Federation HUD
The Federation HUD gives players a few more and different options than the standard HUD. It demands more attention as well, since the default options for puzzles and choices presented sometimes have negative, not neutral consequences. These penalties for an inattentive or AFK player make it not advisable (at this point anyhow) for a player that often misses turns.
Resource management is the principal added point in Federation game play, as the player adjusts acreage and gold reserves and manages disasters and special options to keep the empire's citizens (not to be confused with subjects) happy, healthy and within the fold.
Please be advised, once one has purchased the Federation HUD, the standard HUD becomes unusable. Should one care to swap back to the standard HUD, they must contact Ultralite Soleil for a refund and re-activation of the standard HUD. Because the Federation Hud offers so many benefits that are unavailable on the standard hud, you can only get a refund if it has been less than a week since you upgraded.
The Path To Royalty
A player who wants to become a Queen or King must first complete this series of purchases that improve grounds and assets and prepare for ascension. The full path has 17 purchases at a total cost of about 400 million gold. New options presented include castle beautification, roadways, cathedral construction and the like. Some parts are multi-stepped sections (find architect, design cathedral, find location, and so on), and most offer three options for pricing and messaged outcome.
Detailed observations from several players are recorded in the Path to Royalty Notes.
Gold per Acre
Efficiency Upgrades have a page of their own.
Alliances
A new tab that replaces the Fellow tab, one can make an Ally of anyone ranking Count/Countess or above, who is not directly above or below one in their line. In other words, if we have Players A, B and C in the same line, in that order top to bottom, Player A may form an alliance with their Liege's Liege but not their own Liege. So A and C may be allies but not C and B nor A and B, presuming all are ranked Count or Countess or higher, of course. Also, it appears that there is a limit to how many Allies one may gain, 4 being the current noted limit.*
(* The Swirly Potion is reported to allow you to be able to get a 5th Ally and build another Embassy to gain another 1 gold per acre production. -Nemesis)
To gain an Ally, stand near another player. Both players must be ranked Count/Countess or higher, have the Federation add on, have fewer than 4 allies already, and cannot already be in a liege/subject relationship with the other person. Should one player (or both) have ten (10) direct subjects already, the HUD will skip the process of offering the Liege Swap option and go more directly to the Ally option. Sometimes it may take a few cycles of offers to get the Ally option. It has been found if you click NO to the liege/subject option that comes up first, the next round will have the alliance option. It appears that the need to remove the HUD to initiate this process is gone and that when one is near an appropriate Ally, the option will appear in due time.
When one examines the Allies tab, each page is for an individual Ally, and there is an option to "Send Ambassador". Checking that box will cause a set of options to appear on the next turn. One then may select between the following: to do nothing, to send a gift (worth a specific amount of gold), to send a certain amount of citizens, to build an embassy if one does not presently exist, or to break the alliance. If one selects to send a gift, they'll find that the next month they get to chose what of a number of gift items they'd prefer to send to their ally.
None of these functions allow one to directly send gold from one player to another. However, a gift of citizens can translate into significant long-term gold for one's ally through increased tax credits at census time and percentage bonuses to monthly homage income.
Breaking an alliance is difficult and expensive. It costs gold at a level comparable to building an embassy. Also, after breaking an alliance, a period of 24 online hours is enforced before one is able to make a replacement embassy, with the additional loss of gold production for that period if one formerly had four allies with embassies.
If at a later time an ally becomes a direct ( above or below ) then the alliance is broken along with any benefits ( embassy ).
Embassy
An embassy can be purchased, which will be built in the empire of one of your allies. The cost of an embassy is considerable (a bit over five times the cost of an acre of land).
Once an Embassy is built, additional offers may appear. One type of offer is for the recipient of the embassy to read confidential papers of their ally. The offer also suggests that the ally might not find out. The cost to read the papers is considerable. The benefits/consequences of reading the papers is questionable.
Embassies increase the frequency of offers to sell land at a higher cost.
When one is sabotaged, if an ally with embassy is online that ally may get an opportunity to pay for an investigation. A successful investigation reverses the effects of sabotage and causes the perpetrator to lose the same number of acres.
