The news team
Main editor: Hopla Spell checkers: Mirarik IronMan7 Reporters: TwisterFairytale Gabriella IM_Mike Joffer Mirarik Luke101 IronMan7 Graphic designer: Hopla
Vacancies GO position The game team is looking for GOs. Check out the applications at http://board.en.ikariam.com/board1-ikariamnews/board2-game-news/10519-gameoperator-applications/
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http://board.en.ikariam.com/board1-ikariamnews/board3-community-boardnews/107166-fan-art-newspaper-vacancies/
http://board.en.ikariam.com/board1-ikariamnews/board3-community-boardnews/107166-fan-art-newspaper-vacancies/
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News
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e welcome you to read the next edition of the Ikariam Scrolls. During the last month nothing major has happened, but Ikariam never sleeps so there is always something to tell, so lets see what has happened during this month.
Content
The news team.....................................2 Vacancies.............................................2 News....................................................3 Interview with Dustwolf.......................4 Bashing removal...................................7
Five new TGOs have joined the game team sert205, working with Alpha;Vikrif, working with Pi; xsardo, working with Ypsilon; rafikov, working with Pi and Phi and Tiarra. The last two have rejoined the team after a while away. We welcome all the new and old TGOs. A new addon, The most Helpful Answer, has been added to some parts of the board, includng the Help and Questions section and other game related sections. This addons lets the starter of the thread to select which of the answers has been most helpful and whit that makes it easier for others to find the answer too, if they should have the same question. Version 0.5.5 has gone live in all the servers, giving two new features to the game. You can see the changelog here. Also, alot of new screenshots of the upcoming mobile application have been released too, you can see them here and also read an article about it in this very same paper. The bashing rule has been removed from the game. Read more about the subject on page 7.
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Ikariam Mobile.....................................8 Ikariascope – Astrology........................9 Ikariascope...........................................10 The final word......................................10
Throughout the history of boards, there have been around 34,000 ’Help and questions’ questions! Almost every question has been answered, with an average of 5 replies per thread!
Interview with Dustwolf
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his time we had the pleasure to interview Dustwolf from Beta server. Duswolf is a long time player and offers an interesting service in Beta. What is it? Read below to find out.
- So, first of all thanks for doing this interview with us. - For start, can you please tell us something about yourself? Dustwolf: I like cookies Dustwolf: They're really quite tasty - Who doesn't:P Dustwolf: Indeed - Besides Ikariam, have you played any other GF games? Dustwolf: Nope Dustwolf: Tried OGame Dustwolf: For about Dustwolf: 6 hours Dustwolf: Then I got lazy. - Well Ikariam is better anyways - When did you first start playing Ikariam? Dustwolf: A long time ago Dustwolf: Like Dustwolf: 7 years ago? - Ikariam was created in 2008:P Dustwolf: then in 2008 - another long time player - What brought you to Ikariam? Dustwolf: A friend found it and showed me Dustwolf: Not sure how he found it - Got hooked right away? Dustwolf: Yea I guess - Coolies! - Are you only playing Ikariam on .org servers or on any other comms too? Dustwolf: .org Beta is my fighting account Dustwolf: .org Xi is my building account - is it hard to divide yourself between many servers? Dustwolf: No Dustwolf: Since I barely play Xi - OK
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- How much time a day do you spend playing Ikariam? Dustwolf: Pretty much in Vmode on Xi all day until the summer Dustwolf: Meh, dunno Dustwolf: I just kinda leave it on Dustwolf: Once I get home from school around 6 Dustwolf: Check in every 30 minutes or so while doing homework - I understand you offer a bodyguard service ingame, what can you tell us about that Dustwolf: Well Dustwolf: I like to kill things Dustwolf: And I've just started a bit of a "build mode" Dustwolf: In that this is the first time in a long time Dustwolf: I've had a chance to build Dustwolf: I figured I may as well post it on the off chance someone needed a bodyguard - Do you have many clients? Dustwolf: Well I have one permanent customer Dustwolf: Mirarik Dustwolf: My partner, Daegun, and I have helped a couple other people - Who has been your biggest/smallest client? Dustwolf: Top person on the server Dustwolf: Smallest someone who shall remain unnamed Dustwolf: He was sub 10k though - Do you ever reject any clients? Dustwolf: Not yet Dustwolf: But I try to stay out of wars if I can - Smart - Have you set some limit to yourself how many clients at once can you take? Dustwolf: 1 Dustwolf: Besides Mir Dustwolf: Unless its dealing with a farm Dustwolf: That's just bullying a little guy - How do you decide how much someone has to pay to you? Dustwolf: Uhm depends - On what? Dustwolf: If they're a little guy Dustwolf: That's being bullied - free Dustwolf: If they're 5 mil and 0 GS Dustwolf: A lot :D Dustwolf: 90k marble per 5ish days Dustwolf: Is what I generally do 5|Page
- What is your position in the top? Dustwolf: DustwoIf DARK 2,674,451 - And as the position in your server it is..? Dustwolf: Oh oops Dustwolf: It didn't get copied Dustwolf: 208 - Nice that you could still protect the top 1 player! - Isn't it exhausting protecting people all the time? Dustwolf: Nah I'm not that busy Dustwolf: (I mean I don't get that many clients) Dustwolf: I'm working on growing my account though Dustwolf: So I can help fight two people at once Dustwolf: I've had to stop protecting a client in the past because someone was attacking my alliance (alliance always has priority). - Where did you get the idea for such service? Dustwolf: Oh I think it started a joke in my alliance Dustwolf: If you look at the first few comments on the thread it's just Mir and I going back and forth Dustwolf: Then a few people actually contacted me - Have you made any enemies while protecting someone? Dustwolf: Psh, no Dustwolf: I've already pissed off everyone on the server Dustwolf: No NEW enemies to make - Busy guy - Do you like wars? Dustwolf: Yeah I guess Dustwolf: Though I also like to build Dustwolf: Never really get the chance though, lol Dustwolf: Usually someone or another starts attacking me or the alliance everytime I try - There's always Xi :P - Do you have a favorite player? Dustwolf: Yeah but trying to build my Beta account so I can kill stuff more effectively Dustwolf: Yes Dustwolf: Me - What is the funniest thing that has happened to you in ikariam? Dustwolf: Oh oh oh Dustwolf: I know this Dustwolf: When we were at war with this alliance called NF Dustwolf: This guy attacked me where my army was 6|Page
