Travian

Ever wish you could install a game on your pc at work without being caught? Did you want that game to be a Strat?

Well, say hello to your new addiction: Travian!

This game is run entirely out of a web browser, so unless you have a hyper aggressive IT police -and you probably don't since the IT guys are already playing this- you can start conquering the mythical world on Monday. And in case you're wondering, this game is the successor to Tribal Wars.

It's a free to play, but they recently have added a gold for real cash feature so you can buy your way up to a super competitive status quickly. But more on this later.

The game world is made up of three races of humans, the Romans, the Gauls, and the Teutons. Each has its own specialty ranging from balanced beginner play in the Romans, intermediate defensive play with the Gauls, and advanced aggressive play with the Teutons.

It's on one hand it's real time, it's also turn based. It's real time in that what happens is on a clock, and it's turn based because your troops can only do so much at a time.

Just like real life!

Game play is on one hand very simple, you start with one village that has minimal to no resources developed. It is up to you to grow those resources, create an army, and expand your population to new towns.

Sounds pretty simple, right?

Of course that's where it gets complicated. You have to organize and supervise your citizens. They're capable of building things in X amount of time, and of course the more you build the more experienced they get and the faster they can build. I know what you're thinking now- but I bet the buildings and crops get more complex to produce. And you're right. And, you know, there's the other players.

There's no computer to play against, so it's all PVP. Which is not entirely true, but I'll get to that later.

The game does have an objective, conquer the world. And it has a time limit- 300 days. When the cycle ends, the computer controlled race comes into play and begins its attack waves. That's the only pve part. So, you've got to hustle.

Now, as to graphic. Honestly, they're prehistoric. No real animations, no battle graphics, nothing. It's all flash-looking images. So, don't expect much there. The real attraction to this game is the play. Since there's no graphics load, it's all the more space for game time! Woohoo!

The key to this game is forging your alliances with the other players. No one can do it on their own. Factions can get so large that they have been known to go to war with each other rather than their sworn enemies. Also, there's the coordination to consider. All game time is based on your local clock. So, your bestest game pal says, "Let's meet up at 7pm, and our troops will totally raze our mortal enemy!" Is that 7 his time, or 7 your time? Better get that sorted out, because the game isn't going to do that for you.

Just like real life!

But there are a few downsides to the game, aside from the lack of graphics. There are several farming exploits that are easy to achieve in the game that can exponentially increase your resources. The Travian staff have been slow to address these issues or in some cases have not addressed them at all.

But the folks that do those sort of exploits aren't the kind a real player would be up against. The Ubar game bois tend to farm for fast gold, and burn out just as fast.

All and all it's a great addiction, I mean game. It's easy to get into, and it's easy to stay. Over all I'd give it 4 out of 5 Game stars, I had to cut two because of the lack of graphics but added one back because of the complex level of play, and a Thumbs Up for playability.