Best long-term motivation an online game can give you is the opportunity to build up a great player profile you can be proud of, to achieve honours and to allow you to always thrive for taking steps on the way to the top. The current ranking and achievements don't fulfill this, since they more or less only show how much you've played and not how well you've performed.
Suggesting the following:
1.: From now on store for each player three additional values:
"VP at start": Whenever joining a game, the victory points your nation has at the start are added to this value.
"VP at end": Whenever a game ends and you're still active, the victory points your nation has at that moment are added to this one.
"VP ratio" (perhaps you find a better name): Is "VP at end" / "VP at start".
2.: In the player profile, display these three values, or at least "VP ratio". If you say this would overload the player profiles, remove the display of desktop/mobile usage, because nobody really is interested in that.
3.: On the "Ranking" page, rename the "Players" tab to "Rank".
4.: Add a new tab named "Honours" or "Hall of fame" or "Victories" or whatever next to it. On top of this page, there should be a list box in which you can select a rank (for example "Sergeant" for level 41-50). By default when opening the page, your own rank should be selected. Below display a list showing all players with this rank sorted by "VP ratio". Additional columns should be "VP at end" and "VP at start".
Et voilà. This is what you'd gain from that:
* Players of all kinds (veterans, new players, successful and unsuccessful ones) would gain additional motivation to enter maps from the desire to climb in that new ranking.
* Once on a map, everyone would try to achieve the best possible for the country they lead. Current ranking doesn't encourage to play in a constructive way - this one would. Drop-out rate would sink and the game would become more fun for everyone, because you know that the others on the map play more seriously than they do now.
* Currently many players quit the moment they realize they probably won't win the map. The new ranking would give a motivation to continue also in that situation and to try to survive.
* Diplomacy would become more interesting. For example you might want to propose to a stronger neighbour: If you let me survive, I'll help you to win the map. Things like that. It wouldn't be as one-dimensional any more. Now it's only either win or don't win. With the new ranking, every VP would become precious. Would keep every map interesting for every player til the end.
To say it in one sentence, CoW would become a challenge. For everyone.
It would become highly addictive - way more than it is now.
Suggesting the following:
1.: From now on store for each player three additional values:
"VP at start": Whenever joining a game, the victory points your nation has at the start are added to this value.
"VP at end": Whenever a game ends and you're still active, the victory points your nation has at that moment are added to this one.
"VP ratio" (perhaps you find a better name): Is "VP at end" / "VP at start".
2.: In the player profile, display these three values, or at least "VP ratio". If you say this would overload the player profiles, remove the display of desktop/mobile usage, because nobody really is interested in that.
3.: On the "Ranking" page, rename the "Players" tab to "Rank".
4.: Add a new tab named "Honours" or "Hall of fame" or "Victories" or whatever next to it. On top of this page, there should be a list box in which you can select a rank (for example "Sergeant" for level 41-50). By default when opening the page, your own rank should be selected. Below display a list showing all players with this rank sorted by "VP ratio". Additional columns should be "VP at end" and "VP at start".
Et voilà. This is what you'd gain from that:
* Players of all kinds (veterans, new players, successful and unsuccessful ones) would gain additional motivation to enter maps from the desire to climb in that new ranking.
* Once on a map, everyone would try to achieve the best possible for the country they lead. Current ranking doesn't encourage to play in a constructive way - this one would. Drop-out rate would sink and the game would become more fun for everyone, because you know that the others on the map play more seriously than they do now.
* Currently many players quit the moment they realize they probably won't win the map. The new ranking would give a motivation to continue also in that situation and to try to survive.
* Diplomacy would become more interesting. For example you might want to propose to a stronger neighbour: If you let me survive, I'll help you to win the map. Things like that. It wouldn't be as one-dimensional any more. Now it's only either win or don't win. With the new ranking, every VP would become precious. Would keep every map interesting for every player til the end.
To say it in one sentence, CoW would become a challenge. For everyone.
It would become highly addictive - way more than it is now.