Gameplay
Travian is a resource management game. You use your resources to slowly build your kingdom and to create a massive army, with that army you will conquer. The game has some time management aspects. Basically you do tasks and those tasks can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours or more. Due to it’s spaced out and short playtime, you can play Travian without becoming enslaved; it is a good distraction from everyday life that won’t be more of a distraction then what you can handle.
If you have always dreamed of being a war commander, then Travian is the perfect opportunity; you can spend days scheming and planning attack strategies in order to take down other villages. You may even have to crunch some numbers in order to figure out when would be best to make a move in order to capitalize on an enemy’s weakness.
There is also a social aspect. You can join with alliances to strengthen your forces, but sometimes it can become a problem. If your alliance won’t work as a team, then you can fall victim to defeat; however, if you corral your allies to one goal, and have a well thought out war plan, you will surely claim victory.
You pick from three tribes:
Gauls
- low time requirements
- better loot protection,
- better defense early in game,
- fastest cavalry
Romans,
- moderate time requirements
- fastest village development
- good infantry strong but expensive
Tuetons,
- High time requirements,
- inexpensive troops
There are some pretty interesting aspects of Travian gameplay, but what about the cons? Here are some you can consider:
There is no music. Yes, I know you might not think of this as a big deal, but for me I was stuck between thinking something was broken and bored. No music allows you to play your own music, but for games music can be extremely influential.
The tutorial is confusing, it tells you to do things, but never leads you around with arrows like players are used to. Organization is different in every MMO and the lack of guidance makes the game feel like more of a mental struggle; its like when you lose your keys and can’t seem to find them even though they are in your hand the whole time.
If you are a casual player and don’t devote a lot of time and energy into the game, you likely won’t do extremely well. You can still have fun, but you won’t beat many opponents without putting thought into your strategies.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty basic. It is more than stick figures of course, but there isn’t much animation or real detail. The illustrations look like they belong in a children’s book for the most part. Obviously, graphics aren’t what Travian focuses on. The biggest aspect of Travian, and the reason why it is still somewhat popular today is due to its intense strategizing.
Bottom Line
The graphics are rather lacking, the atmosphere is dead, and there is no storyline in sight, but if you can’t get enough of strategy and conquest, then you might find yourself among the few who adore Travian.