I decided for a change to try a 500-player map as I usually play the smaller maps.
I made an early decision to join an alliance as I didn't see much hope of survival without one. So I joined an alliance nearby, we currently have six members.
A couple of days ago, we got attacked by another (larger) alliance. And I cannot believe the stupidity of players on both sides!
Firstly, in my alliance, numerous members have left many border provinces - some of them fortified - completely undefended and let them get taken for free - even though they have substantial armies nearby. Secondly, one member has somehow run out of both oil and food, and stayed that way for days, in spite of the fact that he has more than enough provinces to cover his needs. And now, instead of moving his armies up to the front where they are needed, he is sending them to "reinforce" very low morale provinces of his own that are way behind the front line and already have garrisons - ensuring that his new troops' morale will also be dragged right down for no benefit.
Meanwhile, our most powerful member WON'T move his armies to the front line because he wants to wait for a couple of artillery units, by which time it will be too late to save our allies. He's got the most powerful army, basically, because he hasn't done a thing since the start of the game. But now, in response to my pleas for him to attack the enemy, he's finally decided to attack - not the invaders, but a powerful neutral country next door to him. In the middle of a major invasion by another alliance!
On the other side, in the meantime, two of its members have decided, instead of joining the attack on us, to go on long overseas jaunts attacking far off neutrals. One of the players doing this is adjacent to our own territory and has left his own country virtually undefended as a result!
I was annoyed as hell at first over all this, but now, I am just sitting there in awe waiting to see what spectacularly stupid thing one or more of these guys is going to do next. Are the 500-player maps always like this? It's a freaking riot!