Well, every time I tried writing a response to this, it turns into a book, that I think no one will read. But I want to get some stuff posted. I think the idea from Dave the Narcissist is a very good one, with the 96 hour delay after being removed from a map. I think it will help counter the guilds who just point with no goal of actually claiming or holding land, which claiming and holding land does seem to be the intent behind GvG. Make trying to stay on the map important.
The 4hr calc will eliminate a lot of the worthwhile strategy in the game. There will still be strategy of course, but not strategy that can make you safe, so that you do not have to watch the maps all day long. Or a strategy that can actually stop a strong guild from taking as much as they can when you are not looking. Offense and availability will now be the biggest form of defense and could lead to GvG burnout for any guild actually trying to accomplish goals and control territory. Assuming they have at least equal competition for that land. The constant back and forth will be a major resource drain. Where I feel, if you want to make GvG more fun and get more people involved with the 4hr calc, reduce these resource costs. Let us fight, without major concern for resources. We will be losing way more sectors(goods) and sieging way more often. If all the fighting and losses are not as big of a blow to a guild’s treasury, I think this will be more fun, make losses not as rough, and allow guilds to continue to play and try to have some size. Right now, if you get into a big fight, you have to constantly release sectors and control your size to fight back in a small/ghost like state. Make the first 20 sectors like 1/5th the current cost, so that guilds can try to hold some land and still fight. After 20 sectors make the costs go up dramatically to prevent strong guilds from trying to claim a whole map. Cheapen the defense unlocks as well, which really seem to be way too expensive. We will have to use way more resources due to the 4hr calc, where the resource cost should be changed to accommodate that.
My next idea, I anticipate will not be well liked, but I’m gonna mention it anyways. Increase the amount of defense allowed in a hex. Double it up to 16 armies that can be filled (of course with cheapened defensive slot unlocks, as I suggested above). If a guild can afford to fill it troop wise anyways, then this can make sectors a little stickier. Strong guilds and pointers could still probably get through a bunch of them, but maybe not as much as they can do now. Would also allow guilds more opportunity to catch and defend from attacks. We are losing a key defensive strategy with the 4hr calcs, where I feel something like this can help provide more defensive options. It would allow a guild to still attempt a control strategy, while still remaining vulnerable. I think pointers will love it, but maybe they will not be able to do as much damage and get as far as they can now. Smaller guilds should be able to still take the equivalent of 2 full sectors currently, or they can just target the sectors that don't get filled all the way. If you think its too much for the lower ages, then maybe just make it 16 armies in like Progressive on up. Keep the lower ages as more of a looser training ground with the current 8 armies.
I agree that Bronze Age units should not be allowed on the AA map, due to how quickly you can pump em out. You can fill hexs in minutes with BA recruit timers. I think if you really want to stop guilds from farming their own hexs, then upon release, a hex should just be filled with low point fodder. Make a nomadic peasant NPC unit, that will just automatically fill in any released hex of any age with very weak troops, providing very little points. The sector was abandoned, armies scattered, and a bunch of squatters moved in. No matter if the release was just one army or 8, the whole hex just will be filled with 8 full armies of nomadic peasants. Easier to kill then spears. This would prevent pointing off your own hexs, trying to quickly reshield a hex within a few secs, and basically eliminate a lot of NPC strategies. Making it guild vs guild strategies.
So, not the biggest fan of the 4hr calc, but I can roll with it if it happens. Especially if there is a reduction in resource cost and would be cool to balance the lost defensive strategies with more allowed defense in a hex. I do agree it will increase gvg participation and activity though. I also like Dave’s idea with the 96 hour delay of re-entering a map after being removed from it. I think the 4hr calc alone may fix some of the farming your own sectors situation. But I think replacing any released sector should just become a full hex of low point fodder. The rest of the suggested changes from the devs I give the thumbs up to.