Dustwolf: With mortars in his first wave of troops Dustwolf: Then he just kept sending in mortars Dustwolf: and I kept killing them... Dustwolf: It was really funny Dustwolf: I think I killed like 90 mortars by the end of it - Lol, sounds like fun - To wrap it up - do you have any advice for new players joining Ikariam? Dustwolf: Uhm Dustwolf: Same advice I give to everyone Dustwolf: Don't die Dustwolf: And don't be a farm Dustwolf: Be prepared to fight, even if you don't want to Dustwolf: Oh and also Dustwolf: Eat cookies Dustwolf: Lots of them - Hehe, thanks for doing this with us! Dustwolf: Sure
Bashing removal
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s most of you know, Ikariam.org has recently decided to get rid of the Bashing rule. A little background for those of you who don’t know what the bashing rule is: it is a rule that states that a user’s town cannot be attacked by the same player more than 6 times in a 24 hour period. Many people have stated their opposition to the removal of this rule, even though the Bashing rule was out of date. This removal comes from the fact that there have been substantial changes in the mechanics of Ikariam that were released in the most recent version. In the board section where the removal of the bashing rule was being discussed, there are basically three different types of opinions: those that support the removal, those that are completely against it, but there are also some people that are suggesting a compromise. One of the compromises that is being suggested by players is that instead of removing the rule
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completely, the number of attacks should be changed so that there is still a possibility that the overly excessive pillagers are not able to mercilessly pillage any player without any repercussions. A lot of players are actually over exaggerating the implications of removing this rule. As some other people have pointed out in the discussion thread because they tabulated the data, the actual number of bashing bans is quite low in comparison to the others, which could be another possible reason for the rule being removed. Throughout the years, Ikariam has gone through several amazing changes and has evolved from a simple browser game, to a complex strategy game, so it only makes sense that the natural progression of this game would result in the unnecessary rules being either removed or modified. -Written by IronMan7
Ikariam Mobile – An overview
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t the end of 2012, Gameforge announced that the company is working on making Ikariam accessible for all kinds of mobile devices. Around that time the application for iPad had been released. The developers are now working on the application for smartphones. The release date of it is still unknown up to today, even for our administrators, but we get updates on a regular basic showing the different aspects of the upcoming app. An overview based on known information: The new mobile version is designed to fit on a smaller, mobile screen. While analyzing the screenshots released by GameForge, it seems that the amount of text has been limited to the bare minimum to increase functionality. That is a good decision as the overview leads to all options you need in the game in a simple way. Regardless in which position you hold your smartphone (portrait or landscape), the Ikariam app will change the screen’s orientation to best accommodate the varying screen sizes. That menu has been implemented into the Ikariam app, however it has some different options and just like the rest of the app, it is slimmer when you hold your phone the regular way (portrait), whereas it is wider when you turn it to its side (landscape). The mobile version offers a smooth experience in navigating though cities by allowing easy zooming in and out as well as being able to move the current view with your touch screen. Above the screen you will notice your resources, just like in the browser version of Ikariam. Additional details, like productions, can be obtained by extending the frame, which can be done by dragging the menu. Making new buildings is simple as well: you click on the empty spot and a list of possible buildings will be shown. Interesting here is that the description, building time and costs are only shown if you click on a building. This makes the list of available buildings much lighter. We have not yet seen an in-building screenshot of a finished building yet, so we can only speculate as to how amazing that part of the app will be. At the bottom of the screen, the major game options are displayed. On the left we notice a mapoption. If you tap on this, it will display three buttons: a city overview, an island overview and a world overview. It allows easy navigation between the three of them. On the right of this mapbutton, we see a unit-button. At the moment of writing, there hasn't been released a screenshot showing this particular overview. At the center, we recognize the faces of the four advisors. Only the research advisor has been revealed by now. Further right, the button 'More' is displayed. Our speculation is that this button leads to game options, and perhaps the Ambrosia screen. On the far right, the option for city selection has been given. The island overview can be scrolled just like a regular city. When clicking on one of the mines, an additional screen with options is being displayed. At the moment only assigning workers to the mine is available, but our speculation is that GameForge will release screenshots of the other options, such as donating, closer to the release of the app.