The main benefit of having an embassy is that the strengthened diplomatic relations let you transfer citizens without losing as many of them. You can also send more citizens at one time. Without an embassy, 60 % of the citizens you transfer to an ally will leave for parts unknown. If you do have an embassy, only 25 % will be disgruntled and leave.
Maintaining four alliances and supporting four embassies is rewarded with increased production of +1 gold per acre per month.
Festival
The Festival is a recurring game feature much like The Mysterious Trader. A Festival requires a year and a bit to complete the process. It encompasses a series of events beginning with an announcement in September that the upcoming year will be a Festival year. The fee to participate, if desired, is roughly equal to an acre's purchase price.
September - festival is announced. Online Kings and Queens get an opportunity to bid to host the Festival.
December - pay approx one land's purchase price to join the festival.
January - festival begins, income from land is doubled for the year and Kazim's Booth appears (new on Jan 8, 2012 - see below)
February - pay 10 gold to the Fortune Teller for a cryptic fortune (or to get the key to the mysterious book if she notices)
Jousting requires the donation of one acre (unless the Draught of Quintain is in effect) and consists of three one-on-one matches over the course of the entire Julie Apocalypse Memorial Tournament. Victory in three matches earns a substantial purse of gold, a gold bar and bonus citizens for each entrant who accomplishes it.
Winning one or two matches gains acclaim and notoriety but nothing else. The jousting appears to be a Rock/Paper/Scissors game with facing East giving the advantage in a tied result. Thus a jouster facing west has a 1 in 3 chance to win and facing east has a 2 in 3 chance to win.
Attendees at the festival who are not jousting often have the chance to wager on featured matches.
Should one win all three matches in 10 jousts, a special award of 1 gold per acre increased production is received. Quite a few players have now achieved this accolade. The first to do so was Jousting Queen Julie Apocalypse of Bohemia.
A new feature was seen in the Festival on Jan 8, 2012. In the January turn Kazim's Booth made an appearence. This allows a number of gold bars to be purchased (between 2 and 5 seen so far) and to be sold (only 2 seen so far).
The Abbot
Every so often (once a day or so), you may be visited by the Abbot of a local monastery. He will ask for a donation of 10% of your current gold balance. If you give him the gold, one of several things will happen:
- He will pass on a portion of the money to each of your direct subjects. These payments often total less than the donated amount (however they can total more depending on the rank of your subjects, especially if you've researched disease), but it is one of the few ways to give gold to your direct subjects.
- Each of your directs subjects will receive one acre of your personal land.
- You will receive a "warm feeling" - and nothing else. No benefit to you or your subjects.
- The Abbot may offer to translate your book (see Book, Key & Translation below).
- The Abbot may leave leave a pair of Gold Bars on your doorstep. This happens rarely, but is more likely to occur if you have fully researched disease.
If you fully research disease, the Abbot will ask for less money (5% of your total) and will always give to your subjects - no more "warm feelings".
Book, Key & Translation
One time, you will receive an old locked book from the Mysterious Trader. This book can only be opened with a key received from the Fortune Teller. Lastly, the book can only be read (translated) by the Abbot. The net result is an increase of +2 gold per acre per month. A Bronze potion can be purchased from the Alchemist to force the next stage in the sequence (ie getting the key from the Fortune Teller or the translation from the Abbot).
Citizens
Citizens are now the subject of an independent article.
Alchemist
The coming of the Alchemist is marked by the appearance of a red moon. You can purchase potions from the Alchemist in exchange for Gold Bars. The Alchemist does not appear to you if you do not have any gold bars.
Gold Bars
- Found in the weeds of an acre which is bought
- Found when selling an acre - "Fortune smiles on you. While taking one last look around the acre of land you sold, you see a gold bar."
- Won at jousting
- Being voted King & Queen / Queen & Queen / King & King at the Festival Ball (10 Gold bars each)(Partners need to be on the Federation HUD to receive the gold, but only one party need have attended the Festival)
- Mysterious Trader deal (5 Gold Bars)
- Donating to the Abbot sometimes gives 2 gold bars, even if you have disease researched. Message seen on HUD: "The abbot bows & thanks you effusively for your donation. He rushes back to his monastry with your gold. A warm feeling envelops you as you discover a pair of gold bars resting on your doorstep." (NOTE: Your direct subjects will not receive anything when you get gold bars, even if you have disease researched - confirmed by KK).
