I'm for sure wasting my time with this suggestion but hear me out:
What is the problem?
The problem, in my opinion, is that the tribe-level system reduces competitiveness in the game. The current tribe-level system plays far too great a role in the overall success a tribe may have in the initial stages of the world, which can easily compound and snowball into a world victory because of its ability to attract the best players.
The Solution?
1 TRIBE LEVEL PER DAY LIMIT
At the start of each world, the competition between tribes is not decided by the quality of the player, or a leader's ability to recruit... it's decided by tribe levels. Instead of players being attracted to join a tribe by the quality of its players, many if not all, will be heavily influenced into joining a tribe purely based on its tribe level.
Who are you going to join:
- The level 20 tribe with Walking Paths 10 five hours into the world OR
- The level 3 tribe with 10 highly active and experienced players who go on to win the world (but there is no way of knowing this)
Which tribe of the two attracts the most active and experienced players? What's the safer bet for the individual to take? Are players going to feel less inclined to build their own tribe?
On W90 Kataclysm has pretty much always had the highest tribe level. Now, I'm not gonna sit here and say that's been the only factor in our success - we didn't bankroll to level 20+ within hours of the server beginning... but it has been a major factor. Our members outgrew their neighbours because of the Walking Paths buff and we also attracted top-tier players because they wanted the farm buffs for their personal growth. The result is a snowball effect where the best players congregate and also grow faster because of the buffs.
In KAT's case there was a slow build-up of belief and faith from existing members in the future of the tribe's success... the result is that people are more likely to donate crowns and increase the tribe level - because they believe in the tribe.
But the initial tribe level of say, 7 or so, lured a certain demographic of the playerbase that is more likely to lead to a world victory.
In my opinion, tribe levels should be a progressive thing whereby people feel more and more belief in a tribe, and they show this belief by donating crowns to help with tribe skills.
But this isn't the case - as it stands, on day one of a brand new world - heavy crowners can push tribe skills all the way to max if they so desired. Now that doesn't really happen, at least I've never witnessed it - but what can happen, is a tribe pushes to level 10... 20... 30 and the effects are as follows:
- The members of the tribe gain massive benefits that allow their individual members to grow at rates their surrounding competitors don't.
- Other tribes are left behind, not by the skill of their players, but because they are not immediately committed enough to throw 1000s of crowns at tribe levels
- The tribes that donate heavily to skills attract more players, and these players are more likely to be experienced and highly active.
- People feel as if they have less opportunity to compete because they are at an IMMEDIATE disadvantage
It should be that anyone can start a tribe whether they hard crown or not and make the case to others why they should join them.
Recruitment should be difficult but it should serve to differentiate between the average leaders and the top-tier leaders. If they're a good founder, they'll know the kind of player they need in their tribe and actively seek them out and have the ability to communicate why the tribe they're going to build will become the world winner. If they're bad - they'll mass recruit everything in sight without any kind of thought process.
HOWEVER
What happens if we tweak the system slightly? Tribe skills are fine by me and I don't think many in the community have a real problem with them...
But what if there was a cap of 1 tribe level per day - what would the start of the world look like?
- Recruitment would be more selective and strategic
- You wouldn't have whales bankrolling tribe levels and putting others off from founding a tribe and competing
- Tribes would have to earn their prestige and attraction instead of buying it
- There would be far more competition between tribes based on the merit of their leaders and the members they attract
- There would be more tribes and therefore, more competition
And does it truly damage the financial aspect of tribe skills for Inno? Could the ability to bankroll to 20+ be offset by the fact that almost all tribes would be pushing to hit the level cap for that day, every day?
It would make the competition for the highest tribe level more... competitive. More tribes and players would feel like they were on an even playing field. Instead of Tribe A bankrolling to 20, you have Tribe A, B, C, D, E - all keeping the pace and pushing for their daily tribe level.
About 10 days into the world members of Tribe E start to feel as if they're not a very good tribe and slow down on meeting their daily cap...
BUT
Tribe A, B, and C are neck-and-neck and almost feel an obligation to meet their daily level in order to remain competitive...
The end result could be MORE crowns being put into tribe levels, not less. Instead of Tribe A being 24 by day two, you could have multiple tribes trying to compete by maintaining the pace of the daily level cap!!
So you not only increase the competitive nature of the game (and increase your player base in doing so) but you could have more crowns being put into the tribe-level system overall.
Worth thinking about at least...
I know this was pointless to write up and it'll never go through - but it'd be nice if tribes earned their attraction instead of buying it immediately.
