LoT 2020 Regional (Annual Special) Server Changes and Suggestions (COM)

Yes, it should be random location of regional powers, but maybe not totally random. If all boots are in one place of map would not be good, need to have some rule that regions with same powers can not be next to each other.

But most important is to have smaller map for codex, 400x400 max

Maybe random location and even invisible until power is unlocked

It has always baffled me that they have kept the same powers in place for nearly five years. It would not be hard to randomize things.

Speed should be x2 and TS should also be 'doubled'.

I'd like a few 'movable' (old days) artefacts,choose VP or artefact effect.

TT's need to be cheaper when 5 tribes are used.

Can we get back to fighting instead of simming.

For me travian is becoming more and more boring because we are all mostly simming for regions.

One of the biggest thing would be to change some artefacts powers to be more inline with how the server works.

I think we could do away with the fools.

Change it to 'region only' effect,faster mercs,extra res,more protection,cav/inf +2 attack/defence power etc

Whichever effect is chosen it ONLY applies to those within that region/village/alliance.

NOT the entire alliance but only alliance members/villages within that region.

The downside to having merch speed increase as a regional power is that I'm not so sure people will select it among the slew of other options available. Might be more interesting if TG made it an individual choice under Commerce bonus to either increase carry, or increase speed, like how you can divvy up hero points. Or make it an either/or choice for some time duration.

wishmaster3 wrote:

The regional powers have some historical relevance (at least according to TG). I speculated about them with Final Word somewhere (but can't remember where). But the only one that really made sense was Sparta... And with that, I don't think it's a solid enough argument to not shuffle it up a bit.

UK 3x F&S - Discussion Thread

The real problem with the Regional Power servers is the dumb Europe Map. They need to go back to a more "democratic" map that doesn't create the Epidaurum/Delphi/Sparta/Philippopolis super-center. Please see the attached graphic.

This is a standard Travian map (not Europe, no stupid oceans). Here is my color coding:

1) Gray Area (Unique +200 VP): This is a real Gray Area from traditional servers. No daily CP from placed villages. The Gray area is "Delphi" and whomever controls The Gray gets the +200 VP per day." (I am undecided about the 24-hour Natar attacks... I don't think they're necessary on a VP round, but I'll let the Devs decide).

2) Red Area (other 6 Unique Artifacts): The red area OVERLAPS the Gray Area and is divided into 6 slices, one for each of the six remaining Unique Artifacts. Artifact placement probably isn't important, except that the two most desired artifacts, Unique Boots and Unique Trainer must be placed exactly opposite from one another, 180 degrees apart.

2a) Note the overlap between the Red Area and the Gray Area. This is not an oversight/error, this is part of my design! While each GZ village has the disadvantage of zero CP, it has the advantage of being accounted TWICE for purposes of Artifact Powers. A 300 pop village in the "Green area" of the Unique Eyes slice will give pop only towards conquering the Unique Eyes capture, but a 300 pop village in the "Gray Area" of the Unique Eyes slice will contribute 300 pop BOTH to conquering the Unique Eyes AND to Conquering the +200 VP!

3) Blue Area (Small non-VP Artifacts): Small Artifacts with village level effects are placed in this ring, circling the map in a uniform, repeating pattern, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G,etc.

4) Yellow Area (Large Artifacts): Large Artifacts with account level effects are placed in this ring, circling the map in a uniform, repeating pattern, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G,etc.

5) Purple Area (100-VP Regions): This area is equally divided into the multiple 100 Victory Point regions. I only put 8 cuts on the map, and I think there are 10 such regions, so fix my drawing but you get the idea.

This format will require vastly new strategies for all team involved.

Do I go for the 0|0 area, where I get no CP for my villages, but I can fight for BOTH the Unique Boots and the Unique Trainer simultaneously (all uniques converge at 0|0)? Do I mass up at the Green Edge of the Unique Trainer to keep the CP production of villages and secure that Artifact, but make no effort to gain the +200 VP from sending players to the Gray Area now? Do I place my villages just barely inside the Gray so that I can capture both my desired Unique effect, AND compete for the +200 VP, but still be relatively far away from my enemies who are doing the same thing (making defenses easier compared to settling 0|0)? Do I ignore the GZ altogether and rush to unlock the outer ring so that my group can cluster up where the 4 corners of the map converge and FOUR of the 100-VP zones all join together, attempting to own all four of those regions by clustering up together for +400 VP?

The strategic implications are numerous and varied, making for a variety of playstyle interactions that will drive very new experiences.

