It's a strategy game, and attacking other players is as much part of a strategy as defending your city is. I agree!
However, in one of my worlds I'm at 15,000 points and in the HMA. I was put in the same neighbourhood as some players who had 150k points on me. There were about 6 of them. One of these high ranked players attacked every day, and plundered every day. He was always off with my goods.
I yelled at him and he laughed at me. In his words it was all my fault !!
Now, bullies are inherently stupid and rely only on their strengths (He had a pimped out Zeus, Aachen and CdM and had a variety of soldier camps to replenish his troops)
Victims may let it happen but eventually rely on their wits (because face it, we're smarter than bullies). So i contacted the top 15 players of the hood (my daily stalker was ranked 6th i think) and pled with them to attack him on my behalf. I even offered FPs in return for their contribution.
Now guess what they all had to say ... They had never been attacked by this player !!!
Now, I ask you. How is this not bullying? He attacks the weak, and leaves the stronger players alone?
This is school yard rules lesson 1 !!
I'm not against attacking others (even though I never first-strike) .. But this type of bullying MUST be addressed. The aim of the game is to progress throughout the ages, at your own pace.
I agree, part of progressing is that players need to ensure that they adequately defend their cities. An army, some defensive structures, whatever ...
But they MUST be given the chance to actually do this!
Imagine that in this 'hood I get robbed by the top 5 players every day. Every day, they run away with my goods. Do you honestly think that is fair? How am i supposed to progress? How am I supposed to get through the GE to get the defences I so really need? How am I supposed to get the Monastery, if I can't fund the troops or pay for the provinces with goods?
You're both right and you're both wrong!
Players should not be paired up with bullies who refuse to progress throughout the ages and are hundreds of thousands of points ahead of the bottom players of a 'hood! If they choose to bully, let them suffer in a hood that is playing at their level.