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

[Genefer]

Yep, the number of dead cities has increased along with 10 additional Gold Mines and 1 city that is on my explored map, but not in my list of neighbors.

My Culture Bonus has decreased by 200% to 260% and given my new "neighbors" are most likely all inactive cities on their way off the map - that is how it seems to work a slow progression toward desolation - my Culture Bonus will remain trash apparently for as long as I play this "game".

I know this does not matter to all of you who are not afflicted or just don't care about the neighbor portion of the game - that's fine and I am happy for you, though I suspect most are simply unaware of how much the Culture Bonus increases their city's coin & supply production, and how much of your bonus is only possible due to your neighbors.

Consider

This is a screen of the Culture Bonus Calculator provided by SoggyShorts reflecting my city's Available Culture and the amount needed for the various levels of the Culture Bonus up to 170%.

I highly doubt very many players have the amount of Available Culture I do without the neighborly help culture Boost, so those cities are reliant on neighborly help to increase your available culture. If my city's available Culture was the bare minimum, I would need extremely high values culture buildings for my neighbors to polish, because there are not enough members in a Fellowship to earn the 170% Culture Bonus - which is made clear in the wiki.


Ideally, I would need to carry so much available Culture costing so much space in my city, but I have to have them, because I have so few neighbors and do not want my Enchantments working toward the 170% - it degrades the value of the Enchantment.

Anyway, as you can see my available culture - my city's culture buildings' value combined with neighborly help culture boost must be 650,000 - that is 24 buildings each with a combined base & boost value of 27,083 culture to achieve a Culture Bonus of 170% if I relied entirely on the members in my Fellowship. Six of the 24 buildings polished would be pets that cannot be enchanted - so my total possible Culture Bonus relying exclusively on my Fellowship with 18 of the 24 enchanted cannot exceed a 350% Culture Bonus. I only have a few buildings with a high enough culture value when boosted with neighborly help with an increased value due to my Watchtower Ruins that is worth 27,000 culture.


If I had reliable active neighbors, I could reduce the number of Culture Buildings in my city, but I don't so .... Of course, without neighbors to polish my buildings I am unable to use the Enchantments costing me a 10% bump for each lost opportunity. Of course, these lost opportunities decrease the potential value of the Power of Provision, because that benefit is applied to the combined base production & the culture Bonus value.


My point, you may not think those neighbors you feel are unnecessary provide value to your game, and a good fellowship is all that matters, but - well take a minute and use the Calculator - you just might be surprised.


Ok I am rambling and ranting lol I don't even know if this is coherent.

 

[MagicPagan]

This week, three more goldmines. The only active neighbors I have are due south of me. At one point, Support told me all the dead cities should be to my south, not north, east and west. Makes me wonder if automove had a hand in that faux pas.

 

[MagicPagan]

...My point, you may not think those neighbors you feel are unnecessary provide value to your game, and a good fellowship is all that matters, but - well take a minute and use the Calculator - you just might be surprised.


Ok I am rambling and ranting lol I don't even know if this is coherent.

It's plenty coherent to me.

 

[Genefer]

FINALLY!!!

About a month ago my city was finally moved to the active map!!!!


As I expected my Culture Bonus increased significantly, and I now have a new record of 750% . very exciting lol. Rather than my daily typically culture bonus ranging from 480% to 540% it increased to 690% and above. For a couple weeks, then oddly it dropped to the 570% to 620% range.


2 weeks after my city was moved, while deciding my next scout, I noticed Goldmines populating the top & Right of my discovered map - rather than bottom & left as was the case in my previous location. When I initially noticed the goldmines there were 39 - as of right now there are 51 Goldmines.


What really burns me - after paying a higher cost to scout the active portion of my map relative to my previous location - those provinces are now in desolation.


Interestingly, when I got the notice of my city movement, I looked at my city's map position and I was thickly surrounded on all sides with neighbors, yet now both the top & right are populating Goldmines. Given I did not receive a notice for a 2nd move I can only assume the entire active map has shifted and my city is the flotsam left on the beach of a poorly populated island.


