As you know I've visited this site for a while now and I’ve come increasingly attached to it, but I also have great ideas for how it could be improved. I’ve been speaking with Kestas for the past few weeks and after lengthy negotiations he has agreed to sell me a 51% portion of webDiplomacy for an undisclosed figure. The contract will take effect on the 30th April meaning that Kestas will still be a part-owner in the site but that I will take position of administrator and have a more active influence in the way the site is going.

A lot of you will probably feel apprehensive about this, but I have no doubt that following a few minor changes the site can improve, gain traffic and give you all a more enjoyable playing experience. Among the changes I have planned:

-Profiles will now be tied into email addresses and profile pictures will be enabled. You will be able to Share your favourite games via social networking, and you’ll have the security of knowing you’re not playing against multis, as confirmed accounts will have a tick next to their name similar to Twitter. A downside of this is any accounts which do not confirm their ID through passport details will gradually be phased out.

-We’re going to bring added revenue to the site by enabling advertising. These non-intrusive adverts will interrupt the game board for a mere 20 seconds (non-skippable) showing you useful purchases and services.

-Paid points will also generate income. For a small fee players can buy bonus abilities such as hidden or extra units, or can “buy-in” a province like Rumania to gain extra advantage. Paid players can also kick a non-paid player from the game to prevent multis and to ensure that non-paid do not interfere with the game experience.

-The forum will be moderated by a Far-Eastern company specialising in forum moderation to keep conversations on track. Political/opinionated threads will be hidden and replies may be edited or monitored. This will remove the site from Chinese censhorship resulting in new traffic; we will translate the site into Mandarin as the default language to accompany this.

-The website will overgo a brand change, renamed to SynDiplomacy with a new logo and dark purple colour scheme.

-The platform of HTML will be moved over to flash allowing effects such as explosions and music to be added. The Classic map will also be expanded to include Egypt/Libya.

That’s about all for now, I’ll keep you guys updated and please let me or Kestas know if you have any concerns about the move. Thanks