The Battle of Polytopia News

Cymanti Rework and Balance Pass Beta?!?!?

[p]Hey Polytopians![/p][p][/p][p]In this new beta, we're going to test out some pretty interesting changes, and we'd like your feedback! We've made some general balance changes, some reworking of Cymanti, and some adjustments to Polaris, and we'll go in that order.[/p][p][/p][p]Note: This Beta is just that, a Beta. Everything is subject to change, nothing is finalized, you may find bugs that don't belong to Cymanti, and your feedback does actually matter![/p][p][/p][h2]General Changes?[/h2][p]Yes, we're making some adjustments to the base tribes and game systems, hoping to make some of the weaker tribes a little more competitive. We're going to list this tribe by tribe, so you can see how your favorite tribe has been changed.[/p][h3]Ai-Mo:[/h3]

[p]Ai-Mo now starts with Philosophy and a Mind Bender instead of Meditation[/p]

[h3]Xin-xi:[/h3]

[p]Xin-xi now starts with 7 stars instead of 5[/p]

[h3]Hoodrick:[/h3]

[p]Hoodrick now starts with 7 stars instead of 5[/p]

[h3]Oumaji:[/h3]

[p]Oumaji now starts with 6 stars instead of 5[/p]

[h3]Quetzali:[/h3]

[p]Quetzali now starts with 7 stars instead of 5[/p]

[h3]Yădakk:[/h3]

[p]Yădakk now starts with 7 stars instead of 5[/p]

[h3]Luxidoor:[/h3]

[p]Luxidoor now starts with 7 stars instead of 5[/p]
[p]Luxidoor always begins with 3 fruit in their capital[/p]

[h3]∑∫ỹriȱŋ:[/h3]

[p]Polytaurs now cost 3 stars instead of 2[/p]

[h3]General Changes:[/h3]

[p]You can now research "backwards" from a T3 technology, so Vengir can get Mining and Ai-Mo can get Meditation without needing Climbing first[/p]
[p]Forges now grow 2 levels (one pop per level) per Mine instead of giving 2 pop per Mine (and one level). This is so that they synergize better with Markets. Forges are now buildable on Forests and Mountains, as well[/p]
[p]Temples give 100 Score per level of growth instead of 50 Score[/p]
[p]The cost to use Burn Forest reduced from 5 to 3 stars[/p]
[p]The cost of new Embassies increases based on the number of Embassies you have. You want more friends? Spend more[/p]
[p]The maximum level for Markets is now 6 down from 8[/p]

[p][/p][h2]You Said Something About Reworking Cymanti?[/h2][p][/p][p]The moment you've all been waiting for! A rework of Cymanti! After all these years, we're finally doing something to hopefully make them a little more fun to both play and play against. We've given them some new units, reworked old units, and adjusted their personality a little bit. A lot of the changes were to adjust them better around the Path of the Ocean content, but there's plenty of general balance changes, as well.[/p][p][/p][h3]New Units:[/h3][p]Boomchi[/p][p]We sliced the Raychi in half, turning the Raychi into a more general naval unit, while giving its more explosive properties to the new Boomchi. Want to spread Algae more effectively on the water? The Boomchi is the solution, a 5 star unit that is designed to be more expendable than the Raychi. Go, blow up your enemies without breaking the bank! You can find the Boomchi in Sailing and the Raychi now in Ramming.[/p][p][/p][p]Living Island[/p][p]The Cymanti aren't exactly the best at crossing the oceans, so they came up with an idea. "What if we could infest a sea creature and have it spread Algae for us automatically? And that's just what this unit does. As it moves, it creates Algae for free! It's analogous to the Juggernaut, causing area of effect damage, also. The Living Island has the Stomp, Algae, Static, and Stiff traits.[/p][p]Any resemblance to units that were removed in the past are completely coincidental. Don't become attached, people.[/p][p][/p][h3]General Changes:[/h3]

