Hi everyone. First, to you in the community who provided us with valuable feedback, thank you!
In the upcoming major update, we want to encourage more diverse playstyles and improve late-game gameplay. There are 2 major themes in this upgrade:
- Interacting with the outside world
- Introducing a new faction
Interacting with the outside world
"Beyond the Border" will entice you to interact more with the outside world beyond your own domain (whether with the environment, AI players, or your friends). Now reaching beyond your border could reward you with the strategic boosts you needed to win the game, or cost you if you ignore it.
Cooperate
- Embassy: build on an ally's territory, if they like you, to gain bonus effects.
- Zoo: collect animals, then trade with others to gain happiness.
- Hotel: generate income for you from tourism while increasing happiness for your allies.
- Ancient Ruins: boost nearby hotels. May find artifacts from excavations.
- Museum: collect and trade artifacts with allies for further boosts.
Compete
- Spy Nest: convert a rival’s house into your hidden Spy Nest. Boost your espionage effectiveness.
- Spy Center: boost your espionage effectiveness.
- Fortification: stall rival invasion attempts by building it at strategic bottlenecks.
Minor neutral cities
More opportunities to trade, collect tribute, or conquer if they are in your way.
Introducing a new faction
Now there are more incentives to start your settlement in a desert.
The new Arab-inspired faction
Reinvent your gameplay strategies with the faction's unique buildings (e.g. the Caravansary, Mosque, the Bathhouse) and bonuses. Conversely, some of the favorite buildings you heavily relied on will no longer be available for this faction.
Town Hall
Market
Library
Warehouse
Statistic Bureau
Glassworks
New resources & improvements
- Irrigation: Improve soil fertility by building pumps and ditches.
- Oasis: a natural feature that fertilizes the surrounding desert area.
- Carpet: a new product that can only be produced by the new faction.
- Date: a new desert fruit.
- Toilet Paper: a new luxury resource.
Quality-of-life improvements
- Centralized trading screen: no more micromanaging of individual Trading Companies!
- Non-rectangular farm
Thank you again for your patience and support.