Civilizations Wars
Taking over the world wasn't easy in ancient times, but with some smart tactics and powerful magic, you might just take your empire to the top of the heap. Click on whichever outpost you'd like to deploy soldiers from, and then drag the cursor to your target and release. Half of that outpost's forces will be sent out to occupy the object of your ire. If your army is bigger than that of your foe, that's one base down, one whole planet to go.
Read More50 Comments
Sadly, it seems to take too much of my computer's resources to run past battle 3... 5 is downright impossibly bogged down! (Yes, I've decreased all the "effects, but still too much!) I'm a big fan of Gemcraft, so I like this a lot. Enjoyable up to the point I've achieved. Making it so action runs in multiple directions simulatneously is nice, better than having the action on a single "track", but the click and drag is a little awkward. Have fun, those of you with more powerful computers!
i have no problem running this game.
I also have a strategy for all levels that has worked for me so far.
First I send my guys from the starting place to one of the larger other buildings. then i send the rest to the small buildings sending the minimum needed. Then i send guys from all of my buildings to try and take over building controlled by my opponent. One important piece is not to go for the crystal mines as they do no make you more people.
The game has great mechanics, is would be a ton of fun to play, but is has such disastrously bad lag that's it completely unplayable. Even on simple levels, the game lags somewhat; on more complicated levels, the game slows to a halt.
Even worse, boss timers run off the system clock instead of the game's frame counter, giving you a fifth as long to defeat the boss as you should have.
In other words: please, please, please, please, _please_ spend some time making the game run better. This would be an incredible game if it actually ran.
Every once in a while I had to exit my browser because this game has a problem that causes it massive slowdown after I play a while. It is fixed if I restart my browser.
If you are having trouble:
[spoiler]Replay the first stage to get more exp. Playing the first stage with extra stuff activated is an easy way to get more exp. The first stage can give 10,000 exp. Focus on increasing exp gained first and then speed, attack, defense, and agility. The magic in this game is pretty weak. Bosses die when their main body is defeated but this is hard to do without defeating their extensions first.[/spoiler]
I think the game's got a few bugs:
A) sometimes when a stat is maxed out, I still have an arrow above it, and when I hit the arrow I lose skill points, but don't gain stats.
B) I know for a fact that I have beaten levels with no magic, beaten them with only magic, beaten levels in under 30 seconds, and generated more than 200 guys (you do that practically in the first level), but I don't have these runes.
Generally addictive, but these little things can be annoying. Additionally, it's kind of perturbing that you max out at level 50. This means you can't really "godmode" yourself with max levels in all skills. But that's secondary. The first two, I think, should be fixed.
Some points I have not seen mentioned yet.
Army training. When you send people into a watchtower, they leave as different unit types. It seems they are trained up to be better soldiers, with bigger shields and weapons. So maybe routing your people through an owned tower is a good tactic.
ZOMBIES - There are in screen bonuses that pop up during the zombie battles, which you retrieve by clicking on them. They disappear after a while.
A golden skull turns your cursor into zombie sanitiser, just swipe and they are wiped away.
A fizzing bomb kills all zombies on the screen.
A blob of purple does...? I have no idea. Please someone, tell me!
Also, how do I actually target the ogres. I can fireball them, or tornado them, but how do I direct an army against them? I can only seem to pile more people into the hut being attacked, which seems to win me the battle eventually.
Finally, there's no way to turn the Menu music off? This drives me crazy. Why oh why oh why do game designers not learn that the USER should control the volume of music and effects in ALL games.
I'd also like to complain about the lag. It's terrible. I've only been playing the first and second level to try and level up a bunch of times, but the amount of lag is so epically terrible, it's not even funny. I have a REALLY NICE AND FAST computer too, (don't mean to brag) and it makes my computer freeze up, even while game settings were as low as I could get them. I would have loved to play longer, but the lag was just making it hard for me to enjoy the game. I'd love to try playing it again if the insane lag can be fixed.
CASHING IN YOUR XP
When you're told about a Level UP, you go to a screen of all the options. As you mouse over the icons, it tells you what you get and the cost. To actually cash in, put the mouse above the icon, but inside the icon's frame. An UP chevron appears, click on this to go up a level.
When you have no more XP to spend, only DOWN chevrons will show.
