Newbie thoughts on the game

[ANIKHTOS]

Hello i am a new in the game this is my 3rd week of the game and i wanted to share my thoughts and impression on the game.

1. The game does not need a register , verify email, before you can play which is a feature i like. Just choose a nick name put an email address and of you go. LIKE
2. You then are given the option to play human and elves. Here there ought to be a small text saying something. "Human and elves takes different path to achieve the same end goal. Just to mention the technology tree shape is different. ". As it is now i though that the graphic will be different and there will be no serious deference between them. DISLIKE
3. The game forces you to go through the tutorial which for many people will find boring, time consuming and not really offer anything in aspect of learning to play the game. I could have perform the same well if it was not there. Not having an option to skip the tutorial is a huge turn off, and the reason i abandon the game 3 years ago. I re start since a friend start playing it. No skip the useless and long time consuming tutorial a HUGE DISLIKE
4. The game is straight forward for this kind of game. But it is rather steep the jump on demand on gold and resources very early on. If it was not for the missions to give me those the game would end in 5 min for me the first day. It is crucial to make the game a bit less steep so a new player can get to play 1-2 hours in the first go. Get invested in the game and return. As i see now in the global map there are many people who abandon game during tutorial or very shortly after that. Re configuring the early 3-4 levels of residence workshops , will help you mitigate the problem, and make it more friendly to new players to start and engage and love the game. For that reason give 1-2 technologies with only 1 knowledge point something like to go residence form level one to level 2. Introduction /engagement on game NEUTRAL
5. No chat option for the server! Well i bet there are pros and cons on that topic Pro is make the game much quieter, cons you suddenly in a game where you are isolated form everyone else while it is an on-line game and is supposed to play with other humans. Yes there is the forum but no one is going to jump here when they start the game. From implementing a bad chat , a no chat is better. No chat option NEUTRAL
6. Support i contact the support for a problem i faced early in the game. The response was quick, on topic and polite. Knowing there is someone out there to help you is a mus in this game. HUGE LIKE
7. The wiki page of the game. Is a good place for a newbie to get some info. But it does not explain some things as it ought to do. Trying to find some things is hard to impossible. And some things are not listed there and i had to search for user pages that are better structure than the official page. As an example a new player will face a problem with evolving building in the concept of levelling the stages and upgrading the building. Since both in essence do the same thing upgrade it to something better , it is rather confusing. And to make things even worse some rewards on this building will come after a combination of evolve level and upgrade level. Which if the game had a table to show all 150 different configuration of the building you can have and what you get on each , would definitely help to clear out the confusion. The same applies to event building which in the wiki some listed that they will produce 3 different things. Which a new player would translate as there are 3 variant of that building that produce different things, Instead of the correct one the production varies depending the level of the building. Once more a more detailed table of production and levels could clear this up .SERIOUS LACKING
8. While there is a fellowship chat there is no way to know if anyone else is on-line to talk to. So only option is just leave a message in chat and wait to see when it will be answered. NEUTRAL
9. I played one adventure so far and it is just not for new players that will make their own fellowship. Yeah i know new players should not expect to do everything on the go. But you can give them the illusion they can. You could have one path that will not ask for ancient knowledge or special things. Just for gold, resources , troops and marble, wood, steel artefacts. Winch every player can have. Then you can ask for 2 days artefacts in that road. To make sure very new players will not have the time to finish it. What you will accomplish with that small trick is that even new players with new fellowships will be able to play the event and dream going to the end. And why not if there is out there a new fellowship with many new players why not ,make it for them possible to finish it if they can all work together and cooperate. It is this small tricks that will make the game more fun for all. Adventure NEUTRAL

Thats my though of the game so far. Thank you for you time spent reading this.

