I see everyone all focused on the possible bringing back of avians...
we also have the beta version out and been messing with that also, but what changes need to be looked at for next age???
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I noticed many different flaws in the game last age, but I can't see why those would go untouched! As an example, we only had 13k average players last round, utopia needs to do some changing to attract old players and new ones alike.
1.) Tick Time: Beta version is running at 30 min tick times with normal rules at applied, perhaps we can go to 30 min tick times and tamper with the gains of combat, loses, strength of opps a bit and get faster game play going?
2.) Attacks: Attacks to this point need some changing, too much has been waved on acres and NW... well what about players that are just freaking awsume and push their acres to the limit??? I am talking about NWPA, is it possible for the game to allow a player 200knw on 1k acres to get a great gain on a 200knw player on 2k acres and not be retaled for great gains also?! last age, the players would both seem to loose about... 10-15% of their land, well in my eyes the one taking the greater risk should get the best deal, thus causing players to aim high rather than base utopia all on amount of players in a kd and how many of those are attackers. This would fix the acre exchange problem an cause players with good strats a super advantage to a player in an extreamly active kd.
3.) Military Units: So much is focused around having more offense than df, there should be some kind of protection against suiciders or lesser agro developing from retaliating your own freaking attack. an orc on 20dpa could bottom feed off another player with 90 dpa for 15% of their land (bc of race gains and sci = wtf) and the player hit could double tap that orc, for only 20% of the land he was hit for (NW based attacks instead of acres/NWPA based attacks). I am simply saying that there is no reason why a player with double acres should get a good hit off on someone that has half the acres, not unless it is a raze, massacar, or plunder.
4.) Attack Types: Bring back the +10% offense to attacks that are razes, massacars, or plunders. This would reduce the need for everyones elites having to be far better than specs or whatever, it would all players on the battlefield subject to being hit. Also, why should a player that is higher in NW not be able to get a good massacar off?! make it so that players could be hit hard in no traditional march attacks, and you will see players aiming for growth (be more active) bc they need to get that high NW and grow grow grow!
5.) Science effects: what is the point of having science effect NW??? might as well make each 1000 gc be 10 nw so those who are sitting on the GC for dragons can get pwned in current attack formulas. Science effects should be to nothing but the gain of he who has gained them! In what way has science ever had a negitive effect on anything? I mean really, they will get more NW anyways from pop sci and what not, there is no sence in hurting good strats.
6.) Opps and T/M: Opps and T/M need to be set to certain races and also only be effective by players who choose to play that way. There use to be big negitives that allowed for lesser need for a T/M to get extream amounts of WPA/TPA to do simple opps. Attacking races should still have their T/M abilities nurfed or T/M races need to have better buffs like gnomes 40-50% better TE. If DE where at 40-50% better ME or elfs at double spell strenth, how would that effect the game at that point???
7.) Honor: Use to be that one race would be centered around the gaining of honor and it was a hybrid type race... not too sure how to bring this back into the game other than attacking gains honor and the honor gained from that player is doubled when the attacking player recives it... This would allow for higher honor generation since each day of war KILLS IT!!!
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Just some general ideas, but I open this for whatever you got. Remember that it would be nice to bring back attention to utopia, not cause everyone to all be one race or class. what can we do to imporve the game, make it more fun, give to players who are active, make you more "solo able", bonus to playing your province well, adjust attacking and T/M?