Revitalising Grepolis

wheredevil

Hoplite
It's no secret that this game has been on its last legs for a few years now, only being kept alive thanks to a few ''whales''. Although options have been brought up to give a new breath of life into this great game, none have really been financially viable or even doable. I want to suggest some things which could be done to better reach today's gaming audience.

The first thing to undertstand is the current state of the world we're in. There are two things in particular that most people share: 1) most people are too busy to spend all day and night on a game. 2) most people have a phone.

With these two bits of context established its time to suggest fixes:

Longer conquest time - The way this game is currently built, you absolutely need to have the mobile alarm and/or a flexible work schedule in order to not get conquered, or at least notice in time. If the conquest time was set to say, 24hrs regardless of world speed, then this game suddenly becomes a lot more playable. People will actually be able to sleep and go to work without constant phone supervision. It makes the game a lot less stressful for the average working man.
Scenario: Say you have a big work day coming up, you need your sleep. As soon as you go to bed someone manages to get a CS in your city. Under current CQ times youd wake up with maybe 2hrs left of CQ if youre in a speed 3. With 24hrs of CQ time you can wake up with 16hrs left, inform your alliance, go to work, come back with 6hrs left and then get down to trying to break it yourself.

The fact of the matter is that speeds 1-2 are too slow for most people, who wants to wait 12hrs for your level 20 academy? Speed 4+ is a lot more attractive but the only issue is the short CQ times. And yes, the argument could be made that that in itself slows the game down but I think the pros outweight the cons.

Regional servers - The way the game is currently built, each language gets their own server. This dilutes player base and that doesn't help anyone. You want a game which is full and has a wide range of people. If you make an EU server for example that already brings the average player count up quite a bit

Fix the app - The app has always been a source of complaints and for good reason, theres so many good comparables out there to draw inspiration from. One prime example is Clash of Clans

Move off the browser format - Browser games just aren't popular anymore and a change of platform might fix that. Putting grepolis on steam for example could open it up to a whole new audience and just make it easier to find

More game updates/Events - A game as old as grepolis, I find it crazy that I can only remember one major update in the last 8 years. Im not saying add in a bunch of new gods, troops, buildings and hope it sticks. Im just suggesting a bit of a wider variety which can introduce some interesting game mechanics. These can be rolled out slowly and with a few rebalances along the way but semi-frequent content updates do add to the gaming experience and keeps the game fresh

Events: The events we currently have are fine as is, I wouldnt mind a little update here and there to make them less copy paste images of each other but so what. The real events I want to suggst are summer worlds, tournaments. Like the summer speed world of old with the massive 50 speed you could make semi-annual hyper-high speed worlds. They would last a weekend or a week max, you would have to pay an entry fee and it would be a lot of grepo over a short time but I think it would be sucessful with a bigger player base, makes it special.

For a world like this you could also make unique parameters such as a different world ending, no colonisation, 5 player alliance cap and no shared forums. restricted unit types and so on...

In game transactions - Grepolis is a time based game so the fact that you can remove that element of time with gold makes it quite unfair. I am usually not one to agree that gold is the problem but in this case it definitely doesnt help. I would suggest to move to the old method where you can only cut the building time in half, making it a more even playing field. Gold would still help and if youre willing to spend you can still get miles in front of everyone else but the effects would be attenuated

Further in game transactions can still be events, gold trading, all that is fine. You could also add skins. I know its a bit overdone but it does pay. Either new city skins such as roman or egyptian style buildings or troops skins like a new uniform for the troops. This is a bit cheap but it pays. The last option is ads, another thing that pays, the only problem with that is the player discontent that it creates

Player suggestions - Lastly, most of us have been playing for years and years, we know what we like about the game and what we dont so Id say listen to your player base, open a line of communication. The player council circa 2018 was good but maybe do that again for the wider player base

Anyway these are my suggestions, some of them dont make too much sense but I can expand on them if needed.
 

wheredevil

Hoplite
D.Dall said:
I don't agree, on this, if it wasn't a browser game, I won't be here and I know a lot have it like me here, I absolutely only jump on APP. if I have too.
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I agree that browser format is easiest access but this is about reaching the widest audience and that isn't found on browser anymore
 
Dread Pirate Duck

Dread Pirate Duck

Lochagos
Allowing community managers to just make up crap as they go is why 90% of the people I know that left, decided they had enough.
Both sides of the isle believe they are picking favorites.
Until the rules are transparent, and players can confirm they are being dealt with fairly, nothing will resurrect this game.
None of my gaming buddies will touch this game with a 10 ft pole over its shady appearance.
Its not enough to be fair, you must appear fair as well.
And "Just trust me" aint good enough.
With the addition of the anti "SPAM" tool in settings a while back,
simply removing the community managers at this point would be an improvement.