What is the problem?
The problem, in my opinion, is that the tribe-level system reduces competitiveness in the game. The current tribe-level system plays far too great a role in the overall success a tribe may have in the initial stages of the world, which can easily compound and snowball into a world victory because of its ability to attract the best players.
The Solution?
1 TRIBE LEVEL PER DAY LIMIT
At the start of each world, the competition between tribes is not decided by the quality of the player, or a leader's ability to recruit... it's decided by tribe levels. Instead of players being attracted to join a tribe by the quality of its players, many if not all, will be heavily influenced into joining a tribe purely based on its tribe level.
Who are you going to join:
- The level 20 tribe with Walking Paths 10 five hours into the world OR
- The level 3 tribe with 10 highly active and experienced players who go on to win the world (but there is no way of knowing this)
Which tribe of the two attracts the most active and experienced players? What's the safer bet for the individual to take? Are players going to feel less inclined to build their own tribe?
On W90 Kataclysm has pretty much always had the highest tribe level. Now, I'm not gonna sit here and say that's been the only factor in our success - we didn't bankroll to level 20+ within hours of the server beginning... but it has been a major factor. Our members outgrew their neighbours because of the Walking Paths buff and we also attracted top-tier players because they wanted the farm buffs for their personal growth. The result is a snowball effect where the best players congregate and also grow faster because of the buffs.
In KAT's case there was a slow build-up of belief and faith from existing members in the future of the tribe's success... the result is that people are more likely to donate crowns and increase the tribe level - because they believe in the tribe.
But the initial tribe level of say, 7 or so, lured a certain demographic of the playerbase that is more likely to lead to a world victory.
In my opinion, tribe levels should be a progressive thing whereby people feel more and more belief in a tribe, and they show this belief by donating crowns to help with tribe skills.
But this isn't the case - as it stands, on day one of a brand new world - heavy crowners can push tribe skills all the way to max if they so desired. Now that doesn't really happen, at least I've never witnessed it - but what can happen, is a tribe pushes to level 10... 20... 30 and the effects are as follows:
- The members of the tribe gain massive benefits that allow their individual members to grow at rates their surrounding competitors don't.
- Other tribes are left behind, not by the skill of their players, but because they are not immediately committed enough to throw 1000s of crowns at tribe levels
- The tribes that donate heavily to skills attract more players, and these players are more likely to be experienced and highly active.
- People feel as if they have less opportunity to compete because they are at an IMMEDIATE disadvantage
It should be that anyone can start a tribe whether they hard crown or not and make the case to others why they should join them.
Recruitment should be difficult but it should serve to differentiate between the average leaders and the top-tier leaders. If they're a good founder, they'll know the kind of player they need in their tribe and actively seek them out and have the ability to communicate why the tribe they're going to build will become the world winner. If they're bad - they'll mass recruit everything in sight without any kind of thought process.
HOWEVER
What happens if we tweak the system slightly? Tribe skills are fine by me and I don't think many in the community have a real problem with them...
But what if there was a cap of 1 tribe level per day - what would the start of the world look like?
- Recruitment would be more selective and strategic
- You wouldn't have whales bankrolling tribe levels and putting others off from founding a tribe and competing
- Tribes would have to earn their prestige and attraction instead of buying it
- There would be far more competition between tribes based on the merit of their leaders and the members they attract
- There would be more tribes and therefore, more competition
And does it truly damage the financial aspect of tribe skills for Inno? Could the ability to bankroll to 20+ be offset by the fact that almost all tribes would be pushing to hit the level cap for that day, every day?
It would make the competition for the highest tribe level more... competitive. More tribes and players would feel like they were on an even playing field. Instead of Tribe A bankrolling to 20, you have Tribe A, B, C, D, E - all keeping the pace and pushing for their daily tribe level.
About 10 days into the world members of Tribe E start to feel as if they're not a very good tribe and slow down on meeting their daily cap...
BUT
Tribe A, B, and C are neck-and-neck and almost feel an obligation to meet their daily level in order to remain competitive...
The end result could be MORE crowns being put into tribe levels, not less. Instead of Tribe A being 24 by day two, you could have multiple tribes trying to compete by maintaining the pace of the daily level cap!!
So you not only increase the competitive nature of the game (and increase your player base in doing so) but you could have more crowns being put into the tribe-level system overall.
Worth thinking about at least...
I know this was pointless to write up and it'll never go through - but it'd be nice if tribes earned their attraction instead of buying it immediately.
