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Terra Bellica: join the Codex in an intelligent MMO TBS

Do you find TB to be superior to most other MMO strategies?

  • Yes, vastly superior

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • Better, but not by far

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • It's perfectly average

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Worse, but not by far

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, vastly inferior

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I dislike TBS so much I won't try it

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I dislike MMO so much I won't try it

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Terra Bellica
Direct link: http://terrabellica.com/
Referral link: http://terrabellica.com/418 (more money, see instructions in the next post)
Codex forum: http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=41 (PM me for access)

Came upon the link on the Codex, and I consider the game rather worthy of its monocled attention.

Terra Bellica is a browser-based MMOTBS, but one that bears little semblance to any other known MMO. It is one of the few proper online equivalents to Civilization, Master of Magic, Age of Wonders, etc. The key point is that it has tactics - that is, units actually move across the map, as they should in a real TBS. Settlements can be destroyed permanently. Players can alter the landscape, e.g., clear forests or cast spells on terrain or build destructible things on the map. Hero customisation system is as good as in an offline TBS. The artefacts are quite inventive - as are ways of attaining them, including fighting NPCs, archaeology, crafting, growing, etc.

Now, the game is freshly released, and the first forum post dates to 6th November. That means that it has a very small community, but it appears to be growing fast enough for the last week. I think it certainly deserves some following, being a bit of a gem in huge piles of pseudo-TBS MMO faeces.

Screenshots (click to enlarge):
Most of the action takes place on the map. The map itself is large, with each pixel of this image being a tile. The player spends action points to move across it:


Here is the city screen. Most buildings have specific purposes instead of simply giving numeric bonuses. They are quite inventive, too. For instance, to raise a skill above a certain level, one has to visit a town with a school in it. However, one can visit another player's town with a school instead of simply building it (there's a limit on the number of buildings).


A few screenshots with battles demonstrating the variety of units and effects:
1. Units deploying off a fleet
2. A dragon hunt
3. An island siege
4. A large skirmish
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Coordination
Clan
Western Nations: http://terrabellica.com/~uid/1331
Codex forum: http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=41

Roster
Humanophage
Fensman
Scrod (Pika-Cthulhu)
Malakal
Hoaxmetal
Major Eric Shun (herostratus)
Wallace
Havoc
Tycn
Oscar
DwarvenFood
Smaily
Tutantomen
Trannynota
Kalin
hermit_cl


Instructions
If you decide to participate, you should apply for membership in the clan. You will get access to our in-game message board and to the Codex forum.

You can first explore the game a little (spend all your 7 AP exploring, then pull on the boots and get 14 AP, spend them on exploring as well). Then you should apply for the clan. You will be given access to our special forum which will contain suggestions on where to settle. We're currently settling the highlighted regions:
CodexPost.gif


Follow the suggestions here for your initial development. At some point, you should build a bank. I will send you the 50 gold I got from you using my referral link.
 

Shannow

Waster of Time
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
6,386
Location
Finnegan's Wake
Looks good. I'll give it a try when I come back from work.

EDIT: Ok, I'm in. It could take another day or two moving to you.
 

Berekän

A life wasted
Patron
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
3,112
Interesting, I'm in

EDIT: All righ, I'm in Continent 20 already, could you post your exact coordinates?
 

Shannow

Waster of Time
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
6,386
Location
Finnegan's Wake
Berekän said:
Interesting, I'm in

EDIT: All righ, I'm in Continent 20 already, could you post your exact coordinates?
MapaMundi.jpg


But Humanophage doesn't want me to move into the proposed territory ... I'll show him :M
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Oh, but you do have to move to the proposed territory. It's just that it's fairly large and you don't have to move to any specific location so long as you build a city in that area. I have updated the second post with my coordinates, nevertheless. Don't forget to have a look at the manual before building the city, as its location is important.

I'm going to build a zeppelin soon, explore the premises and post the map here. Meanwhile, here's the northern part of the island (click to enlarge): [tactical information, censored]
 

Fens

Ford of the Llies
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,899
Location
pitcairn
i'm in as well but i've buggered the whole referral thing up, requested a deletion of the account but the admins didn't respond yet, so i'm playing that one for now.

