iOS Universal, Android •
The end of every game of Battle of Polytopia is an exercise in building self-esteem. I finish each game feeling great about how I did and then see my score is several hundred thousand points behind anyone on the leaderboards. Hooray for me! The only thing that would be more gut wrenching would be your friends personally crushing you in-game. That’s what we have to look forward to as Battle of Polytopia gets updated with multiplayer in February.
We don’t have a lot of info about the upcoming multiplayer mode, just this:
Multiplayer of Polytopia will launch in February 2018. More info coming soon. 🦄 All journalists, influencers, reporters, TV/radio/podcast producers – sign up for updates & pressrelease with our magic Master of PR @midjitoo . #polytopia #gamedev #indiegame #midjiwan #multiplayer pic.twitter.com/8O9npJUShw
— Midjiwan maker of Polytopia (@Midjiwan) January 12, 2018
We also don’t know if it will be an update to the existing title or an entirely new app. The wording “Multiplayer of Polytopia” could just be a play on what we already have, or it could be a completely separate thing altogether. A good journalist would find these things out, but I prefer to think of myself as an influencer.
If you’re not aware, Battle of Polytopia is a brilliant little 4X game that puts a simple, yet deep, game of Civ in your pocket. It has a gaggle of units, a tech-tree to manage, and a world to explore. The difference is, the world is small and your time is short. Solo games are only 30 turns and you’re trying to get the best score possible in that tiny timeframe. Will multiplayer games be scored with a time limit, or will they be of the Domination style game, where last cube standing wins? Only time, or a talented journalist, could get these secrets from Midjiwan. I’ll stick with time.
I repeatedly smashed the “like” heart but I didn’t register as 20 likes.
This is a huge problem for me. I had to delete Polytopia long ago because it was too addictive.
It uses codes? And they are that long?
Is it asynch or live games?
Player ID: oe5AuDBtKH8v5NzD
(after I updated, my player ID changed)
For whatever reason, neither of your codes are working for me.
Unless it’s a case of me being on the beta channel build on Android.
I am gGuuXU9uP5wIlBcJ
Halfvoids code didn’t work for me either
My code changed after I updated, guessing this new one will work.
ID: oe5AuDBtKH8v5NzD
confirmative
Got @halfvoid too. As an aside, is it really necessary for the keyboard to pop up when adding a friend? Are there really people entering those codes manually lol?
Completely async. 24 hour turn timer, and if you’re late the game says you get the boot. No way to change the timer it seems.
Who’s running the first tournament?
Looks like it updated again this afternoon on iOS to address some mp issues.
Looks like you can only play friends via invite. No matchmaking service whatsoever, which is a bit of a bummer, but that wouldn’t stop a Stately tourney. I sent out a friendly match invite to everyone who posted codes. You can play up to ten players including AI.
Woo—tried opening Polytopia again and logged in with no problem. Code is JNe1vToKnPqfVgSl
Gonna go through and add all of you …
Nice! Added you without a problem!
Urg. Well I deleted the app and left the beta, hoping it would fix that, but apparently the multiplayer update hasn’t rolled out on Android in Europe yet on the production version.
From twitter it sounds like there were still some hiccups with the servers and the Dev paused the rollout to sort it.
Probably why the game invite I sent didn’t show up until much later, assuming it didn’t only show up for you. (only sent one for The Field of Tribes)
Will update my code when I jump back into the beta again, so go ahead and drop the halfvoid in your friends list. (beta’s full now, guess I get to wait)
I’m so confused. I have a game waiting on you to start it @halfvoid
Well, I guess we see what happens in…13 hours. Does it auto start and then put a bot in for @halfvoid? Or just vanish?
No idea. I have no way back in until the dev opens the release gates again so we have access to it outside of the beta builds on Android in EU/UK, or I can manage to get back in the beta.
Either way, my code’s gonna change, so I’m guessing that game will never start.
I’m a bit late to the party but would love to try this if anybody is setting another one up…
tZvDKGx4RQGlhCO5
I gotcha.
I’ll start another game with all the people I have, Normal map, 6 people.
The Lands of Tosami
I didn’t get the lands of tosami request yet, which makes me wonder if each player is only sent the invite when the previous player has accepted and passed the game on.
The Fields of Tribes is still sitting there: “Halfvoid can start the game. Time up!”
no autostart. not vanished.
I did not get an invitation for The Lands of Tosami (yet?)
I can’t see that game in my list, so boot me if you can.