 

[ANIKHTOS]

10. The help option that can be used every 23 hours is a stroke of genius. it make sure that even players that will log in once per day a specific time every time they will have this option available for them. balancing the game for the gamers that will log in the game more often and the ones that will log in once per day. HUGE LIKE
11. Not having the ability to attack other players is a huge plus for the game. Since many other games suffer from that aspect. You start a game and the next time you log in your troops are killed and your resources have been raided. Which just make the game unplayable for new players. So a huge consideration and care was placed to make the game available for new players to join the game. HUGE LIKE

 

[DeletedUser5093]

1. While there is a fellowship chat there is no way to know if anyone else is on-line to talk to. So only option is just leave a message in chat and wait to see when it will be answered. NEUTRAL

Type /who into the chat window and you'll get a list of all fellowship members who are online. Note that this also includes those who have Elvenar open in a tab, but aren't necessarily monitoring it, e.g. away from the computer, or doing something else in a different tab or program.

 

[Pauly7]

Type /who into the chat window and you'll get a list of all fellowship members who are online. Note that this also includes those who have Elvenar open in a tab, but aren't necessarily monitoring it, e.g. away from the computer, or doing something else in a different tab or program.

Yeah I think it also includes people like me who leave the mobile app running in the background... It's a start though.

 

[Julian]

I don't think the research tree is different between elves and humans.

 

[Deleted User - 106219]

It is different, at least in chapters I to V. Once you get to the Guest Races the research tree is the same for all.

 

[AstralSoul]

10. The help option that can be used every 23 hours is a stroke of genius. it make sure that even players that will log in once per day a specific time every time they will have this option available for them. balancing the game for the gamers that will log in the game more often and the ones that will log in once per day. HUGE LIKE

I totally copy that, 23 hours is awesome, especially for us adults with family. That hour varies a bit every day, and even a small delay, puts you right back on track. The 12 hours from the wells suck. Out of 200 pickups, I possibly make 160, since sometimes it goes overnight because mid-day I was busy with work to remember to pick up wells always early... Or I am paying attention to life in the evening, goes to like 11 pm, I pick up, next day is likely that I will be doing some work and will forget to pick up at 11 am... remembering at like 2:00 PM, scheduling next pickup at 2:00 am, wasting it (I am those rare people that still try to sleep and not use phones in bed), and picking it up at 8:00 am or so next day. Every four or five days, I skip a pickup due life. Maybe a smaller prize than two pickups but every 23 hours would be like the best.

No war is the reason I joined. I used to like war, I was in the "warrior" group, and in two out of at least eight, I was quite aggressive (especially in one because the guild was extremely aggressive, and the description indicated so.) However, now I have no time for wars, and I like this "fat cow growing game", I can do my plannings and hold millions in my deposit, and I know it is always safe

Not breaking buildings is good too, because I played those too, and they are nasty. Lets not talk in the ones you conquer and steal cities... I always scored big until some millionaire spent thousands and wiped/stole all my stuff as I was sleeping.

 

[ANIKHTOS]

No war is the reason I joined. I used to like war, I was in the "warrior" group, and in two out of at least eight, I was quite aggressive (especially in one because the guild was extremely aggressive, and the description indicated so.) However, now I have no time for wars, and I like this "fat cow growing game", I can do my plannings and hold millions in my deposit, and I know it is always safe

Not breaking buildings is good too, because I played those too, and they are nasty. Lets not talk in the ones you conquer and steal cities... I always scored big until some millionaire spent thousands and wiped/stole all my stuff as I was sleeping.

my problem in the other games attacking players, was there was no protection or separation of players. Which meant i could be killed by the strongest player on the server. Thats what made the game unplayable since you had not chance to defend and you will always be on ruins.

 

[AstralSoul]

Absolutely. You have a so call "land of peace" or "newbie world" or a pair of wings "newbie protection" in your city. You barely get to know how to play, and you are in the real world, and yes, someone can hit you hard, especially if they steal cities.

In the Ikariam game (I did quit years ago) you need to donate wood to the mines, a 16 city island share the mines, therefore, everybody needs to donate fairly, (the more level, the bigger the mine, more RSS) and sometimes, accounts who can't manage, get pillaged and the resources donated by the pillager. (In my main server, peaceful player. I got a marble -to build- island, and had my 15 cities (the max the game allows, you don't steal, you actually build them) in the same island, the one person left, did donate fairly. For wine (hapiness), wood (build too, and donate), and sulfur (to cook army), I did use ambrosia to switch marble (ambrosia = diamonds) for wine, or sulfur if there was war. (All island had a forest for wood, and then one RSS mine).

