Ideas to Solve Issues Related to Miracles

Hello everyone,

First, a brief introduction: I play on several servers, some new, some older, including one where I'm in the top 25. I returned to the game four months ago after a 10-year hiatus. I manage multiple accounts and use IP sharing.

My playstyle heavily revolves around looting, and I'm always building more cities to support larger armies. I enjoy playing Ikariam and would like to see the game become even more engaging! To that end, I'll be posting a series of suggestions aimed at addressing (initially) some of the game's frustrating issues because, as I like to say, “If you criticize, propose.”

My first post will address what I believe to be the most urgent issue: Miracles.

Overview of the Situation

The gameplay can broadly be divided into two profiles:

1. Raiders
2. Producers

(We could add a third group, Traders, but there’s currently not enough in the game to truly establish this profile.)

The distribution is approximately 30% Raiders and 70% Producers, likely because regular raiding requires more frequent connectivity.

Miracles Usage Overview:

• Colossus: Used by both profiles, defensive, usefulness: 6/10 (requires being online to activate on time).
• Forge: Used by Raiders, offensive, usefulness: 9/10.
• Poseidon: Used by both profiles, defensive/offensive, usefulness: 10/10.
• Ares’ Fortress: Used by Raiders, offensive (rarely used due to technical complexity and niche situations), usefulness: 1/10.
• Hades’ Sacred Cave: Used by Raiders, offensive (complex timing makes it impractical), usefulness: 1/10.
• Demeter’s Garden: Used by Raiders (after building an army or cultural treaty attack), offensive, usefulness: 3/10 (less used since banks help recover resources).
• Athena’s Temple: Used by both profiles, defensive (difficult to use in time), usefulness: 5/10.
• Hermes’ Temple: Used by Raiders (for raiding cities and cargo) and, to a lesser extent, by Producers, usefulness: 5/10.

Main Issues Identified:

1. Overused Miracles: Certain miracles, particularly Forge, Poseidon, and Colossus, are far more sought after. On servers, they are quickly claimed and unavailable to others.
2. Lack of Strategic Miracle Placement: Typical setups often consist of 5 Poseidons, 5 Forges, and 1 Colossus, limiting diversity.
3. Favoritism Toward Raiders: Miracles primarily benefit Raiders (30% of players), leaving the Producer majority (70%) at a disadvantage.

Proposed Solutions

Issue 1: Miracle Availability

(This is the simplest to address and potentially the most profitable for Gameforge.)

On both older and newer servers, everyone rushes to claim Forge and Poseidon locations, leading to frustration, disrupted alliances, and overly long travel times.

Two simple solutions:

1. Miracle Switching:
   • Allow miracles to be changed through donations on the island.
   • Similar to Helios Towers, the required donation amount could depend on the server’s age.
   • Once the required resources or gold are donated, a vote is triggered. If the majority agrees, the miracle changes. Otherwise, the resources are lost, and new donations are needed to trigger another vote.
   • Optional: Allow donations of ambrosia to make it profitable for Gameforge.
2. Automatic Activation of Miracles:
   • Add an option to auto-activate miracles.
   • Once triggered, a miracle would activate when ready, wait for its cooldown, and re-activate automatically.
   • This would make Athena, Demeter (for wine consumption reduction), and Hades more appealing.
   • It would also solve the issue of Poseidons remaining inactive for hours during loading phases.

Issues 2 & 3: Strategy and Producer Utility

Proposed Solution: Dual Miracle Effects

If there are two gameplay profiles, miracles should benefit both equally. I suggest allowing players to choose the miracle’s effect based on their profile. This would increase the strategic use of all miracles and encourage filling every island without scattering across the map.

• The effect could be switched with a one-week cooldown (or faster with an offering/donation system).

Examples of Dual Effects:

• Colossus:
  • Raider: Dispersion during combat.
  • Producer: +100% land movement speed.
• Forge:
  • Raider: Increased martial prowess.
  • Producer: +100% wall level.
• Poseidon:
  • Raider: Faster naval movement.
  • Producer: +20% cargo capacity for ships.
• Ares’ Fortress:
  • Raider: Improved troop morale.
  • Producer: -20% wine consumption across cities.
• Hades’ Sacred Cave:
  • Raider: Recover marble after battles.
  • Producer: +20% marble production.
• Demeter’s Garden:
  • Raider: Increased population growth.
  • Producer: +20% wine production.
• Athena’s Temple:
  • Raider: Faster loading for raiding transports.
  • Producer: Enhanced secure storage capacity.
• Hermes’ Temple:
  • Raider: Faster commercial transport loading.
  • Producer: -20% army movement costs.

Additionally, shorter activation cooldowns could allow for 3-4 miracles per setup rather than 5, avoiding long downtimes.

I believe these ideas would open up numerous new strategies for experienced players! Gameforge should also benefit significantly from a change like this, as it would likely increase teleportation and ambrosia sales.

What do you think of these proposals?

Actually, faith is also an issue. The fact is that this update will lead to cities being built on every island. Inevitably, players who don't want to engage in the miracles gameplay but have a temple for daily quests will create problems. I had envisioned a kind of cheaper priest, like a "missionary," who could convert the rest of the island even if the other players disagree. I didn't mention this earlier because, for me, this remains an issue of island cohesion, and it could be addressed through other means, which I plan to develop in another idea in a separate post. However, if GF wants to fully address the problem of miracles, the solution is right there!