I think the real problem here is that the community is small and people don't want to upset their internet friends. This leads to these large alliances, and everybody wanting to be friends rather than play the game. There seems to be a real problem separating friendship from gameplay. The you attacked me now we are no longer friends and I'm going to join a huge, as you say, "carebear" alliance and destroy you, as well as troll you to destroy your rep on the boards mentality kills what could be a great game. Can you imagine playing monopoly and before the game starts everybody lays claim to certain properties. So you roll in hopes of landing somewhere, on something not "claimed." What fun is it when you already know the outcome.
Cooties I understand why you want to avoid PvE. I agree that a full scale PvE strategus may lead to other things, and I'm not sure there are enough players to support it anyway (w/o the AI eventually dominating.) What I suggest are random AI actions that cause conflict between these huge alliances and the friend mentality. By a roll of the dice force "carebear" members to attack each other or risk losing something. Maybe make these actions only happen to fief owners or those with clan tags, to avoid the full PvE effect. chadz you must make people understand that this is a war game, not a family reunion.
The length of time it takes to gather resources and travel also plays on one's psyche. I really want to battle, but I have to spend a month gathering resources for a 15 minute battle and then do it all over again. No wonder people get ticked when attacked out of turn...there goes a month's worth of effort.
Also, don't you dare get caught having fun by playing in a battle. If you do, you are instantly labeled an enemy by the other team and forever at risk of the "carebears" polishing you off. To everybody I ever merc'ed against I can assure you it WAS NOT PERSONAL. I was just trying to have fun. Because of all the griefing I don't even bother to sign up half the time now. In my case it has nothing to do with the xp or gold I'm owed, my non-participation is strictly based on the griefing or threat of. I am neutral and non-clan affiliated and still feel this way. Attacks should be a part of gameplay, not retribution for a snide remark, a players nationality, trolling on the forum, etc. The goal should be to own the entire map. Now with the fief owners getting crpg benefits, the "carebear" mentality has become, "why not run off everybody we don't like and then live peacefully beside each other collecting our welfare."
This is a game meant to be played on the battlefield, but there are far more battles going on in the forums than in Strat. I think ATS, Wataga, KOJ, Leikers, and others have it right. Nothing personal, just fight. They are the ones who need to receive the fief-owner benefits, since they are keeping the game unpredictable and thus alive.
By the way the re-inforce thing is useless. Rules are as attacker, I can't be reinforced after 2 hours. Although if I can have a re-inforcement army standing beside the battle within 24 hours to attack as soon as the battle is over, haven't I, in effect, been re-inforced. Ex. ropynol, I think, attacked a DRZ caravan and won a lot of goods. He immediatly lost these goods because while the battle was locked down a large DRZ force was able to muster itself and travel a great distance to stand beside him and await the outcome. They then attacked and destroyed him. This in effect was re-inforcement. A cool down period is needed.
I would like to see horses have an effect on the quick march and exhaustion period...i.e. longer quick marches or shorter cool-downs.
tl:dr strategus is a family reunion in its current state, hybrid PvE may be needed, reinforcement is useless, I think horses are more powerful than man
