The name of this text-based game is "Lords," but it smacks more of American democracy than medieval feudalism. Not long after a new player logs on, the polite campaign messages start rolling in.
Online Game with a Focus on Society
Each player can choose a "sovereign" and try to recruit as many "vassals" as they want. The relationship is mutually beneficial, and the best players at recruiting a constituency of vassals are often the top placers in the game. This encourages serious players to do a lot of virtual knocking on doors and baby kissing - just like real-life politicians.
This feature is just one of many aspects of the game that make it particularly social and newbie-friendly. There is also the option to create groups with factions, create trade routes with other players and send gifts to curry favor (and block any attacks for a day - effectively allowing players to "kill with kindness.") But most notably, the game resets every player after about three months of gameplay, preventing the overpowered, godlike players that can be so discouraging to those just starting.
Simple text-based gameplay
Players start off with a small about of gold (the primary game resource), a very small army and a tiny palace. They also receive a number of "turns", which can be used to attack other players in an attempt to steal gold. After the initial allotment of turns is used up, players receive one more each hour.
After receiving or stealing gold, it can be spent on army units and unit training, palace and building improvements and technology improvements. These, in turn, aid in stealing more gold, and the cycle continues. At a bare minimum, players can do daily "banking" - at a cost - by converting gold into diamonds, which are immune to stealing. Without too much time and trouble, a decent gamer can move out from the bottom of the rankings of nearly 3,000 players.
This is all accomplished with basic Web site technology of form boxes and hyperlinks. The graphics are just basic icons as well. But this simplicity works well for strategy players with little time or access to a computer with high-powered graphics. The goals and mechanics of the games are common and intuitive enough that reading the help files are not really necessary for the casual player. But detailed help files on the mechanics are available for those who enjoy the micromanagement.
Limits and Daily Logging On May Frustrate Lords Multiplayer Game
There are a few aspects to the game that may frustrate new players. First are some of the limitations placed on actions in the game. For example, the maximum gold that can be stolen by attack is 10,000 gold, which can at times make the treasure chest seem to be filling very slowly. Also, the unit options are not very robust. With technology advances, there are a maximum of seven different kind of units available.
On the other end of the spectrum of the limitations, if a player is not able to log in every day, it is entirely possible to be bogged down trying to use up all the turns that have accumulated. The ability to trade off some turns for gold or favors from other players would be a good addition.
Finally, some game mechanics wind up sounding a bit strange when translated to what it would mean in the "real world." For example, it is possible to keep buying walls until it begs the questions of where the city would go.
These weaknesses, however, are mostly inconsequential to the gameplay, and the creators appear to constantly be improving and updating. They are working on a new beta version of the game and are continually adding new game components to keep it interesting.
What Money Can Buy in Medieval World of Lords
The game is free, but just like in American politics, money can buy an advantage. For those willing to pull out the debit card, the "market square" offers the purchase of a limited number of extra turns or purchases a seat in the game "parliament."
Membership offers in-game features unavailable to anyone else as well as no advertisements, and improved messaging. The limits on purchases make it so that spending money can give an edge, but the real key to winning is still practicing good politics.
Adam Pracht - The best word to describe Adam Pracht is "nerd." That is, he's a passionate intellectual who can become obsessive in his interests. And ...
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