Apr 8th 2024, 22:36:20
Update 04/09: changes to restart bonus and humanitarians range
None of this is committed development and there's no timeline for it. The overall goal of these changes is to make it easier for clans to recruit and keep players. It also provides a base to add additional functionality in the future.
Player Registration:
Players will be asked for an initial country name during registration. They will also have the option to join a random clan (see 1)) which is checked by default. Upon confirming their email address they will automatically have a country created on the Alliance Server.
New functionality for clan admins:
1) Clan admins can allow countries to join the tag without the tag password if their tag has 3 or more countries in it. This setting can be changed but defaults to off. It is forced to off while a clan is at war.
2) Two clans can mutually agree to not exchange any attacks or harmful spy ops ("UNAPs"). This is unbreakable and lasts the entire set. It isn't possible to make this agreement if there have been recent attacks or failed harmful spy ops between the two clans.
3) A clan's UNAPs can be exposed by successfully alliance spying a tag admin. As a special exception, this information can be shared on Alliance Talk. Members are also free to make false posts about this.
4) A clan admin can specify other tags as DNH. This is a private, one-way action intended to prevent accidental hits.
5) Clan admins can restrict attacks and harmful spy ops made by their members at the country level. The default option is "probation". All options:
a) Probation: Can only attack/op NPC countries
b) Trusted: Can only attack/op countries not in DNH tags
c) Owed Reps: Can attack/op any country not in a UNAP tag
d) Traitor: Cannot perform attacks/ops and can be attacked in any way by any country on the server. Cannot be changed once this role is selected. Traitor status is visible to all countries via country search.
e) War: Can only attack/op war targets or traitors
6) Clan admins can restrict their members from sending FA at the country level. The default option is "no FA". Possible options:
a) Cannot send FA to anyone
b) Can send FA to anyone
7) Clan admins can declare war on another clan that they do not have a UNAP with. The war declaration happens immediately if there have been landgrabs or failed harmful spy ops from the target clan in the past 48 hours. The defending clan has the option to start the war immediately by issuing their own war declaration. Otherwise the war starts 48 hours after the attacking clan made the declaration. Countries cannot perform special attacks without an active war, with the exception of countries branded as traitors by their tag admins. During war, all attacks and spy ops types are permitted between the two clans (the country level setting is ignored). Attacks on traitor countries cannot be used to start a war.
8) A clan war only ends if both sides mutually agree to a UNAP.
New rules for tagging:
1) Player countries cannot play turns unless they are in a clan.
2) Countries cannot leave a clan willingly.
3) Restarts start untagged.
4) Untagged countries have the option to join a random clan that allows for joining without the tag password.
5) NPC countries are identified ingame but are not marked in the ranks feed (happy to change this if a third party site owner requests it).
Additional changes:
The restart bonus will also be removed in all circumstances.
Humanitarians protest if a country attempts to attack another country which is 24 times bigger or smaller than it.
This is not at all intended to be a replacement of personal diplomacy between clans. It will still be important for clan leaders to talk and negotiate outside of this framework. Here are a few scenarios to better illustrate what I'm trying to achieve with these changes:
* A friendly netting alliance wants to grow their alliance as much as possible without worrying about player skill. They allow all countries to join and use the country settings in 5) to prevent their new members from causing trouble. The worst outcome is that a new player finishes with a poor NW.
* A one man tag wants to netgain in peace. They send UNAP offers to all other tags to show that they mean no harm to any other clan.
* A one man tag wants to suicide on an alliance. They refuse to form a UNAP with their intended target. Their intended target finds this suspicious and declares war on them.
* Clan A performs too many landgrabs against clan B. Clan B is outraged and immediately declares war on them.
* Clan C issues a surprise war declaration against clan D. Clan D has 48 hours before hostilities start so they are able to reduce the power of clan C's FS.
* A netting tag isn't able to get a UNAP with a warring tag. They alliance spy the warring tag and find that it has signed UNAPs with every other clan. The netting tag now knows that it needs to prepare for war.
* A medium-sized netting tag signs UNAPs with the largest tags but exchanges landgrabs with other clans of a similar size. War does not break out.
