Originally posted by Gyrus

Originally posted by Axehilt

All I know is I played it a month or so (~3 years ago) and didn't experience that at all.  Sounds like you're nitpicking a very narrow fail condition.

A game breaking issue (Ie an issue that brings game play to a complete halt from which you cannot continue) is not a 'narrow fail condition'.

Have a look at the official forums where players are advised to 'delete your account and start again' in response to game play.
That is not a 'narrow fail condition' either.
Try doing a search for 'defend' on the Travian Forum
One example:
http://forum.travian.com/showthread.php?t=115200&highlight=defend

I know you Axehilt, know a bit about game design?  Would you ever accept that in a game you designed?

 They could address the issue... but to do so they would have to undermine the 'Plus' accounts - which they won't do.  They would rather have the money rather than a good game.  I think even the Devs know the gravy train will end so they are milking it until then. 

Well that's the "rich get richer to the extreme" that I mentioned earlier.  It's not an ideal game by any stretch, and the 1 month I put into it is all it's getting.  But it's a fun formula despite that.  Otherwise I wouldn't keep getting suckered into the same formula game after game.  Chronologically:

• Barren Realms Elite (BBS door game with basically the exact same mechanic, around 1995.  Also Solar Realms Elite was the spaceship reskinning of it)
• Utopia (early internet version)
• Astrowars (started out as the same basic formula, but with better tech progression. Nowadays it's probably the best variant around; the devs have really done well with it.)
• Travian (much more popular than earlier incarnations)
• Freesky Online (unique art style; PVE mechanics and some other new stuff)
• ...and a smattering of ~4 others I tried, amongst the 10+ that I didn't try (after Utopia the formula started spreading a lot.)

Every single game there has the "rich get richer" problem to the extreme.  Big fish eating smaller fish in a persistent world always nosedives eventually because eventually only one guild (or nation or whatever the game calls them) will be king.  And all the other players will suffer inevitable defeat.

So yeah, that's the critical chink in these games' armor.  But despite each new game thumping me in the end, I keep coming back for each new iteration.  Overall they dish out enough fun to be worthwhile.

I still feel compelled to go back and try Astrowars a 3rd time.  Had to cut it short last time because I was moving IRL.  That last game had one of the more balanced wars I've ever had in these types of games.  Plenty of vicious fighting.  Trying to resist the urge though, the game ate up a lot of time ;)

Farm Teens

I have to say i found this thread rather intriguing in the fact that i agree with both sides of the argument made.

One Yes it is a mmo, a RPG well considering you make a avatar that represents you and that in general you could call all of facebook a rpg makes me agree with that too. I however think one thing you guys did not think about is the fact that when mmorpg was created there wasnt other types of mmos out there so face it we are in the age of mmorts games coming out.

With that said here is my simple definition of a MMO.

A game that is Made To Be Multiplayer Only or where multiplayer is the Main mode of gameplay.

So heres all the invalid arguments i saw:

3d, um there are tons of 2d games listed? and i do mean tons. 

Flash or browser based. what the hell is wrong with  that? and what about Java? hmm? Should you rule out runescape[ i honestly hate the game]  because that game has had hundreds of thousands of players at one time or another.]

Tech advances, um... sometimes i still prefer snes games to new games simply because the old games are unique and not all trying to look "real" sorry but i came to the realization that what i disliked about newer games is they all freaking look the same now and its amazingly dull.