~
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Well, it might make sense to wait for them to delete the account. If they don't reply in some time, it would be reasonable to make a forum thread - they seem to react to these more actively.

The referral link means not only more money, but also more karma, which determines the amount of heroes and settlements one can build. Since we'll be living next to each other, everyone will benefit from any other member's higher karma.
 

Berekän

A life wasted
Patron
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
3,112
Allright, I think I've spotted the place where my village is going to be.

[x:168 y:270]

At this AP regen rate I should be there by 2011 :thumbsup:
 

Fens

Ford of the Llies
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,899
Location
pitcairn
posted in the forum (pending moderator approval)... will see how that goes

[edit]
a'ight... got a new account:
TheFensman
 

Shannow

Waster of Time
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
6,386
Location
Finnegan's Wake
Shannow
Sitting in Tortuga (xxx)
If I'd known my Hero would freeze for 24h after chugging that sprint potion...
 

Berekän

A life wasted
Patron
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
3,112
Halcyon [x:169 y:270]


Now trying to figure this out, are resources automatically obtained from the adjacent areas?

EDIT: Figured myself how to move peasants out of town :roll:
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
I'm updating the second post in the thread with the locations of our members, by the way. Do join the Empire temporarily, so as to get an additional monetary boost (50 weekly gold). The leader is fine with us leaving and founding a new clan. However, at the moment we'll benefit more from the large common clan market.

If you don't mind, I intend to invite more people from another gaming community of which I partake, Nordreich. Once we get about 10 people (we have 5 at the moment), I think it would be the time to start a clan. Meanwhile, we could discuss the name, the theme, and the aims.

I propose the names Incline of the West, Western Incline, or perhaps simply The West. That would adequately express the Codexian Eurocentrism, correspond to our geographical location, and utilise a purely Codexian meme (either that, or a pun on the villainous RL West). I am particularly in support of Western Incline, as it's short and has a good acronym should we need to shorten it.

I think that we should behave in a reasonably militant manner. The reason I selected this area of settlement is that it's close to the centre, and it's easy to use ships to transport resources there (particularly in the channel between 17 and 20). Additionally, it will take less time for market resources to reach us. It will be more convenient for us to attack others on ships, but we're also more vulnerable (particularly the small island).

The benefit of attacking other players is getting their resources, house spirits from their crushed buildings, and artefacts. It is very profitable.
 

Malakal

Arcane
Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Nov 14, 2009
Messages
10,650
Location
Poland
So how is it? Good and interesting? Mildly interesting? I have some time to kill while working.
 

Fens

Ford of the Llies
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,899
Location
pitcairn
it's ok for a browser game, eventhough there's not much happening right now for us noobs... did some exploring and saw berekän's village and one of humanophage's volunteers was passing nearby

found my old account's village just a little south of where my new account's village is... a bit odd they won't delete it "for security reasons"... that way the continents will fill up with zombie-accounts really fast and they won't even be farmable because of the aura thing

btw.: it's TheFensman with a red crest now... the old account had a grey one
 

Shannow

Waster of Time
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
6,386
Location
Finnegan's Wake
Wii, you want Wi to be our acronym? :P
I'd go for "The Codex". We'd even have Tacticular Cancer in our ... "acronym".
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Fens said:
found my old account's village just a little south of where my new account's village is... a bit odd they won't delete it "for security reasons"... that way the continents will fill up with zombie-accounts really fast and they won't even be farmable because of the aura thing
The aura demands wood on day 3, I believe. That means the aura will be lifted very soon, unless the owner made a woodsman. Besides, villages get deleted automatically after a certain time if the owner doesn't log in (about a week, I suppose).

Shannow said:
Wii, you want Wi to be our acronym? :P
I'd go for "The Codex". We'd even have Tacticular Cancer in our ... "acronym".
Yes, one of the incarnations of Nordreich was called The Western Imperium (possibly inspired by this). I'm not certain it makes sense to limit ourselves to the Codex, unless we get enough people.
 