When I was in the meanest guild, (and our description said we were aggressive and dangerous) it was called "300s" and we had to be as mean, but as united as possible. I remember frying two cities (no steal there, but you can invade their city and block their growth completely, thus dramatically increasing their costs for army), the reasons, they did not donate. I am usually a peaceful player, but there I had to. If there is war, I do war, I am the type that the guild relies on, but I aged out wars...

Peaceful elvenar is much better. Killing and catering game's shady characters are all there is in fighting (and I do auto...), even though, I like to go crazy every now and then. Next week I am using (so far) a total of twelve army expiring buildings, I am turning my elite archers into Iron Man suits.

 

[John of Enar]

Absolutely right on. Learning curve is too steep. And guess what - they just devalued the cross trades so everyone's investment is less than one quarter of what it used to be. Trade list is now non existent/ Momentum is slowing even among the heavy hitters. Inertia is in effect. Watch them now lay off support staff - support is about the best they have going but it will take a hit.

 

[ANIKHTOS]

Absolutely right on. Learning curve is too steep. And guess what - they just devalued the cross trades so everyone's investment is less than one quarter of what it used to be. Trade list is now non existent/ Momentum is slowing even among the heavy hitters. Inertia is in effect. Watch them now lay off support staff - support is about the best they have going but it will take a hit.

well they made more fair for who? the levelled up players?
it may be true for them but as a new player you do not have relics so no maximum production, and also not able to build man levels of workshops. so for a new player who start making them, sill needs BASIC more than anything so the 4 rate was a good trade off o get basic goods and build a wonder faster and yeah even upgrade our worktops faster

if you manage to get a ravelling merchant 3 wasa huge help
which allowed me for the first time to have a bit of surplus on basic goods , while going as snail to gather he maerial needed to unlock chapter 3

now it make no sense for me to sell my PRECIOUS magical goods for 2.25 of basic goods.
they could use tiers and depending what chapters you have finished he ratio to change

keep he 4 until chapter 5?!?! and then drop it by 0.5 until it hits he 1.5

the new ratio just makes game harder for new players for an imaginary balancing trade for max players

 

[DeletedUser1874]

Absolutely right on. Learning curve is too steep. And guess what - they just devalued the cross trades so everyone's investment is less than one quarter of what it used to be. Trade list is now non existent/ Momentum is slowing even among the heavy hitters. Inertia is in effect. Watch them now lay off support staff - support is about the best they have going but it will take a hit.

It's not most intuitive game out there, granted but it's definitely not the worst either. What's lacking is precise in-game information, to the point that some of it is actually deceiving (squad sizes anyone?), but I wouldn't call it a game with a steep learning curve. That'd be something like... uhm, not sure if I'm allowed to mention other games here, but not this one.

the new ratio just makes game harder for new players for an imaginary balancing trade for max players

But it's not imaginary at all. It's a simple matter of "supplies and coins are nowhere as valuable as time and space". Besides, it's not the new tiering system will prevent new players from posting "bad trades" that advanced players in their FS (or generous ones outside of it) will be able to accept; it will just prevent those of us who are in the endgame from being swarmed with deceptively advantageous deals that are the exact opposite of advantageous if not downright scam attempts.

P.s.

1. The game forces you to go through the tutorial which for many people will find boring, time consuming and not really offer anything in aspect of learning to play the game. I could have perform the same well if it was not there. Not having an option to skip the tutorial is a huge turn off, and the reason i abandon the game 3 years ago. I re start since a friend start playing it. No skip the useless and long time consuming tutorial a HUGE DISLIKE

The tutorial is now actually quite good and offers a very good resource boost to new players - far from useless. It also offers some basic advice, such as the one about relics and boosts. Perhaps if you had read through it you wouldn't have built a ton of useless unboosted manufactories and you wouldn't be complaining about having issues with resources, just saying.

