war options for the other realms open.
And there you would have your pluralism.
Now we can't, nor any of the other southern realms can, that's why we formed the SA.
Sirion is too strong, that's why realms have to work together.

But I will disagree with Indirik on another issue.
Eponllyn - without the glacier thing - could have done other things.
Eponllyn - now, with the glacier - could only choose between A or B, but that's not the fault of the other players or rulers.
It's the fault of Eponllyn for not taking things into the hand earlier.
If you are unhappy with something then change it yourself, do not wait for others to change it.

It's always the same Indirik, when you get the downside somewhere you come here to the forum whining and point with fingers at others, what a dejavu...
For those who can't remember the last time:

http://forum.battlemaster.org/index.php/topic,4351.msg122317.html#msg122317

It is as with Garin IC, at least you keep us entertained with the lack of knowledge of the continent's politics.

[Hinamoto]

EC needs an apocalipse, a sudden war against daimons like BT had with a nice plot or something similar. Something like a "call of cthulu" scenario where people celebrates getting a crate of food over rising a new lvl 5 temple. Heavily reduce population everywhere (maybe a plague?) and reduce significantly the amount of gold, make every penny count.

I think that in order to have some new politic dynamics we need to join everyone with the same goal, to rebuild everything after.

[Anaris]

EC needs an apocalipse, a sudden war against daimons like BT had with a nice plot or something similar. Something like a "call of cthulu" scenario where people celebrates getting a crate of food over rising a new lvl 5 temple. Heavily reduce population everywhere (maybe a plague?) and reduce significantly the amount of gold, make every penny count.

I think that in order to have some new politic dynamics we need to join everyone with the same goal, to rebuild everything after.

Well, once I can get finished up with the current important things (which include the Ice Age, overhauling the Titan system so that they can be back up and running ASAP, and...one or two other things that haven't been announced yet), I'll be working on a set of serious changes to how war works. It's my hope that that will provide at least some impetus for change on all continents. (Don't expect the results of it to be rolling in before late April, early May at this point, though—and testing first, of course.)

[Eduardo Almighty]

The SA was only formed to be able to counter such an empire like Sirion has created.

I really doubt, but whatever 
As it seems, the polarization of big realms/alliances is a problem of every Continent.

[Indirik]

It is as with Garin IC, at least you keep us entertained with the lack of knowledge of the continent's politics.

Really? You have to bring IC insults on to the forum to attack the players?

[Atanamir]

Really? You have to bring IC insults on to the forum to attack the players?

You come here and say repeatedly that people are more or less brainless drones and just play by reading a publically available script.
You really expected to write such insults in here and that it won't backfire on you?
Excuse me but I have not played 10 years and shaped EC along with other great players to be called such things.
If you can't take the heat, then don't open the gas valve...

[Hinamoto]

You come here and say repeatedly that people are more or less brainless drones and just play by reading a publically available script.
You really expected to write such insults in here and that it won't backfire on you?
Excuse me but I have not played 10 years AND SHAPED EC along with other great players to be called such things.
If you can't take the heat, then don't open the gas valve...

I read "shaved" and i laughed... sorry its monday.

[Indirik]

You come here and say repeatedly that people are more or less brainless drones and just play by reading a publically available script.
You really expected to write such insults in here and that it won't backfire on you?
Excuse me but I have not played 10 years and shaped EC along with other great players to be called such things.
If you can't take the heat, then don't open the gas valve...

I'll take a page from your book on this one: "I never called anyone a "brainless drone". I didn't name anyone, you're taking this all too personally. I'm not insulting anyone."

Yes, we all played alongside great players. Yes, we've all played for years. Yes, we've all shaped the island, etc., etc. None of that exempts us from responsibility for the situation that has evolved. Every player on the EC, including me and you, are responsible for how things have evolved.

And yeah, I did post something similar to the way I started this thread. And if you'll note from that post, and from this one here, I'm not the only one that feels this way. If it was just me, then sure, sour grapes, one random nutjob, whatever... But it's not. That prior post was written following an OOC message from the EC ruler's channel where the rulers of EC were bemoaning the fact of how EC was turning into a sucky place. (And I didn't start that conversation, either.) I stand by what I said back then. And nothing has changed.

Moving past all that, convince me that I'm wrong. Convince me that events on EC are not now where anyone could have predicted they would be, one year ago today. (Again, making allowances for the ice age event.) IC letters just point out how lock-step everyone is marching. I tried to break things up, and just got locked out. Yes, I failed to split things up, and effect some change to the political landscape.

So, convince me that the EC is a rich and vibrant political landscape, chock full of opportunity, variety, and options. I don't think you or anyone else can honestly stand here and say that anyone on the EC right has more than these two options: 1) Join the Southern Alliance, and 2) Join the Northern Alliance. Anyone who tries anything else gets smacked down.

[Sonya]

What the hell happened to the EC? It used to be my favorite island. 

I are disappoint. 

Quick response:
Fontan is gone...that's what happened!