Nice game, though not very hard. (No lag on my Q6600.)
There are some annoyances and bugs (some mentioned before), starting with the most annoying (which made me stop playing):
- music, ambience and sfx: these settings should be saved! Though I can live with turning the music off every time I start the game, having to turn off ambience and sfx _every single battle_ is a big pain in the ass.
- restart: this option restarts the battle without any handicaps, no matter what handicap you turned on
- runes: I never got runes for winning without magic, within 30s, etc.
- max level: 50
- maxed out skills have an arrow above them (though they vanish when clicked, and I dont lose skill points)
~ Mummy Survival is a bit boring (and trying to lose as fast as you can isn't as easy as you'd think ;))
Still, very fun game.
Beating the turtle/scorpion/octopus with no magic:
It helps a great deal if your warriors have a lot of speed (improve that in your skills page.) Send everyone you can drag to the turtles upper paw or the scorpions front pincers or the octopus's front tentacles. Most of your soldiers will be killed before they do any damage, but some will get through (as long as they are fast.) Keep on doing that. Once the upper paw or the front pincers or the 3 front tentacles are dead, you can attack the head with little fear.
Civilization Wars Spell Guide:
The following is a list of spells that you can choose in the game and general hints on how to use them. They are ranked from R1 (one point in this ability) to R7 (you have maxed out this ability.) Without any pomp or ceremony, here we go!
Fireball - 230 Crystal Energy
Ah, the mage's classic ability... quick casting, quick damage, low cost.
Damage: R1 - 12 Damage, R7 - 24 Damage
Recast: R0 - 6 Seconds, R7 - 2 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal usage: Peppering buildings with 20+ populations to make them softer and easier to capture. Weakening enemy armies to prevent them from taking over / fortifying a building.
Cons: Even if it knocks the population down to 0, the building will still be considered populated by the original inhabitants, and provide it's bonuses accordingly.
Lightning - 520 Crystal Energy
Another mage favorite, calling down devastating lighting. High energy cost, but consider it a DoT that keeps on giving. And giving... in a pretty big AoE, too.
Damage: R1 - 1 Damage, R7 - 2 Damage
Recast: R0 - 10 Seconds, R2 - 4.5 Seconds
Duration: R1 - 28 Bolts, R7 - 51 Bolts
DoT: R1 - 28 Damage, R7 - 102 Damage
Ideal Usage: Destroying low population enemy buildings that are clustered together. Keeping a high population building from sending out any troops for a while. Making a region of the map unpassable for anyone for a short duration.
Cons: Destroys buildings, making them population 0 and unowned by any side. Will slaughter your own troops if they pass through it. Can commit suicide by casting it on your own buildings first thing into a battle (but why would you?)
Meteorite - 640 Crystal Energy
Meet Fireball's big brother. Wider area of effect, more damage, and considerably more expensive.
Damage: R1 - 15 Damage, R7 - 90 Damage
Recast: R0 - 12 Seconds, R7 - 5 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: Destroying heavy troop buildups. Crippling large population locations prior to attacking. Alternatively, crippling several medium population buildings that are close together.
Cons: Long cast timer, slow cast animation - means that by the time the spell gets there, the troops will be gone. Aim ahead whenever possible. Like fireball, does not destroy buildings even if it drops the population below 1.
Twister - 530 Crystal Energy
The ultimate in hindrance, this spell will keep the enemy troops in the cellars - where they belong. Takes a huge chunk of crystal energy though...
Damage: Anything it touches... Bosses ~5/s, Houses ~1/s
Recast: R0 - 20 Seconds, R7 - 6 Seconds
Duration: 20 Seconds
Ideal Usage: Keeping high population areas in stasis, destroying large clumps of troops. Casting multiple in the same area to more effectively block off that region for travel.
Cons: Moves in a clockwise pattern, starting at 12 o'clock, so it's best to use against troops by positioning the circle underneath them. Somewhat tricky. Doesn't damage bosses / buildings as much as it does troops.
Support - 450 Crystal Energy
For when you want to pretend you picked the Chinese race... summons a stack of units to quickly march to the targeted building.
Generates: R1 - 30 Units, R7 - 120 Units
Recast: R0 - 18 Seconds, R7 - 6 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: Abuse this ability. Aim at a building you want, and assuming there aren't 7 towers in the way, that building is yours. And almost always maxed out on population. The new definition of OP.
