I am starting to like the game a lot , but i kinda miss the PVP part of it. And when it comes to MMORTS i know that is a rather sensitive topic.
I for one would prefer a style of PVP a bit more punitive and "hard core" if you could say that , but i know that having something like this runs a risk of having a much lower player base.
When it comes to pvp there is nothing as fun as seeing a map divided by areas of influence controled by clans and how these areas evolve over time.
One idea that popped into my head was if each player village (and by that i understand what it is now this island we are on) had an exit point to the pvp world ,in one initial square trough where he sends his troops out into that world . The square does not necessarily belong to that player , it can be occupied by some enemy but he can always fight to take it back ,and can always lose if afterwards. What he can not lose is his current island.
I saw this idea implemented in some newer games and it really works in keeping happy both the hard core players and the ones that want to play as a trader or just occasionally. The beauty of it is that there can't be no supreme clan for too long , even if you get conquered you can still rebuild your forces undisturbed in your initial island. Usually what ruins a server is that one group gets to strong and can keep in check everyone from ever grouping up and giving them a surprise. But like this they never know when a group of people that initially lost have patiently been building they troops back up and waiting are for the right moment for payback. It really creates a very dynamic influence map and pvp world.
One other thing that i would like to see is combining forces in fights. This model of each army group fights one at a time is getting old. There is this one game that had a good approach at fights only to ruin it with pvp that didn't have any real consequences.In this game a battle went like this:
First off, it was divided by rounds that took 10 minutes each. If opposing armies where equal in strength the fight would usually last 3 rounds or so. If any new army would arrive they would add to the current troops in the next round , either as defense or offense, and would be taken into the round calculation of the next round. If by any chance they arrived at the last round they would just start another fight with the remaining enemies.
This added loads of fun as clan battles where becoming epic. But also introduced a level of politics i've never seen before in a browser MMORTS. If you where getting dragged into a fight like this between clans you could bet that if word got out you would lose control over lots of territories that saw it as an opportunity to strike back. Having a spy in your group ,or in the enemy ranks would mean a great deal and traders where having the most fun at a time like this when finished products where in high demand and prices where going up like crazy. Somehow it all got connected at that point , and you really had players that had their place in the game as traders. Politics seemed real , trying to convince the trader to sell you the extra resource you need to break the tie , and not to the enemy.
I will not name the game as i don't know if it would be nice to do something like that here , but if any MOD or Dev want to have a look for inspiration i will gladly provide it.
So let me know what type of pvp you would like , i will make a poll with what i hope will be clear options and enough of them