Response after reading lead post and replies:

The issue with EC is the same as Far East, the shape. Sooner or later the continent would be divided in two sides, since Perdan got rid of Ibladesh+DOA a balancing force and Sirion got rid of Fontan+SOA another balancing force.

Sirion created Nivemus and Perdan what you see on the south, you can say "no these realms rule themselves" LIES, if Perdan/Sirion wanted these regions would be just wasteland. Also in a conflict you have to take your neighbor's side (the bigger one).

Now for a foreign force (the situation Eponllyn is now), there is no choice but to take a side, call me whatever but that is how the next big war on EC will be, you have no choice that to take side.......there is no escape since the foreign realm is asking for land, is the same as swearing an oath.


Peace!

[Indirik]

When I was in Fontan, they were already dead, but still had a few regions. Thru had a death wish, though, and weren't interested in trying to stay alive.

[Zakilevo]

Correction: Sirion never got rid of Fontan. Perdan and Caligus did. Sirion got rid of SoA to rebuild Old Rancagua which now is called Nivemus.

It is quite entertaining to hear Atanamir say no one can fight Sirion 1v1. When Perdan had just as many players as Sirion they still brought their underlings along. So don't try to come up with some petty excuse.

[Foxglove]

Does anyone think that the EC has an exciting, dynamic political landscape? Honestly, I can't fathom why I ever wanted to be a ruler on EC again. This is the most boring landscape possible. Everyone know what side everyone else is on. And if you ask someone their opinion, you already know exactly what they're going to say. Everyone knows what the battle lines for the next war are going to be. There's no point in talking to anyone about it, because they all have their minds made up. There's no audience to play too, since there is no audience. Everyone is an actor reading from a publicly available script they refuse to change.

What the hell happened to the EC? It used to be my favorite island. 

I are disappoint. 

My take on it is that EC is this way largely because that's how most of the players want it to be. Maverick developments and continental shake-ups often come about through internal political instability, but that now largely causes realms to be mistrusted and lose allies. Westmoor used to be a barrel of fun when we had all the rebellions and internal strife, but it was broadly mocked by players outside the realm (including you, Indirik). Fallangard also got a lot of negative heat when it was created by a rebel duke of Caligus. That disapproval has led to that aspect of gameplay declining.

The last time something of this type happened in my ball park - the traitorous creation of Fane - I made the decision to run with it and try to help Ironsides to shake up that side of the continent by not crushing Fane immediately. But Sirion wasn't interested and crushed Fane itself to assimilate Oligarch.

If people were really finding the continental political lines too predictable to be interesting, anyone at Duke level in Sirion, Perdan, or Nivemus has the power to introduce a shake up by going it alone and forming a new realm without permission. I've always said that on any island, the more realms there are, the more interesting the political landscape.

[Indirik]

Sirion has the most amazing defensive line ever seen. Even better than Astrum did on Dwilight. The southerners never broke Sirion's line. We snuck a raid or two around the north. But that was back when Fontan was running the war, and they couldn't understand anything more than "Big Blob attack on Trinbar!"

[Indirik]

My take on it is that EC is this way largely because that's how most of the players want it to be. Maverick developments and continental shake-ups often come about through internal political instability, but that now largely causes realms to be mistrusted and lose allies. Westmoor used to be a barrel of fun when we had all the rebellions and internal strife, but it was broadly mocked by players outside the realm (including you, Indirik). Fallangard also got a lot of negative heat when it was created by a rebel duke of Caligus. That disapproval has led to that aspect of gameplay declining.

Westmoor may have been a lot of fun for the people inside the realm. I won't deny that. But you have to admit that they were the most pathetic war fighting realm of all time.

And, yeah, sometimes you get a lot of negativity. Every time a ruler makes an important decision, they will *always* get negative attention. No matter which way Eponllyn went during this recent crisis, someone would have been screaming and yelling at me for doing the wrong thing. Same thing happened when we went to war with Armmonia. Or when we took Betholm. You have to realize that part of a ruler's job is to take that negative attention, and try to do something positive with it.

If people were really finding the continental political lines too predictable to be interesting, anyone at Duke level in Sirion, Perdan, or Nivemus has the power to introduce a shake up by going it alone and forming a new realm without permission. I've always said that on any island, the more realms there are, the more interesting the political landscape.

I agree that more realms = better game. But merely saying that "any duke can fix it" is a bit disingenuous. If Slimbar seceded, it would quickly get crushed. Same with Aix. Or even Partora. Now, if two dukes conspre to secede at the same time, then perhaps something could happen.

However, it doesn't even take a secession to stir things up. It is possible for realms to just ... let things happen ... to their allies without blindly supporting them. Nothing is more infuriating than a ruler who says nothing but "We support our allies" as they march off to war. Or "We are part of an alliance, we won't even talk to you except as part of a block-level negotiation". When you have a perfectly acceptable reason to just allow something to happen, and thus create more excitement and opportunities for *everyone*, yourself included, why not do it? Probably because it involves some risk. Rulers are programmed to avoid risk at all costs, and that's a shame.

I'm not saying that you need to be stupid in the risks you take. There's a difference in doing stupid things just for kicks and taking calculated risks that could yield big payoffs.