For the past 4 years, thousands of gamers have taken part in Extra Life, a 24 hour gaming marathon charity fundraiser. On October 20, gamers from all over the world, including GMs Luna and Cerberus from your intrepid Illyriad dev team, will be playing games for 24 hours straight to raise money to help sick kids. All proceeds raised will go directly to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals to provide comfort and treatment for kids facing all sorts of challenges, all the way from asthma to cancer.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. You can take part in 2 ways!
Sponsor Us:
Visit our team’s fundraising page, choose a member from the team to sponsor, click on their name and choose “support me” to sponsor them with your donations. 100% of the money you donate goes directly to the Children’s Miracle Network hospital that the gamer chose to support. Help us meet our initial team-wide goal of $5000 raised!
Join Our Team:
Visit our team’s fundraising page and choose “join this team” to sign up to participate in Extra Life. Once you sign up and join our team, you can help us raise even more money by getting sponsors for yourself to benefit the hospital of your choice. Then, join us on October 20 to play games for 24 hours. Keep in mind, that if you’d like to sign up to play but cannot play on the specified day, or cannot play for 24 hours straight, for any reason, that is OK. You can split the time up however you need that works best for you.
And all IIlyriad players that join our team and earn $100 in sponsorships will receive special prizes both in game and out. You will receive 200 free prestige for your Illyriad account and your choice of a t-shirt from the Illyriad store*.
Leveling Contest:
On the day of the event, GMs Luna and Cerberus will be creating brand new Illyriad accounts and holding a day-long leveling contest. Whichever GM has the highest population at the end of the 24 hour period on their new account wins. Rules include: no special GM powers and no prestige usage (past the initial 25 that comes with the account). Outside resources can be accepted however, so pick your favorite GM and care-a-van away! At the end of the day we will both suspend the accounts and they will be open to any player who wishes to siege them to keep or destroy, your choice.
Livestream:
Throughout the day we will be holding livestream videos on our Twitch.tv channel with updates on our progress with the leveling contest, funds raised and impending exhaustion toward the end of the day. A schedule will be posted on the forums nearer to the event with more details.
We look forward to an exciting year and thank everyone for their support in our participation in Extra Life!
*Prizes require an active Illyriad account and valid mailing address. Contact GM Luna in email, pm or IGM after you’ve signed up to confirm your spot on the team and connect your fundraising page with an Illyriad account. Extra Life is not created by, sponsored by or in any way affiliated with Illyriad Games, Ltd. All donations go directly to the charity involved and are in no way the responsibility of Illyriad Games, Ltd.
This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on Bonaparta, active forum participant and global chatter, player tournament enthusiast and orc-ish roleplayer. Her fellow players, as well as the GMs of Illy appreciate the spirit and enthusiasm that Bonaparta brings to the game.Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. Now on with the interview!
GM Luna
Bonaparta's RL Avatar
What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?
I started playing in October 2011. My boyfriend, who also plays Illyriad, introduced it to me and I liked the complexity and slow pace. The community was a nice experience, so I stuck to the game. I also come from a country that used to be called Illyria province and then kingdom of Illyria. The name of the game seemed somehow fitting. It is also nice that boyfriend and me have the same hobby.
Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?
I haven’t been playing any games for more than 2 years before, because all my free time was consumed by me finishing my doctorate. The last game I played before Illyriad was Glory of Fellowland. It is nice game, but a bit too simple for my taste. I also won the first realm I played so not enough challenge there… Before that I’ve been playing games since I was 7 when my father bought me and my brothers a Commodore 64. I always liked strategy and especially strategy combined with fantasy creatures and magic. I just love games like Heroes of Might and Magic, Master of Magic, Dominions and Age of Wonders.
Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?
I have a dog, 6 years old 55 kg black-brown Hovawart. I like recreational sports like skiing, squash, table tennis, cycling, climbing, skydiving and I like to run. I’m part of a group that has been pen and paper roleplaying for more than 10 years, mostly Dungeons and Dragons. In the lab I was once required to make HDR photography of a sample. I liked the results so I’m now a self-educated HDR photography maniac. Wherever I travel I make hundreds of HDR photos. I also like to photograph the night sky with help of my refracting telescope and this year I bought a waterproof camera case so I can take pictures when I dive. My family also owns quite big vineyard. I help there sometimes and I like to sample the products too.
