socializing (new)player base in game, country overlapping

[The_Warlord]

At the moment we have the TLK forum and the IRC channels. Could it be possible to see/choose what countries are strong countries and what countries have the underdog position? Or some other indication for players so they are able to choose who to play with instead of where to play?

I think one way to do this, is to allow players during the age break to voice their choice somewhere and make the results visibile at the age break message? Or sending invites like in KnC?

But if that's public it could be abused to disrupt stacks and stacks not willing to give away their actual country and giving misinformation...

Maybe some sort of clan thing with a page similar to the countries (maybe only visible during age break?) You could add an IRC chat in the clan page(HQ?) to be created/filled in, in game, by the clan leader(s). A fixed clan tag before or after your name would also be handy, so people always know if/what clan you are member off. This is to avoid a reduced attachment to the country. I think this will give new players a good place to go to with small questions and give them the opportunity to know what experienced players already know by talking with tlk friends during last age's last days. A clan should also not get any achievments/medals/or some awards other then having an active chat/forum/member count. The rewards should not be linked to the country related actions of the clan's members.

Or maybe an improved buddy list where you can "follow" friends into a new age by clicking something behind their name or on their profile. This could be displayed in the ranking page too? The downside is that this will be handy for old players with a nice buddy list, but new players won't have that advantage and will still not be able to know what country he/she wants/should join to get to know the game in the best way.

I tought about something like this earlier, but this is my first try to write it down. Please add your toughts, i'll likely write some more later in the future about similar ideas conform the title of this issue. Or is something similar already in the works?

Just tought of something to add already :p If those clans (or idk what you guys want to call them?) would be divided in groups already that would be even better for new players to choose one to join. Something like, PVP clan, Ranking Clan, SF Clan, ... Maybe even a Clan specifically created for people who want to teach new players? :D