You FANBOIS can begin your screeching now.
 

Vorrian

Peltast
As a former greopholic from early days who has not played in a few years: I don't think that Inno will/can save the game, it will have to be done by the players. Grepo is a game that eats your life. Always has been and that is OK to a point. For me the tipping point was gold abuser premades. Came a point I realized I was just making cities for them and that is just not much fun. Many of the "elite" only want "elite" on their team and that doesn't do much to grow the player base. Slow 1st city builds run off many perspective players and more are lost when they hang in there for the build only to be promptly eaten by an "elite" before they get the hang of the game. Inno can't fix that, it must be done by people who love the play more than the win.
 

tiktakmacac

Hoplite
Vorrian said:
As a former greopholic from early days who has not played in a few years: I don't think that Inno will/can save the game, it will have to be done by the players. Grepo is a game that eats your life. Always has been and that is OK to a point. For me the tipping point was gold abuser premades. Came a point I realized I was just making cities for them and that is just not much fun. Many of the "elite" only want "elite" on their team and that doesn't do much to grow the player base. Slow 1st city builds run off many perspective players and more are lost when they hang in there for the build only to be promptly eaten by an "elite" before they get the hang of the game. Inno can't fix that, it must be done by people who love the play more than the win.
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every server has some groups of gold abusers, imagine if they merge the servers, we will see some epic battles.
 

Vorrian

Peltast
tiktakmacac said:
Also for f*ck sake inno, make winning a world more valuable. you literally spend months on a world to win it
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That what confuses me about players who pay to cheat and those who burn gold like it is going out of style, supporting the game is one thing but to dig that deep in your pocket to win, nothing but a pat on the back is kind of silly.
 

FutbolTango

Taxiarch
Vorrian said:
The early utterances of one who has long abstained from the playground of Grepolis echo a sentiment that resonates with the struggle against the oppressive forces of imperialism. The assertion that salvation lies not in the hands of Inno, the overseer of this digital realm, but rather in the collective agency of the players, mirrors the call for the emancipation of the free citizens from the shackles of imperialistic exploitation and subjugation.

Indeed, Grepolis, like the capitalist system it reflects, engulfs one's existence, demanding unwavering commitment in pursuit of virtual conquest. Yet, as the comrade observes, there comes a point where the scales tip, where the labor of the individual serves only to bolster the dominion of the gold-abusing premades, emblematic of the bourgeoisie's exploitative relationship with the toiling masses.

The stratification within the game, epitomized by the elitist tendencies of certain factions, mirrors the class divisions perpetuated by capitalism. The exclusionary practices of the "elite" serve only to stifle the growth of the player base, akin to the bourgeoisie's hoarding of resources at the expense of the masses advancement.

Inno, as the governing entity, remains impotent in rectifying these systemic injustices, for its interests align with those of the gold abuser factions, which I used to refer as the "Empire". The onus thus falls upon the grassroot players, united in their love for the game and their desire for equitable play, to enact change through collective action.

The dialectical synthesis emerges in the form of Pirate Duck's advocacy for free expression within the forums. Just as freedom fighters extolled the importance of open discourse in the pursuit of revolution, so too does the forum serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas, propelling the movement toward liberation forward.

Therefore, let us heed the call to arms, not for the pursuit of individual glory or fleeting victory, but for the collective triumph of the common players over the oppressive forces of the gold abusers that seek to subjugate us. Let us forge alliances not based on elitist criteria, but on solidarity and mutual aid. Let us, in the spirit of dialectic materialism, confront the contradictions of Grepolis and forge a new path towards a more just and equitable digital realm.

Furthermore, the message would be strengthened by emphasizing the potential of alliances employing innovative tactics such as piracy and guerrilla warfare to challenge the hegemony of wealthier factions. By adopting strategies that prioritize agility, adaptability, and decentralized autonomy, these grassroots alliances can effectively undermine the dominance of gold-abusing conglomerates.

Just as historical movements have demonstrated the power of asymmetrical warfare in challenging established powers, so too can smaller, more agile alliances disrupt the status quo within Grepolis. Through strategic coordination, hit-and-run tactics, and resourceful utilization of the game's mechanics, these alliances can level the playing field and assert their influence.

This serves as a reminder that wealth and resources alone do not guarantee victory; creativity, ingenuity, and solidarity can be potent weapons in the struggle for dominance within the game. By embracing these principles, players can foster a more dynamic and unpredictable gaming environment, where the underdogs have a fighting chance against the entrenched powers.

Grepolis gives me great distraction from the current world problems that include horrible wars, climate change, and polarized politics. Lets keep the game alive with our own ingenuity.
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