Cons: Troops march faster than standard, but still slower than a maxed out Speed would allow. Also, if you have the Blasters unlocked, for some reason the summoned troops don't get them on their first march. The moment they take over a building, however...
Hypnoses - 550 Crystal Energy
For when Support isn't enough, this misspelling of Hypnosis will convince enemies to join your forces... if nothing else, than to teach you how to spell the word properly...
Area: R1 - Tiny, R7 - Medium
Effect: All enemies inside of the area are turned into allies.
Recast: R0 - 20 Seconds, R7 - 7 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: When you see a large cluster of enemies, cast this spell and they'll all turn into allies and continue marching towards their previous destination. Upgrading allows you a much larger ring to cast it in. Annoys enemies when you turn their first exploration party into your first exploration party. When used with Support, will make enemies walk away crying and waving a white banner. OP +1.
Cons: The enemy can use it on you as well, and often will wait until you've nearly reached a building to convert you. However, on the plus side, if you convert them, your new troops get instant Blasters if you have that option unlocked, and if they convert back for any reason, they lose the Blasters.
Shield - 170 Crystal Energy
Better protection than bubble wrap, at least. And cheaper.
Defense: R1 - +10% Defense, R7 - +70% Defense
Recast: R0 - 5 Seconds, R7 - 2 Seconds
Duration: 25 Seconds
Ideal Usage: Buildings that have low populations / are surrounded by enemies. Can nearly double the defensive value of the building, making it a favorite of the Chinese for reinforcing their Zergling rushes. When used by Spartans, can get nearly a 10:1 defense ratio.
Cons: If a building that you cast a Shield on is taken over by an enemy, they get to keep the Shield spell until it wears off naturally.
Swamp - 670 Crystal Energy - Incomplete -
This section is not yet complete.
Notes: Swamp is a great spell to cast at an enemy building, as it will slowly erode the building's population and damage / slow any troops that try to leave it. Not sure on exact figures yet.
Golem - 750 Crystal Energy
Why send 120 troops when you could send... 1? Worth 120 troops, I mean...
Damage: R1 - 2 Damage, R7 - 3 Damage
Health: R1 - 88 Health, R7 - 136 Health
Recast: R0 - 15 Seconds, R7 - 5 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: While they have low attack values, they do attack every second and a half, roughly. Use them on enemy buildings to keep them distracted while you build up a real army. Or create several side by side, and when the enemy comes to attack, it'll reverse-follow them back to their original town and keep them busy for a while. They definitely do more damage as a roadblock than as a city attacker, despite their attack behavior. At least they don't attack your own buildings...
Cons: Doesn't deal enough damage for it's high cost. Technically not a waste, since you keep the golem until it dies, and it can keep nonboss units distracted for a while. But there are cheaper spells out there that do a better job.
Quake - 1250 Crystal Energy
For when Golem isn't expensive enough... deals a TON of damage, over a very wide area, and destroys buildings and families... sort of like the game...
Damage: 12 Damage / Second
Recast: R0 - 25 Seconds, R7 - 9 Seconds
Duration: R1 - 7 Seconds, R7 - 10 Seconds
DoT: R1 - 84 Damage, R7 - 120 Damage
Ideal Usage: If you can, use it right from the beginning to destroy the enemy buildings and win the game. Will deal a lot of damage to all buildings in it's radius, as well as destroy (make no race control it) any buildings it manages to reduce population to 0 on.
Cons: Does not damage enemy troops, instead slows them down considerably. Can easily destroy your own town if you are feeling suicidal.
Swamp section to be updated and finished at a later date - does anyone even use that spell? :P
Thank you for reading. Please reply with any suggestions / comments. All times were done by hand, non-tool assisted, and may be slightly off. (IE, instead of using a stopwatch for each spell, I used the old 1-Mississippi 2-Mississippi trick. :P)
I have enjoyed this game - although the lag is quite bad when there is a lot going on. I too got through the whole game without using any spells.
One question - it took me a while to work out what the high 'score' actually was, but it is the number of battles you took to get to the end. I can't see how to get to the end with fewer than 25 battles, but the top scores (other than a few cheats, probably) have done it in 13 battles. How did they manage that?
