Soldato
Couldn't find a recent thread on this game, so... So, a few weeks ago I casually downloaded the PC client for Evony, after getting bombarded by adverts on YouTube. But, rather than the simple little dodging type challenge I expected, it turns out that's just one of the various mini-games forming what seems to be a plot to steal the life of anyone daft enough to fall into the Evony hole.
I've played Cossacks and Age of Empires and... all sorts of RTS type games over the <checks calendar> decades, but never online and ongoing.... and on and on and on-going! Evony... it's a fiendishly clever maze of clickbait trails and rewards loops. I got sucked in a red dot (reward or task waiting) at a time and grew to enjoy the challenge of being a loner in a multiplayer server, trying to survive and grow without spending money. And there are a million ways to spend money! It became more of a time sink than I care to confess. I was enjoying it, but... not in a healthy way. And I've never been that kind of gamer!
Last week I made the mistake of downloading the phone version (it's identical, so it's not really a PC game), trying to connect it to my PC game. Failed, and ended up playing twice! Which was not smart and not clever. So last night I tried to connect the two and managed to overwrite or lose my main PC instance. I could contact support, but... but it was time to go cold turkey anyway. However as I sit here, all I can think about is the fact I had loads of materials ready for a big upgrade today, and when my Truce bubble drops, one of the bullying Alliance members on that server will snaffle it. And I was just about to get a dragon! I mean, a dragon!
Repeat after me: it's just pixels on a screen. It's just Numbers Getting Bigger. It's just a distraction from living!
But it was also a glimpse into how clever game designers can be. I shudder to think how a bit of clever AI, learning our play styles and rewarding them, will potentially addict even more people. Gives me pause for thought. Or maybe I just happened to stumble into my own personal little addiction trap.
Right, I'm off to start a new offline game of Borderlands2 to distract me from a glimpse into the seductive world of MMOing. Be careful out there, people!
I've played Cossacks and Age of Empires and... all sorts of RTS type games over the <checks calendar> decades, but never online and ongoing.... and on and on and on-going! Evony... it's a fiendishly clever maze of clickbait trails and rewards loops. I got sucked in a red dot (reward or task waiting) at a time and grew to enjoy the challenge of being a loner in a multiplayer server, trying to survive and grow without spending money. And there are a million ways to spend money! It became more of a time sink than I care to confess. I was enjoying it, but... not in a healthy way. And I've never been that kind of gamer!
Last week I made the mistake of downloading the phone version (it's identical, so it's not really a PC game), trying to connect it to my PC game. Failed, and ended up playing twice! Which was not smart and not clever. So last night I tried to connect the two and managed to overwrite or lose my main PC instance. I could contact support, but... but it was time to go cold turkey anyway. However as I sit here, all I can think about is the fact I had loads of materials ready for a big upgrade today, and when my Truce bubble drops, one of the bullying Alliance members on that server will snaffle it. And I was just about to get a dragon! I mean, a dragon!
Repeat after me: it's just pixels on a screen. It's just Numbers Getting Bigger. It's just a distraction from living!
But it was also a glimpse into how clever game designers can be. I shudder to think how a bit of clever AI, learning our play styles and rewarding them, will potentially addict even more people. Gives me pause for thought. Or maybe I just happened to stumble into my own personal little addiction trap.Right, I'm off to start a new offline game of Borderlands2 to distract me from a glimpse into the seductive world of MMOing. Be careful out there, people!