UPDATE! THE NAP IS BACK!
The NAP is back on. The top 9 alliances, their farms, and their academies are all protected under the terms of the new NAP.
Original Post
The other day, several top alliances, led by [ODW]Odin’s Warriors, withdrew from the NAP (Non-Aggression Pact) that protected the 14 highest-ranked alliances on the server from plundering. The idea behind the NAP was to allow alliances on Server 175 to grow together in order to fight and win against competing servers. The ODW-led folks feel smaller alliances ought not be excluded from plundering if they don’t participate in server battles.
My Initial Thoughts
My friends, we’re all feeling sensitive to instability right now.
Atomic Mike’s departure from the game took everybody by surprise. We’re all adjusting to Dwoo’s leadership style — and trying to support him as he settles into his new role. And we have several new R4s (myself included) who are learning the ropes and making some mistakes.
And now all this drama with the NAP just feels like a glass filled with a little too much water. We’ve all enjoyed growth without fear of attack. Some of us have even enjoyed attacking others who aren’t in the NAP because we know they won’t dare retaliate. We’ve enjoyed protection, that now feels like it’s gone (or at least is imperiled), and we feel concerned and vulnerable.
But I don’t think we need to be.
The K1M Impact
While I understand and share everybody’s feelings, if I calm my heart and start analyzing the game board like a chess player, my amygdala calms down quite a bit. And when I think instead of feel, I find that I’m not seriously worried. Here’s why:
- As an alliance, Atomic Elite does participate in SvS battles.
Even if we’re bubbled up on the grass taking up space to block invading troops, K1M is there, and we’re making trouble for the enemy. And our heavies are almost always shedding blood. - The ODW-led alliance said they’re not attacking any alliance in the Top 10.
While I’m not naïve enough to blindly believe what they say, our server isn’t strong enough to battle against other servers successfully without the Top 10 at full strength (which is 92B — almost 3 times the power of the next 20 alliances combined). In my view, feeding on Atomic Elite doesn’t make logical sense when the goal is victory and the rewards are so much greater than some wood and food. - This is a game and everybody wants to enjoy playing.
Whatever else can be said of the ODW-led alliance, I really believe their players want to have a good time, the same as we do. And I don’t believe they want a lot of drama any more than we do. Leadership is doing what leadership does, but the rank and file probably want everything to cool down and stabilize quickly so they can get back to what’s important: the fun!
So for all these reasons, I think we’re in a secure and mostly safe position even without the NAP protecting us.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
In spite of my belief that we’re safe as an alliance, I also know there are going to more skirmishes among individuals. (In fact, we’re already seeing some in the Mines Melee)
Lots of players do what they want because they fail to read chats, because they fail to check with their R4s to make sure there’s no treaty or agreement, or simply because they fail to control their bullying behavior without the NAP to hold them back.
So we should be prepared. How?
- Buy some 8-hour shields to protect yourself and your farms in the event of an attack. Hopefully you’ll never need them.
- Keep your resources in the warehouse until you need them because they’ll be hidden from scouts and protected from plundering.
- Grow Grow Grow. Focus on structures, camps, and research and keep getting stronger. These kinds of people look for easy victories and if Atomic Elite makes them work and makes them bleed, they’ll choose to go elsewhere.
Conclusion
As the American President, Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” I believe we’re safe, but we shouldn’t be complacent. Keep doing what you’re doing, keep a wary eye out, and keep building your power. If we carry ourselves like people worthy of respect, we’ll be respected. Everything else will work itself out in time.