To beat a level with magic only:
To do this you need some preparation:
First put as many skill points you can on the support spell. This is the only viable way to take over buildings with magic only, though hypnosis might work. Place the rest of your skill points on Crystal Energy/Spell Regeneration, and starting crystal, to be able to cast more often and earlier. Pick one or two offensive spells if you want to, fireballs are always nice to soften the target, and is cheap to cast, which is vital in this case, since crystals are precious. Stat bonuses to your soldiers are for once useless.
Second select a level with sufficiently many crystal nodes. The first level is not suited since it has only one small crystal node, and you simply can't generate crystal fast enough to win.
If you have done the above, it's time to start the game. To win with magic only you must get the crystals flowing as fast and soon as possible. First cast a supply spell on a crystal node, the bigger the node the better. You might have to wait generate enough crystals. Repeat this on other nodes until you get the majority of them. This should secure your crystal flow. Next use the supply spell to attack your enemy. It might also be useful to cast supply on neutral towers, which will fire upon the enemy, but still count as magic only. If you have enough crystal nodes, you should be able to overwhelm the enemy in this way, and win with magic only.
IMPORTANT: Never move any soldiers. If you move soldiers out of one your buildings, it counts as using them and you don't get the magic only rune.
PS: If you find this too easy, you could try as a challenge, to do it without the supply spell, it might be possible with using hypnosis, and some of the offensive spells.
Leave a comment [top of page]
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
Civilization Wars Spell Guide:
The following is a list of spells that you can choose in the game and general hints on how to use them. They are ranked from R1 (one point in this ability) to R7 (you have maxed out this ability.) Without any pomp or ceremony, here we go!
Fireball - 230 Crystal Energy
Ah, the mage's classic ability... quick casting, quick damage, low cost.
Damage: R1 - 12 Damage, R7 - 24 Damage
Recast: R0 - 6 Seconds, R7 - 2 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal usage: Peppering buildings with 20+ populations to make them softer and easier to capture. Weakening enemy armies to prevent them from taking over / fortifying a building.
Cons: Even if it knocks the population down to 0, the building will still be considered populated by the original inhabitants, and provide it's bonuses accordingly.
Lightning - 520 Crystal Energy
Another mage favorite, calling down devastating lighting. High energy cost, but consider it a DoT that keeps on giving. And giving... in a pretty big AoE, too.
Damage: R1 - 1 Damage, R7 - 2 Damage
Recast: R0 - 10 Seconds, R2 - 4.5 Seconds
Duration: R1 - 28 Bolts, R7 - 51 Bolts
DoT: R1 - 28 Damage, R7 - 102 Damage
Ideal Usage: Destroying low population enemy buildings that are clustered together. Keeping a high population building from sending out any troops for a while. Making a region of the map unpassable for anyone for a short duration.
Cons: Destroys buildings, making them population 0 and unowned by any side. Will slaughter your own troops if they pass through it. Can commit suicide by casting it on your own buildings first thing into a battle (but why would you?)
Meteorite - 640 Crystal Energy
Meet Fireball's big brother. Wider area of effect, more damage, and considerably more expensive.
Damage: R1 - 15 Damage, R7 - 90 Damage
Recast: R0 - 12 Seconds, R7 - 5 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: Destroying heavy troop buildups. Crippling large population locations prior to attacking. Alternatively, crippling several medium population buildings that are close together.
Cons: Long cast timer, slow cast animation - means that by the time the spell gets there, the troops will be gone. Aim ahead whenever possible. Like fireball, does not destroy buildings even if it drops the population below 1.
Twister - 530 Crystal Energy
The ultimate in hindrance, this spell will keep the enemy troops in the cellars - where they belong. Takes a huge chunk of crystal energy though...
Damage: Anything it touches... Bosses ~5/s, Houses ~1/s
Recast: R0 - 20 Seconds, R7 - 6 Seconds
Duration: 20 Seconds
Ideal Usage: Keeping high population areas in stasis, destroying large clumps of troops. Casting multiple in the same area to more effectively block off that region for travel.
Cons: Moves in a clockwise pattern, starting at 12 o'clock, so it's best to use against troops by positioning the circle underneath them. Somewhat tricky. Doesn't damage bosses / buildings as much as it does troops.