Any constructive feedback is welcome, but I'm especially interested in any possible loopholes.
None of this is committed development and there's no timeline for it. The overall goal of these changes is to make it easier for clans to recruit and keep players. It also provides a base to add additional functionality in the future.
Player Registration:
Players will be asked for an initial country name during registration. They will also have the option to join a random clan (see 1)) which is checked by default. Upon confirming their email address they will automatically have a country created on the Alliance Server.
New functionality for clan admins:
1) Clan admins can allow countries to join the tag without the tag password if their tag has 3 or more countries in it. This setting can be changed but defaults to off. It is forced to off while a clan is at war.
2) Two clans can mutually agree to not exchange any attacks or harmful spy ops ("UNAPs"). This is unbreakable and lasts the entire set. It isn't possible to make this agreement if there have been recent attacks or failed harmful spy ops between the two clans.
3) A clan's UNAPs can be exposed by successfully alliance spying a tag admin. As a special exception, this information can be shared on Alliance Talk. Members are also free to make false posts about this.
4) A clan admin can specify other tags as DNH. This is a private, one-way action intended to prevent accidental hits.
5) Clan admins can restrict attacks and harmful spy ops made by their members at the country level. The default option is "probation". All options:
a) Probation: Can only attack/op NPC countries
b) Trusted: Can only attack/op countries not in DNH tags
c) Owed Reps: Can attack/op any country not in a UNAP tag
d) Traitor: Cannot perform attacks/ops and can be attacked in any way by any country on the server. Cannot be changed once this role is selected. Traitor status is visible to all countries via country search.
e) War: Can only attack/op war targets or traitors
6) Clan admins can restrict their members from sending FA at the country level. The default option is "no FA". Possible options:
a) Cannot send FA to anyone
b) Can send FA to anyone
7) Clan admins can declare war on another clan that they do not have a UNAP with. The war declaration happens immediately if there have been landgrabs or failed harmful spy ops from the target clan in the past 48 hours. The defending clan has the option to start the war immediately by issuing their own war declaration. Otherwise the war starts 48 hours after the attacking clan made the declaration. Countries cannot perform special attacks without an active war, with the exception of countries branded as traitors by their tag admins. During war, all attacks and spy ops types are permitted between the two clans (the country level setting is ignored). Attacks on traitor countries cannot be used to start a war.
8) A clan war only ends if both sides mutually agree to a UNAP.
New rules for tagging:
1) Player countries cannot play turns unless they are in a clan.
2) Countries cannot leave a clan willingly.
3) Restarts start untagged.
4) Untagged countries have the option to join a random clan that allows for joining without the tag password.
5) NPC countries are identified ingame but are not marked in the ranks feed (happy to change this if a third party site owner requests it).
Additional changes:
The restart bonus will also be removed in all circumstances.
Humanitarians protest if a country attempts to attack another country which is 24 times bigger or smaller than it.
This is not at all intended to be a replacement of personal diplomacy between clans. It will still be important for clan leaders to talk and negotiate outside of this framework. Here are a few scenarios to better illustrate what I'm trying to achieve with these changes:
* A friendly netting alliance wants to grow their alliance as much as possible without worrying about player skill. They allow all countries to join and use the country settings in 5) to prevent their new members from causing trouble. The worst outcome is that a new player finishes with a poor NW.
* A one man tag wants to netgain in peace. They send UNAP offers to all other tags to show that they mean no harm to any other clan.
* A one man tag wants to suicide on an alliance. They refuse to form a UNAP with their intended target. Their intended target finds this suspicious and declares war on them.
* Clan A performs too many landgrabs against clan B. Clan B is outraged and immediately declares war on them.
* Clan C issues a surprise war declaration against clan D. Clan D has 48 hours before hostilities start so they are able to reduce the power of clan C's FS.
* A netting tag isn't able to get a UNAP with a warring tag. They alliance spy the warring tag and find that it has signed UNAPs with every other clan. The netting tag now knows that it needs to prepare for war.
* A medium-sized netting tag signs UNAPs with the largest tags but exchanges landgrabs with other clans of a similar size. War does not break out.
Any constructive feedback is welcome, but I'm especially interested in any possible loopholes.