Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Game
Forge of Empires is a browser-based strategy game developed by InnoGames,
and is available on both iOS and Android since 2014.
The concept of the game is that the player controls a civilization starting from the Stone Age in the tutorial, developing a city and empire out of a tribal village. They would have to collect coins, goods and supplies from buildings, research technologies via "Forge Points", face-off with competing civilisations either by fighting or negotiations, etc.
The city structure is based off a grid with a limited space, centred around a fictionalised version of Spain. As the players research new technologies they can unlock new buildings and decorations as well as grid expansions. Many special items can be won via Quests and Events, as well as the Antique's Dealer north of the city. Most structures need roads to connect with the town hall.
Great Buildings, which are mostly based off of real-life buildings, can be built by the player once they collect all 9 blueprints and can pay with the goods.
Forge of Empires contains examples of:
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Ludwig der Listige begs for you to not execute him in the text of his final province.
- Boring, but Practical: The "trinity" of Statue of Zeus, Cathedral of Aachen, and Castel del Monte. All three buildings can be obtained fairly early, and provide 30% Attack and Defense to your attacking army at level 10. Zeus and the Castel in particular are the shining examples of this trope: Castel del Monte's other boost is FP production, and while Zeus may not have a secondary bonus it only takes up six spaces in a game where building space is precious.
- Brutal Bonus Level: The bonus quests are designed to be such. For instance, the Early Middle Ages bonus line features a gauntlet of Barbarians leading to a massive province full of Iron Age units... with 75% bonus attack and defense, putting them closer to their High Middle Age counterparts.
- Exact Words: Should an advisor give you a quest to build three houses? Just start building the house three times and they are happy. The houses don't even need to be completed but can be sold right away.
- Fragile Speedster: Fast units act first and have high movement range, but generally possess inferior stats compared to Light and Heavy units. They're generally not autobattle friendly, but with manual control you can have them safely charge down Ranged and Artillery units and then use swarm tactics to pick apart the remaining forces.
- Gimmick Level: Cultural Settlements take place in a completely separate base and generally rely on resources and mechanics exclusive to the settlement, with only Feudal Japan's merchant negotiations having any non-trivial cost towards your main base.
- Green Hill Zone: Your town is basically set in this location.
- Jack of All Stats: The light unit troops are designed as such, with high attack rates and defence when they are placed in bushes.
- Mighty Glacier: Heavy units possess massive defense and reasonable attack, but low movement. They can shrug off attacks from Light and Fast units easily, but can be picked apart by ranged units. Starts to become more of a Lightning Bruiser class during the midgame ages when they gain ranged attacks.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Several of the province owners are based off historical figures, such as Hasdrubaal Barkas (based on Hasdruubal Barca, real-life brother of Hannibal Barca), Minh Chi Ho (based on Ho Chi Minh) and Pietro Escovar (based on Pablo Escobar).
- Power-Up Letdown: Great Buildings that generally focus on gold/supply/medal production often wind up falling into this category, although a few subvert this by granting a percentage-based boost to your other buildings. The Colosseum is notorious for being the first such Great Building: it's gigantic, the medals provided quickly pale in comparison to the ramping costs of Victory Expansions, and the inability to polish the building means it loses out to cultural buildings in happiness production.
- Schizo Tech: There is nothing stopping a player from placing futuristic Great Buildings in their Iron Age base except their ability to get the blueprints and finding someone to get goods from.
- Shout-Out: One of the cars in the parking lot of the Car Factory building (which produces automobiles that are based on the Volkswagen Beetle) has a paint job heavily resembling (if not outright copying) Herbie The Love Bug's, & it also moves by itself if one looks closely.
- Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors: The general circle is Heavy>Light>Fast>Ranged/Artillery>Heavy, although unit gimmicks can throw this off.
- The Syndicate: Your opponent in the Future Era.
- Treacherous Advisor: Ragu Silvertongue mentors the character throughout the tutorial, and is the main quest giver for the "Old Ages". However, late in the Colonial Age, he suddenly turns against you, and once you gain control he is forced to flee the city.
- Unwitting Pawn: Three Tomorrow Era owners, Pietro, Miranda and Viroz are all serving the Affably Evil Miguel Mantos in his plans to destroy your hometown for messing around.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Those that rush through the Iron Age may receive one from Freifrau Hagazussa, the owner of Pfefferburg. All of her armies have a 20% military boost, and her province is one of the first encountered out of the Iron Ages, meaning the player army may not even be properly updated yet. Those that take it slowly and take the time to either build up enough of a goods supply to buy out the province or level their Statue of Zeus will have a lot less trouble.
