This game's motive? Serious game discussion on the theory of why we are were we are in this stage of NW life.

[Rassputtin]

Rass, you think like a lot of other people think on your ideas. I have tried to make sure everyone knows this but I seem to fail often .. I do read and think about your ideas. You would be shocked how much time i spend thinking about this game and working on new things to keep it fresh and alive. All I strive for is so that this game stays alive. Now to the point, just cause I don't implement things as you write them does not mean I don't listen or like the ideas. Generally what I do is let an idea start, wait for more feedback of the pros and cons and then add it all up and try to come up with something that works. With several of your ideas from the past, there wasn't much I could do with them. You were suggesting changing a few areas of the game's mechanics that I had no idea on how to do. So I put them on my list for the time that I was able to do them. Remember, I just started learning a lot of this not so long ago. As I learn more, I change more. Formula's are still my weakest area. I spend a lot of time working with them and asking questions to people who do know so i can figure it all out and then work on ways to make it happen in the game. So please remember that just cause you posted an idea and it isn't implemented yet, doesn't mean i didn't like it.. (of course there ideas that i don't like)

I know that the inf hording drives you crazy. I know that being able to expand and finish in 77th place drives you crazy, and i know that cause some of the major ideas you have suggested makes you feel like your opinion doesn't matter.. All of these tied together has driven you (and several others i'm sure) from the game cause you think nothing is going to change.

That can't be further from the truth. I have made tons of changes from the way the game looks to several new fun features to enhance the game play and i 100% agree with you that the "mechanics" of the game has to change in some shape or form.

Currently on the test server there are several new features that will change a lot of the games mechanics. I have been testing them and working on them for a long time now. I'm trying to work out the best possible way so when it's released, it all makes sense and doesn't hurt the game. I have stated MANY MANY times that if this game does not make the changes needed, we would never make it. The only reason you can finish 77th place by expanding is due to the low member count. The low member count is due to several other issues.. it's a never ending cycle, and once we change one thing then all the others are effected as well.. And it's really hard to tell if that will be a good change or a bad one.

I rely a lot on the community. I am constantly asking for feedback from members. 99% of the time it's the same 4-5 people who reply. The rest never do. I sent out a mass email asking people to reply in private, the ideas they would like to see in the game. Out of the thousands sent out, 3
members replied.. That makes me kind of sad. I know people are busy with life.. I have a life too so i understand. But I have always tried to keep this a community based game where the members had a huge say and impact on changes. I do this cause i know not all of my ideas are the best ones, so i ask others to help out. But we will not make it if the same 4-5 people always decide the fate of new features.

Anyway about your post. again, very interesting and i'm intrigued on the SA idea. I do agree that Standard Attack can confuse people. They don't understand that an SA is a legal attack.. So what if we made all attacks illegal and expanding the only "legal" way to gain land?

These are good ideas to debate. Yes there will be some that do like it and some that don't.. But working out ideas is the best start. it gives me something to start working on in the test server and putting it in action to see what it's really like playing in game. I do like this idea.



Here is the thing about CTF.. I figured it would be simple and fun but yet challenging. I thought it would allow people to kill kill kill without having to get post upon post in the forums complaining about it. I thought the short rounds would be good.. fast and simple... But the problem is, nobody is playing it.

I send out messages on the forums, in the game, in the game news and not many people play it. Last set i think 12 people signed up to play it...

So i'm not convinced that a server like that is a way to go for a main game. I do plan on seeking some feedback as to why not many people play that server.. But that's another post

Mr. P I wasn't calling you out, I know you struggle to do what needs to be done as it is a daunting task to do alone. I was more referring to other members of the community. I haven't been around in a while but by others I mean the majority who dont want mechanics changed because they may not be big fish in a small pond anymore, so they immediately dismiss any idea that does more than add something or change something small

[BeeNo]

well i'd like to hear more about phase attacks? whats the idea behind them?

and mr. p, i read your e-mail, and as i was responding to your 1st question i started rambling in it, and didn't like where it went. so i'm currently regrouping my thoughts to respond . those are tough questions. or at least ones i'd like to give a good response to, not just spew the 1st thing i can think of.

