what happened???

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haven’t played polytopia in ages but used to love it. how much the game has changed in a couple years. custom houses gone, lumber huts increased in price, port only 1 pop, etc. genuine question are these changes positive for the game? from what i can see the game has gone down a very competitive based (online) direction which is cool and i like it. but as an old player who mainly played perfection the game is not the same at all. at least all my tribes 100k are still there. is it still possible to get 130k+? genuinely curious would prefer to hear from people who played maybe 3-5 years ago and still play with the changes. thanks still love the game and think it’s great but just so different to when i last played.

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7 months ago - /u/Zoythrus - Direct link

Yes, the changes have been positive and well-received by many. +130K Perfection scores are still possible, as we even made it easier to get temples out and upgraded.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

7 months ago - /u/Zoythrus - Direct link

Originally posted by Groggypenis

Will any water based income generators be added to the game? Since markets don't work with ports

There aren't currently any plans.

It's part of trying to balance land vs Coastal cities. Land cities have growth and economic options, while coastal cities have access to water (ports and navies).

7 months ago - /u/Zoythrus - Direct link

Originally posted by jugarf01

this may be a big question, but what was the reason behind the changes: - removing custom houses - removing whaling - changing port price at population and with that changing the tech down navigation path - removing forests to 1 - plus more i’m sure if i thought more

i guess i’m wondering a) why? and b) we’re these all made in one go? i remember seeing ur name a couple years ago cool to see your a major part of the community/game now. just genuinely curious as to why these changes occurred, like what was wrong with the old gameplay style?

Ultimately, a lot was wrong with the old gameplay style. A lot of things were getting in the way of new development, and we had backed ourselves into a corner.

As we were developing the Ancients, we quickly learned that the gameplay leaned pretty heavily on the viability of certain techs and other things. Forest chopping is very powerful, whaling is powerful, custom houses are powerful, and instead of continually trying to bend around them, we just decided to do what needed to be done.

Ports were made cheaper in order to get people on the water faster and to encourage a better flow/integration of naval stuff.

We changed Custom Houses because we didn't want a building of that power being naval only. They were defining the economy too much and were too restricting. You either have spaces for them or you don't, and we wanted something better. Also, since Ports were now cheaper, the formula for CH's didn't apply anymore, so they had to be changed anyway.

Whales were removed because we didn't like the old "get whaling and 50 free stars" gameplay. We wanted something that was more dynamic and mechanically interesting.

7 months ago - /u/Zoythrus - Direct link

Originally posted by TheSolarPrincess

How is current star gathering different from old whaling?

The difference is that now you have to fight others for it.

Starfish were used to replace Whales because we didn't like the concept of just getting a risk-free 30 stars out of thin air. Now you have to actually be there with a unit and get it before anyone else. You can even steal Starfish in someone else's borders!

7 months ago - /u/Zoythrus - Direct link