New Mechanic: Kingdom Sacrifice + Glory Points

CyberPtra

I understand this suggestion could drastically change the dynamics of the game, but I believe it might offer a solution to some persistent issues the game is currently experiencing. Please note that I’m not sure if this is even possible from a programming/coding standpoint—I'm just putting the idea out there for discussion.

🔹 Goal

Address bottom-feeding and stagnation in the Kingdom Hall of Fame.
Incentivize provinces to work together toward a common goal.

🔹 Core Mechanic: The Sacrifice System + Glory Points

After the initial protection period plus one week, the top 5 kingdoms are “sacrificed”—that is, they are reset to benefit their entire province with a production bonus.

🔹 Sacrificed Kingdoms:

The top 5 kingdoms are reduced to 25% of their total strength:

1/4 of their land, 1/4 of their resources, 1/4 of their army, 1/4 of their wizards
Any market orders/bids are canceled and then quartered.
Castles are retained (resulting in a higher castle-to-land ratio + crime).
Technology remain intact.

🔹 Glory Points:
These top 5 “sacrificed” kingdoms grant Glory Points to their province:

1st place: 5 points
2nd place: 4 points
3rd place: 3 points
4th place: 2 points
5th place: 1 point

These points contribute to a provincial production bonus (developer discretion).
-- Example: 1 Glory Point = +0.1% to all resource production for the entire province.

🔹 Sacrifice Timing:

The sacrifice occurs randomly within a 336-hour window (14 days) after the previous one.
After each sacrifice, the timer resets.
The next sacrifice could happen the next hour or up to two weeks later.
Why random? To avoid predictable hand-offs of resources/positions and to keep things competitive and fresh. Also promotes kingdoms sharing resources for the "greater good" of the team.

🔹 Rationale

Recycles the Kingdom Hall of Fame—top kingdoms don’t just sit there indefinitely.
Encourages provinces to work together for Glory Points.
Top players are periodically reset, allowing others to rise through the ranks.
With proper strategy and a little luck, anyone can reach the top 5.
Provinces can coordinate to block rival provinces/kingdoms from racking up Glory Points.
Bottom-feeders might start behaving better (they might become bottom-fed later)
Tiny Kingdoms that are essential "functional multis" might be prayed upon by the top kingdom that was just sacrificed (become small enough to attack these kingdoms)

🔹 Tracking/Fame/Victory Conditions

Kingdoms have "badges" showing how much glory they have accumulated
Province Hall of Fame tracks glory points instead of raw accumulation of kingdom strength

🔹 Unresolved/Potential Problem

Provinces having a designated "banker". This is essentially a "functional multi" that just holds on to the top kingdom's resources in anticipation of the "sacrifice" -> potential mechanism would be dynamically disabling the top 5 kingdoms from sending/receiving aid or buy/sell in the market.... They must plan before entering "victory road".

I fully recognize that this would be a massive shift in gameplay and possibly in the game’s core philosophy—but I’m curious to hear what the community thinks. Constructive feedback and tweaks are welcome!

Cyber (Assisted with AI)

Cora

CyberPtra sounds interesting, but I’m not sure how the top players would like being cut down to 25% 😂 they seem to like their rankings.

Lord Thane

I like it, all really good ideas. I like the randomness of the culling too, people would be driven bonkers lol

trupheus

25%? Come on live a little, 10% is where the fun begins.

Reasons to play as a province are good but what about the solo players that climb to the top? I fully plan on being solo next round. Might even request a province no one else can select to join.

Cora

trupheus Zown has done a pretty decent job of holding his own going solo. You two are crazy to do it, imo. I like being in a random prov, but I also like having a few provmates there, too.

Konkistador

Think crime rate should be the factor that would balance the game dynamics here, by incentivating battles rather than farming.

Crime rate: Reduced by building GH or by attacking. (Max time without attacking 1 week)

Crime rate: Reduced by attacking only. (Time without attacking over 1 week)(excludes BF unless retal)

skigglez

Konkistador what if you want to be a caster?

Konkistador

skigglez offensive spells as equivalent or just attack. Is thardferr not farmville.

CyberPtra

skigglez

Improved Law Tech; there is a maximum

Casters are fine if their goal is to support others to achieve glory points. Glory points help the entire province (including themselves). If they are able to help others by casting (support), they also benefit from the province's cumulative glory points.

The idea of cycling the HOF is that everyone will be able to attack everyone or defend against everyone... Alliances may be only temporary, because things keep changing... strong becomes relatively weak, and the weak become relatively strong....someone may decide to just hang out 6-10th place all round if they want....

Cora

Konkistador not that I’ve seen.

trupheus

Konkistador

So which of the spells is effective enough to warrant giving out a retal?

Konkistador

trupheus could GB negate the crime rate effect and only being available to casters. Think this was raised before. Or new/ amend current spells that would make it worth casting and therefore negate the crime rate effect.

trupheus

Doesn’t this go against the goal of climbing as high as you can?

