We fully understand many ppl like the new rivals list changes and many hate it. We also understand there are various reasons for the likes and dislikes. I'm not interested in discussing those reasons further since they have been well covered in other threads.
The question I have is pretty simple.
Do the new changes actually encourage a different sort of camper? I don't hold the answer but here are the things discussed here.
For high ranking players in high ranking teams, the end game is to be the most powerful in the game or be in the most powerful team (which still means you will need to be very powerful).
For all the others (99%+), that is not the end game at all, because they know they will never achieve that. They play other aspects of the game and have done so successfully.
Those 'others' may have a different end game. Perhaps that's being as powerful as they can afford in their respective level and perhaps also be quite valuable for their syndicate.
The only change as I see it so far (early days) is there may be little point now to be powerful at their own level. This takes a significant portion of their feeling of individual achievement out of the game. Likewise those not strong for their level were striving to be strong 'for their level' (the feeling of achievement). Don't underestimate the need for that.
That aspect of individual achievement (strong for their level) seems to have been taken away from the 'great unwashed'.
I think that's why we're have many disliking the change. Not because they now get raided (that happens), but because they have had their sense of achievement, or for some, the aim of individual involvement taken away.
So thinking this through, I could say the answer is simple, just add stats and you will still have that sense of individual achievement - that will satisfy your end game.
But that may not necessarily be true, because as soon as they become stronger, they will automatically be in a higher rivals pool. So rather than feeling they have achieved, they will see they are going nowhere in terms of relative power.
If that follows, then where is the GAME encouragement to add to your stats.... what will they actually achieve in terms of the sense of individual achievement.
If that holds true then is this actually going to encourage all those thousands of little guys to spend a buck?
It makes me wonder. Having said that, Gree must have done their $ sums on this and see it as an encouragement to increase revenue rather than decrease it. I'm just not seeing that. Will it encourage a 'new wave' camper, the exact opposite of what they intended?
Why was it rejected by the MW community, a very similar game to this?