I joined this site before vDip existed. I'm not a huge fan of variants and although I do quite like some of the new features over there, it isn't enough to leave the community here that I greatly enjoy (and playing on two sites just seems very confusing).

I understand what you mean. Over there I win / draw a lot of games, over here I get beat almost every time (especially on Classic). I think people who play here have so many games under their belt on the Classic variant that it's easier for them to play. I like playing other variants (Europe 1939 and Colonial Diplomacy are my favorites).

The classic variant has been played so much for so long that it's tough for newer players to get into it, I think.

@abgemacht - I've been on this site for awhile too, but I think I joined both the same time or so... anyway, I wonder why this site is so slow to implement variants or new features. The rating system they have, plus the variants, would make my enjoyment here so much better.

At the least, Colonial Diplomacy and Custom Start should be available here... Colonial was sold retail for a time, if I remember.

Well I for one am obviously new here, but I like the game and I would like to say I have picked it up pretty fast, but I think it's true that the classic map is harder for me to get into simply because of the skill of everyone here. I find having to play on 2 sites too confusing and too time consuming. I joined this one first, and I'm sticking to it. I like world maps a lot. Much more fun for me. :)

One word: community.

Having said that, I think it would be awesome if we could just move the whole community to the VDip interface, or if we could just move the VDip interface to this community. Either would be great.

To be honest, I don't really get it why these two seem to develop differently, since the project is open source anyway. Any improvements that VDip has could be easily added to WebDip without any additional work. As far as I can see, it wouldnt even be that much additional work, since VDip has already done the coding.

Chaqa: This is the source of almost all other Diplomacy implementations: PLAYdiplomacy, vDiplomacy and its predecessors, Facebook Diplomacy. The creator left it open source on purpose. vDiplomacy in particular is a very recent spin-off and works closely with this site.

As for why the two variants on this site were chosen, I have no idea. ('Classic' isn't a variant; it is the game Diplomacy.) World Diplomacy IX just looks like an aberration.

I used to play on diplomacy.denes.nl for years, and play by e-mail before that. I also did Facebook Diplomacy for a short time, as well as in-person in middle school and high school.

World Diplomacy is awful, I refuse to play it. Ancient Med is fun.

Diplomacy by deNes? Wow, how many people play there?

It's dead now, but at its height there were quite a few. The community was amazing.

I play both here and there, the community here is better. The play at Vdip is less serious, more casual. Many of the variants are unbalanced and untested. Most diplomers just like playing Classic, so they stay here

The variants is the main reason they don't integrate the sites, because, as Rancher said, lots of them are ridiculously unbalanced. Some of the features should be easily portable and would be useful here, but I think Kestas is wary of one's that haven't been completely tested for bugs. That said, I really don't see why RR isn't implemented here.

I think someone wondered why there were only 2 variants here - Kestas held a vote quite a long time ago, as he wanted a couple more quality maps to be brought across from VDip. The poll ended up with AncMed and FvA at the top, but apparently FvA was too small a variant, so WorldDip came across instead.

I play in both. I like it here because of the huge community base and there are more skilled players here. However, the same is true for the opposite that there are more "noobs" here (me included). At VDip, I like the variants, but as has been said, there are a lot of imbalances. On general though, there are less NMRs/bans over at VDip than here.

I've tried Ancient Med and World IX but I don't like them. The only variant I've heard of that I'd like to try is Fleet Rome. I'd expect Italy and France's play to change the most in the early years but then, I guess, it would kind of even out to be more like a normal game over time.

Talking of variants, I've always wondered, is it possible to create a map without stalemate lines?

I don't know these abbreviations: RR? FvA?

FvA is France vs. Austria which is the Classic map but with only France and Austria as the players with all other centers as empty neutral centers.

RR is the reliability ratings system, which scores you based on how many times you NMR/CD

Re: RR, FvA - Thank's folks.