What keeps you playing Illyriad?
Me and my boyfriend have a lot of fun. We discuss the different aspects of the game and try to excel at them. The game has the right amount of complexity. Once you reach certain size, whole new different strategies open up. The orc female character in the game is also my character in pen and paper roleplaying. I like to roleplay. Community is nice.
What’s your favorite aspect of the game?
I’m not sure I can pick a single aspect of the game that I like the most. I like the whole package. From building, trading, fighting and socializing.
What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?
Hm. Yesterday I built my 10th town, I’m proud of that. My alliance won in a quite difficult war few months back. I’m sure that I’m the toughest orcess in the game since I have 700 scrawny wolves 🙂
What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?
Hard to say. I really don’t know what the future of Illyriad will be. Even without changing any programmable aspect of the game, the community can make changes in our behaviour. It really is we players that make this game. Community can decide to play as Farmville or Evian, it’s up to us.
What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?
Diplomatic units just don’t do anything much in the game. Combat system for diplomatic units is too simplistic and unrealistic. You can succeed or lose all units, there should be more degrees of complexity here. Thieving is fun, but now everyone will just store their valuables in faction hubs. Assassins could do more damage, saboteurs are completely useless.
Magic at this point is extremely limited. Many players including me have millions of magic points stored, unable to use them. Perhaps new magic schools, like summoning, clairvoyance, terraforming.
I’m still trying to cope with new aspects of trade, but I’m already missing two options: Trade embargo on certain player(s) or alliance(s) – I just don’t want to sell something to my enemy or market speculator. Trade only within alliance option – I really would like to set sell price in a faction hub to 0 GP for basic resources, but only my alliance or my training alliance members can “buy” them, this would simplify resource help for new players immensely. I would also set different prices for my alliance mates then for the rest of the players.
All weapons, armours and horses have % based penalties or benefits. I would also like to see not % based equipments that have like +2 attack points or +4 to all defence points. Adds more options to all crafting system and makes even the cheapest units like kobolds worth equipping. +2 attack means much for kobold, but is very poor weapon in hands of a knight. I would also like to see my caravans equipped with better horses.
New specialist military unit for each race, that would be extremely costly to train and required a lot of rare herbs or minerals or body parts. Such unit should have extremely good qualities too.
Change training times for existing units. All units should have comparable training time per EXP point.
Terrain attack and defense bonuses and penalties should be much larger. I would say cavalry is only 5% effective on high mountains not 70%. Archers in jungle can’t really shoot anything so I would make them only 1% effective and so on. This would force players to rethink their strategy not like now where vast majority are training only cavalry and archers.
More options for relationships between alliances not just confederations and NAPs. One option should be vassalage, where certain % of alliance gold income is paid to the other alliance (like alliance tax but payed to other alliance). This can be result of peace negotiations or just paying for protection or mining rights. Trade embargo option – no direct or faction hub trading possible between members of alliances that have trade embargo between them. Economic cooperation option – military units would still kill each other, but military units would not kill harvesting units.
What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?
Don’t rush. Pace yourself, think carefully before everything that you do and have a plan. Before you make major decisions in game read forums and consult with other players. Major decisions are: Joining alliance, moving towns and settling new towns, specializing your towns and sovereignty.
Below is the video from our dev chat today. GMs Stormcrow, Thundercat and I took some time to talk about the Harvesting, Crafting and Advanced Trade systems that are coming to the game as well as answer some questions from the community.
This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on Shadow, a long time Illy player, active community member and shining example of good sportsmanship in the field of competitive tournaments. Shadow’s good-natured spirit of competition are what drew his peers to nominate him for this spotlight, and we couldn’t agree more.Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. Now on with the interview!
GM Luna
Shadow's RL Avatar
What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?
I have always enjoyed “build and conquer” type games, so when I stumbled on Illy in January of 2011, I knew I found a game that could hold my interest.
Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?
Never anything with an online community. This was a totally new experience for me.
Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?
Hidden talents….hmmm, I’m still looking for those! I don’t know how interesting racing is to the rest of you, but it’s always been a big part of my life. I grew up racing go carts, and have been hooked ever since.
What keeps you playing Illyriad?
My friends on here, are the biggest reason. Just pure curiosity is the other. We just never know what kind of mischief those crazy geomancers from the Circle of Five are going to create!
What’s your favorite aspect of the game?