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Our conclusion is that the mobile version looks very well designed. It's designed to work smoothly and easy on most mobile platforms. However, some questions are still unanswered. For example: how will we be able to donate for our mines? Or how do we convert trade goods to another resources? How can we switch between the 'regular' advisor and the Ikariam Plus-advisor? We look forward to additional details from GameForge. -Written by IM_Mike
Ikariascope – Astrology
The longest running competition in Ikariam.org has been the Ikariam Survivor Challenge, which lasted a total of 14 weeks!
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s you might have noticed: I will be writing the Ikariascope for the Ikariam Scrolls each month. In the Ikariascope, I will describe the planetary influences in the coming month. Even though some people do not yet believe in horoscopes, we at the Ikariam Scrolls strive to bring you the most accurate depictions of what treasures the next month will bring. If there were only twelve types of people, the world would be rather boring. That is why there are practically infinitely many horoscopes. One of the biggest flaws in the majority of the horoscopes is that they are created for 12 different groups of people, however we know that horoscopes show that a personality is affected by the phase of various planets at birth. Since there are no two humans that were born in the exact same place, at the exact same time, that is another example of everyone’s uniqueness, and also the inaccuracy of the majority of horoscopes. The time at which a human is born, and also that location are the main factors that are used to determine a person’s horoscope. The planets mark sensitive spots with their radiation on the new body that is formed around the soul during pregnancy. That is done with the “color” of the zodiac signs at their current phase, at that moment and determines that person’s personality. Those marked spots remain sensitive during the rest of the following life. If the current position of a planet would shine in on the exact same sensitive spot, the characteristics that belong to that planet, will get stronger at that moment or play a bigger role in the person’s activity and behavior. That is why they will receive the "color" of the “shining” planet and the zodiac sign where the planet is currently located. Since everyone in unique, that means that they have sensitive spots at different places and will be "touched" by planet phases at different times. The planet positions might also minimally influence the horoscope because they affect fewer spots that are coincidentally less sensitive for most people. An individual horoscope based on calculations of the exact planetary positions at time of birth can provide a very accurate description and might provide personal enlightenment. A horoscope in a magazine is never addressed to a specific individual. A good horoscope however is based on the actual position of the different zodiac signs. This Ikariascope describes the general tendencies at a certain period of time. Some people will find that this Ikariascope accurately describes them at the present time because the planets are “shining” on the individual’s sensitive spots and making their presence known. Others have their sensitive spots elsewhere and will feel as if this Ikariascope is completely wrong. Those people should stay tuned for next month’s Ikariascope, because that might be the month that gives them enlightenment. -Written by Joffer
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Ikariascope
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he Month of June will be dominated by two signs of the Zodiac: Gemini and Cancer.
The sign Gemini is characterized by communication, trade, jokes, curiosity, small changes, short trips and having joy together. The planet Mercury is the ruler of Gemini. This planet takes position in Cancer for the entire month. So the sign Cancer will have a strong influence during the whole month of June as well, especially in the last week of June when the Sun will transfer to Cancer as well. The sign Cancer is characterized as emotional, loving, cautious, protective, sympathetic, changeable, moody, touchy, clinging and unable to let go. The ruler of Cancer is the Moon, a planet that moves very fast through the Zodiac. Between May 25 and June 8 it will be a good time to make plans because the Moon decreases from Full Moon to New Moon. Between June 8 and June 23 it will be good to realize your plans. Then the Moon increases from New Moon to Full Moon. Between June 23 and July 1 it is time to think
over your plans again. What was realized, what was good about it, what needs to be changed again? In Ikariam lots of small changes will be seen and people will react emotionally to these changes especially around the Full Moon, June 23. Venus, the planet that is important for the builders in Ikariam takes position in Cancer for the biggest part of the month. So protect your cities and save what you have will give a good feeling this month. Although you would like to change things, it will not be easy to demolish buildings to get space for something else. Mars, the planet that rules wars, takes position in Gemini during June. This will bring many targets for fights but no long big wars. Jupiter aligns with the Sun on June 19 in Gemini. This will bring expansion again, especially in religion and science, so expand and put your temples and academies to work!
-Written by Joffer
The final word
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e wish to thank everyone who helped along to publishing this edition. We hope you had fun reading it. If you wish to comment on any of the articles you can do it here.
If you have any ideas about what to write, who to interview or you think we should interview you, please leave a PM to Hopla with the info what should we do and why. Any hints about anything interesting are welcomed aswell. If you want to have your own add in the classifieds section leave a PM to Hopla. Remember to see what we need, to publish your ad, in here.
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