Unrelated idea: The Large Artifacts need to generate more VP than the Small Artifacts. The current 30 for Large & 50 for Small has proven to make Large Artifact regions very low priority for most planners. Make them a bit more tempting! Maybe swap the 30 & 50 between the two classes?

Contrary to normal, I disagree with Putin in the above. While it is true that it is automatically balanced when everything is mathematically divided from the center outwards, I personally like the real world map waaaaay better. We could try a map of America, Australia, Japan, India, Fuji, The wadden Islands, Britain, or whatever! But real world maps are cooler to me. Also: I think randomising the regional powers is much more fun, because it will inevitably lead to diversity each map. While this static layout that it has been leads to strategies that can be dreamt up way before the server starts. Less fun that way.

Another idea I have been floating around is to have a 36 hour or 48 hour cool-down timer (at the VILLAGE level) for artifact activations.

This would delete the "automatic renew" option in the treasury, but would need to require an "artifact queue" similar to the recent change for Town Hall parties. Maybe even allow the queue 2 or 3 layers deep, not just one level.

What this does is make it a little bit harder to monopolize Small Boots Artifacts. If you have Boots enabled for 24 hours, but it has a 36 hour cool down period before you can reactivate it again (in the same village) then you have some choices to make:

1) You go 12 hours without an artifact so that you can enable Boots immediately at 36 hours (put the reactivation in queue).

2) You turn on another Artifact to use for 24 hours, then turn the Boots back on the next day.

3) You convince you Alliance to capture TWO of the Small Boots regions so that you can alternate between Boots Artifact #1 and Boots Artifact #2 and keep boots on 24x7, because the cool-down is per village, per Region (not per-ability).

This would also affect the Large Eyes artifact practice of self-chiefing TC20 to gain vision on enemy cat & chief waves during defense ops. If there is a cool-down timer at the village level, you cannot use a single TC20 village to rotate through 2 artifacts 3 times in a single day.

You COULD, however, still achieve defensive toggles by having a 2nd or 3rd or 4th TC20 village, because the cool-down timer in village #1 would have no impact on Large Artifact Powers accessible in village #2 or #3 or #4. The strategy doesn't vanish... it just becomes more difficult (just like the small artifact swapping impacts above).

Firstly just wanted to say a thank you to those of you that continue to think about improving the game from the player pov, and those of you that keep bringing new ideas. Keep it up.

While I'm not against the idea of change, randomising or reshuffling the regions would make little difference imo because to state the obvious, I believe the server outcome is fundamentally determined by the team you have, the opposition you play against and TGs in game management of issues.

Premade teams will always have the advantage over non-premades due to experience, trust, communication and co-ordination. As a founding member of the Twelve Monkeys (TM) and Bedlam alliances, the same core team has played all the special servers to date. We've won and lost with and without the "Epidaurum/Delphi/Sparta/Philippopolis super-center". Geography has played a part yes, but it comes down to how effectively the team executes their strategy and maintains momentum and activity for the duration of the server.

The pressure to conquer Pictavium and Epidaurum for small boots in the early game has started to feel a little predictable, even if it does lead to the excitement of early fighting, so yes there's reason to review new strategic alternatives.

I think reviewing the artefacts themselves would be interesting. The regional servers are very different from the traditional WW servers and yet the artefacts remain the same. I like the idea of variables on artefacts as suggested, be that capacity, speed, build time or unit cost. Imagine if small trainer either allows cheaper troops or faster build time. Would make for a more versatile and sought after artefact in the early game. There needs to be more balance to small boots in the early game imo.

Food for thought.

Buli
aka Monkey Nuts
aka PHARAOHcious
aka CrocodileHundee

This is just a minor suggestion or idea and not for regional servers but all servers in general. Change daily task rewards according to the stage of the game you're in. For example in the early stage 20k resources for 100points can help alot while later on noone cares about it anymore. Not to mention they change how much res you must donate to ally bonuses according to server phase but rewards stay the same. Give more resources/cp/etc as reward as the server develops.

About regional servers I'd love to see a change where ally can't hold a region with 1 village in region only. Some alliances can just register new accounts make them settle in locked area to unlock it and then hold the area with almost no villages in it.

wishmaster3 wrote:

Already fixed (if region drops below 4k pop after being unlocked, it locks again).

Even if they unlock it settle a villa will they lose the power or not?

Can we have the hero mount the gelding when they find it and get back to the village quicker.

I think the unbalanced distribution of powers makes the game much more fun. Often times, three or four alliances are fighting for what would normally be one section of a quadrant in a normal server. It forces groups to fight it out -- rather than everyone pick their corner and wait it out at sniping distance (most of the problem with WW servers nowadays).