Tournaments are something I take personal interest in. My alliance was created to focus on these, as well as the mysteries that are still out there.
What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?
The alliance I have formed, of course! I couldn’t ask for a better group of players to support it. Not only are they my allies, but also people I call friends. I am also proud of what I “almost” achieved in the Undead tournament….lol. I held the lead nearly the entire tournament, and had a great time while doing it. It didn’t matter that I was taken out and lost the lead (I think I finished out of the top 20…lol). I just loved the special attention I was given by other alliances. They made it fun!
What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?
I look forward to all the new features and updates to the game. It’s why I play. The game is constantly evolving, causing the players to evolve and change their strategies. It really keeps players involved in Illy.
What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?
Defense. Mainly encampment defense. Armies should have the ability to “dig in” and defend themselves better. At present, there’s not much you can do about a large advance cav army coming at your occupying force.
What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?
Hang in there! Illyriad can be a bit overwhelming at first, with all the research and buildings. Take your time and don’t get discouraged. The community is very helpful, and allows new players the chance to grow, unlike some games out there. Finding a good alliance that can support new members is very helpful early on. Just be sure the alliance suits your play style. Don’t just jump into the first one that invites you. Take the time to get to know players. Other than that, have fun, and welcome to Illy!
GMs Luna and Cerberus take some time to show off the new UIv3, walkthrough the Alliance Medal design system and take questions from the community in our latest dev chat video.
This month our Player Spotlight focuses on Illyriad’s currently #1 top ranked player, ScottFitz. As a long time Illy player, forum participant and helpful global chatter, Scott’s positive impact on the game has been noted by his peers who nominated him for this spotlight. We all wish to congratulate Scott and thank him for his continued contributions to the culture of Illyriad. Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. Now on with the interview!
GM Luna
ScottFitz's RL Avatar
What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?
I literally stumbled upon Illy two years ago in April of 2010. I had been trying out a few other games in Illy’s genre (but not in Illy’s league) and only lasted a few days, at best, with any of those, Then I happened upon Illy and fell in love. That was back before, biomes, geography, water or even NPCs, but it was still far superior to anything I had seen. And it has continued to get better. I am excitedly looking forward to the next two years, and the next two.
Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?
Nope. Just dabbled with a few gravely inferior predecessors to Illy, but never enough to get involved in what passes for a community there. Most online games fail to interest me beyond a few hours or days.
Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?
I have been an actively DMing D&D games for the past 35 years, I am an amateur entomologist with a passion for eusocial aculeate Hymenoptera, and I have a deep interest in pre-classical anatolian and levantine history. My nerd credentials are fairly unassailable. IRL I work as a graphic artist in an ad agency so I am also a Photoshop pro and an expert on email marketing.
What keeps you playing Illyriad?
I love the underlying mechanics of the game, and by that I mean the fact that everything is delicately balanced. More is not necessarily better. Balancing tax rate, food consumption, population, army size, army composition, troop replacement rate and such are not straightforward propositions. I am constantly tweaking and fine tuning my towns and armies. Also, many of the mechanics are unclear. The glorious dearth of documentation on many of the aspects of the game foster guesswork, experimentation, reliance on intuition, and many fruitful discussions and arguments in GC, AC and on the forums.
What’s your favorite aspect of the game?
Well, naturally I love the community. We, the community, elevate an already excellently conceived and executed game into something truly spectacular, I have made real friends here and I deeply care for and respect most of my fellow players. There is a depth of interaction here that is rarely approached online, and sometimes not even out in the real world. I also love the persistent, sandbox concept. There is no endgame, no closure — I hate closure. We are all free to play as we see fit – I despise orthodoxy. I dearly love the graphic look and feel of the game. And, I actually love the pace! Everything requires patience and planning. Strategy and diplomacy win out always. It is possibly to step away for a few days or even weeks and come back to your towns intact, or relatively intact (not that I have ever put that theory to the test of course). Plus as a bonus, the slower pace helps keep trolls away; they get bored after a bit and go off to torment puppies or set things on fire, or whatever trolls do when they are not trying to rile up GC.
What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?
Mostly my interactions with the community. I like to think I have built somewhat of a reputation for credibility and integrity, and I am very proud of the role I have played in helping resolve several significant diplomatic situations. And I am very proud of my part in helping to set the tone within my alliance. It is a very comfortable cohesive place to be. Without any bias whatsoever, I can safely say that mCrow is clearly the best alliance! I also a a bit proud of getting a town back up to legendary size from exodus in just over a week (with plenty of help from my alliance)
What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?
