It has more Variants ! The only problem is they dont have as many players as Web Diplo , But the players there have a good level and several players from here , play there too , I have 2 acctns 1 here and other in there.

I'm playing for 18 months on classic map now, some would say I have some kind of understanding of the map, and I'm still learning a lot new stuff. Why would I share my attention among a lot of maps, when I'm still not good enough at one?

The more variants you have, the less skilled players you'll get. Look at Apple, the less products you have, the better they are. Or Ferrari, Breitling, scottish single malts.

Sometimes, choosing not to fragment your "customers" among products results quality. All I'm saying, having more maps is not neccesarily a good choice. Personally, I'm not interested in a site, where I can't find a direction of which way I should go, if I want to be better.

Maybe, the less variants here is the main reason behind the more users...

Well , Web Diplo is here longer than Vdiplo , This map is Called Modern 2 , and it have more Countries , Like Spain , Poland , Ukraine , Egyp , Wich make Diplomacy more interesting becouse you are no longer taking Free SC , but you have to Do your Diplomacy more accurate to win

Since I'm mainly a gunboater, talking doesn't really count for me :), but it's a strictly personal reason.

If you have a map, it's very important to be well balanced, which is true in the classic map (the balance comes from it's being well known), and Ancient.

Any new maps, which I would be interested, should be naturally balanced, for which to be proven people need to play it for years, and mapmakers should accomodate, before it's reaching it's final form.

For me, it's just not interesting to try a lot more variants and find out which is good enough to play on. Innovation is good and needed, and I'm very supportive on any kind of new stuff, meant to make things better.

But that doesn't mean any new variants are better. Usually most of them aren't. I'll wait, while others find a reasonable map, which will be popular, and I'll start playing on it, only then. I'm also sure, webdiplomacy would apply that map too, if the map reaches such popularity elsewhere...

You have to Try it to see how it feels , I understand you are a Gunboater , but doesnt hurt to give it a shot , also this map is very well balanced too , becouse a player like Austria or Russia ( Wich are very powerfull or very weak in gunboat depending of the situation ) Become more balanced in this map Moderm 2 , becouse there is no Austria player , there is also more balance according to the troops , like Great gran Powers Like Germany getting 4 troops instead of 3 , and a little less weaker nations like Spain , having only 3 , but the map make those 3 be very devastating ! give it a shot and answer for yourselft only if you have the time.

Madcat991, balance comes with the territories, not with the countries.

Do you know, that without Albania, there would be a stalemate line in the mediterranean, to be able to stop turkey?

Do you know, StP can't be held from mainland at any circumstances, so the natural stalemate line guarantees, no southern power can reach 18 SCs without taking at least 1 french SC?

Do you know, why Heligoland Bight is needed, or skaggerack? Or why can you go from wales to Yorkshire, and not from liverpool to London instead? Why is switzerland untouchable? What would happen withut Syria or Armenia.

Very minor changes, like clearing Albania, would completely turn Classic map upside down, and where minor changes would make it a lot more better. But for those to be tested and understood, many games have to be played.

I'm just not capable of playing another 100 games on a map, which some say "better", it takes about a year to understand a map well, so I'll choose that map very carefully.

Rokakoma, that part of your post with the three "Do you know" sounded almost like a poem. A fragment of The Ode to Diplomacy, maybe.

:D

Indeed , It makes me know more , I know all but why Switzerland is untouchable , I know it make sense to allow Italy to be a Wild Card , and also make munich a little safe as Marseilles so fleet will be used instead of Tanks

about Syria I am not so sure apart to do the LEPANTO , Armenia to give Turkey a second way of attack agains Russia

it is all to balance out the game. Most of the other variant (sole exception being MAYBE ancient med) don't have this balance. Syria is made to give Turkey's defense a weak spot, same with the North Antlantic in England's case

Yes, the point is not whether YOU personally know these reasons or not, the point is, these reasons exists on the classic map. And they are very much needed to be able to play balanced games.

On ancient red sea is also very important, but rarely used.

Back to the basic topic, I'm very eager to play new maps, but before I start playing on them they must be proven balanced, otherwise it's just waste of time. The joy and fun comes if everyone can enjoy the map, everyobdy have the chance to stop the most powerful, otherwise it's just a gamble, who gets which country.