We used to talk about the balance between pirates and merchants as needing to be equal, but this should not be true. I would like to explore balance as being how profitable one is to the other. With the introduction of fishing and an increasing number of ways to combat pirates, the balance has been thrown far off in favor of the merchant class. This is a serious danger not to gameplay, but to the survival of the game itself. Let me retell you a story,

Lana wrote:
To tell the story... I played one a really interesting and active game for 3-4 years and stopped, because the players who were spending big amount of real money, were the ones who only wanted to build... not to combat... so, the game which initially was the warrior type of game, became some kind of Farmville.
That already happens here, with new fishing feature... and the skirmish is a big deception... but, I am not spending a real money for credits so... my power is to decide if I want to continue to play it or not. (Not only direct payment is a mode for making profit of the game, you know).

To return to the story about the game I played... in one moment, only on Serbian server there were 5 worlds of the same game and for each world a special section in the forum too,... now, after loosing so many people, they mixed it in two worlds and they still lose the players. (This is the international game with so many national servers too).

If we continue this imbalance in favor of merchants, the game will die. But even moreso, if we create an equilibrium, the game shall also die, just at a slower rate. Unless it is more profitable to be a pirate than a merchant, the game will die. It is up to the devs to decide how much imbalance is the perfect imbalance, and how exactly to implement this. Without it, the game will fade away like the game Lana mentioned.

Roi, I don't post often. Because I happen to like you, I usually don't go against much of anything you have to say. I don't consider what I am about to say as going against you, it is just a different view point.

There are definitely two kinds of players in this game. But, probably a lot more than that. Yes there are the pirates and there are the traders. Then there are the traders who dabble in piracy. There are also those who play the game for the politics involved in it and the challenges to be met there. Then there are the social players. These are players who play strictly because of the social nature of the game and will adjust to how the game flows. There are players who want interaction with others and those who would prefer that this be a single person game. We are dealing with a great number of player types and variants. Then you throw in players who have been playing for years and players who have been playing for days. There is great diversity in this game. It is not simply traders versus pirates.

You talk about an imbalance, maybe there is with the fishing as far as the pirates are concerned. That is if you don't want to use voodoo. That is if you don't want to be creative in the game and find what the targets are. That is if you don't want a game where you have to think. But, you have to remember there was an imbalance recently in the way of the pirates. The danger safety valve of fame points for the merchants was taken away and skirmishes were put into place to allow pirates to hunt traders who weren't on the plunder board for the sport of it. Then they even gave a bonus to the pirates for attacking using skirmishes to make them more profitable. This skirmish feature, which was a balancing act of the part of the developers, cost the traders a lot of gold to adjust their fleets. The point here is, the game is about adjustments. Pirates adjust their tactics and the merchants adjust their tactics to overcome what the pirates have done. It is a game of ebb and flow, a game of give and take. One side is up for a short period then the other side is up for a while. Overall it seems to me the advantage goes to those who can adjust the wisest.

Me...I do both, I trade and I do a little piracy. I have always said I have no secrets...I trade but I basically have a war fleet in every port also waiting for a target. I am always looking for that unprotected ship I can capture. I also adjust to the game as it is adjusted by the developers. Instead of crying "It's not fair", I suggest everyone take a good look at how they play. Maybe what worked a year ago doesn't work now. Maybe instead of the developer ruining the game, as it seems they are accused, they are challenging everyone to play a game that is not "click and shoot". Maybe the developers are evolving a game that continues to be a game that requires thought. Maybe the developers want players who do not count on re-spawning and getting back into action.

I wish everyone success in the game. I also encourage everyone to play the game and adjust to the game instead of insisting the game adjust to you.

+1

Well said, Kart.

+1

like water in the desert
game evaporating,
pirates/merchants
look forward to?
time well spent
thing of past,
memories of success
must linger,
for excitement has
disappeared from view,
I see my reflection
but not my future.

i believe that's becouse you stopped making plans Lefty otherwise you always see future. Come join us.

me having the most post second to roi i think i have to say it will just never be balance.heres another story that makes no sense

There were a 1000 traders and 500 pirates on the Avonmoran seas the pirates became bothered that their crews arent enough and doubled in size and started to recruit dramatically.soon pirates had nearly 10 time as much crew and ships as the traders.they raided the traders continually thats the pirates winning in imbalance.

Soon a trader name kline came up with the idea why not trade with pure sotls all knowing that that would cost alot even though they agree started building sotls after every trader started trading with sotls pirates started to detricaze into the distant not knowing what to do *all pirates converted to trading and didnt make any more trouble except raiding the newer pirates making them convert. thats the traders winning in imbalance

If you dont get what am saying then you aint stupid if you get what am saying then you thinking outside the box

A.Agamani

Hmm...Imbalance? While all of you have valid views, I want to say that there was no 'balance' when i joined the game, nor when I tyooe this. I don't think the im/balance between pirates and merchants or nobility or simply social (gee, sounds familiar?) types of players does not matter much, as long as players can draw some fun from the game.