Torpia (Review)

Torpia is an online browser based strategy MMO with a medieval setting. Players can be either economic or military based as they fight for control of the map, acquire amulets, and build scrolls to win the game.

Torpia is similar to browser MMO games like Ikariam and Grepolis. It features the typical resource gathering and combat gameplay as other browser style games but with one distinct difference, you can focus on the economy or military but you can't do both. Economic players are referred to as "good" players while the military players are called "evil" players. This focus on one area of the game creates more strategy. Team play is a main part of Torpia and each team or alliance is called a Brotherhood. In Torpia you really need to work with other players to accomplish the goal of the game which is to collect amulets that are scattered around the game map and use them to build scrolls. The team that finds all the amulets and builds the scrolls wins the game and the server resets. Along the way players will use economic production and military conquest to achieve this goal.

Good Players In Torpia

The economic side of the game is handled by the “good” player. They build mines, farms, lumber mills, and produce game items such as weapons. They can trade with both evil and good players after they build trading carts in the game. Good players cannot build military units but they can use defensive walls and a town watch to protect their town from attacks. Good players can station evil troops in their towns for extra protection in exchange for resources or weapons they have produced so evil players can equip advanced troops. They cannot participate in combat of any kind within the game except when they have evil players defending their towns. The good player has a temple that can increase the chance of finding an amulet for the construction of scrolls. Good players can build chapels to attract more villagers to their growing towns.

Evil Players In Torpia

The goal of the evil player is to use military conquest to conquer other player towns. The evil player can build basic structures but they need gold and iron from good players to advance in the game. These players are strictly militaristic and can build bandit camps, stables, archery ranges, military academies, and siege workshops. Evil players cannot create any economic item like weapons in the game and must acquire them from the good player to build advanced troops. Villagers come to evil players automatically and are turned into troops for upcoming battles. Like good players, they can also build a temple that is used to search for amulets and for the construction of scrolls.

Torpia Game Play

Before a player joins a game server they must decide whether they want to be an economic “good” player or a militaristic “evil” player. Some people may find the good side to be boring since you can’t do any fighting in the game. The evil player may find it frustrating to have to trade with good players so they can create more advanced troops for military conquests. Joining an alliance or brotherhood early should be the goal of every new Torpia player. Trade is also vital to your success in this game.

Once you join Torpia you will find a very nice clean interface that is very easy to understand. The game developers did a nice job in designing this game. You start with an empty town and you can use the game tutorial to get started which is located in the far right corner of the game interface. At the top is the main menu system with all the main game icons. At the bottom of the screen you will find a forum link, and chat options.

As you construct buildings you will get a hammer icon indicating the time needed until the structure completes. If you click on a structure, you can upgrade each building from here or build a game item if you have the required resources to do so. It is easy to find the requirements you need for each new building by clicking on the town icon at the top or you can just click on an empty plot and get build options. If you follow the tutorial, you will quickly learn how the game operates. I found it very easy to get into this game by using the tutorial and you even receive rewards after each basic quest is completed. If you click on the statistics icon, you can find out which alliance has scrolls already built or find your current rank in the game world.

Game Map and Graphics

While the Torpia game interface is very good, the map is very disappointing. The towns are represented by blobs of color that get bigger as the town grows. It would be nice to see some clearly defined graphics and a good representation of the towns in the game. The map is easy to scroll with the arrows but the graphics are very lackluster and the low point of this strategy game.

The graphics in this game are good for a browser game with both sides using different graphics to represent each building. Like most browser games, there are no sound options included with the game.

Torpia Game Tips

• Take the time to decide what side you want to play. Remember that "good" players cannot participate in combat of any kind.
• If you click the fountain in the middle of your town you can write a description that will appear on the game map. You can use this to advertise resources, game items, or troops that you have for trading.
• As a good player, develop your walls early so you have protection against attacks.
• Find an alliance or brotherhood early on so you can work together to find amulets and build scrolls.
• Make use of the tutorial and gain valuable resources early on in the game.
• As a good player you need to upgrade your warehouse often so you have room to store all your ores and weapons.
• You need a settlers camp to build a new town.
• As an evil player you can raid good players to get the items you need, just build lots of basic troops.
• Upgrade your brotherhood lodge to level 2 to create your own alliance.
• Scatter your towns around the game map to increase your chances of finding amulets.
• Use the Torpia forums for guides if you are stuck in the game

Conclusion

Torpia has decent content for a browser game and the strategy is quite different from what you usually find in these types of online games. Be sure to join an alliance early on because you really do need one to advance in the game. You may want to try both the good side and bad side on different servers to get the feel for each one. I found that after some time the good side can get rather boring since all you do is build up your economy but that may appeal to some strategy gamers out there. Be sure to make use of the forums for additional guides and player help.

Source: alteredgamer