I have read most of the posts and have a concluding message to Plarium and TONOYA on the PP topic. (I am NOT a noob, rather I am probably one of the players who have had some of the most success with PPs. I have also started a new account around the time the PP changes came in to see how it builds up now.)
TONOYA: I have read ALL of your posts. Listen to me: your logic is not making sense. Have you considered that maybe you don't understand the PP system or a competitive multiplayer game? I can tell you with absolute certainty that 90% of what you say is incorrect and based on a flawed understanding of PP. Many other players (who have access to the same information as you) do understand the system. 90% of your problem (TONAYA), lies with you, and not with Plarium. You need to please stop ranting and blaming others (so passionately) due to your own limitations, and start working on addressing them. I say this in the nicest way I can, but you really need to hear it.
TO PLARIUM: I say this with great respect to others, and please do not see this the wrong way. It is clear as day that the PP favors smarter and more mathematically inclined players. I have made 100's of millions of armies from PP and I'm still making good profits on the new PP system (at low levels with new city and at higher levels) although with more effort than before. The problem is that there is a big pool of players who chase these rewards too (because they see/hear what others achieve on PP), but they lack the logic and basic understanding to make that work and then they lose everything and/or get heavily upset. So the gap is as wide as "total disaster" and "modest gains". And take note that many of your huge coiners, are actually quite dumb people, and a good chunk stop coining for you because they perceive PP's to be broken and/or lost all their stuff.) So it is in your interest to consider this problem too. It is an issue for me personally because several of my PvP punching bags are disappearing, getting weaker and weaker or too easy to counter because all they have left are +/- 1000 horses :P
IN SUMMARY AND A SUGGESTION: As said above, I think the PP system is much more favorable to certain players than it should be (I am NOT saying it should be indifferent). My suggestion is to introduce a new system (in addition to PPs) that is simpler to understand and leave the PP's for people who have the ability and drive to figure it out and not make a disaster of many years' playing. In this suggestion, it makes sense for PP's to be capable of being a bit more profitable than the "additional" system I am suggesting, because there is more effort going into PPs and generally the more skilled player should come off better in any game, all else constant. However, it will (hopefully) sort out a lot of problems with unhappiness of players, up participation in the game and get the "balance" between people of different skill levels to a more appropriate point.
You as Plarium can then rather say: "Try your luck and skill with Positions ... if you dare ... for the chance of greater rewards, or go with the safer alternative of "<something>" where you can <achieve something similar to PPs> ... but at the cost of smaller overall gains."
I do understand that something like this will be a pretty big game change, but I think it is worth considering.
i am not Tonoya,i am Tonaya.
A really good payout!
