Since there is so much waiting for things to happen in the game, and players want more action when they can get it, I was thinking what if you could select to go into a type of "side quest" or mini-game that gave the player something to do, and could benefit the player's game map in some way.
One idea was what if you could control a boat, take that boat to the game map of one of the top players with an already established city, armies, defenses, and essentially "raid" that settlement.
So, for example, you start with a "Skiff" and five men (representing the "hit points" of your force) on board. You select a map from, say, the top ten players on the server. You select "Raid," and are now presented with a fog of war covered map of that player's game map. You can also have a window of opportunity for other players to join you for the raid.
Once you start, you move your Skiff around the map, avoiding defenses and rocks, and land on a beach. The Skiff remains, the men disembark and are now an "Army" icon on the map. You select where you want them to go, and they move. You can target one of the defending player's buildings and "attack" it. Your Army marches to the building, and starts damaging it. Each point of damage gives you a coin of money in return. You also gain experience for moving the boat to shore, moving the Army around land, fighting defenders, and pillaging structures. Also, while "Pillaging," depending on the type of building you are attacking, you can uncover buffs for your own map.
Now, if the defenders send an army out, the player has to decide whether to fight or run. If the Skiff is attacked, it will eventually run out of hit points and fall apart. So the player needs to move to defend it. (I think the boat can be repaired, to a point.) I am also tempted to say that the raiding army can only carry so much loot per man.
Now, you gain three things from Raiding: Loot (aka money), Experience, and Buffs.
With Loot, you can upgrade your boat, purchase a bigger one, give your men better weapons and armor. You can also gain Loot from defeating defender armies.
With Experience, you can recruit more men to follow you, sail better, move better, and be better at attacking and defending, also get more Loot from pillaging.
Buffs come from the type of building you attack. Attack a Lumberjack, get wood buffs. Mason, stone buffs. Etc.
Now, the ranking of players depends on overall hit points of all the buildings for that player. So, if a player has several high end buildings, he would be listed as one of the top ten players, or however long the list is. So, if the buildings take damage, they lose hit points, which lowers the overall value of the player. This way, if the player takes too much damage, he falls out of the top ranking, is replaced by another player who can be targeted.
Defending players, therefore, need to arrange their settlements in such a way so they can garrison troops, erect defensive walls and weapons, and try to outsmart or out manuever the attacking Buccaneers.
If the raiding player(s) boat is sank before reaching shore, they lose the boat, any equipment the men had. But they do not lose gained experience. Once the boat is beached, the player can leave behind defenders or not. If the boat is attacked, it has it's own hit points, and can be demolished into pieces. If the raider returns to the boat in time, he can fight off the defender. If the boat is destroyed, the player can select to rebuild the boat (or steal one from the defending player?), which can give the player the same boat, just with little to none of the upgrades the player put on it; or, the player could get a lesser boat then what they came in on. (The player could raid on a [Viking] Longship, it could be destroyed by the defender, and the raider could rebuild it into a "Large Launch" or some other craft.
Rebuilding would take time, so the Raider may have to fend off the Defender's forces while he seeks revenge.
Something else, only players who are online can be targeted for raids?
I'll write more later. What do you guys think? Please feel free to critique and question.
Thanks.