I think it also feeds into the strong get stronger. Resources are easily manipulated whether being sent to one person or a few. A province sweeps the top 5 and suddenly they’re getting a 1.5% bonus. Or the number 1 person is consistently from the same province and they’re slowly accumulating .5% more every time the sacrifice happens.

And this would greatly slowdown overall growth, especially given the random nature of it. The top 5 could lose 75% and then less than 24 hours the new top 5 loses 75%. All of that is just gone.

Another thing to consider is retals. What about the scenario where someone in the top 5 has a retal against them. The person with that retal could still take it but they’re going to get far less than they probably lost. It would also be extra crippling to that person who had spent the time to get to where they were to only have it wiped by a random mechanic and then a retal taken to knock them down further.

CyberPtra

trupheus

Those are all very valid points. I guess the point is that the goal is to accumulate Glory Points instead of being the "strongest" in terms of kingdom strength. Also goal is to contribute points to the province as well. With the random nature of the sacrifice, there may be many events (or very few) during the entire game round.

Fair point regarding the retaliation rights.... More common that the smaller kingdom will have rights against the bigger.... in the scenario that the sacrifice happens, the smaller kingdom is now potentially larger and retals bypass the BF penalties (the kingdom can still take the retal and gain the same castles, but with less land)... In the event of the reverse, the larger kingdom having rights against a smaller, I do not have an answer for that (is it enough that they got the glory point? - that is the new "goal").

In the event that the same province sweeps the top 5, everyone can now work together to prevent

I guess the point of the idea was to keep cycling the KHOF so everyone has the chance to experience the ups and downs. The production bonus is nice, but in the grand scheme of things, the amount of bonus can be wiped out after a poor attack/defend.... Keeps the game "interesting" for everyone.

Cyber

trupheus

Konkistador

Yeah I definitely think GB should be wizard only spell.

Too many kingdoms with no investment in schools and wizards collecting the benefit of GB.

Shrake is getting a 59% boost to gold production because of crime rate negation and 10% boost. Ok factor in CR capped at 25% and it’s still a 34% bonus.

Konkistador

trupheus thus why CR should be reversed. Instead of having a negative on attacks should be having a negative when not attacking. Peasants will always work harder when in war and become lazier in abundance times. Maybe GB being only an option for casters, as they are more venerable to high army kingdoms but they would recover faster. But being able to recover faster. Don't have a problem with game play as it stands as it has come a long way. But definitely would balance the game a step further.

skigglez

CyberPtra I don't agree with making the game so everyone can experience the ups and downs. The goal is to create and manage the strongest kingdom you can - you shouldn't have built in punishment for those who rise to the top.

CyberPtra

skigglez

Fair point. I am definitely an advocate for trying to achieve the "best" kingdom possible. However, I think the word "punishment" might not be entirely "correct". I am fully aware that this idea is a game changer. The "end-game" goal is now to rack up glory points. It is a race for "glory".

Maybe we can have "cumulative" hall of fame that tracks the kingdom's KS before the sacrifice and logs it. For example, if Kingdom A makes it to 2nd place at 17000 ks, it is logged in the "Cumulative Fame". If Kingdom A makes it to 3rd place for a future sacrifice at 31000 ks, the cumulative tracker will note 48000 ks....

If a round is only 3 months long... there is a minimum of 6 sacrifices... So 6 times the glory points are logged.

Theoretically, after each sacrifice, the kingdoms are not starting at square zero. They have retained some things (castles and tech) + bonus production. As the round continues the 1/4 is going to slowly be larger as well. Unless everyone allows it to happen, I cannot see a SINGLE kingdom getting to the top 5 EVERYTIME, but those who manage their kingdom well may hit the top 5 a couple times...

I think the "fun" aspect of this game is working with your "team" and taking out an "opponent". I have to say that your team has done very well this round working together for the top (there is no contest now), but wasn't the "fun" the process and work getting there? Now that you are there at the top, is it not relatively "boring"? (maybe not). I guess everyone enjoys different parts of the game. I feel that after initial protection, the initial "race"/"drive" to sprint ahead is the most collaborative/interactive period of the game which is "fun".

I am aware that this idea is out-of-the-box and fundamentally game changing, but I am just throwing out a suggestion. I do not mind the criticism. Trying to figure out how to keep our small player base playing when it is really easy to be demoralized and give up/quit.... CLI and BF Penalties help, but I hear more people quitting on a weekly basis, and not many "new players" joining. Honestly, it is not a very inviting game for newcomers.

Cyber

skigglez

Just seems overly complicated and a completely different game, and there’s got to be ways to address current issues without gutting the existing game. Haven’t even had a full round with the current mechanics, and there’s big changes already proposed for the next round

Sayjins

Maybe speed test rd...I'm digging some more change

Cora

Sayjins have you been talking to trupheus with his 5 minute rounds? 😅 you know, with the 2 minute restriction from attacking before the tick, it might as well be 3 minute rounds 😳🤯🤣