[Vortex]

My two cents..

This is how I came to this game. I imagine the same is true for many players current, and that have not come yet.

I was playing planetarion. A phenomenally designed tick based game. They went to strict pay to play so i needed to find another game.

I searched one of the game voting/listing sites. Searched on the term World War II. Cause thats the genre I wanted to play. World at war came up. I read the description and thought sure I'll give it a try.

Signed up, read a bit about how to play and just started playing. No forums, no talking with other players, just logging in and playing.

After 2-3 days i logged in to being attacked, and someone had stolen my land. I though what the hell, i didn't instigate this guy. Why is he attacking me. I'm expanding peacefully and this guy wants war. Well I'll give him war. So I attacked him. Couple of AA's, some standard attacks back and told him, You started this war.

Well he attacked me back. I attacked him back. etc etc. The whole set me and this guy pounded on eachother. It was exhilerating.

Thats what you have to consider. A new player doesn't want to read the forums, learn an unsurmountable amount of unwritten rules and tactics, just to play the game. Nor does he want to have a mentor hand feed him those unwritten rules, and from day one fall into the stale tactics of hoarding infantry and utilizing the same mechanics every set over and over again to try to finish high.

A new player wants to have fun. If someone would have messaged me in my first set and said hey man, this game is based on peacefully attacking and stealing land from eachother so stop using AA or we will kill you, and then killed me. I wouldnt' have played past one set.

The unwritten rules and ettiquete to follow are cumbersome. The tiny tight nit group of players playing the game enforcing them is a turn off for new players. A new player must either abide by and play like the game has been played for the last decade or find another game. Most choose the latter and not the former.

And as I've said a million times the mechanics themselves are flawed and only lend to the burden of the etiquette and unwritten rules. You have to have empathy to be able to see from a nub point of view in order to understand the turn offs.

Come to my house to play a game of risk, and once you get here I'll tell you that we only use the soldier pieces that designate the "1 unit". So put the fives and tens back in the box. You can attack a territory i control but not more than 3 times. etc etc you see where Im going. And then I tell you that if you do not abide by the "house rules" that I have set forth me and my two brothers will team up and take you out of the game. What choice do you have....

A. Not come to my house to play risk.
B. Gather your brothers and bring them with to play risk at my house.

No one has 50 brothers to bring here to change the "house rules"......................

I dont totally agree. When I started playing I agree I didnt want to read any rules at all...just log in and use turns....

Although in some opinion netting isnt the sole purpose of the game.....to have number 1 in front of your state/nation is what the majority of the ppl experience as positive...
Playing mix for example...something every new player has done...wont get you there....without talking to others...or be active on the forums... I would still be playing mixed....or quit along time ago..

What made me hooked was the feeling of being a part of a nation....who helps each other...even training...strats/tactics/FA etc...etc...
Ppl who put effort in your play and make time free for it.....also stimulates loyalty.

Look at ppl whove been playing since WOW....most players stick together.
And im going to use myself as an example...The sets cant be count(not litteraly) that Ive played with.Morph...Xavior....Max Logan..Beeno(started as "my" trainee)PcGluva(started as "my" trainee) Breetai....and also you Rass..

We made ELE cuz we wanted to make a nation and play as we thuoght the game should be played.

And there is the beginning of the problem....not everybody "demands" or wants the same thing from the game....
There are different kind of players....dont bother me with calcs and numbers etc.(i can calc a break for attack/landgrab, but thats it )...I left that for Calvin/James/Rass etc...They are great at that...

I put my time in the new players.....talking...not even solely about wow...just to make them feel part of the game and support them ingame.

