Dreaming about "Ikariam 2"

  • Alright, so this will sound crazy to probably everyone ever and more dream than anything else, but I was thinking if it was possible to assemble team of developers and financers to completely rework Ikariam and release it as a new game not bound to browser - ideally compatible with all platforms, but mainly fixed everything people complain most about in Ikariam. Keep in mind these are just ideas of a TC 4 noob and most likely everything talked about is just hypothetical. This is everything I'll try to cover:


    1. Monetization

    2. Gameplay

    3. Sustainability



    (1) Make the monetization completely unique in it's genre. I'm pretty sure all Real-Time Strategy games these days are in some way Pay-to-Win/Pay-to-Play. Ikariam in current state doesn't differ, but if you create game that is not selling power and is free, you will get A LOT of happy incoming players. You can sell cosmetics (maybe "skins" for units and buildings which would represent different cultures - Greek, Persian, Roman, Mongolian, or whatever players ask for), sell convenience (like Premium account in Ikariam giving you easy overview of your empire, builder plan etc, and also maybe they could as well give tips alerting player to weaknesses in his empire or suggestions what to focus on building next, what is he missing etc.).


    This really opened my eyes and I wish more games worked this way as it works for everyone with a bit of care and connection to community. Players are more than willing to pay if you deliver good product. Warframe, Team Fortress 2, League of Legends are living proof of that. We will happily sink our wallets into your games again, just make them good and fair. If you need help and don't know how or are just curious, you can watch this on YouTube: "Microtransactions - What Does Good Monetization Look Like?"



    (2) Make the combat system unique, rewarding and engaging. The current combat system is, to be completely fair, not really fun. It's just numbers on the screen changing from time to time, results can be calculated beforehand or it's just time consuming when waving, which doesn't really seem like fun concept either, although morale and exhaustion are amazing designs and those should be kept in the final product, they should be implemented in better way. The only really exciting thing (for me) about army right now is simply owning it or being able to afford it. In another words, having the feeling of UNLIMITEEEED POWEEEEEEEERRRR!! ... where was I? Ah yes, combat system.


    Many companies tried to make some sort of combat systems but usually failed or diluted it with special abilities, heroes etc. Things that just don't really fit in my vision. I was thinking more of keeping it under AI control with a little RNG being critical hit/block/miss. Also when giving units chance to miss hits which can decrease/increase with more units of the same type. For example heavy units like Hoplites in phalanx would be more accurate in group of 30/30 than 10/30 for example, while agile Swordsmen would be more likely to miss or get hit if placed in large group. It would still be more effective to spam 30/30 for maximum army size, but not as efficient meaning the unit would fit best in smaller armies with low budget and maintainance, supporting more Hit and Run strategy of combat that doesn't ever want to face expensive large armies.


    If anything, this is probably the one really ambitious feature, so if nothing, at the very least make it visually appealing. Create a replay of the battle with actual units fighting each other on screen. Blocking, stabbing, dying in battle formations. Make it feel real. It's 2020, it shouldn't be that hard to implement. Almost all games even on mobile have some form of visualization for battles, this is the least you could do. Also would be nice to see the units/ships appear on the world/island map.


    Also having statistics for each unit like which unit counters it and which it gets countered by would be really useful and would make battles more diverse as no unit would be truly OP as long as it's counter works. Yes this is done quite well in Ikariam from what I heard, but you don't learn about it in-game or even on the wiki, but rather through experience and veterans advice. It should be way easier to obtain these informations as they are vital to being successful conqueror.



    (3) Make the playerbase large and sustainable on as many platforms as you can support. PC and mobile without question (YES, MOBILE TOO!). Console and browser optionally as well. I have no idea how advertisement works so I'll skip this part, but when you get that large playerbase, you have to update the game frequently to keep it alive. Simple annual balance changes like nerfing/buffing units every 9-12 months to keep the game fresh would do wonders. With that maybe every 6 months have introduction to new building/unit and maybe even design more monuments/resources/currencies.


    Another feature could be releasing special worlds with insanely impactful effects both positive and negative, some really crazy like: "+200% ship speed, +200% ship maintenance and cost, -90% Wine production" BUT make those worlds time limited and if you place on a leaderboard or beat 70-80% players, you get some small rewards on a world of your choice. It doesn't have to impact gameplay in large ways, it can be just special skin, trophy, time limited happiness increase or monument recharge time halfed and make them tradable with other players so even players who can't or don't want to play these worlds have access to them with enough gold.



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    Alright that's all I can think of right now. Better monetization, better core gameplay, more frequent and game-changing updates, more players. Maybe could be done in small budget, I have no idea... it's not like AAA title expensive to finance... or is it? I hope at least someone reads this to the end and maybe gets inspired or likes this vision enough to share it on other social media. Maybe if it gets enough attention and demand, somebody in Gameforge starts grinding the wheels again. If not then oh well, it was worth trying. I really like the depth and idea this game represents and it could make it so much further if done right. Create your own empire how and where you want it. Cruel dictatorship with 7 Forges and unstoppable armies or trader colonies spread out, relying on alliances and agreements aiming for top prosperity and largest cities.

  • Very nice ideas, Laires. I hope someone who can do it picks it up.

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    If it's a Game Forge game don't play it. :cursing: