Join the new world

The last insider dealing with V2 has been released. We now have some details about the migration. Private beta testing has also been going on, with more of the community gradually getting involved. We’re about to enter a new era. Everything we thought we knew about retention and the role of parties and the military is going to change.


Excuse the labels on the characters. Without them, the image illustrates my point.

Judging from what we know of the mechanics of battles as well as personal accounts we can paint a picture for the future that will be both challenging and very rewarding. The new war module looks like it’s going to be quite unbalanced in favor of those lucky few who discovered this game at its beta stage. Though we are unsure how the rock paper scissors mechanics will work, in my mind it’s safe to assume that a 45 strength tank will have no problem mowing down a small army of new players. These tanks will also have access to wellness packs, which will make them even more of a force to be reckoned with.

New players will feel essentially worthless on their own on the battlefield. On the surface, this is nothing new. However, with the advent of PVP, this will be much easier for them to see, and much more frustrating. Combat will piss new people off.

This is not the end of the world. In fact, it’s just the beginning. We, as a country, are going to face one of the biggest challenges in recent memory. I say we, because it’s up to the entire country. Yes, the military will play a substantial part in the a part, but the parties will have to be involved in this process as well. Every top five party except for TAMA has a militia. TAMA is working on setting one up. A militia will be a necessary component of a party to increase retention.



A new player without an organized fighting force will quickly get pissed. When in an organized unit, it becomes about the community and helping the nation. With the new war module, it could be fun to just hang out with your unit in IRC after you’ve used your respawns and watch the battle unfold. That sense of purpose and duty is what will keep players coming back with the new war module. That and an unquenchable thirst for blood.



As a nation, we have to brace for the biggest game changer we’ve seen to date. The game is going to be interesting. At least, substantially more interesting than it is now. The biggest factor that will turn people away from the game is the lack of an organized body directing them where to fight. Thus, I suggest these two ideas as responsibilities for any political party, particularly a top five:

1. Every top five party needs to run an effective militia. Simply put, the military is not for everyone. Party militias need to serve as a viable alternative. They need to have a well-structured chain of command, with plenty of opportunities for advancement of enthusiastic recruits. They need to have regular organized mass attacks on IRC, giving deployment instructions to each soldier. They need to make the soldier feel like part of something greater.
Every new player needs to be contacted after joining the party. I can’t stress this enough. Simply put, parties should be doing this now. If they’re not, they should feel bad. New players need to be contacted and welcomed to the parties, given the tools they need to get involved. I cannot stress enough how important this will be in V2. New players need to be given information on both the training corps and the party militia, and be allowed to make the choice for themselves.

If a top five party recruits but slacks in these measures, we will lose a lot of players to boredom or frustration with the new modules. I challenge all future party presidents to do the right thing and handle new players properly.