[Max Logan]

well i'd like to hear more about phase attacks? whats the idea behind them?

and mr. p, i read your e-mail, and as i was responding to your 1st question i started rambling in it, and didn't like where it went. so i'm currently regrouping my thoughts to respond . those are tough questions. or at least ones i'd like to give a good response to, not just spew the 1st thing i can think of.

I`ll get to it, once I`m back home.

There was a suggestion on forums, I tried to find on this one but I couldn`t so probably it was in WoW one

[Soviet Russia]

@I agree with Max on saving the SA system, just, I think it'd be better to seperate SA from other Attacks by moving the term 'attack' from SA.

@I agree with Ras too; the game has tank units that nearly on one uses (I tried to, but this time nations dont support them) and SAMs that only a few players use... (I love both units)

@And Mr P, you are our hero

[MAGGIO]

Dear Mr. P

Man you have made quite a few changes and a lot of them were really thought out and seemed that they would be awsome. When I was going on my Gordon Ramsey Rant I think i was just trying to say that you may want to look into simplifying things rather then the latter.

IE. just take out tanks, or take out 80% of those spy ops. reduce the options.

I konw you spent a hell of a lot of time on sactions only for them not to be used. Now it may not seem like a big idea to us to see that as an option, but to a new person its just one more option they have no idea how it works in addition to several other options they just really dont feel like finding out if it works...they just really want to dive in and use some turns or something.

I know one of the most sucessful aspects of a console game is the ability to turn it on, hit start and start mashing buttons.

I didnt reply to your email because i wanted to take my time, and I knew I had stuff to say, but am just overwhelmed lately. I am sure you expected some replys from peeps like me and others that did not reply and I am sorry for that. I could of at least awknowledged your email and otld you I would get back to you. sorry.

[Piker]

I think reducing the number of units is a good idea here.

To be honest, AGMS really make it difficult for anyone who is not in the top 3 to overtake. Halfway through the set the top 3 build them and make themselves unhittable. Noone really uses tanks right now, they had a purpose for indies when we had 1000+ active members but those days are long gone. Bombers are useless.

Making changes on attacks will be MUCH SIMPLER if we stuck to just four units...

[Minimus]

The problem of keeping new people lies not with the game play, but solely due to the fact that Missionary is a ****** bag who likes to touch himself. I think this is generally offensive to new players, who are trying to learn, but get distracted because they look to their left or right, and there's some stupid brit with his hands down his pants. It is our responsibility as a community to train Missionary to not do this so often in front of new players. Is Missionary even still playing? I don't know, but this is not the issue.

Another issue is that, at least when I used to play this game, the reaction to a player without a nation is to shoot away. I don't know if this is still the attitude, but it never helps to come into a game, and find your city or town or whatever they are called here dead in a week. This game restarts so frequently, it's almost impossible to tell who is who with name changes. So who knows if the person not in a nation is Raul, or a new player, or a spy, or Missionary's dirty, sticky hand?

The third issue is that I think these forums are generally hostile. I come on now and then, and all I see is random angry posts, and stuff about Missionary trying to molest Raul. This is not appealing to new players. I mean, sure, Raul has a small schlong, but let's not be racist about the situation, he is Mexican afterall. Anyway, I have written enough. I really hope this settles this argument, and gets Missionary into some sort of rehab. Thank you for your time.

[Max Logan]

@I agree with Max on saving the SA system, just, I think it'd be better to seperate SA from other Attacks by moving the term 'attack' from SA.

Not what I mean. I meant a complete remake of attacking system as a whole. All attacks, scrap them and remake

[MAGGIO]

I have never seen the word schlong typed or written before...Whoa!

I think pretty much the sum of it all is the game is based around what "we" want and how "we" are already used to it, and want it more "complex" in some ways. Its pretty hard to think like a new player because it only happened once, and its been quite a long time since it happened.

You get a guy like Ultimate Relik in here who is PUMPED and all that happens is he is crapped on. I am Sooooooo surprised that he is still here...its not like some noticable campain to help him or support him has taken place.