There's also the issue that not everybody agrees on what the "right way of playing" is.
Every time you place a hard restraint in, some people will like it, and some people will hate.
I'm always proud of what we did in Atamara for instance, breaking up the Cagilan-Taran alliance and starting a continent-spanning civil war to drag in every nation.
Then the Devs then announced that they were going to sink the island because they didn't like the Cagilan-Taran alliance.
To this day, some people like that decision, and some people hate it. I hate it because we never got to see how the civil war shook out. That's more of a roleplaying or storytelling issue, though. I dislike it when a story is halted in mid-chapter.
On the other hand, with the dwindling player base, it was the right decision to close down some islands. So...your mileage may vary.
And now we have Sirion doing exactly what Cagil and Tara did in the old days, and they have the benefit of our handsight on the issue.
On the issue of noble counts, I would greatly wish that priests and perhaps other "support" nobles not count towards the 1 noble per island limit. Granted, I am an example of somebody who would benefit, since all three of my noble characters run in that area. I have taken those roles because the realm or religion NEEDS people to do it. Somebody had to do it, so I chose in the end to do it. Because most people want to run around and shoot stuff with their archer or infantry buddies. Honestly, I would love to do that to, and wish I could. But because the game still requires support nobles to keep the realms and religions working, I choose to help keep them running so the other players can...well...play.
