Hello,
After playing many games with other players, I feel that I am mostly unsatisfied with the "allied countries" system

It's a very important aspect of the game but surely one that may be improved.

For now, it's just : I draw my random countries at start of the game, I'll play with them, like it or not. Then I pray that my opponent doesn't have a secret ally where I launch a risky attack.
It's the only random factor, and you can't do anything if you haven't been lucky at the beginning.

Suggestion :

- I believe there is a need for a "pseudo-diplomatic" system, where you have to buy neutral countries into allies instead of just getting them at random. May be each country could be favorably inclined toward each camp. One could start with just 1-2 countries and then would need to create other allies.
This way, you could define a more interesting global stategy.

- Such a system would need to be combined with a spies system, that allows you to search for opponents allies or counter bribery attempt

I think this is particularly true in large campaigns (ie, the larger one) where there are a lot of countries and the game is very long.
In the small battlefield, I didn't felt such a need for improvement of the Allied countries system.

Yours
Jerome / Kachoudas

i would like something like that

say you start with 3 close together cities and some others are allies, very friendly, friendly, hostile or very hostile.

and to gain more allies you'dhave to pay them off according to how much they like you and when you satify them they let you disclose there secret army.

also a revenue trading system would be nice.
sayt you already have possenion of an island and you have a country that is close to being attacked.

maybe you could send extra revenue to that country to help it build an army.