Re-tooling all of my towns when the next update is released.
What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?
Communications. Private chat, friend lists, other chat channels, improved alliance forums and a few more email enhancements would add the most. But beyond that, just more of the same, Illy is nearly perfect as is, and is getting more so steadily.
What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?
Focus on economics before military. Build up a strong town before building an army. Go into global chat and ask questions and get to know people. Visit the forums and the wiki. Read the guides. Do not join an alliance in haste. If you find yourself in conflict with another player, talk first to that player, then if that does not work, talk to that player’s alliance. If there is still a problem, either move, or find an alliance to help you. Mostly have fun and take your time.
This month’s Player Spotlight focuses on wonderful Illyriad guidewriter, frequent global chat new player guide linker and new player question answerer, Vanerin. We all appreciate Vanerin’s positive impact on the community and welcoming presence in game.Learn more about the Player Spotlight program at our website and nominate players by sending an email to community@illyriad.co.uk. Now on with the interview!
GM Luna
What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?
Well on the 13th of August 2011 I was having a slow day in between projects. Google Chrome suggested I look at its app store and there was this curious game called Illyriad listed. I decided to try it out and have been happily addicted ever since!
Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?
Nope, this is my first one! I feel kinda lucky to have found such a great game right off the bat.
Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?
I have some talents, but you are right in using the word hidden. You have to look reeaallly closely to find them. 😛 I thoroughly enjoy music and art though. I play the piano, kazoo, cello, mandolin, and a little bit of the guitar. As for art, I mostly work with sterling silver to make jewelry.
What keeps you playing Illyriad?
The amazing community, the life the devs bring to the game, the depth, and the evolving nature of the game. You devs have done a wonderful job in all of those areas!
What’s your favorite aspect of the game?
All of the people! I am probably going to start sounding like a broken record, but there is a great community here. I really like how the game facilitates becoming friends with each other. So many things/places in the world puts people at odds against one another, so it is nice to get a breath of fresh air with the encouraging environment.
What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?
Hmm, I am probably the most proud of being in HUGS. It is really a great alliance filled with wonderful people. And I consider myself fortunate to be among them.
What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?
Factions! I can’t wait for all the options and paths that will open.
What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?
In my opinion, Illyriad has a wonderfully deep combat system. But it seems a pity that combat is the only area that has that level of complexity. It would be really cool to see diplos, magic, and trading with a wider range of possibilities.
What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?
Talk in Global Chat!!! There are some really cool people playing here and we all would love to meet you!
(^_^) My in-game name is SunStorm. In real life, I am a student at university. My goal is to someday be a criminal psychologist who works with both juvenile and adult inmates, or a child psychologist who works with troubled kids. I’m a junior, so I still have time to decide (:P). My biggest struggle in life is trying to balance school, work, homework, and friends. In my spare time, I play Illyriad.
What brought you to Illyriad and how long have you been playing?
This last February was my 1 year anniversary for playing. One year ago, I was bored and randomly looked for something fun to fill my time. This, of course, was a time in my life when I had all my homework completed and had the extra time (to all students out there: be responsible). So this is exactly what I did: I went into facebook and started browsing through apps. I literally clicked on “newest” apps hoping to find a newer, low-key game to play. I prefer games that are not mainstream or overpopulated, so I scrolled through page after page of games. Most of them were complete and utter rubbish, but one stood out and caught my eye. Illyriad! (^_^) I began working my way through the tutorial and before I knew it my adventure began!
Have you played many other online games or been active in other online communities?
Yes. Though I only ever play one online game at a time, I usually end up being very active in the community. *sigh* It has been a long time since I was last involved in an online game (Maple Story), and I will comment more about that in the next question.
Any hidden talents or interesting hobbies outside of gaming?
Many have been to my Illyriad blog and have seen that I love working with images and graphics (and no, the comic strips do not accurately represent my talent with art – they are only a silly hobby of mine). In the past I have done some 3D CG art (which are up on deviantart.com), but I am fonder of photo-manipulation. Additionally, I enjoy video editing. This was my hobby for the last game I played (Maple Story), and I have several videos on youtube.com. They are still there today (^_^). I started making an Illyriad video…but it has been put off indefinitely.
