Simple solution

[Loki]

The solutions to all of strategus' problems have already been solved in the single player version of the game.

First, What are the problems with strategus?
1. 99% of players are delegated to boring "crafting" system
2. Massive alliances

Fixes for said problems?
1. Limit troop count that one player can have at a time to ~100 troops.  (Much like in single player, charisma and leadership skills kept your maximum army size at ~100-300)
What this means?  Large groups of players would have to follow each other in order to make a large army.  10 players following each other would be able to reinforce each other for a total of ~1000, 20 for 2000, etc etc.  This means that if an ally wants to help you, they can't just shovel their troops/gear/gold off to an ally, they have to support with actual players on the map, leaving their own villages defenseless.

This would be an easy fix for one of the largest problems in strategus.

[Vovka]

sooo
big clans can easy send 5-10 man and they still have 50-90 on their own territory and in same time small clans (10-20 ppl) must send 50% players for attack.

massive alliances (say 10 clans) can easy send 5man from every clan =50 man and still have many ppls in def
and small alliances (say 5clans in alliance) must send 10 man from every clan = 50 man

dont see here fix the problem 

[Vibe]

This would help in a way that the clan would actually have to have active players to be successful. Big clan with lots of active players would still dominate and this wouldn't really fix the alliance carebear problem.

[Thovex]

The solutions to all of strategus' problems have already been solved in the single player version of the game.

First, What are the problems with strategus?
1. 99% of players are delegated to boring "crafting" system
2. Massive alliances

Fixes for said problems?
1. Limit troop count that one player can have at a time to ~100 troops.  (Much like in single player, charisma and leadership skills kept your maximum army size at ~100-300)
What this means?  Large groups of players would have to follow each other in order to make a large army.  10 players following each other would be able to reinforce each other for a total of ~1000, 20 for 2000, etc etc.  This means that if an ally wants to help you, they can't just shovel their troops/gear/gold off to an ally, they have to support with actual players on the map, leaving their own villages defenseless.

This would be an easy fix for one of the largest problems in strategus.

So like, we want even LESS fun?

Get out.

[Vibe]

So like, we want even LESS fun?

Get out.

How is his suggestion LESS fun, care to elaborate or just here to troll?

[Blondin]

With such system, clans would have to hire mercenary (clanless ppl) to obtain a better strike force.
Meaning we could have a real mercenary system (and real mercs faction ;)).

+1 (everything that favor clanless is a big +1)

[Tomas]

I suggested this a while ago but I don't think it will solve the 2 problems mentioned in the OP

Most people will still need to do the boring crafting and the biggest clans will still have the most people willing to do this and will therefore be the most powerful.

It also doesn't discourage massive alliances in any way.  In fact it will probably encourage and strengthen the current ones because it will be harder to break away from them once you are inside.  It will however reveal the full extent of the Carebear alliances as instead of just being able to supply troops and gold, allied clans will actually have to send players to help out in wars.

I think the idea still has merit, and would like to see it implemented with a proper reinforcing system for battles.  However, the wider problem of overpowered grinders needs to be addressed first.  Right now, the more people you have willing to sit doing nothing except crafting for their clan, the more power you have.  Implement my house idea - http://forum.c-rpg.net/index.php/topic,22352.0.html - and you will make grinders universally accessible to all Strat players.  Then the troop limits work properly and we might have a fun game again.

[Lepintoi]

This is hardly a solution and would make strategus too much of a hassle.
I would suggest a system where if for example a battle takes place in Zagush only clans who have someone in a radius of 25kms (example) can sign up on the roster. Clanless people can sign up wherever they are. Making mercing as an independent and scouting more important and thus solving the roster balance.

[Nebun]

Ppl having hard time to move caravans and look after their villages you want to add more work to it?

And your clan is almost inactive at the moment, and adding more work won't help them at all.

[Tristan]

Too much micromanagement.

- However a way to limit mercenaries that are far aways as lepentoi suggests might actually work.

[Nebun]

this is only good for clans that defending all the time

[Thovex]

How is his suggestion LESS fun, care to elaborate or just here to troll?

So you can have even smaller armies with small battles! How lovely!

Like the battles lately weren't short enough, yippi.

[Matey]

even more tedious micro isnt going to help when 99% of players dont care to do anything more involved in strat than craft/recruit and fight some battles.

[Count_Curtis]

I like.

I was never in any of the old strats, but this one is boring like mental. i refuse to do that crappy crafting shit, when i open browser i want to rather kill baddies or browse porn, not create chickens and tea. i can do that anyway

[Tomas]

Its only more micro management for clans that are run as dictatorships with a couple of active Strat players doing all the work whilst everybody else just grinds goods/troops and then ocassionally does something more when specifically ordered to do so.

It is these very clans that the idea is trying to counter.  Having the most CD Keys at your disposal should not automatically make you the most powerful clan.