How much of your world map has to be dead before you (or they) get moved?

[Katwick]

Or...the developers could start resolving the issue. Dead cities are...dead. Why are they even still there?

If a city hasn't purchased anything, and hasn't advanced past the first chapter of the Tech Tree, they AREN'T there. They're zapped after 30 days.

The trickier circumstance involves an Owner who HAS invested both Time and Money, but has gotten busy or bored. A big (dis)advantage Free To Play games is that you CAN set them aside for several days at a time.

We'll never see the numbers, but InnoGames undoubtedly watches retention and revenue.

 

[Katwick]

If I start a new city with a boost of Steel, Scrolls and Dust on Friday play a bit and complete 1 ring of scouting and 2 provinces, what are the odds that I would be moved on Monday after 3 days of playing? (Answer) 100%.

Yep! Because Toddler Cities are the future of the game, and they still NEED the neighborhood support.

I haven't been able to get a handle on it, try as I might, but "Ignore Your Neighbors" isn't a healthly paradigm. I'd like to see an occasional Neighborhood-Centric event that IGNORES Fellowships.

 

[MaidenFair]

Or...the developers could start resolving the issue. Dead cities are...dead. Why are they even still there?

Often. There are exceptions, however. I started my first city in mid-2019. I played it for a few weeks, and then dropped it because I had a really busy summer, always intending to pick it up again at some point. I continued to get emails about events, and the occasional “we miss you, come back!” email. I finally decided to start playing again in mid-2021, but surprise, surprise! My city was gone when I logged in. I almost quit right away again because I was so frustrated to have to start over when I knew I’d already made progress.

Now with more knowledge of the game, I can see that my inactive city on the map for all that time would have been a source of frustration to active players, so it makes sense for Inno to move it out into the boonies or put it into some kind of limbo storage. However, on the other hand, I gotta say that I was very disheartened to find it gone when I did finally come back (which I had been intending to do all along), so much so that they almost lost a player for good.

All that to say, just because a city hasn’t been played for a while, doesn’t actually mean it’s been mentally abandoned. I thought about my little city fondly during those two years, but between pandemic and everyday life stresses, I just didn’t have it in me to pick it up again for a while.

 

[StarLoad]

Yep! Because Toddler Cities are the future of the game, and they still NEED the neighborhood support.
...

I might agree if I was in chapters 3-4 but my 2 neighbors don't matter 3 days into the game.

Ed

 

[Zoof]

Maybe a stop gap measure instead of empty space just giving coins, they also automatically get NH equivalent to a return help (with supplies) and a random hit on MH, builder, or building polish. Doesn’t help with trades, but at least that would simulate a neighbor better and is prob easier to code than the automatics migration algo that needs tweaking.

I had thoughts on that topic a while back, too. My concern was more about how the devs would explain that behavior.

 

[Count Rupert]

Maybe a stop gap measure instead of empty space just giving coins, they also automatically get NH equivalent to a return help (with supplies) and a random hit on MH, builder, or building polish. Doesn’t help with trades, but at least that would simulate a neighbor better and is prob easier to code than the automatics migration algo that needs tweaking.

I was thinking of something like legends of the game to memorialize those who are no longer with us to serve this role. Use city artwork to reflect the role with the names of the players. Could have a thread so players could make suggestions.

 

[Katwick]

You could tinker Goldmines a bit. Maybe they abandoned some tools.

But the game NEEDS a way to consolidate active cities, regardless of how fancy you make the Goldmines.

What I DON'T want is the neighborhood raids that are used in some city builders.

 

[Zoof]

What I DON'T want is the neighborhood raids that are used in some city builders.

You're probably safe then. IIRC, much of why Elvenar is Elvenar is to not be like [as unfriendly to their neighbors as] one of Inno's other popular city building games. This one comes to mind because of so many feature requests I've seen that says "This game should have this, like that other game"

 

[crackie]

I had thoughts on that topic a while back, too. My concern was more about how the devs would explain that behavior.

But they don’t explain why the Spire is occupied by spirits, or I missed that memo. The one that talks about how scrawny my arms are, I take it personally.


He’s not wrong though. These arms are only in shape for typing. But…that’s still more useful than short, T-Rex arms. So come at me, trash talking spirits!

 

[muffy.]

But they don’t explain why the Spire is occupied by spirits, or I missed that memo. The one that talks about how scrawny my arms are, I take it personally.


He’s not wrong though. These arms are only in shape for typing. But…that’s still more useful than short, T-Rex arms. So come at me, trash talking spirits!

Ya know what …. I rarely pay attention to those spirit talkers …. The min he mentioned arms , I figured you had been talkin to them and that’s why he said it … but now that I know you got the same feedback … hahahahahaha .

