In the last article "Disciplines and Tests", I covered the seven disciplines in general. In this article I will cover the tests and discipline of Architect in more detail.
Architect can be a very competitive discipline. Architects are always about building bigger, better, or unique. Every Architect, at heart, wishes to build that one building that will be unique and be their legacy to greatness. In ATITD, this is no different. The discipline of Architect is quite resource intensive, and also usually requires working with groups, or subcontracting help. Some of the tests of Architect require outbuilding your competition, directing large groups for huge projects, or building bigger than your competition. The later tests can sometimes require large groups of 50 or more, all requiring coordination and direction. Disciplines of Architect compete to build bigger and better buildings.
Principle of Architect, Test of the Obelisk, Test of the Funerary Temple, Test of Towers, and Test of Life are the current released tests. There are two more unannounced tests as well as the Tale III Monument test still to be released.
Principle of Architect is your first step and introduction to the Architect discipline. You will receive the Initiation test upon visiting the University of Architect, the first time after leaving the Welcome Island. The Principle of Architect is a good starter for any new Egyptian citizen. This task requires you to build a compound and expand it to 16 sectors. Your compound will be your home and the location of all the buildings you will need to make resources and your storage of gathered/produced goods. You first must visit your local University of Architect, choose Tests, and start the Initiation into Architect. The Initiation into Architect requires three simple steps: First, you must learn the Compound Construction skill. For this you will need to make 100 boards and 200 bricks. Once you have those in hand you must visit the local School of Architect and learn the "Compound Construction" skill. Now return to your home spot and build your Compound. You will need another 100 boards and 200 bricks for this. If you have a paid account already you should have your first cornerstone. Once you have built your compound, click on your compound, choose 'Utility', and you will find an option to install your cornerstone. Upon installing your cornerstone your compound will no longer deteriorate. Don't worry if you don't have a cornerstone yet. The compound will just require some maintenance every so often. Now that your compound has been built you must expand it to a full 16 sectors. Click on your compound, choose 'Blueprints', 'Edit Blueprints', choose the 'Building Shape' tab. Now you will need to add seven sections to your current compound. Once you're done changing the blueprints, close the 'Blueprint Editor'. Now click on your compound again and choose 'Blueprints' again, choose 'Load Materials for Blueprint'. A new box will open showing the required materials to expand and change your compound to the designs you chose. Once you finish loading all the required materials the compound will change to the layout you had designed. Now that you have learned the 'Compound Construction' skill and built your 'Compound, you can now claim your right as Initiate of Architect. Click on your 'Compound' again and it should now have an option to "Claim your Right to be an Initiate of Architect". Congratulations you have completed the Initiation into Architect. This will open all the Architect tests for you to attempt.
You're now an Initiate of Architect. At level three, you will be able to try the Test of the Obelisk, at level seven, the Test of the Funerary Temple, at level 11, the Test of Towers, and at level 17, the Test of Life.
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The Test of the Obelisk requires you to build the largest obelisk of its kind in your region and hold that position for a set amount of time. There are currently six different obelisks you can build. There is the Desert Obelisk requiring seven Egyptian days, the Metallic Obelisk requiring 14 Egyptian days, the Cut Stone Obelisk requiring 21 Egyptian days, the Hardwood Obelisk requiring 28 Egyptian days, the Marble Obelisk requiring 35 Egyptian days, and the Crystal Obelisk requiring 42 Egyptian days. An Egyptian Day is approximately eight hours. Each progressive obelisk requires different resources, usually of greater difficulty to obtain. Once you have started the Test of the Obelisk, you can click on your avatar; choose 'Tests', next choose 'Test of the Obelisk, then choose 'Meditate on Obelisks. This will give you information on the current largest obelisks and their locations. The lower difficulty obelisk may require a shorter time, but often have reached larger sizes requiring a larger number of resources; whereas the higher difficulty may require more time, but they will be smaller and need a lesser number of resources. Now that you have determined the obelisk type you wish to build, the size you will need to pass the current tallest obelisk, gathered your resources, chosen the location for your obelisk and built your obelisk, now you must wait. During this time anyone else could out build your Obelisk, so extra resources are good in case you want to out build any competition. If someone does out build you, you will need to expand your obelisk so it is the largest once again. Unfortunately, this will also mean you will have to wait the full length of time again. Once you have held the spot of largest obelisk for the required time you will pass the test of the Obelisk.
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The Test of the Funerary Temple will task you with building a glorious Temple and add Raeli Tiles to add to the Glory of your Temple. The number of tiles and variety of colors determines your overall score. Variety of color will generate more Glory than quantity. There are diminishing returns on the quantity of a single color. You receive 100 points for one tile of each color added, 200 points for seven tiles of each color, 300 points for 49 tiles of each color, increasing exponentially. Your Temple's Glory is calculated by figuring the score for number of tiles of each color and then adding the totals. As an example, let's say you add one blue tile, seven green tiles, and 14 Black tiles. You would receive 100 points for the one blue tile, 200 points for the seven green tiles, and 235 points for the 14 black tiles; giving you a Glory total of 535 points. For this test you will probably need to do a lot of trading with Raeli Tile owners throughout Egypt. Each week the Temple with the highest Glory rating will pass the Test of the Funerary Temple.
For the Test of the Towers you will need careful scheduling and placement. Once you sign up for the Test of the Towers, you can check your Calendar for a list of all upcoming Tower Hours. Tower Hours occur about once every three Egyptian days and lasts for one game hour or approximately 20 minutes. Each Tower Hour will ask for different towers to be built, randomly chosen from seven tower types possible. Each Tower requires a different set of resources. Your total land controlled during a Tower Hour is determined using a special method. Basically, the system checks for the closest two towers, and uses a complex formula to determine the amount of land your tower controls. What this boils down to is; you will want your tower to be as far away from other players towers as possible, so as to control the max possible land total. During each Tower Hour you can build as many towers as you have supplies and time. A suggested method is to enlist the help of friends and guild members to help build towers for you in other locations and regions. Be sure they turn ownership of the Tower over to you before the Tower Hour ends. After the Tower Hour is over the 14 players controlling the most land will receive their percentage of land controlled added to their total, working toward the 100% control, any remaining players below the top 14 receive only one-seventh of the percentage of land controlled, during that hour, added to their goal of 100% control. All towers will collapse and disappear with the resource used to build them after the Tower Hour ends. Once you have achieved a 100% total land controlled, you shall pass the Test of the Towers.
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In the Test of Life, you are tasked with building an Aqueduct system. The Test of Life will require a group effort and region support. An Aqueduct system consists of an Aqueduct Pump, a group project and consecutive linked towers, individually built. Each tower, once built, and raised to fit into the current Aqueduct system, will provide life giving water, and drinking from the Tower will provide a +1 boost to a single attribute for approximately 24 hours. Also, each Tower will give a boost to vegetable harvests of one type. Each tower has a different stat randomly assigned to it on completion of construction, and a different vegetable harvest boost to production. Later on, the Aqueduct Towers also grow Moss, and allow the planting of herb seeds. Points are awarded to the Towers owner for each vegetable planted and harvested at the corresponding Tower, as well as giving points to each Tower upstream, all the way to the Pump. Each week the seven Towers with the most points will pass the Test of Life.
There are two more tests to be released as well as the Tale 3 Monument test. I will cover these tests, at a later date, once they have been released. For now, this covers all the Architect tests, available in game.
