When will Empire of the Eclipse be released on the App Store?
May 24, 2012.
How much will the game cost?
$1.99 per month. This will be handled through Apple's in-app purchase system.
Will I be allowed to spend money for in-game power?
No. Unlike many freemium games on the App Store, you cannot buy power in the game.
What is the intended size of a game?
The size of the game can be variable based on the number of players. The maximum size is 1,500 players, 13,000 planets, and 90,000 sectors. The option to for players to create private games is planned for addition after the game launches.
What is the intended length of a game?
Two months.
What is the time commitment for the game?
On average games take about an hour a day spread out over several 10 minute sessions. The game includes timers that allow for queuing, thereby freeing the player from having to log back in as timers expire to optimize advancement.
Does each game have a custom universe?
Yes. Each game has a unique map.
Are there multiple races in the game?
No, but each player is considered a separate power.
Can a player be in multiple games simultaneously?
Yes, but this is not advised for beginning players.
Can I play using multiple devices?
Yes, the game is account based. You can login from multiple iOS devices to play, as necessary.
How do players communicate within the game?
Each game includes a chat room and in-game private messaging.
Does the game include push notifications for alerts?
Yes. They are turned off by default, but you can enable push notification alerts for for following events: destination reached, under attack, planet lost, skill done, build done, message received.
How do I join a game?
Games are spawned dynamically. Once a game begins, a new game is created. While you wait for the new game to start, you can play on a tutorial server to learn the game rules and mechanics.
How is a player eliminated from a game?
If a player loses their home planet, the player's other planets are 'frozen' and the home planet must be recaptured within 24 hours to avoid being eliminated from the game. If the player has multiple homeworlds (captured from other players), then a player must have all homeworlds captured before elimination.
How does a game end?
A single player achieves victory.
What are the victory conditions?
(actual numbers scale based on the size of the game.)
Conquest - Destroy a % of the planets in the galaxy through military force.
Economic - Accumulate a large fixed amount of economic wealth (CO / RO).
Explorer - Obtain and hold 13 of the 30 artifacts for 24 hours.
Research - A player creates the Ascenion device after collapsing 10 suns.
Will there be an iPad version of the game?
ZarkSoft will be releasing a native iPad client within a couple months after launch.