Support - 450 Crystal Energy
For when you want to pretend you picked the Chinese race... summons a stack of units to quickly march to the targeted building.
Generates: R1 - 30 Units, R7 - 120 Units
Recast: R0 - 18 Seconds, R7 - 6 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: Abuse this ability. Aim at a building you want, and assuming there aren't 7 towers in the way, that building is yours. And almost always maxed out on population. The new definition of OP.
Cons: Troops march faster than standard, but still slower than a maxed out Speed would allow. Also, if you have the Blasters unlocked, for some reason the summoned troops don't get them on their first march. The moment they take over a building, however...
Hypnoses - 550 Crystal Energy
For when Support isn't enough, this misspelling of Hypnosis will convince enemies to join your forces... if nothing else, than to teach you how to spell the word properly...
Area: R1 - Tiny, R7 - Medium
Effect: All enemies inside of the area are turned into allies.
Recast: R0 - 20 Seconds, R7 - 7 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: When you see a large cluster of enemies, cast this spell and they'll all turn into allies and continue marching towards their previous destination. Upgrading allows you a much larger ring to cast it in. Annoys enemies when you turn their first exploration party into your first exploration party. When used with Support, will make enemies walk away crying and waving a white banner. OP +1.
Cons: The enemy can use it on you as well, and often will wait until you've nearly reached a building to convert you. However, on the plus side, if you convert them, your new troops get instant Blasters if you have that option unlocked, and if they convert back for any reason, they lose the Blasters.
Shield - 170 Crystal Energy
Better protection than bubble wrap, at least. And cheaper.
Defense: R1 - +10% Defense, R7 - +70% Defense
Recast: R0 - 5 Seconds, R7 - 2 Seconds
Duration: 25 Seconds
Ideal Usage: Buildings that have low populations / are surrounded by enemies. Can nearly double the defensive value of the building, making it a favorite of the Chinese for reinforcing their Zergling rushes. When used by Spartans, can get nearly a 10:1 defense ratio.
Cons: If a building that you cast a Shield on is taken over by an enemy, they get to keep the Shield spell until it wears off naturally.
Swamp - 670 Crystal Energy - Incomplete -
This section is not yet complete.
Notes: Swamp is a great spell to cast at an enemy building, as it will slowly erode the building's population and damage / slow any troops that try to leave it. Not sure on exact figures yet.
Golem - 750 Crystal Energy
Why send 120 troops when you could send... 1? Worth 120 troops, I mean...
Damage: R1 - 2 Damage, R7 - 3 Damage
Health: R1 - 88 Health, R7 - 136 Health
Recast: R0 - 15 Seconds, R7 - 5 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: While they have low attack values, they do attack every second and a half, roughly. Use them on enemy buildings to keep them distracted while you build up a real army. Or create several side by side, and when the enemy comes to attack, it'll reverse-follow them back to their original town and keep them busy for a while. They definitely do more damage as a roadblock than as a city attacker, despite their attack behavior. At least they don't attack your own buildings...
Cons: Doesn't deal enough damage for it's high cost. Technically not a waste, since you keep the golem until it dies, and it can keep nonboss units distracted for a while. But there are cheaper spells out there that do a better job.
Quake - 1250 Crystal Energy
For when Golem isn't expensive enough... deals a TON of damage, over a very wide area, and destroys buildings and families... sort of like the game...
Damage: 12 Damage / Second
Recast: R0 - 25 Seconds, R7 - 9 Seconds
Duration: R1 - 7 Seconds, R7 - 10 Seconds
DoT: R1 - 84 Damage, R7 - 120 Damage
Ideal Usage: If you can, use it right from the beginning to destroy the enemy buildings and win the game. Will deal a lot of damage to all buildings in it's radius, as well as destroy (make no race control it) any buildings it manages to reduce population to 0 on.
Cons: Does not damage enemy troops, instead slows them down considerably. Can easily destroy your own town if you are feeling suicidal.
Swamp section to be updated and finished at a later date - does anyone even use that spell? :P
Thank you for reading. Please reply with any suggestions / comments. All times were done by hand, non-tool assisted, and may be slightly off. (IE, instead of using a stopwatch for each spell, I used the old 1-Mississippi 2-Mississippi trick. :P)
Posted by: Mitschu | April 4, 2010 1:17 AM