Evony
 | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (July 2009) |
| Evony | |
|---|---|
 Evony's logo | |
| Developer(s) | Universal Multiplayer Game Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Universal Multiplayer Game Entertainment |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy MMORTS |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Evony (formerly known as Civony) is a browser-based multiplayer online game, with substantial similarities to Civilization. While the game itself received mixed critical reviews, its 2009 online ad campaign drew strong criticism.
Gameplay
A player starts with a civilian ranking with a level one town hall and 5000 each of gold, food, lumber, stone, iron, and population of 50. As with many real-time strategy games, one first has to acquire resources by building iron mines, quarries, farms and sawmills, and then start developing their town and building an army. Evony also introduces quests to guide new players so they do not get stuck at the beginning of the game.[citation needed]
In the game, when a player logs out, the game continues while they are not around.[1] For seven days after registering, a player is given protection so they have time to grasp the game's concepts and begin to achieve its goals.[1]
Evony has two different monetary systems. The real in-game monetary system revolves around gold. Gold can be obtained by way of quests, or by taxing the player's population. It is also possible to sell resources (food, lumber, stone, iron) for gold on the marketplace to other players.[2] In lieu of this, a player can use real money to buy items from the in-game shop to advance faster through the game.[1]
Prestige is a measure of a player's rank in the game, like a score. Players gain prestige by following the Evony quests, building or upgrading structures and successfully attacking valleys and cities.Honor is also a ranking system, however it only changes with a successful/ unsuccessful attack or defense.[citation needed]
Another addition to evony is the evony cents system to where you can purchase many helpful items. Cents can be earned by doing quest, buying them online, or using ievony credits.
Critical reception
Reviews for Evony have praised the appearance, but been generally been critical of its derivative gameplay.
The game was cited as doing "an amazing job at making the game look and feel appealing to all gamers" by New Zealand-based Stuff, although was criticised for the amount of time, effort, and (optionally) money needed to excel in the game.[1] Stuff also noted the shortcomings of a system like Evony's where one could essentially buy one's way through the game.[1]
The Guardian disliked the game, and pointed out that it was so similar to Sid Meier's Civilization series that it felt like a ripoff of said series, going so far as to essentially steal its name.[3]
Advertising campaign
Evony's 2009 online advertising campaign was criticised for featuring what The Guardian called "a string of increasingly racy images."[3][4] The images depicted females who, as the ad campaign continued, grew further and further unclothed, until the ad was simply a pair of breasts.[4] A running slogan for the campaign was "Save the queen!", although within the game, there is no queen to save. [4]
One 'Save The Queen' advert featured a woman without a bra or panties lying on the floor with a sword pointed at her breast. Another advertisement used two ladies with their eyes closed and the motto "Save Your Lover," It said "Play Unnoticeably", despite the fact that Evony does nothing to hide itself from network logs and its URL and cookies will still be present in a web browser's history like any other website.[citation needed]
Evony was also accused of using spam promotion.[3]
Other controversies
The game was developed by Universal Multiplayer Game Entertainment (UMGE[5]), a corporation that has been linked to WoWMine, a Chinese operation known for online gold farming.[3] Criticism made regarding the game has been removed from Evony's forum by moderators.[3]
Copyright issues
The game and website currently uses graphics from various games including Age of Empires: The Age of Kings and Age of Mythology [6][7] as well as descriptions copied directly from Sid Meier's Civilization III and Civilization IV, as well as from other Mods and Wikipedia. [8]
During the ongoing advertising campaign a particular advert featuring a fairy was apparently taken from the website costumecraze.com. The owners were subsequently informed and blogged about this. [9]
References
- ^ a b c d e Lauterbach, Joel (2009-07-08). "Review: Evony". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2009-07-22. Cite error: The named reference "stuff" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Step by Step Account Starting Guide". Hods Realm. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ a b c d e "Has Evony become the most despised game on the web?". The Guardian. 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ a b c "Everything Wrong with the Internet in One Gaming Banner Ad Campaign". Gawker. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ "UMGE". Hods Realm. 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ "Evony Tour". Evony. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ "Anyone Noticed? (Evony)". Age of Kings Heaven Forum. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ "Evony - A patchwork of stolen parts". Ark's Ark. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ "Dubious "Civony" Game Uses Costume Photo". Costume Craze. Retrieved 2009-07-27.