LegoTechnic is absolutely right. It's absolutely a game of human nature; those nerdy high school geeks who get picked on every day come here to turn the tables. As a newbie, there is absolutely no way to building resources in time to avoid being overthrown. The second (and last) time I played, I immediately went into defense mode. I built my wall as high as I could, hid my money in crannys, and built strong buildings. I did this knowing full-well I'd be attacked, but I wanted to try to stay in the game longer than I did the first time. This worked..and I actually believe I frustrated some of my foes, but eventually it became so boring just rebuilding everything and trying to increase my crops, that I quit. Once you are "forced" to join an alliance, you give up the individuality of the game and you are then required to play by the rules of others. I guess this game is fun for those who started on Day 1 and have been able to bully everyone else since.
