The Battle of Polytopia News

Hello Polytopians!

We’ve got a relatively small update for you that should (hopefully) improve the multiplayer experience! So, without further ado, let’s talk about these new features.

[h2]Boot Camp[/h2]
With this update, we’re adding “Boot Camp”, a tutorial to help new players understand the basics of the game. While not exactly an in-depth look at the game, this tutorial goes through how to harvest resources and train units. It will be the first game you play when you first install Polytopia, but can be played again by going to “New Game” > “Boot Camp”.


[h2]Online Friends[/h2]
Now, friends who are currently playing Polytopia will have a small green dot next to them, so that you can see who is actually going to respond to the myriad of game invites you plan to send them.



And to make this multiplayer invite spam easier, you can now start a game from their friend profile, which will start a match and automatically add them to it.



As you can see, the friend profile has been expanded to show details including ELO, and these will show even if you’re not friends with them!

[h2]Friend Activity[/h2]
Not only can you now see who is online, we’ve also given you more tools to properly stalk them by adjusting the “Taking a turn” text during a match.

When your opponent is actively playing Polytopia and is in the match, you’ll now see this:



And if they aren’t in the match, you’ll see this:



[h2]Other Changes[/h2]
So, here’s the proper changelog for this update:
- Added new "Boot Camp" tutorial, which will play as either your first game or if you tap "Boot Camp" when creating a New Game
- Online friends (green dot near player name as indicator that he is online, second thing is that
- Players can now see when other players are making a move in real time
- Players will receive notification when someone is kicked or resign from the game
- Steam notifications are now required to be turn on for online multiplayer on pc
- ELO is shown on friend’s profile
- All information that were showed for friends (played games, number of friends, elo etc.) are now also showed for all players
- Players can now start game directly from the friend profile to have it already invited
EDIT:
- Fixed visual issues on Linux and Mac

"Climbing a big rock isn't hard, can't anyone do that?" Yes, maybe a small band of people, but what about an army of people? The Xin-Xi don't just climb mountains for fun, but have perfected the science of managing troop formations, defense, logistics, and supplies around these steep summits.

Hello Polytopians,

It's the Xin-Xi Tribe Moon, a whole month dedicated to celebrating the Xin-Xi, our favorite mountaineers!

Not enough Xin-Xi in your life? We're having discounts on all Xin-Xi merchandise at https://shop.midjiwan.com until April 30th!

Now, tell us what you think about the Xin-Xi in the comments!

P.S. Thanks for the art, u/Dapperfrog1864!

-Zoythrus

Sorry for the delay, everyone! We've finally posted the patch notes for both the latest public and beta build.

Remember that you can play the beta by using the beta access code "TestDiplomacy"

-Zoythrus

2.2.0.7410 Change Log

Both Beta and Public Release:
- Added online status for friends and live status for game turn

Beta:
Balance:
- Reduced Kiton HP (20HP->15HP)
- Mind Benders detects invisible units (there is small dot on unit icon)
- Update riots (now number of Daggers depends on city level and riots prevent income)
- Update Daggers spawn (now they're more spread out, and prioritize areas with defense bonuses)
- Revert Windmill & Mint mechanics (we'll look back into this later, but for now, reverted)

Changes:
- New Cloak & Dagger sprites
- Added relation bar in tribe info screen
- Changed breaking peace logic (now second player cannot attack first player for one turn, but can move units and prepare defense)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed Mindbenders can't convert Centipede Segments
- Fixed Persist now working properly
- Fixed camera centering when spawning Daggers
- Fixed units can use enemy roads
- New sounds for Dagger attack
- Cloaks now can't infiltrate sieged cities

Known Issues:
- Burn Forest and Destroy have swapped places, but this will be fixed, soon.

So, what's so special about the Special Tribes? Well, they all have a unique set of features that lets you play Polytopia in a completely different way. You will need to learn the game all over to figure out how to make the most out of them!

For example, the Aquarion has units like The Amphibian, Tridention, and Crab that you dont find elsewhere, severely modifying the chivalry branch of your tribe to catch your rival off guard. Or Elyrion where their giants start as vulnerable eggs and then grow into enormous fire-breathing dragons.
And, dont forget the Polaris, which can freeze terrain and enemies to prevent the progression of your foes. And. last, but not least, the creepy-crawly Cymanti. Where you have huge insects at Your disposal and you can create Centipedies that span over several tiles. And it grows longer for its every kill...

Yes, the Special Tribes are truly special. That's why we call them special!

So, If you haven't got them yet, now is your chance to get them at a 50% Discount until March 28th.

Hello, beta fans! We, with help from our lovely friends at Challengermode, have developed a few things that you’ve been asking for! So, let’s take a deep dive into all the new features that should help out our more competitive fans!

[h2]“Live Games”? Are the games….alive?[/h2]
Haha, no, dear reader, that’s what we call the new multiplayer time format! Many of you have been asking us for faster games, so we’ve added these new Live Games to satisfy you, which will replace the 5 minute timer option. Somewhat like chess tournaments, Live Games give you a timer of less than 1 minute for your turn at the start, and any time unused rolls over to the next turn. Also, you’ll get additional time for each city and unit you have, so you can get the opportunity to move your massive army across the map without stress, assuming you’ve been taking quick turns. These changes should keep things flowing smoothly, while also putting on the pressure of a merciless turn timer.



What about players who don’t take their turn? Their turn gets skipped immediately, and they’ll have 3 skips total (represented by those white dots next to the timer) before they’re kicked from the game. Any kicked players have their empires sit frozen, unable to do anything unless you attack them, so they’re turned into little more than a roadblock toward victory. :)

[h2]Replays? Like, “Replay” replays?![/h2]
Yes, replays! Ever want to show your friends the next time you lose to Midjiwan in a Random Match? Well, now you can! With our new Replay feature, multiplayer games you complete will be saved and can be shared with all the lovely people on the internet!



When watching a replay, you’ll be able to see who’s turn it is, what they can see, their research, and other such things! You'll also get the power to fast forward, rewind, and pause! And, lastly, you can even favorite your most amazing victories and defeats with a handy heart, so they’ll always be around! Each replay is saved to our servers with a link, so all you have to do is copy it and share it around for anyone to see!



[h2]Now, what about Esports?[/h2]
While this particular patch will primarily add Live Games and Replays, Challengermode has been laying the foundation for in-app tournaments and events! Yep, sometime in the future, we’ll be allowing you to join tournaments hosted on their platform from within the Polytopia app, itself, and there might even be a chance for prizes! We’ll be talking more about this later as we get closer to it, but for now, know that these ingame events are on the horizon!

[h2]So, how do I test these new features?[/h2]
If you’re already in the beta program for Diplomacy, then you don’t have to worry about anything. Live Games and Replays have automatically been added to the beta for you.

For everyone else, the only beta open right now is the Steam beta, which has unlimited slots.

Here’s how you get in:
Open Steam > Right-click Polytopia > Choose “Properties” > click “Betas” > Use the beta access code “TestDiplomacy” to join the beta!

We can’t wait to show you all that we have in store for the future! We’ll be adding more to both these new features and to the beta as a whole, so expect bug fixes and balance passes for Diplomacy very soon.

And yes, the changelog:
- Added "Live Games"
- Removed 5 minute timer
- Added Replays
- Additional bugfixes and improvements

-Zoythrus