What keeps you playing Illyriad?
I would have to say the overall atmosphere created by the community! After my first alliance fell apart, I was crushed. The friendships that were established in that alliance were so strong – we were like a family. I spent a few months in seclusion; telling the community I was a “recluse” and not to bother me (:P). The time away was good, and I also have enjoyed making a comeback. Had the members of the community been different, it is hard to say whether or not I would have stuck around. In all seriousness, I have not seen a tighter knit group of players anywhere, and I am proud to be a member of my current alliance!
What’s your favorite aspect of the game?
I love the personal interaction with the developers. I know everyone gets busy, but it is wonderful to see the creators taking a personal interest in their creation. I love to see the chat start buzzing every time someone with a blue name pops in. (^_^)
What’s your proudest achievement in game so far?
Few people know this (here comes my pride – most likely before my fall…lol), but I was the first player (to my knowledge) to ascertain the locations of all 20 statues in the heroic statue quest. This was done over the span of 6 hours by using my personal image filter to see only the statues and nothing else (please don’t ban me…lol). I coordinated (at the time) with ScottFitz of the mCrow alliance and BecBlue of the former Prisoners of Society alliance to fill in the gaps of both of their lists.
What are you most looking forward to for the future of Illyriad?
Faction AI! (^_^) Though I also worry about this since I placed my alt (an elf) in-between two warring (anti-elf) factions – lol. They are probably warring because they want to be the first to see what my alt might taste like if sautéed in garlic butter. Still, I think this will be good for players to exert some energy upon factions rather than other gamers.
What area of the game do you think needs the most improvement?
Multiple worlds. Recently, the main map was named Elgea. I would like to see about 3 or more worlds with different play styles in mind. (e.g. One world that is set aside for those who desire a more warring “anything goes” gameplay – another world set aside which focuses on ruling kingdoms by means of some constant “king of the hill” scenario for each main and mini region – etc.)
What advice would you give a new player in Illyriad?
Listen to the wisdom and advice of the bigger players. They usually know what they are talking about. (^_^)
A beast has laid dormant in the south west of Kumala for ages in the history of Illyria. It has sparked fear and curiosity from citizens who wish to unlock its mystery and defeat the horrific Heart of Corruption.
Beating Heart Gif by SunStorm
Until recently, most efforts to explore the area and battle the heart have come up fruitless. But, a mighty forum warrior by the name of SunStorm rallied the call of his fellow Illyrians in an effort to, once and for all, make a stand against this monstrous horror. A massive rally of troops descended upon the spot and discovered, that instead of destroying the beast, it began to grow and take over an even larger part of the map. Armies continued to pile in and become a sacrifice until, the heart came alive and began to beat.
Corrupted Elves and Dwarves
This shocking turn of events sent ripples across the land as corrupted beings rose from the dead, returning to their home cities with hostile intentions. Orcs, elves, humans and dwarves fought against the corrupted forms of their citizens, some of which left behind haunting traces of the attack in the form of a mysterious unharmed tentacle. After a time, and for unknown reasons, the Heart of Corruption has collapsed into its original state and corrupted armies have ceased to emerge.
You would think this is where the mystery ends, but no, our brave forum warriors have begun, yet again to send encampments and armies of troops, perhaps out of continued curiosity, sheer malice or in an attempt to seek revenge for those lost…
And yet again, it grows.
Illyriad players, as a sandbox gaming community, are a smart, resourceful and curious bunch. The entirely player-driven effort to unlock the long-standing mystery of the Heart of Corruption (or Audrey as nicknamed by the players) has been a testament to that fact. As someone who gets the pleasure of watching these things from the inside out, I can say that the development team has been just as excited as the players to watch this event unfold. As each new piece of information came to light, I’ve been quietly cheering everyone on and have been so pleased to see the enthusiasm and cooperation that has emerged from the event.
The word of Illyriad truly does belong to its inhabitants to explore, shape and affect in a meaningful way. Just don’t feed it too much, because sometimes it just might bite back.
Want a chance to win some of the most unique military units in the game, Elementals? Well here’s your chance, fair Illyrians. Just follow the directions on the widget below to earn raffle points and be entered into the giveaway. The more ways you enter, the more chances you have to win. One random winner will be chosen. Winner must have an active Illyriad account to receive the prize. Contest runs until March 29, 2012.
