As most of you who frequent the BBS know, the Alchemists have switched to the rooks.
Our intent in making this move was either to ballance the game, or completely unballance it to the point that changes are made.
How can that be you ask?
IMHO I perceive 2 persistant issues.
1. too much 2 countries v 1.
There will always be that to some extent, but it seemed to me (and others) to have gotten pervasive. Our goal was to see that everyone got a taste of a 2 front war.
The only other way to guarentee that happens would be to have a 2 country game, and I for one don't see that happening.
2. ENY is ineffective as a ballance.
ENY is based upon percentages. It doesn't begin to kick in untill 1 country has a certain percentage over either of the other 2. My observation is that with this system ENY unfairly penalizes when the numbers in the MA are low, but completely fails as a ballance mechanism when the numbers are larger. For example if one side has a 10 or so player advantage when the numbers are low, this can result in an eny of 15-20 or more . 10 players spread across the map is insignificant. However when the number are higher you can have a case where 1 side has a 40 player advantage, or nearly half again as many players as the lower number side, and at the same time have and ENY of less than 5. IIRC there were 95 Bish, 96 Knights and 137 Rooks, with an ENY for Rooks of 4.5. So aside from cost of perk rides, and B-29's there is no peanilty. a 40 player advantage is huge and usually results in a roll. If the goal if ENY is to provide some ballance against lop-sided numbers then the formula should be changed, or ENY should be abandoned.
Another ENY suggestion I have heard is tie it to the towns. The higher the ENY for your country, the larger percentage of a town that must be taken down to turn the flag white. At the same time the opposing countries should need to take less of the town down to get a white flag.
Any way that's my 0.02.
Board trolls flame away.
For all others, constructive discussion welcome and encouraged.