I know there was some talk of trying to add a new server not too long ago, but I'm not sure if that's still an option. If it is though, here's an idea...

-Grudge Match Server-

-1:1 battles only - sort of like brackets in tourney, just with only 2 countries in each, and all pairings are part of a larger, singular server setup.
-Pairings are invite only and/or password protected
-Each pair defines the rules (No attacking, SS/PS only, all attacks ok, etc)
-Each pair defines hitting amnesty time frame (none, 100 turn amnesty, 500 turn amnesty, etc)
-Markets from all pairings funnel into a larger server wide market to provide a public market
-Stats are viewable by all users on each pairing to add a bit more of a competitive environment
-As an extra, it would be cool if the server could also utilize a ladder set up to advance the winner of each grudge match, but this might be a bit tricky with different matches starting in different sets
-A random assignment can be made for players who don't wish to challenge any particular player (chat roulette w/o all the penises, if you will)

Pairings could be decided in 1 of 2 ways...

-Random assignment (not my favorite idea, but it could work)
-Selective grudge matches - 2 players register a match to see who is the better netter/fighter


Drawbacks...

resource heavy?
lack of interaction on a mass scale
tricky market dynamics
drop out rate could cause problems, so the option to drop out of a pairing and start a new one would be necessary


Achievements...

-A suicider free, less variable intensive server with the opportunity for players to compare skills and compete on a 1:1 basis.
-A different approach to server play that provides a new dynamic in the game
-BRAGGING RIGHTS! :-)



Thoughts? Criticisms? Additional Ideas? Improvements?

Troll if you must, but we all know how helpful that is...

Oh you mean like a tournament with brackets, like they do in Poker with Heads Up tourneys :) I like this idea. :)

mhmm we were thinking about something like this with slagpits 1v1 server idea... again not 100% sure how to do it...

The tricky part I can see would be making a sustainable public market - how you do that with only sets of 2 countries interacting, but still having a market large enough to support them, I dunno. Unless there's a good way to funnel everything into a larger all encompassing server wide market.

If you guys ever wanna run the idea through some testing, or just define it a little further, I'm happy to help.

first guy out of protection loses

unless u ban attacks and make it netters only
an idea i hate
or unless u arrange for simultaneous oop while both players are on line
which i love

here is what i suggest as a testing format

start with two guys who are willing to commit two hours to a single game

give them 1000 turns and and protection lasts five minutes
regardless of turns taken
use the private market so no technical challenge
should be easy
market prices and available goods are initially same as always so building if any occurs normally
but adjust prices one minute before protection ends to prices that more accurately reflect usual market prices
and then fluctuate those prices as u see fit but unrelated to player's sales just use the private market and new pricing

sales by players are instantaneous

if both players survive the first 1000 turns 500 more come on the half hour

once u have beta tesed this enough u can go to more usual time frames but oop can not occur unless both players on line

u also have spy issues

because u have turned james bond into betty white
neither side will invest the effort in building spies unless u return them to their former glory

in a head to head game i dont think the argument that spies are unfair to new players and netters and consequently bad for the game will hold any water at all

isn't the market solution obvious?

Don't have one.

Have a fixed price market - where all goods/techs/etc are in infinite supply at fixed prices. Those same fixed prices are the only prices at which you can sell (sales happen instantly as soon as goods hit the market (so after the 2 hour waiting period or whatever)).

It won't matter too much from a netting standpoint, as per my understanding, this is a warring only server. Markets just stand in the way. With countries dying everyday, it would be hard to have a market in the conventional sense.

This sort of market would also enable warring at any point (i.e. turn 10, turn 100 or turn 1000 (whatever the players decide)) such that they are not limited by other players in the server.

Raheel

how would we resolve the situation where an LaE player accidentally got paired against his own multi?

we'd tell you to stop being obnoxious and silly gregg, but you might get paired with your poorly thought out alter ego. plebb how would we resolve that?

first guy out of protection dosent lose.

in 100 turns(not attacks read turns) you cant kill a country out of protection and you have so little resource that it wont destroy its build with GSs.

so if you got turrets you could stop land kills as the easiest option or BRs and if they go jet heavy they leave themselfs open.

and by waiting for them to run their turns you will have more yourself and realistically be in a better postion as you will have less land to start rebuildin on compared to them when your finished

dont have a turn based protection

have a time based one

say, 24 hours after the reset starts, protection is lifted

that way both can bee online at the same time, or not. its up to the player

though that discriminates based on timezone

have it as a setting? pre determined by the combatants? just throwin ideas around

24 hours after the time they play their first turn?

oop time would have to be a constant time for both countries though, to make it fair, thats thw whole point, other than that, might as well keep a turn based thing

only point for a time based would be so they both come oop at EXACTLY the same time, and there is no advantage

Perhaps "game time" can be done like server time, where OOP starts at a set time for a specific time zone - i.e. server start time is 12:01 EST, oop time is +24/48/72/whatever hrs from that.

Honestly though, I don't think OOP matters much. With only 1 other player to keep an eye on, you're going to know if they're camping @ turn 99 and stocking turns, and can adjust accordingly.


I think raheel's idea may work, but the markets would take a ton of thought to do it that way, otherwise an optimal growth strat that takes advantage of 1 fixed price being more profitable than another would definitely appear.

I'm no developer, but I wouldn't think it would be overly hard to just create a market that serves the entire server, and can be sold on or bought from by anyone in a pairing. I'm imagining it just like any other server's market, just that all other country actions are restricted to their respective pairing. That way, market dynamics and smart reselling are still factors, but the market retains some volatility. The downside, of course, being that if someone in 1 pairing does something to hurt the market, all other strats susceptible to that action take the hit for it

Oh, and if you guys want to move forward with this idea at some point in time, I'll be happy to help test/develop possibilities for it with you.