Evony - Free Online Browser Strategy Game Review
Multiplayer RPG Medieval War Game Free Only for the Patient Gamer
Oct 11, 2009
Any player who has gone searching for free online games has seen the advertisements for Evony at some point - the suggestive banner ads are impossible to miss.
Here's what to expect for those who take the plunge and sign up for the online game that bills itself as the "World's Best Web Game".
Evony Offers Familiar Medieval Gameplay
Upon logging in, a first time gamer will probably experience severe deja vu. The layout, look and style of play is an amalgam of nation-building strategy games such as Sid Meier's Civilization series or the Age of Empires series.
The player starts as a medieval lord or lady with a city, a city hall, some basic resources and some people to rule. The new lord or lady also gets seven valuable days beginner protection from attack. From there, the player must construct buildings from farms to barracks to feasting halls; recruit heroes and train armies to defend from neighbors and expand territory; and develop new technologies to improve the kingdom.
Positive Aspects of Evony Online Game
Evony does boast a large player base, with more than 120,000 members on the site message board alone and more than 100 available servers to play on. Evony claims more than 5 million active players since April 2009. And it's popular for good reason.
The foremost reason is that the game is free, at least for those who can practice restraint and not pay for extras. The graphics are generally clear and smooth, yet with a low strain on computer resources.
It works on most current browsers, although some players may find they need to upgrade for the game to load.
The game will feel familiar to anyone who has played a popular middle ages computer strategy game. So many gamers will be able to jump in with little instruction. For beginners, there are quests and beginner packages to help steer them in generally the right direction.
Once the player builds a marketplace, the in-game resource trading system is actually pretty useful - allowing selling of excess resources at the best possible price or buying needed materials at the lowest possible price.
There is a waiting period on some in-game communication, but after that, the social interaction among allies and neutrals ranges from cordial to friendly. Among potential enemies, the communication is terse ("Leave my lake alone!", for example)
Negative Aspects of Evony Online Game
The negative aspects of Evony are hard-pressed to make up for the positives that it offers.
While borrowing from other classic games allows quick start-up for gamers, it also gives Evony a failing grade for originality. Look no further than the original name of Evony for evidence of this - "Civony" - a clear copy of the Civilization games. Players run the risk of becoming bored or frustrated with Evony after a few weeks or months of play.
In addition, there are a number of game mechanics that will grate on the player committed to not spending real-life money.
First, while basic buildings like first-level farms and cottages take a matter of minutes to build, advanced buildings and projects can actually take hours. While this might make the game more "realistic", it's not the kind of realism that benefits the free player.
Moreover, the game only permits working on one building at a time. This is certainly unrealistic, but in this case, realism would benefit the gamer playing for free. It appears, therefore, to not be allowed.
Next, there is no in-game user manual or technology tree to guide the player on how how to accomplish what they want in the game. As a result, the player is sent floundering around trying to accomplish what they want to do, hitting dead ends in the maze of building improvements, technologies and resources necessary to take the next step.
As a typical example, to acquire the rewards in a "Package for Lords", one requirement is for the player to have a town hall at level three. Among other prerequisites, that requires building walls, which in turn requires both a quarry at level two and a workshop at level one.
Just looking at the workshop, building one requires getting both a forge up to level two and an iron mine up to level three. Then by the time all the requirements have been met, a player may still have to wait to replenish the resource requirements for the package because so many resources have been spent on building and upgrading.
All of this could be easier to overlook were it not for the lurid, lowest-common-denominator advertising used to promote Evony. What's more, eagle-eyed critics have noted that some of the models used are actually lifted from lingerie and costume catalogs.
What Real Money Will Buy in Evony
Almost anything can be purchased with real money in Evony. The practice of "gold mining" -- where professional players acquire high-value in-game items and sell them to players looking for a shortcut -- is a practice nearly as old as online gaming itself.
But Evony takes it to a whole new level. Money can purchase "game coin" which can in turn be used to either buy directly or buy items that aid resource production, speed of construction and population. And, yes, in Evony money can even buy happiness - in the form of vassal loyalty.
As noted above, multiple aspects of Evony gameplay tempt players into pressing that "Buy game coin" button. This push to spend undermines Evony for hardcore gamers more than almost any other aspect of the game -- that anyone with a big enough line on their credit card can outclass any amount of brilliant strategy.
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