Ikariam is a browser based massively multiplayer online game in the strategy genre produced and maintained by Gameforge AG. The game is set in a world resembling classical Greece, with players being made tyrant of a small town, which they must expand and lead. Ikariam has received generally positive reviews.

Ikariam has been compared to the Civilization series created by Sid Meier. It has also been compared to the critically acclaimed Travian series created by Travian Games GmbH. The aim of the game is to expand the town which is controlled by the player, to gather resources and conquer or placate other players. The game can be played for short periods of time; building and researching takes place in real time so the player can return at a later point and assign the town’s inhabitants new tasks.

Upon registering, players are given control of a small town. The town’s inhabitants pay taxes to the player or can be sent to gather resources instead. The game world is split into islands, each of which can support up to 16 players and their towns. Each island has its own saw mill for producing wood and one of the other buildings which produces a luxury resource. There are five main types of resources: Wood, Wine, Marble, Crystal Glass and Sulphur. They are available from the Sawmill, Vineyard, Quarry, Crystal Mine and Sulphur Pit respectively. All these resources are required to progress in the game, making resource acquisition through conquest or trading mandatory. If a certain resource is lacking locally the player may trade with other players to acquire it. Each island’s inhabitants may cooperate and donate building materials to improve the efficiency of their island’s resource gathering facilities, which enables all local players to obtain resources more quickly. Failure to do so may result in hostilities between island inhabitants.

With resources the player may construct buildings such as barracks, dockyards and academies. Citizens of the town can then be trained as soldiers, sent to research new technologies, or perform other tasks, which they are paid tax money for undertaking. Citizens must be kept happy to prevent them from leaving the town.

Buildings

Town hall- every town starts with one research requirements:none

Academy- here research can be done for new buildings, units, ships…ETC research requirements: none

Warehouse- keeps your items safe depending on the level of this building research requirements:conservation

Tavern- allows the serving of wine. increses happiness with every level research requirements:wine culture

Palace- allows the founding of a new colony research requirements: Expansion

Governors residence- required in a colony to stop corruption research requirements: expansion

Museum- does the same as tavern research requirements:cultural exchange

Trading port- Allows trading to be done research requirements:none

Shipyard- allows the construction of war ships research requirements:dry dock

Barracks- allows the construction of war units research requirements:none

Town wall- A 10% bonus is given for every level to soldiers when defending research requirements:none

Embassy- allows the player to join an alliance research requirements:foreign cultures

Trading post- lets the player purchase resources of one another research requirements: wealth

Hideout- Spys are trained here to go and spy on other towns research requirements:espionage

Workshop- improves troop’s weapons research requirements: invention

Forester’s House- increases building material gathering by 2% per level research requirements: improved resource gathering

Glassblower- increases crystal glass mining by 2% per level research requirements:improved resource gathering

Alchemist`s Tower- increases sulpher production by 2% per level research requirements:improved resource gathering

Winery- increases wine growing by 2% per level research requirements:improved resource gathering

Stonemasons Workshop- increases marble minining by 2% per level research requirements: improved resource gathering

Optician- demand for crystal on a building is reduced by 1% per level research requirements:optics

Firework Test Area- demand for sulphur on a building is reduced by 1% per level research requirements:pyrotechnics

Wine Cellars- demand for wine for any building is reduced by 1% per level research requirements:wine press house

Architect`s Office- demand for marble on any building is reduced by 1% per level research requirements:architecture

Temple- increases faith on the island research requirements: polytheism

http://www.ikariam.com