 

[Darielle]

I started a city with an ID (actually, my son started it for me) back in 2017? early 2018? and I played for a couple months to where I got to chapter 4. I even started another city on that id and got that to 4 as well. But then life happened, I quit. In late 2019, when I had time to come back to the game, I didn't like the fact that it was a scrolls city and everyone on the forum was saying scrolls are bad bad bad. So I just started a new ID, this one. But after the moonstone libraries went bust, I started feeling nostalgic for my old cities. I asked Inno to restore them to me ... I couldn't remember the passwords and could barely remember anything else, such as what tech I was working on, etc. They restored both to me nearly 2 years after I stopped playing them. Of course they were out in the boonies, but a couple months of play on one of them put me back in a good spot. I don't remember ever buying anything with diamonds other than building up the MA to 5. But I was glad they hadn't destroyed them. It would have made me feel terrible because I really like the Phoenix Lighthouse and some of the old ones you can't get anymore. I think the best thing for them to do with any city above chapter 2 is to put them out in the boonies.

 

[MagicPagan]

Since they closed my other support tickets on this subject, I sent in a new one today, asking again for some specifics. I told them there were now 53 gold mines surrounding my city.

Got back a response that made me wonder if you can volunteer to work support without actually playing the game. I was asked if I had upgraded my portal and/or granite mines, and was given two links to those Wiki topics.

It may just be time to stick a fork in this city. I hate that, because since I started playing 3 years ago, I got up to Ch. 12.

 

[Moho]

I hate that, because since I started playing 3 years ago, I got up to Ch. 12.

I sympathize with you. I had only one city for a long time and did not intend to start any new cities. But my neighbors were inactive and the active ones only offered goods I did not need. Now the situation is different and I'm happy about it.

However, if I were you and really wanted to continue with that city I would not abandon it. Instead, I would look for a fellowship where players could offer the goods I needed. There are such fellowships. All you need to do is explain your situation and join the right crowd. Good luck.

 

[MagicPagan]

Unfortunately, that does not help with the scouting issue, where the available provinces lead to no-man's land. I'd much rather invest the coin and time scouting a province that actually leads to an active neighbor. And ineffective scouting impacts tournament.

I'm in a good FS. That doesn't make up for the other deficits.

They just need to move my city. I've been hanging on like this since last April, when I sent in my first support ticket on this.

 

[Mykan]

And ineffective scouting impacts tournament.

How?

I have 50+ gold mines but I wont not scout them. At least we have a chance to move, nothing like playing for 12+months with 2 neighbours and no movement mechanism.

 

[MagicPagan]

Because I don't like scouting into no-man's land when I do still have options on the south to scout provinces that open up active neighbors. Unscouted provinces don't count in tournament.

 

[Nightguest]

Since they closed my other support tickets on this subject, I sent in a new one today, asking again for some specifics. I told them there were now 53 gold mines surrounding my city.

Got back a response that made me wonder if you can volunteer to work support without actually playing the game. I was asked if I had upgraded my portal and/or granite mines, and was given two links to those Wiki topics.

It may just be time to stick a fork in this city. I hate that, because since I started playing 3 years ago, I got up to Ch. 12.

Just jumping in to reply to this one cause...it is extremely unfair to the team members.

Firstly, your ticket was never closed, it was answered, meaning that it was thrown back to you so that you could reply. If it shows as closed on your end, please DM me because I have reviewed your tickets and I have to go back to December last year to find a closed one (so that is a bug if you really do see it as closed).

What I do take exception to here is the "do they even play" comment. Sure, you did get an incorrect reply at first, however, the team are humans and occasionally xyz happens resulting in an unfortunate mistake. What happened next was just the system working as intended, a different supporter picked up on the mistake and answered you properly. I also really do want to stress that everyone on the team plays the game, and frankly they play it to a crazy level/are all end-game players. That's pretty much how it's been since before I joined, and it will be that way long after I'm gone.

This entire issue (the movement) is something that we have all been bringing up forever, it's been a bugbear and all of the team have been impacted on their private accounts - me included as I got thrown away from an active area with my fellowship to essentially the doldroms.
I remember that because I brought it up in my interview with Innogames ages ago.

What I can say is that this issue is being brought up, I've added it (and the pet food scarcity) to my own reports almost every week going back a while, and I'll continue to do so for as long as needed. So, please know that the team are actually on your side here, we're doing the best that we can and seriously, we get you.

So as frustrated as you are (and you're perfectly right to be frustrated - I've looked into your situation and yeah I see) please don't take it out on the team.

 

[elvenbee]

Because I don't like scouting into no-man's land when I do still have options on the south to scout provinces that open up active neighbors. Unscouted provinces don't count in tournament.

That's a personal decision impacting your tournament play though...

 

[MagicPagan]

Firstly, your ticket was never closed, it was answered, meaning that it was thrown back to you so that you could reply. If it shows as closed on your end, please DM me because I have reviewed your tickets and I have to go back to December last year to find a closed one (so that is a bug if you really do see it as closed).

I have messaged you with a link to an image file that shows the closed support tickets on this topic. As I said earlier, I have been communicating with support about this issue for a long time. Every week, there are more dead cities.

 

[MagicPagan]

That's a personal decision impacting your tournament play though...

Actually, the situation flies in the face of the Wiki topic about scouting.

If we are telling players through the Wiki to scout all those provinces around you so you can discover new neighbors from and to whom you will receive/give neighborly help and can have new trading partners, shouldn't there actually be some? Right now, I have active neighbors to my south. None at all to the north. All the unscouted northern provinces lead to dead cities.