I would love to know the actual variables involved in city movement, because it is evident no one knows. I am not the only Gem, Silk, and Marble Boost city, yet my city has been relegated to assuming the burden of "the edge of the map".

 

[MagicPagan]

FINALLY!!!

About a month ago my city was finally moved to the active map!!!!


As I expected my Culture Bonus increased significantly, and I now have a new record of 750% . very exciting lol. Rather than my daily typically culture bonus ranging from 480% to 540% it increased to 690% and above. For a couple weeks, then oddly it dropped to the 570% to 620% range.


2 weeks after my city was moved, while deciding my next scout, I noticed Goldmines populating the top & Right of my discovered map - rather than bottom & left as was the case in my previous location. When I initially noticed the goldmines there were 39 - as of right now there are 51 Goldmines.


What really burns me - after paying a higher cost to scout the active portion of my map relative to my previous location - those provinces are now in desolation.


Interestingly, when I got the notice of my city movement, I looked at my city's map position and I was thickly surrounded on all sides with neighbors, yet now both the top & right are populating Goldmines. Given I did not receive a notice for a 2nd move I can only assume the entire active map has shifted and my city is the flotsam left on the beach of a poorly populated island.


I would love to know the actual variables involved in city movement, because it is evident no one knows. I am not the only Gem, Silk, and Marble Boost city, yet my city has been relegated to assuming the burden of "the edge of the map".

My city was also moved about the same time as your first move. My situation has dramatically improved. I am so sorry to see Inno is dragging your city round and round into desolation.

The Inno developers are supposed to be IT professionals. Clearly, they have written some code for "auto move" that is not serving all players equally.

 

[Deborah M]

I'm going to guess (only a guess, I cannot look at the entire map) that you are located several rings from the outer edge of active cities. Because you have many discovered neighbors, eventually, you encounter coin cities on one edge. Still, you are not close enough to that edge to be moved before the cities between yours and that empty area.

Purchases, size of the city, or chapter do not influence city movement. It is based on activity and proximity to the inactive section. If a space opens up in the more active center area, active players with matching boosts that are the furthest out have priority.

This helped me understand the reason why I might be totally stuck on the map. I just visited 300+ neighbors and also hit 100+ coin cities. I'm really frustrated that 1/4 of my explored provinces are coin cities!

 

[Yavimaya]

I also recently got moved around the same time to a more active area and WAY less goldmines. I'm very happy and gameplay is much better now.

 

[Genefer]

"It is based on activity and proximity to the inactive section. If a space opens up in the more active center area, active players with matching boosts that are the furthest out have priority."

Either the movement tool is broken, or this is another example of assumptions that are not accurate. Up until December of 2022, I played all day every day for 2 years, and at that time had been hosting Goldmines & inactive Cities within my explored map for over 8 months. When my city was finally relocated there were 124 Goldmines within my scouted territory and near as many inactive cities - and yes, I looked them up on Elvenstats.

Clearly, active cities in desolation are not a priority - also, large cities are not a priority, players that purchase diamonds are not a priority, the player's chapter level, number of expansions - premium or not, number of Ancient Wonder levels.... None of us know how the "tool" determines city movement.

What I do know is I have over 50 Goldmines again, which has negatively impacted my enjoyment of this game, because is stunts the growth of my city and hinders my goals.

 

[Count Rupert]

Automove isn't the problem. Regardless of what parameters are used there's always going to be players stuck on the fringes due to the nature of the map and that is a design problem. Automove can't fix that regardless of what you do. The parameters just decide who's going to be disadvantaged. Since my post earlier in the thread my situation has grown steadily worse. I've grown to hate Mondays. My situation is no where near what others in this thread are dealing with. It's depressing enough as it is I doubt I'll continue playing the game long enough to get to their situations. I'm not sure where they get the patience.

 

[Katwick]

Clearly, active cities in desolation are not a priority - also, large cities are not a priority, players that purchase diamonds are not a priority, the player's chapter level, number of expansions - premium or not, number of Ancient Wonder levels.... None of us know how the "tool" determines city movement.

The mobile version of the game has Gold and Green visits in the notification bar, which sort of insulates you because you never see the map.