Fens

Ford of the Llies
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,899
Location
pitcairn
Humanophage said:
Fens said:
found my old account's village just a little south of where my new account's village is... a bit odd they won't delete it "for security reasons"... that way the continents will fill up with zombie-accounts really fast and they won't even be farmable because of the aura thing
The aura demands wood on day 3, I believe. That means the aura will be lifted very soon, unless the owner made a woodsman. Besides, villages get deleted automatically after a certain time if the owner doesn't log in (about a week, I suppose).
good... should be deleted before the wood runs out then

Humanophage said:
Shannow said:
Wii, you want Wi to be our acronym? :P
I'd go for "The Codex". We'd even have Tacticular Cancer in our ... "acronym".
Yes, one of the incarnations of Nordreich was called The Western Imperium (possibly inspired by this). I'm not certain it makes sense to limit ourselves to the Codex, unless we get enough people.
meh... didn't like the constant "vote for us" spamming the nordreich guys did in cybernations... i'm voting for "The Codex" or something completely free of affiliations
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Personally, I find the epithet Western/Occidental very appropriate - it is simultaneously anti-weaboo, pro-European, and reflective of our location. Occidental Incline [OI], perhaps. A tad working class. I'll come up with a list of names.

The Codex sounds boring and not tailored to the game/location.
 

Fens

Ford of the Llies
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,899
Location
pitcairn
a'ight... let's brainstorm:
how about Free Island Nations [fin] or the cheesier Western Island Nations [win]
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Speaking of nations, I might have a new favourite: The Western Nation [WN]. That the name isn't plural points at our unity, which is intimidating, and it sounds like an entity rather than a gathering of people. It also means that we claim the entire western portion of the world as our own. On top of it, the acronym reminds of white nationalism. And what can be more Codexian? Another name of a similar kind is Western Power [WP], with similar associations. I rather like (The) Western Power. Kind of a motto, too.

Actually, we could just write [West] should they require a short name.

The Western Nation
Western Power
The West
Occidental League - very good one, has historical parallels
Men of the West - LotR allusion
The Western Codex - meaningless, but nice acronym
The Western Clan - more sense, same acronym
Cult/Order of the West/Occident
Western Gentlemen/Ubermenschen

Dropping the epithet, which in my opinion isn't a good idea, we could pursue snobbery:
The Prestigious Society
Order of the Eagle and the Monocle
Order of the Well-Off
Anti-Peasant League
Smug Supremacy
The Upper Class
 

Shannow

Waster of Time
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
6,386
Location
Finnegan's Wake
Seems I have to be a little more direct:
I don't follow GD for a reason. The reason being I'm not a nazi, racist, white supremacist retard. Now I'd already belly-ache from being in the same alliance as any of the above mentioned, but I "could" live with it, if they keep their dumbfuckery to themselves. (From past experience such individuals can be ok as long as one avoids obvious topics.) Now this means I won't be part of any group of people who use that kind of dumbfuckery, be it obvious or insinuated, be it meant seriously or "for the lulz" as a motto.

It'd be really funny if this started some great drama^^

Some suggestions for non-politically motivated clan-names apart from the codex (which I wouldn't automatically affiliate with RPGCodex, btw):
Alliance; A
Necronomicon; Nec
Orcslayers; OS
The Thousand Swords; Merc
The Tophats; TT

I liked Western Island Nation(s) too. As a description of position ingame, not as a socio-political view.
 

Humanophage

Arcane
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,398
Well, I'm not certain if the 'Island' part makes sense, since the entire world consists of islands and it is superfluous. I'm in support of the Western Nation, but if others vehemently insist on islands, then all right. In the long run, our location might become a part of clan identity and would serve well for RP.

Shannow, note that I'm not proposing that our clan is in any way politically motivated. Since I was unaware of your position on the Codexian society, it occurred to me it would be a good idea to make some references to the memes and make it appropriately edgy/smug. All the 'Western' names make perfect - and very good - sense without any allusions to RL West. I hope that with this knowledge your feelings will not be offended.

P.S. The DDO Codex clan was called Brotherhood of Butthurt, but 'butthurt' is a bit too blatantly anti-immershun and, on top of it, an alien meme.
 

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