Rather than this, I would support a more advanced legion search, allowing you to filter average rank, strength, and member count. It's actually very easy to code too. (Pull numbers, PHP/AJAX Query, Print out results and you're done.). Base level would be another great search criteria, and production type - whilst slightly more complex - would be do-able.

legions that can support their members deserve those members. like its been said before imagine how many people quit the game because they join a legion founded by a rank 10. a legion's duty is to provide a good gaming environment and support for its members (at least thats how i see it) if a legion can't do that then they shouldnt be getting those members.

with this idea new legions can still be seen if one clicks on the "New Legions Tab" theres nothing wrong with players seeing the already established legions first where they are more likely to enjoy themselves and not go inactive due to boredom and lack of gaming knowledge or them be disappointed when they apply to top 50s and get denied.

the idea gets a +1 from me. a few addons to go with this i can think of are:
legion comm activity meter
a similar extension to the player leaderboards

Here's the thing though, My legion can support a bunch of new members, but this suggestion would dash any hope of getting new members because my legion is already over a year old, and is currently at around 200 on the legion ratings.

Saying that only legions that can support members deserve said members is why I hate elitists. Those who work hard from the first moment they can have a legion get screwed over by a community that promotes favoratism towards the leaderboards and new legions(currently), nothing to help out the small legions who've managed to survive where others fail.

I'm not actually very surprised that you'd agree with this suggestion, specifically because your original legion allied itself with Alpha quite quickly and didn't really have to struggle to survive (something my legion has done, gotten through and is currently stable).

look at IF, or NAMALAKS legions... they arent old and they arent going to struggle for players either.. you must be doing something thats keeping you from filling up...

IF has quite the reputation and were only 2.5 months old, it hasnt driven any of our members away, weve had to install docking bays to accommodate more...

we did things on our own for a good few months before we allied with alpha and we're doing our own thing now at TT.
i never said you guys couldnt ryoko, but you guys arent like most cases with small legions. my only and main concern with newly formed legions is that usually a low rank will form them and when they cant supply the players who join everyone quits.

If the idea suggest just a random 10 legions (changes every 5-10 minutes) being displayed on the search legion button/with the search function still enabled, then it'd be alot more acceptable. the issue I had was with the top 50 of several different things, that were likely to be the same 50 on most of the boards.

also, in those starter legions formed by rank 10s or even under 200, those players simply dont have the experience and know how to give everyone advice. im trying my hardest to keep everyone from wasting mutagenic cartridges, CCMs, and every other nice arti. all the planet transformation artis as well. i try to determine who is spending money, and who might be spending money, and giving advice for everyone and telling/showing them the options they have if they ARE spending, thinking of spending, or arent spending.
also knowing what their goals are for how they want to play and be able to do.

You cant tell me that a bunch of new players are going to be able to give each other advice on all od that and more.

ive only seen a few players start from scratch and just pick the game up and know what was best. the other 98% all have a few hidden crap planets that they wish theyd never taken. and with the proper advice they never would have taken them.

here is where ill insert the story of the hour from IF.
a rank 216 player alerted a VM VA gas planet as FFA because he failed the invasion, I immediately told everyone to not touch the planet, that him failing was a godsend to not be stuck with such a poor producer.
from the other legions side, the owner guards it, FLUXS IT!! and throws sentries on it, and immunity... but doesnt clone the population.. so its going to sit on our scan for 11 hours more and be a viable target, because he didnt put defence on it, or clone the population..
owners rank 364... atomic force member. somebody should be over there handing out advice obviously.

can you rephrase what your trying to say ryoko. i kinda lost ya there.
i'd like the leaderboard extension to happen in 1 form or another (thats just me, feel free to disagree if you'd like). would keeping the legion search separate and adding these features be more acceptable:

Lol derp.

what I meant was, having a random selection of 10 legions with above 75% activity be displayed (much like the battletab) on the search legion page. this would give a far fairer chance to most legions as opposed to the previously suggested idea of having multiple top 50s (base rank, mining/arti/research production) stuf like that.

limit it to above 10 member legions only? and have a seperate page for below that limit to make it easier to propose mergers?

i suggested a while back a merge diplomacy option for smaller legions.

i say go with the leaderboard extension and go with TB's idea for the legion search.

as posted earlier, why not just have it with variable search boxes

level average x-x
base level x
strength x-x
members x-x
base output M/R/A dual production bases would be listed by whichever is higher

I would love an update to the search legion/ leader board, would be nice for the search to show more clearly the smaller legions that have been around for quite awhile or just have more filtering options.

Currently its very hard to get new members for my legions including our training legion as well as our top tier legion as we do not show on the leader board or the legion search, we do but unless new players want to flip 70+ pages to find us or any other long standing smallish legion its not going to happen.

Now something along these lines is more needed then ever to move the 1 man legions that keep popping up to the medium and large legions.