[p]Algae is now a tile feature, not an improvement, so buildings like Mycelium can be built on them. They spawn with a free fruit on them, and no longer slow down naval units[/p]
[p]Fungi now start at level 0 and will decrease in level whenever they're stepped on by an enemy unit[/p]
[p]Cymanti Explorers can now move on the water, just like other tribes[/p]
[p]Units with Explode can attack and then explode, giving them more punch![/p]
[p]Hexapod attack has been reduced from 3 to 2.5[/p]
[p]The Clathrus is now a land building more analogous to the Market, growing from adjacent Fungi instead of Algae. It now Poisons units that step on it, but no longer makes trade connections (since Mycelium do that job even on Algae).[/p]
[p]Poison now slows down units[/p]
[p]Boomchi and Raychi have been given the trait "Crawl", allowing them some ability to slowly work their way on land. "Amphibious"? Well, kinda? They're not exactly land-dwelling critters[/p]

[h2][/h2][h2]And Polaris Got Some Changes, Too?[/h2][p]Not nearly as extensively as what Cymanti has gotten, but changes, nonetheless. We'll keep this as a simple bullet list, as the changes aren't exactly Square-shattering.[/p]

[p]Glide now gives +1 Movement, not double movement[/p]
[p]Skate has been adjusted so Battle Sleds now have 3 movement, not 4[/p]
[p]Ice Fortresses now have Escape and Static traits[/p]
[p]Ice Archers now have 1 Attack[/p]
[p]Attacking a frozen unit will unfreeze that unit[/p]

[h3][/h3][h2]So, How Do I Join the Beta?[/h2][p]All players on Steam are eligible to join the beta by doing these simple steps:[/p]

[p]Right-click on Polytopia in your Steam library[/p]
[p]Click "Properties" from the dropdown list[/p]
[p]On the new popup window, click the "Betas" tab[/p]
[p]Use the access code "polytopiabalance" to join the beta![/p]

[p]It should look something like this:[/p][h3][/h3][p][/p][p]Note: We're using a new backend for this, so it will look like you have lost all of your friends. You have NOT lost your friends, they'll re-appear if you leave the beta.[/p][p][/p][p]And that's it! Hop on the beta, give your feedback on our Discord or in our Steam Discussions! We look forward to hearing what you have to say![/p][p]-Zoythrus[/p]

The Solaris are Here to Burn the Square to Ashes!

[p]Hey Polytopians! A new DLC has been released.

There is a war raging for eternity that has destroyed countless worlds, a conflict between two powerful foes, both hellbent on wiping out the other. That war made its way to the Square when the nefarious Gaami first made contact with the Polaris, but now the diabolical Ralmi have tracked down their icy nemeses and hope to take the Square for themselves! The Ralmi made their entrance underground and burst forth like a volcano, subjugating nearby Polytopians - the Solaris, shackling them with magic of fire and ash. With legions of followers at the ready, the Ralmi plan to turn the Square into a pile of cinders, just like every other world they've touched. 🌋 Turn water into solid lava and petrify enemies into ash. 💀 Gather bones and minerals for population growth. 🏦 Build lava banks to generate stars. ⚙️ Build turbines on top of volcanoes. 🔥 Master Heatwork to build craters. 🌡️ Master Geothermics to build turbines on volcanoes. 🚂 Surge through lava rivers with the Steam Wagons. 🏹 Petrify your enemies with Ash Archers. 👑 Dominate the inferno with the mighty Ralmi. The SOLARIS skin can be purchased & selected in the Tribe Picker Screen on mobile and be purchased as DLC on Steam. (Update to the latest version.)

Much like the Polaris, the Solaris rely on spreading fire throughout the land, using the power of their Pyros to char the landscape into a habitat a bit more suitable for their forces. And the Lava Bank can turn all those burnt (or frozen) tiles into cash.

After the water has been thoroughly hardened, their Steam Wagons and Steam Fortresses can roll effortlessly over toward their foes.

Not so keen on using ice to stop their enemies, Pyros and Ash Archers can petrify enemy troops!

Lastly, the Ralmi have bestowed their followers with "gifts" such as the Tuagama Lizard and the Igmina Crystals, to keep their military on the move and well equipped with fire magic.

Will the Polytopians survive the onslaught of two extradimensional invaders fighting a war beyond comprehension? That's for you to decide when the Solaris are released on May 7thh!

Some of the new Units:

Build turbines on top of volcanus to produce extra population.

This unit burns any surrounding tiles and units when moving.

Use these little feisty fire balls. To sneak up and invade cities.

Strikes hard and burns any surrounding tiles and units when moving.
[/p]

Xin-Xi Polysseum!

We are happy to announce another month of Polysseum! This month we are playing Xin-Xi!

