I've been playing for just a few weeks. For this game to be fun you must make friends. Joining a faction is the simplest way. But you can make informal alliances by just sending messages back and forth. The economy, the wars, missions, quest, it's all player based. It's an awesome game. Don't let the simple graphics fool you, it's the player interaction that make the game so great. If you get confused, ask/message another player, there are enough nice players out there to give you free advise.