 

[John of Enar]

It's not the learning curve, my bad. I should have said it is the difficulty in building momentum. It is very difficult for new players to gain momentum in this game and the map is loaded with players who started but never went very far. Now, when i see middle tier units that are trading as three stars i want to hop on them but then i look and i see requests for tier three goods that are almost the same amount ... i stop and scratch my head. I know how much the T3 goods cost me and now they are worth nothing. Our trading and many other FS trading have slowed to almost nothing. When you devalue the currency then you create hardships for players. Same in the real world, pure economics. Now i know the game designers say "Oh, you can trade whatever you want to trade ..." Ha ... the perception of value is based on the star ratings - why use them otherwise? Also try to offer an unreasonable trade. The threshold of what the game allows is now less. So saying you can trade whatever you want, we didn't effect that, is not quite honest. The change may have been needed because T3 going for 16 times T1 seems a bit much. However, what is now in effect is way over in the opposite direction. A progressive 2:1 ratio might make more sense where a T3 goes for 4 T1 units. The current trade system 1.5:1 is confusing, hurting trades and game momentum. I myself would prefer a 3:1 in a trading system with 3 tiers. And that works better with the cost of items in the game, makes them more achievable and supports game momentum.

 

[ANIKHTOS]

not all players have the same needs, and optimal differs on where are you in game
throw general tantrums is misleading the conversation
a mermaid paradise build in magic academy which gives 250? stone per day is a huge help for new players add the population and culture it also offers

what is good or bad is determined by the game when it was 16 ratio a 15 ratio is it good or bad? it depends on the side of the deal it is done

and once more the ratio of 1.5 is calculated for max out players NOT THE CASE FOR NEW ONES
a fair ratio for news will be higher than a max out because of production abilities
so yeah they throw the new players under the bus to favour old ones

ONE SOLUTION FITS ALL will never happen and it is intellectual dishonest to claim that

 

[Killiak]

The new rates were actually implemented because Inno concluded that they weren't including all the factors fairly, such as costs per production, building sizes etc. Has nothing to do with newer vs older players.

But hey, keep using caps if you think that will somehow get people to care for your opinion.

 

[ANIKHTOS]

The new rates were actually implemented because Inno concluded that they weren't including all the factors fairly, such as costs per production, building sizes etc. Has nothing to do with newer vs older players.

But hey, keep using caps if you think that will somehow get people to care for your opinion.

as i said they looked from max player perpspective
thank you for agreeing on what i was saying all along

 

[Julian]

Our fellowship (which isn't that advanced) banned cross-tier trading under the old system. Now the ratios have changed, the ban has been lifted.

 

[Timneh]

In all the time i have been playing the game and been a member of the forum there have been complaints from players saying that the 1:4:16 ratios were way off. If you were to troll through all the old threads you would find quite a few where players have asked for the ratios to be changed so i suppose it could be said that this change is really in response to player feedback, and no it was not all advanced players that were saying the ratios were wrong.

 

[m4rt1n]

Our fellowship (which isn't that advanced) banned cross-tier trading under the old system. Now the ratios have changed, the ban has been lifted.

Same here, we now welcome 2* cross tier trades, and will still help small cities with big lopsided 0* trades to help them advance.

 

[ANIKHTOS]

In all the time i have been playing the game and been a member of the forum there have been complaints from players saying that the 1:4:16 ratios were way off. If you were to troll through all the old threads you would find quite a few where players have asked for the ratios to be changed so i suppose it could be said that this change is really in response to player feedback, and no it was not all advanced players that were saying the ratios were wrong.

what i said what you reply too
in all games people will complain about anything
was the 16 ratio good?
or just?
once more it depends on where are you in game, as you advance and your production rises it could be argued the 16 was too much but at same time it can be said it is fair new players

which will make it IMPOSSIBLE to find a singular trade to be fair for all

if the company wants to favour old players which will be the ones mostly in forum complaining
what about the vast majority that stops in first week?