OGame

OGame
File:NewOgameLoginScreen.jpg
Developer(s)	Gameforge AG
Engine	PHP
Platform(s)	Computer, Mobile
Release	2002
Genre(s)	Real Time Text-based MMO

OGame is a text-based, resource-management and space-war themed online mitchell newberry with over two million accounts. OGame was created in 2002 and is produced and maintained by Gameforge AG. As of October 2008, OGame.org has a total of 40 universes, with more being added periodically. OGame.org also hosts the "pr0game" universe listed on OGame.org as Universe 35.

OGame is available in multiple different languages, while different nationalities have their own communities. The game doesn't differ between the nationality communities except in rare cases. Players are generally informed of news and other things such as changes in rules or new versions through the official forums .

Gameplay

Each player starts with one randomly assigned planet in any slot, system and galaxy. The first planet always has 163 fields, regardless of the slot in the player's system. The player's empire can consist of up to 9 planets. All construction, research, and missions are performed and launched from a planet or moon. Development is done through using the five resources: metal, crystal, deuterium, energy and dark matter. There are different ways to obtain these resources, including mining and trading. Players are ranked according to their points, one point is awarded for every one thousand resource units spent, likewise one point is taken away for every one thousand resource units lost; when defense is destroyed in a battle, when the player deconstructs buildings, etc. However, no points are given for unspent resources.

Unlike many other real-time strategy games, OGame does not give the player constant control of his or her spacecraft. Instead, the player tells the ship(s) where to fly (using the game's coordinate system) and what to do when they get there. In OGame, combat is resolved when fleets and/or defenses meet. The combat takes place instantly and consists of 1 to 6 rounds. Fleet attacks are usually aimed to steal player's resources though fleet attacks can also be done to crash the opponent's fleet and collect the debris field from the battle using recyclers. Defenses are built to oppose an enemy fleet attacking one's planet.

Alliances

An alliance is a group of people who have banded together and is mostly used for solidarity purposes. Alliances are created for players to protect each other from attacks, join together to raid other planets, or to promote free trade amongst members. Members of an alliance can use the ACS (Alliance Combat System), available in some universes, to synchronize fleet movements and missions with members of the same alliance and temporarily deploy a fleet on an ally's planet.

Purchased effects

All purchased effects are paid with Dark Matter, which can be purchased from Gameforge with real cash. Dark Matter can also be obtained, very rarely, in lower quantities, as result of an expedition mission.

Commander

The Commander gives the player improved functionality and an improved user interface. Features include a building queue which gives the player the ability to order several buildings to be built without requiring the player to login and start a new build. The player also gets an “Empire View” that shows the player all details on every planet including ships, defenses, resources, and energy. Other benefits provided by OGame Commander are message filters, shortcuts, an improved galaxy view and commands, and a gaming experience free of advertisements.

Officers

On February 16, 2007, Officers were introduced to the game. It is worth noting that GameForge had previously promised its users it would never introduce pay-to-play options that provided direct benefits, and the change thus caused a large scale of conflict in the community.

The officer feature gives players a real advantage in the game, for a price, while those who cannot afford it, or have a method of paying for it, go without. The 4 officers types are:

• Fleet Admiral: Increases maximum fleet slot by 2.
• Engineer: Reduces the losses of defensive structure during an attack by half and gives 10% more energy.
• Geologist: Increases metal mine, crystal mine and deuterium synthesizer production by 10%
• Technocrat: Increases the espionage level for espionage probes by 2 and decreases research time by 25%.

Merchants

As of version 0.78 (released November 15th 2007) players can hire a merchant to trade one resource type for another. This is similar to trading except that there are no other players involved. The only limitation one has is the amount of free space in one's storage silos and the amount of dark matter the player has. Trade cannot be done when the storage silos are full, or on a moon.

Rules

OGame is monitored by Game Operators, Super Game Operators and Game Administrators each of whom have the rights to ban any player suspected of misconduct and violation of the rules. The rules can be different for each OGame universe. Players who have been banned are put into the pillory of their universe. The pillory shows the reason of banning and the administrator who made the decision. It also shows the unbanning of a player when they have clarified the fault. The planets and colonies of players that have received lifelong bans are subject to the one month account deletion due to inactivity.

External links

• Official English OGame website
• Gameforge
• OGame Wikia.com site
• Template:GameFAQs