That said, we've never heard of the "move criteria" being anything other than the lack of any recent logons.

 

[Darielle]

Currently I have 37 goldmines, but enough neighbors who are active that it doesn't affect me. Still, I think I might like being moved again. Good luck to everyone with this problem.

 

[Count Rupert]

There's probably two sets of criteria. One set for moving inactive cities, and one set for moving active cities. I seem to recall hearing one active city criteria being new cities have priority. Which seems to be borne out based on how quickly new cities on my fringe turnover. Clearly it's more than lack of recent logons as active players are being moved.

 

[Genefer]

That said, we've never heard of the "move criteria" being anything other than the lack of any recent logons.

Yes, I was simply listing the commonly stated influencing variables applied to various aspects of the game that I have read within the forum.

However, it would not shock me to learn all of these variables do influence city placement, but negatively.

Count Rupert, commented on the level of patience those of us afflicted demonstrate, and for me, I have continued playing because of the amount of effort & money I have invested in my city. The players who post about their lack of neighbors are clearly players who have invested their efforts in their city enough to bother with a forum discussion/complaint... perhaps Inno is simply taking advantage of our commitment.

Personally, this game is becoming increasingly upsetting and the relative value of my investment is declining rapidly.

 

[Count Rupert]

Yes, I was simply listing the commonly stated influencing variables applied to various aspects of the game that I have read within the forum.

However, it would not shock me to learn all of these variables do influence city placement, but negatively.

Count Rupert, commented on the level of patience those of us afflicted demonstrate, and for me, I have continued playing because of the amount of effort & money I have invested in my city. The players who post about their lack of neighbors are clearly players who have invested their efforts in their city enough to bother with a forum discussion/complaint... perhaps Inno is simply taking advantage of our commitment.

Personally, this game is becoming increasingly upsetting and the relative value of my investment is declining rapidly.

I too have a considered investment in time/effort and money. Which I don't mind doing if I'm having fun. The problem is dealing with the troubles living in the wastelands isn't fun. A company doesn't have control over the human element. If you have bad neighbors, you have bad neighbors. They do however have control over the environment. Allowing some players to be seriously disadvantaged based on the environment is troubling and bothers me.

 

[Deborah M]

or this is another example of assumptions that are not accurate

The quote you are referring to came from a moderator so it is how city movement is supposed to work.

 

[MagicPagan]

The mobile version of the game has Gold and Green visits in the notification bar, which sort of insulates you because you never see the map.

That said, we've never heard of the "move criteria" being anything other than the lack of any recent logons.

That's just wild. Since I began playing the game in four worlds in February 2021, I logon every three hours for collections. When I am playing spire and tournament - remember, that's every day of the week for at least one or the other - I am logged on for over an hour. It can't be inactivity in my case.

I still believe it's what I said a couple of times already in this thread - lazy programmers.

 

[Katwick]

I still believe it's what I said a couple of times already in this thread - lazy prprogrammers.

It's trickier than it might seem.

• The world map loads in chunks of a couple dozen cities at a time. It would be pretty easy to calculate some sort of Isolation Metric.
• Looking at EACH city, and the number of recent visits, or whatever, would be a computational explosion.

 

[MagicPagan]

It's trickier than it might seem.

• The world map loads in chunks of a couple dozen cities at a time. It would be pretty easy to calculate some sort of Isolation Metric.
• Looking at EACH city, and the number of recent visits, or whatever, would be a computational explosion.

They don't have to look at each city in each world. They need to examine the code they wrote for auto-move. They are carrying on as if it is working just fine.

 

[Count Rupert]

They already track your logins. If you don't log in for 60 days, your city is removed from the map on the 61st day. You can still access someone's city that has been removed and look at their city; they just don't have a spot on the map. If they then log back in, their city gets placed back on the map.

 

[Sprite1313]

They already track your logins. If you don't log in for 60 days, your city is removed from the map on the 61st day. You can still access someone's city that has been removed and look at their city; they just don't have a spot on the map. If they then log back in, their city gets placed back on the map.

I can say from personal experience that is not true. I stopped playing for nine months; when I logged back in, my city was exactly where it had been nine months earlier.