''Evony'' (formerly known as ''Civony'') is an
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia Computing platform, software platform used for production of Flash animation, animations, rich web applications, application software, desktop applications, mobile apps, mo ...
-based
multiplayer online game
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
by American developer Evony LLC with graphic elements reminiscent of other similar real time games and is set in the European medieval time period. Two browser-based versions (Age 1 and Age 2) as well as a mobile version (The King's Return) exist.
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Gameplay
''Evony'' is set in a persistent world
A persistent world or persistent state world (PSW) is a virtual world which, by the definition by Richard Bartle, "continues to exist and develop internally even when there are no people interacting with it". The first virtual worlds were text-bas ...
during the medieval time period in which the player assumes the role of a lord or lady of a city or alliance. A new player is given "beginner's protection," which prevents other players from attacking their cities for a total of 7 days or until a player upgrades the town hall to level 5 or higher. This gives new players the opportunity to accumulate a few resources and troops and get accustomed to the game before other players can attack them.
The player sets tax rate, production and construction. The resources in the game are gold, food, lumber, stone, and iron, and the city's idle population. As with similar games, the player first has to increase the city's population and hourly resource production rates as well as construction of certain buildings in the city, and then start building resource fields of their city and building an army. An army can include siege machines, such as ballista
The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant ta ...
s, catapult
A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...
s, and battering ram
A battering ram is a siege engine that originated in ancient history, ancient times and was designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates. In its simplest form, a battering ram is just a large, hea ...
s, and foot troops, such as archers, warriors and swordsmen.
All of ''Evony'' items must be purchased with gems which can be bought with real money, through its item shop in game or won at the wheel. Some items will accelerate the player's progression through the game. Winning items in battle is the primary way to acquire resources and cities.
Interaction
The game features player versus player
Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents. The terms are mos ...
game play making it possible to attack another player's cities making it almost impossible for players who have not formed or joined alliances to survive.
The game allows the player to control up to ten cities through gain of titles. To gain a title, a certain rank is necessary. Both Title and Rank require Medals gained by use of in-game coins to purchase medal boxes, by attacking valleys or winning medal boxes from spinning the wheel.
The game has two different monetary systems. The in-game monetary system revolves around gold. Gold can be obtained by completing quests, by taxing the city's population as well as attacking NPC's. It is also possible to sell resources for gold on the marketplace or to trade resources with other players within a player's alliance for gold. A player can also use real money to buy game cents with which to purchase items and resources from the in-game shop.
Reception
''The Guardian'' noted that ''Evony'' 2009 ad campaign featured women, increasingly unclothed, which had no connection to the game. In 2009 Gavin Mannion commented that ''Evony'' "latest ad is seriously pushing boundaries of what is acceptable to publish on Google". Other ads used stock photographs from pornographic DVD covers. Evony promoted the game via "millions of spam
Spam may refer to:
* Spam (food), a canned pork meat product
* Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages
** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages
** Messaging spam, spam targeting users of instant messaging ( ...
comments" and the company denied responsibility.
In 2009, Evony's lawyers sent a cease and desist
A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
letter to blogger Bruce Everiss after he alleged deceptive marketing. In March 2010, two days into the case, Evony withdrew its claims.
References
External links
* {{Official website
2009 video games
Browser games
Browser-based multiplayer online games
Fantasy video games
Flash games
Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in Europe
Video games set in the Middle Ages
Video games with isometric graphics
Virtual economies