Join the new world

As hard as it may be for me to comprehend, I only started this adventure 38 days ago. The wealth of information I've collected along the way is staggering! Everything from what to build, whom to trust, to how to decide on a game strategy.

If you told me 38 days ago that I'd be sitting here writing an article about my experiences in this game over the last 5 weeks, I would have probably laughed at you and told you, "No way! I'm already involved in other MMORPG's and the last thing I need is something else to eat up what little free time I have left!" Yet, here I sit, pontificating those exact things. Sigh.

When I first started, I read through, albeit briefly, the n00b guides on how to play this game. Specifically the wiki. Didn't pay much attention to actual guides WRITTEN BY CURRENT PLAYERS, because honestly...what would they know? n00b mistake #1! It wasn't until I was somewhere around level 20 that I started to pay attention to what some of these others who had blazed the trail before me had written about their experiences along the way. The information contained in some of those guides was game changing.

Like most n00bs I jumped right into everything, expecting that my fellow players would welcome me with arms wide open, maybe even elect me President in the first few weeks. Hahaha! n00b mistake #2! It doesn't work like that. You'll likely hear a term "oldfags" thrown around a lot. It is actually a term of endearment used to represent the players of this game with over 1 year of experience. Well, those are the people who often get elected in any type of REAL office. Sure, you can start a political party and find enough other n00bs to make you their king, but when it comes to pushing the "war" button...seasoned professionals get that honor. Stick around though and don't give up hope, you can learn a lot from them. Not just about how the game mechanics work, but also about some of the players in this online world to avoid (see Ronald Gipper Reagan), General Cartman Lee, Pizza the Hut, Pizza the Hut II, Ajay Bruno (sorry, these last few have been removed from the playing field by the admins), then there's this guy JJdotCom (you're welcome JJ, I just made you famous 😉)

One of the most important things I didn't learn until it was too late was the value of GOLD. There is a market for currency in this game, and the two sides ARE NOT equal! Most of the oldfags blame Plato for screwing all that up and never fixing it...but hey, I guess the company has to make money somehow, right?

So as a n00b, hoard your gold! Only spend it when things go on sale, and they do go on sale from time-to-time, as the Admins need to find ways to get the users to part with the gold that they give away, both initially and throughout game play. If you do like I did and frivolously waste your initial gold supply...don't worry, you can buy more using real-life money, or you can earn it internally by gaining medals (aka "Achievements").

Upgrading your Training Grounds and your Town Hall are pretty much the two most important things you can do. Why? Well your Town Hall is connected to your health points and the higher the level of your town hall, the more health points you have to expend in battles or working in your companies. Upgrading your training grounds is what raises your strength so that you can do greater damage in battle.

There are players that will tell you to run out and get a job first and foremost, that way you can earn Country Currency (the second form of currency in the game) which allows you to buy certain things on the market (food, weapons, raw materials) and this is also what most employees of companies are paid with. It's my opinion, however, that you should find a good Military Unit (MU), like Cannon Cockers for instance, that will supply you with food and weapons in exchange for you working in their communes where you'll be producing the same food and weapons you'll be receiving as payment for your daily work. The jobs don't pay a lot of country currency, but what you end up receiving is far more valuable than what you would make off working for someone else.

If being self-sufficient is important to you, certainly invest as early as you can in the higher level raw material fields (cattle farms and saltpeter mines) which you can save up for by selling the materials you get from your MU or by what you produce yourself. When your can sustain your own needed health points for a day then by adding more farms/factories you could eventually make extra and sell it on the market for additional country currency or donate it to your MU members as needed in the form of finished food or weapons.

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. I've learned a lot in the 38 days I've been playing this game. I've changed MUs a few times, met lots of interesting people along the way, and have laid the groundwork for friendships with people that I'd probably have never met otherwise. The single most important thing you can learn though, is that this is JUST A GAME!! Don't take it too seriously, or the people in it. And above all, enjoy yourself.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to your comments below.