Different servers for different gameplay styles

As one who has been attacked and done the attacking I can say that it can be an acquired taste, lol.  Seriously though, I did not have any problem with the war aspect of the game when all we could do was attack and kill units, by plunder and onslaught.  (Which brings to mind why all the flags when you are only being plundered?  Defense is a great way to gain experience, level up and kick some aggressor's behind, lol.)  I was troubled with the ability to destroy towns, recognizing the time and energy and thought that goes into constructing them.  (There is nothing like seeing your defensive army take out attackers, though.  I do remember that and anyone who is defending should be proud of themselves and embrace the concept.)  However, that being said, some of the loudest complaints I see are from those so-called peaceful farmers. 

As Simba said, there are two types of aggression in this game, and passive aggression (border building, squeezing, etc) is still aggression.  Being advised that your domain is apt to be surrounded and/or engulfed by a faster, better equipped and larger player is not rude nor is it an expression of superiority.  As Arya said, it's plain fact and the player being asked, advised, or  warned to move should not see it as a strong-arm tactic but actually helpful advice so the smaller player does not waste time, resources and/or money building a hopeless kingdom and becoming attached.  If people move early enough they won't have the hard feelings they complain of when engulfed and/or attacked by others farther into the game.

No, Andruxius I'm not talking about you, but many others with whom I have had the experience described above.

When the larger players (especially leaderism players) say "relocation is advised" they mean just that and are not being "mean".   They are giving fair warning and anyone who does not heed that warning stands to lose.  A lot. 

I hated having my town destroyed because I had horses that were coveted.  Nevertheless, I contacted the attacker and worked a deal to relocate that town so he could have the horses.  Rebuilt somewhere else in my kingdom and learned to defend.  That is what this game is about.  It's about the victories, yes, but the key element is the interaction with other players.  Mari is right.  Interact with others and make friends and learn the art of diplomacy.  You can't survive otherwise.  Whether you are a gray border or not. 

I had never played this type of game before I got here and have learned a great deal about how to get along in such an environment and, believe it or not, being attacked and losing towns were part of the learning experience.  You can even make friends with enemies and that is quite rewarding.  

One of my alliance members had to relocate at least 6 times early in this stage to avoid being stuck between other, larger, faster players.  You don't hear her complaining.  It's a fact of life.  Smart domain management, people skills and war are part of the game.  If you want to avoid those, you may have to play something else.

Since I'm the Fire Fly member that Diana is talking about I will put my two cents in for what it's worth.  I learned from my time playing to recognize when it was smart to move in order to enjoy my game and testing play.  So moving, although a pain, is an option you have to avoid war.  Border building when you are a Collectivism player is the most aggressive "attack" and if you don't move that town after diplomatic tactics have been exhausted then hang on because armies WILL move it for you.The biggest mistake, in my opinion, is for any player to ignore a pm from someone who is more than likely ahead of you in research and can see what's available for you and who your other neighbors might be.   Being advised to move is for your benefit!!!!!!To those who butt in and fill people with "righteous indignation" about someone trying to bully them have NO CLUE what they are talking about.  I can say this with an amount of certainty because they probably haven't even cleared the map and can't see where you are.   To them I say STOP you don't know what you're doing.Be assured that with communication between players many attacks can be warded off.  If you chose to ignore then you can also be assured that armies will pay a call.    That's the game folks.  Learn to play it.

In my case there has never been any communication, and to say it once again, some of the attacks came from seaside. Those who talk about "aggresively staying where you are" haven't addressed my question, whose development I hinder there. But anyways, as the map is so crowded already, I'll just stay where I am and wait for my butchering.

I am also a FireFly members and agree with Diane, this game can be played different ways with different outcomes but it is still a war game...in testing alpha. The larger players know what they want and go for it, they have an advantage in this game as would some of the complainers if they deemed the game fun enough to donate more and learn all they can by battling. Time is wasted here by whining about another player, talk to them find out what they are doing....plunder, onslaught, they want your land, you built to close to them, etc etc. Border wars have been around from the beginning and won't go away...ever! But, go ahead build, war, fight back, train troops..have some fun people. I cannot speak for everyone when I say this but I don't care whether I get hit or not, I either rebuild or move. I do however, pay attention to those around me who clearly spend more than I do and give them space..I will stay and fight until they say they want my land. It's simple and if you want to gain points for your hero..do the same! Bottom line: have some fun!!

I'm in the "just want to relax and farm" camp.   Would there be a way to control the way one's borders expand?  I'm perfectly content to play a small country, but if I build culture, the borders move automatically.  Or are their ways that I can move my borders in the direction I want (other than building a town in that direction) that I don't know about yet? It took me ages to get to a river for one guy because my space expanded north-south while the river was to the west.  

I don't want my neighbor's territory--but I want to build culture so that I can build more stuff.   If we could control the borders, that might help with some of the Farmer/Fighter gaming style issues.  

Okay, I have now deleted my last town (or more correctly: it will be deleted in 48 hours) and then that's it for me. If I return in the next phase, I don't know yet. I've got enough of grief in my everyday life, I don't need it in my spare time. Obviously people like to play war...I can only hope for them, that they don't have to experience that in real life. 

So, no more "complaining and whining" by me. Have a good time!

The problem with Mina's comment above ...

Very often a new player's first experience of player contact in the game is a neighbour saying that it really would be in their best interests to abandon their position and move.  Quite often this is not a genuine message, it's just a attempt to bluff someone into giving up free territory.  How is a new player to tell the difference?

I'm not talking about any of my own experiences here, but others that I've witnessed over this alpha and the last one.

The problem with Mina's comment above ...

Very often a new player's first experience of player contact in the game is a neighbour saying that it really would be in their best interests to abandon their position and move.  Quite often this is not a genuine message, it's just a attempt to bluff someone into giving up free territory.  How is a new player to tell the difference?

I'm not talking about any of my own experiences here, but others that I've witnessed over this alpha and the last one.

I can tell you, as leader of Firefly, that it is our policy to be genuine about such advice.   When one of us tells you it's a good plan to move because you are in a bad spot, near a fast grower, lead hero, etc. we are not being mean, we are trying to help you.  Take it or not, but refusing to respond is just plain rude.  Not taking the advice gets what you are warned about.  No one can say they were not warned ahead of time when it comes to FF.

The problem with Mina's comment above ...

Very often a new player's first experience of player contact in the game is a neighbour saying that it really would be in their best interests to abandon their position and move.  Quite often this is not a genuine message, it's just a attempt to bluff someone into giving up free territory.  How is a new player to tell the difference?

I'm not talking about any of my own experiences here, but others that I've witnessed over this alpha and the last one.

i would also like to add to this.

some players will not offer a friendly message to warn you of what is to come. i learned this on my own. just because someone tells you what might happen does not mean they are being a bully :)

Okay, I have now deleted my last town (or more correctly: it will be deleted in 48 hours) and then that's it for me. If I return in the next phase, I don't know yet. I've got enough of grief in my everyday life, I don't need it in my spare time. Obviously people like to play war...I can only hope for them, that they don't have to experience that in real life. 

So, no more "complaining and whining" by me. Have a good time!

I seriously didn't mean it that way...yes I did say "complain and whine" but if you think about it your not the only one who has deleted and lost new towns, we all have. This game is in test mode, we want to try everything new to see how it works (some things better than others) and definitely some things more fun than others. Either way, I have deleted hero's many many times, saying UGH and getting upset because I got so far and now I have a huge player (known for border wars) right next to me. Yes, it is very frustrating but I am still playing..continue to play if you want to help, quit if you really don't like this sort of game but please don't leave upset because of others. I create 4 hero's then find out which I can just play and which I have to learn or grow quickly with. The trick is don't spend any cash until you are sure, that way you wont feel cheated. :)

First, let me say that I am a Collective and up until a few days ago was adamant I would never want to play as an aggressive Leaderism.  After being attacked twice in one day by unidentified "Pirates" with 13 Renaissance ships, and my neighbor attacked by the same player 5x (she had to work day and night during the Xmas holidays), I am now less sure abt my feelings.  For one thing, that is what this game is about, seeing how to manage in a world with both peaceful and aggressive individuals.  Also, managing to destroy 2 of the Renaissance ships did my heart good, since I had to figure out where the second attack would take place and how to defend. I learned a lot and leveled up.  That being said, however, I do believe that unidentifiable "Pirates" are cowardly.  Even in real world history, the pirates did not stay unidentified.  Don't think my feelings abt the unidentified "Pirates" are likely to change, but working with Leaders and Collectives I respect and like makes this game extremely enjoyable.

Last Alpha I requested that we have some sort of explicit ability to defend against the unidentified pirates.  For example, a tower (like a sage tower) that you can build in the harbor, as did exist in the real-world battles against pirates in the 1600-1800's.  I respectfully request that the devs consider this.  I get the idea of pirating and it is kind of fun, however there is no way to retaliate if you are under attack and your troops are elsewhere other than the normal towers which are not of a lot of use against the big pirate ships.  I understand that eventually some will get catacombs, but I don't think that is the right answer to pirating.

for collect it is easy to battle pirates. lvl5 towers in harbor towns, naval attacking units and move resources. kill enough ships and they will not be back again.pirates can only plunder so it is not worth the battle to continue on a town they lose ships with.

for collect it is easy to battle pirates. lvl5 towers in harbor towns, naval attacking units and move resources. kill enough ships and they will not be back again.pirates can only plunder so it is not worth the battle to continue on a town they lose ships with.

Was this at all a response to my post?  I did not say anything about a "tough" battle (except to say I felt good abt figuring where the next attack would take place).  Also, losing resources 5x in one day (like my neighbor), does not seem to fall under the small loss category.  My main point about learning a lot from the experience and from other players (both Collective and Leaderism) and the cowardly part about unID'd "pirates" was not addressed at all.  Maybe you weren't responding to my post, but it sure felt like a tangential reference.  It would be nice to hear how others feel about the "pirates" being unidentified while causing mayhem everywhere (at least in my corner of Jonberg). 

 (she had to work day and night during the Xmas holidays),

Agreed, we need a global truce which we will launch for certain holidays, so people will have a comfortable evenings, it is in our todo list.

Thanks, Bers.