How to join?

Open The Battle of Polytopia -> Multiplayer -> Tournaments. Once you find the tournament that suits you, click "Join".
Follow our Tournaments Hub on Challengermode and find your favourite tournaments.

Don't forget to confirm your participation 30 minutes before the tournament start.
You can find more details on how to join in the FAQ.

[h3]This April[/h3]

[h3]Schedule[/h3]

Maps

Week 1

Continents

Week 2

Drylands

Week 3

Archipegalo

Leaderboard scoring

1st - 400 pt
2nd - 250 pt
3rd-4th - 125 pt
5-8th - 40 pt
9-16th - 10 pt

Tournament capacity
Players will be split between up to 3 tournaments.

There will be a maximum of 16 players per tournament.
If there are any more on the waiting list, then a new tournament will be created for them (to a maximu m of 3 total tournaments)
Players will be distributed evenly based on their check-in time. So if 16 players confirm participation and 10 are on a waiting list, it will create 2 tournaments with 13 players in each.
All of this means that if you are on a waiting list, don't go too far from your device because you might have a tournament to play.

[h3]A reminder about Polysseum format[/h3]

Daily tournaments

9 weekly tournaments - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. 27 tournaments per month.
Up to 48 players, split into a maximum of three 16-player tournaments.
1v1 Single elimination, finals Bo3.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Tribe of the Month.
Prize pool per tournament - €10.

Monthly Leaderboard
Players will be automatically placed on the leaderboard once they participate in the tournament. The top 16 players will be invited to the Monthly tournament.

Monthly Finals

April Finals - May 2nd
16 players.
Live games, Might, Small map.
Prize pool - €200 and 4 spots in the Season Finals.

[h3]How to follow Polysseum?[/h3]

Follow us on Twitter
Join our Discord #polysseum-discussion
Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Weekly Challenges are Now Here!

Hey Polytopians!

If you were playing on our beta branch for the past few weeks, you probably know all about Weekly Challenges. If you haven't, let's give you a rundown on what Weekly Challenges are!

What are these "Weak Challenges"?

Haha, no, "Weekly", as in, every week we'll be giving all players the exact same seed to play with in this all-new single-player challenge! After you've played 5 regular games, you'll be able to jump into Weekly Challenges. There, we give everyone the same landmass, same tribe, same opponents, etc, and you'll have the entire week to get the highest score you can! You'll only get one chance to play it per day, so that's 7 total tries!

But why would I want to play the same thing over and over again?

Bragging rights? Personal accomplishment? Oh, yeah, LEAGUES!

There are 4 leagues that you can join based on how well you did in the previous week.
When you first play Weekly Challenges, you're placed in the Entry League. After you leave it, you'll never be able to demote back to it. After that, there's Bronze -> Silver -> Gold Leagues as well! Every week, the top 1/3rd of players will move up a League, the bottom 1/3rd of players will move down a League, and the final 1/3rd keeps their spot. Don't worry, you won't be demoted if you don't play for a week, this only applies if you attempted a Weekly Challenge. What happens if you get top 1/3rd in Gold League? You get to wait for us to realize that we should have probably added more Leagues....

Everyone will still use the same seed and settings regardless of League, but the difficulty of the bots will be adjusted per League, starting with Easy in Entry and ending with Crazy in Gold.

What else should I know about Weekly Challenges?

You do not need to own the tribe or skin that you're playing with in a Weekly Challenge. Think of it like, a sneak-preview of what a tribe or skin is like.
To keep things fast and to encourage quick maximization of points, we've reduced all Weekly Challenge matches to 20 turns. Normal games are untouched.
You'll see this little symbol telling you that a new Weekly Challenge has started, but only if you played the week before.

Now what?

What are you waiting for?! Go show us your skills, as Weekly Challenges are available for all to play!

Or you could watch this video....and then play!

-Zoythrus
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Yadakk Polysseum!

We are happy to announce another month of Polysseum! This month we are playing Yădakk!

How to join?

Open The Battle of Polytopia -> Multiplayer -> Tournaments. Once you find the tournament that suits you, click "Join".
Follow our Tournaments Hub on Challengermode and find your favourite tournaments.

Don't forget to confirm your participation 30 minutes before the tournament start.
You can find more details on how to join in the FAQ.

[h3]This January[/h3]

[h3]Schedule[/h3]