but what statesman worthy of the name is going to trust them anyway, prestige stat or no prestige stat?
Then what is its purpose? If its to serve as a indicator of the attitude of others towards a nation then Dacoillyria's
should be low because every lay person of a nation
will remember being stabbed in the back by them as they were overrun by an enemy or whatever. It's not something you can "cover up" when the citizens aren't yours. Yet people still treat them nicely, and scorn the Chinese, who haven't actually done much of anything the whole IT? That's nonsense.
I would not be so opposed to if it were more relevent or reflective of events. As it is, mine for example has only changed once in ten turns. Same with Tieh China. Both powers have become generally more "talkative," or at least less cryptic. I myself have traded ambassadors with various powers, set up a "peacekeeping" operation (to assist Phoenicia), conducted trade just about everywhere, and lead a wartime coalition against a great power with several diverse groups.
But the thing that changed my Prestige is a story and some short domestic orders, not anything I did which would appear prestigious in international affairs. Hong Kong has done far less (of everything) and yet their Prestige is much higher. Phoenicia is generally disliked by everyone west of them yet their Pestige is Exemplary.
It does not reflect things very well at all as it is set up now, I think, and until it does it serves no real function.
I also think Trade and Economy is set up nonsensically as well. For example, I have 11 ECs, yet my trade is only 7 to Sri Dukunnugeya's 8, and they only have 5 ECs? What sense does that make? Then again I would generally prefer a return to the EC system no matter what follows this IT (and will gladly obliterate the arguments of anyone who insists it was unbalanced).