Just wanted to add my 2c here.
R34 was my second round in PA. I was actiive (pretty much 24/7ing), on IRC, had an alliance and was picking up the game very quickly. I exiled into an extremely active gal - full of guys who were obviously experienced and friends with each other. I wasn't the weakest planet in the gal - so I thought, shit, if I keep my score up and keep active they'll accept me.
Wrong. Despite ticking all the boxes (imvho) for being someone who would be useful to have in a gal, I got booted to make way for some of their friends who they were hoping would exile in. I ended up in an inactive gal and quit playing - although starting a new job did have something to do with that. But my main thought was: what's the point when the game is divided into fort gals full of excellent players that only want their friends ingal and weak gals full of other newbs/inactives?
I see you guys talking about the problem with getting new players into PA.
Here are the biggest issues that I encountered, being a new PA player:
- horribly outdated wiki (after this website, it's your first source of info)
- if you don't have an alliance, you feel absolutely powerless (you have no intel as to what planets/gals are legit targets and which will have def and counter attack you - attacking is a real stab in the dark)
- lack of community spirit in many 'normal' gal forums due to the concentration of good players/alliances into these fort gals
- the demanding nature of the game.
My perception of the game, as a newbie, was that the game was a lot more fun in an alliance than without one. Now I know that there are a lot of experienced players who play without an alliance - but, imho, for a newbie the game can be a very cold and lonely experience.
Benefits of being in an alliance: You get a lot of advice from other players, you have a sense of community (polar opposite of being a lone allianceless planet in a galaxy that is ruled by big alliances) and you see that your actions can make a huge difference. Sending def/attacking becomes fun.
Would it be possible to, after a certain point in the game, force any non-allied players into special alliances run (voluntarily) by some experienced players? It'd give newbies, who don't necessarily browse these forums and see the recruitment threads, a glimpse of the more fun (imho) and engaging aspect of the game. It'd make the 'farming' of inactive planets/gals less of an issue. It'd encourage newbies to play for more than a round - 'I wonder how a REAL alliance runs things?'. It'd help create more alliances. Y'ask me, all these things would enrich the game in both the short and long term.
Sorry for going OT
