If it doesn't affect active players, then its like the tree in the woods that nobody is around to hear. If it affects players who are currently active, then what real benefit is there in doing that? OK, if there are no available guild houses and somebody wants one, then freeing up one or two that have not been entered in ages might be a good trade off. As for flat out deleting guilds, I don't see a gain. If anything, you'll foster bad will doing that with no real upside.
I saw it as being similar to a wipe in that you are forcing a change or taking something away without giving the player a choice. Perhaps that is not what you intended to imply?
People who do not play the game are not players. If you delete a guild that has not had any players log in for many months, no one is affected negatively. Ex-players will not even notice, and current players will be able to take that old guild's name. Plus, you won't have to deal with deceased guilds taking up space. Guilds can be re-created, too. There is the possibility of an old guild's name being taken, but that's really the ex-owner's fault for not being there.
This is standard practice in online games. It's self-destructive to cater to people who don't play the game any longer. In larger games, you can wait until an inactive guild is deleted so you can take their name (usually if it's something ordinary like "The Rangers" or "Warriors of _____"). It's a cycle that keeps going and going, and it works.
I'd agree Roled. I didn't mean forcing it. I'm just saying if your guild is inactive and it's just you, then leave and form a more active one. Etc.
Most guild deaths occur because the owner has lost interest or disappeared. The players leave soon after, unless they've already stopped playing. So, you have all these inactive guilds floating about. The owner either doesn't care or is nowhere to be found.