Bit late, but here is my id: P44gXe8gcvolnVpy
Open for invites
no, i can’t kick you. a message comes up telling me “Sorry, it is not your turn yet!”.
because the game has not been started (“Halfvoid can start the game”).
this game is stranded and will keep hanging around. no problem.
@halfvoid, the computer bot stomped over me in our “2P with a Bot” game too.
was it normal or hard? please don’t tell me it was easy
It was crazy.
Seems like crazy is a lot stronger AI in multiplayer than single player.
GG @halfvoid. I think I was lucky to get the jump on you there. I also have to comment that I didn’t choose the name for our next game, it was auto generated. I’m quite tickled by the idea of playing a round called ‘poooian tales’ and wish I had actually come up with it, but I can’t take credit
@Snotty128, your turn to pick a tribe in Mysterious Hills. timer already expired.
I did see a rogue ‘mysterious hills’ invite but I already have a game called mysterious hills. There’s no second mysterious hills game with you on my list
mysterious indeed
so i tried to kick you and it worked, sniff
so can double names become a problem?
who would be ready to play a fast game with 4-5 moves per day?
I’m in, @JammaTal. Pacing of the mp hasn’t been up to my liking so far, especially for a game like this that lives on my iPhone.
yup, and the turns are so short that they can be done in no time and between.
anybody else for a fast game?
I’ve played a few medium size might victory games and the end game provides a good chunk of interesting decisions. Perhaps with a large map and 2 players that end game would be greatly extended
absolutely isolated! on an island but no access to water (except to a small lake). only one forest. hopeless.
i had to develop forestry for improving my city, but with 4 stars income each development takes ages.
bummer
i found a giant in ancient ruins but no way to exploit my military might in early game. now it’s too late.
ready to resign.
only way to transform fields into farms is to plant forests to burn them down?
long way to develop three different tech trees.
I’m happy to start over if you like, it’s your call. That is a really rough start, isolated with no port. I’m not sure how I would get out of that myself. I do wonder if there’s any farms there though. I assume the vengir rely on an early blitz to steal arable land from others.
i have researched organization but nothing popped up.
no, there must be crop to develop a farm.
on a field you can grow forest.
you can burn the forest to get crop.
then you can build a farm.
you need to research hunting+forestry, archery+spiritualism, organization+farming and riding+free spirit+chivalry.
loong way to go if you start with just one forest on an island without sea harbor access.
so only “popping up” for the Vengir? very interesting. think i must read the Polytopia Wiki.
when i researched organization and farming i already had grown some forests, so only 1 or 2 fields left in that moment.
so i may have minimized my chances. that and bad bad luck in this game.
my plans to mimic the Dothraki were obsolete right from the start when i saw my starting position
I’m the same way - it sorely needs badges.
This should work https://discord.gg/uyD64Rn . I got to it through the app or website, but I don’t remember how.
Also Invite sent, meluian hills
Yup, not seeing that either. Got @Snotty128’s second invite and we’re a bunch of turns in so far but haven’t found each other yet.
strange
would you like to play one more 2P? i could try again to send an invite then.
huge map? conquering capital? 2P + 1Bot? + 2 Bots?
I’m starting to get the invisible unit bug in our game. Only had it on large maps so far. The end turn button turns blue when all your units have moved, if it’s not blue yet then tap and hold it and it will take you to the next unit that needs orders, even if that unit is invisible.
I can use all the help I can get, considering your army of giants…
not that i know.
it’s just that players are not taking their turns. and i really wonder why.
very fast turns in early phase.
so has Civilization VI done it right when the devs set aside an option for mobile multiplayer?
not enough interest in CIV or CIV-like multiplayer on mobile?
I’ve timed out of a few games, and the reason is simple: no app badge. Getting a notification is nice, but if I don’t play my turn right away, I forget about that notification. I’d say at least 90% of my notifications appear when I’m in the middle of something else.
So that’s technically “user error” on my part, but the devs could make my life a lot easier by adding badges.
i must say the ‘invisible unit bug’ is really nasty.
esp when it comes down to opponents’ units.
i assume the dev knows about it?
let’s hope for a fix.
I have to admit to not liking the multiplayer aspect of this one whatsoever. The missing unit bug is irritating, but I don’t think that’s it… maybe it’s that games take too long? It’s a simple game and sometimes it’s forever between turns… but that’s not completely it either. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I don’t love this as mp.
in the last two still running games it’s all about invisible units by now.
it’s a mess. i nearly missed a ship with a giant onboard right on course to my capital.
most turn time goes to tapping around to find invisible enemy units.
easier to find my own hidden units but when i find one, another disappears.
i will not play MP again before that bug has been fixed.