Why does Evony prefer to lean towards the 'burlesque' advertisement instead of the actual game?
I think the ad campaign you are referring to ran nearly two years ago. Of course our ads target different segments (as ads usually do), and at the time we had great success gaining new players with those advertisements. Today’s campaign is far different, focusing on either social networking and battling with friends or on the strategy and conquest aspects of the game. All of our modern ads focus on gameplay, and do not include any racy images.
I feel that Age is preferred over Age II from whom I have asked about the game. Why did you bring out Age II if the public preferred the first?
I disagree about the popularity of Age II. The two games, Evony Age I and Age II, are similar at first glance. However, they have major differences that change the overall gameplay experience. Some of our older players have elected to stick with Age I. Many of our new players started playing Age II first, and have never touched Age I. That is why we have support for both Age I and Age II communities. Age II allowed us to expand the Age I experience with additional strategic and tactical options, more quests, historical cities, historical heroes, an equipment crafting system and Facebook integration. And for players who prefer the hardcore PvP aspects of the first game, there are plenty of Age I servers for them, too.
I've noticed that Evony's payment security is very tight, do you manually check every payment or is it done by software?
I can't comment on matters regarding our security methods. I can say that we take security seriously here, and are always striving to learn and improve. Keeping user payments secure and assuring they are authentic is and always has been a top priority.
A feature I notice is usually enjoyed are the amulets which are given once a day at login. Are these truly random or are there certain ways to possibly assure better items?
Every spin on the Wheel of Fortune is totally random. The amulets are our way of rewarding players who log in and play frequently, making Evony the game that it is. In addition to the daily amulet reward, with our new Toolbar installed, higher ranking players collect a daily bonus, including a chance to receive an additional amulet. It is also possible to give amulets to your Facebook friends in Age II. Just like in Las Vegas, the odds are the same for everyone, but unlike Sin City, it’s totally free to spin the wheel!
Evony is certainly popular right now, but was it always so? Are there any features that especially excelled the game?
More than any single facet of gameplay, our best feature has been our community. It is because players tell their friends about Evony that we have been able to grow our player base to what it is today. I hear stories all the time about how someone would get hooked on Evony, then they would introduce it to their friends and family. I think that is the best way for games to grow their audience, because your friends and family probably know your tastes best. Of course having a fun game doesn't hurt one bit either!
The announcement bar states quite clearly that there are no cheats for Evony. How do you ensure this rule?
I can't comment on matters regarding the specifics of our anti-cheating methods, but we are doing all that we can to address the issue of cheating. We take action quickly whenever we identify player abuse.
What spawned the original idea for Evony? Were there any inspirations?
Evony was built with a single goal in mind: make a game that would be fun to play. We take games very seriously here. We have weekly meetings to talk about the latest trends in gaming and game design. We are always trying to learn from our own experiences as well as examine other games to find the optimal balance of playability, complexity and challenge. Evony: Age 1 and Evony: Age 2 were both built with this kind of mindset.