- Some Path to Royalty steps will give you 5 gold bars. (top architect in the land (+5gold bars) & crow jewels (+5gold bars))
- When you are sent any gift from an ally through the ambassador - Seems up to 3 gold bars have been seen from this method. Sender sees this text: "You have arranged to send [gift name] to [your ally]. Hidden in the box was a gold bar! It wasn't yours. Perhaps just a mix-up with the courier." Recipient sees this text: "Your ally [name] sent you a gift. You receive a [gift name]. Hidden in the box was a gold bar. Your ally claims no knowledge of if, so you keep it." The recipient of the gift receives the gold bars.
- If you already have an Ancient Potion to be purchased from the Alchemist but don't buy it, then do the mixture to receive another Ancient, you will receive 2 gold bars instead.
Note: If you have any gold bars, they will appear on your account tab, on page 2.
Moon Text
When the moon starts to turn red, and shimmer and return to normal (3 turn process), the follow occurs for anyone who has a gold bar. Everyone sees the first message, the second, third message depends on whether you have gold bars or not.
"The moon glimmers redly."
"Villagers on the outskirts of the kingdom send reports that an alchemist is headed this way. Her covered wagon is decorated with intricate patterns. She will be here soon." OR "The moon shimmers with a red glow."
"The Alchemist has parked her red covered wagon at the edge of the forest tonight. Hundreds of potions line the shelves inside, in small glass vials. Prices are listed in gold bars. You quickly count your stack: XX bars" OR "The moon returns to normal."
"The moon above glares a dull red. The Alchemist beckons as you draw near. She offers you this selection of potions. Which will you buy?" You then get to choose from a scrolling menu a selection of three vials if you pay the Alchemist a Gold Bar.
New Potion Mixtures
Potion Mixtures (Moved to its own page)
Potions
Potions (Moved to its own page)
Dungeon Quest
The quest starts after a mixture from the alchemist, to which no record was kept as the expected result would have been inert.
If you get a word for the quest and before you get the quest get another word from alchemist or fortune teller do not think you will get 2 quests. The first word will be replaced by the second word. It happend to me and didn't get a change to play a quest at all. After that it was confirmed by the emperor this would happen. This changed mid 2014 where if you have a word and you get another crackling mixture, you will generally get a gold bar and your word is still in play.
This note-card does not guarantee success as the options between quests may differ from person to person, but is a record of the event.
~@~ Feb 1290 ~@~ Remarkable! The mixture quickly evaporates, forming a delicate cloud above the flask. Tendrils of vapor writhe into the shape of letter. Soon, the word "Friend" hang in the air, then dissipates. What wizardry is this?
~@~ Apr 1290 ~@~ An interesting discovery is made in the hills of a nearby estate. It's a stone door, sealed with magical energy it appears to be a passage leading down into the earth. You plan to investigate in the next month or two.
~@~ May 1290 ~@~ As you approach the stone door, a voice hails from the magic aura shimmering over the stone. "Speak, traveler. What is the word?" You respond: [Friend]
~@~ Jun 1290 (1/3) ~@~ The magical glow enshrouding the stone door is dispelled. The voice utters, "A good memory ... or a good guess. You may enter the dungeon"
~@~ Jun 1290 (3/3) ~@~ The dungeon lies under the property of a near by land owner. She is being unreasonable and wont let you explore it unless you grant 8 acres of your land to her. Will you pay it. PAYED 8 ACRES
~@~ Jul 1290 (2/6) ~@~ You transfer 8 acres of land to the land owner. Now you have free access to the dungeon. The stone door swings open and your party of adventurers dives in...
~@~ Jul 1209 (3/6) ~@~ Your expedition is in the anti chamber of the dungeon, there are 3 exits from this room which way do you go. ( 3 options)
Options:
[Left]
[North East]
[Down the staircase]
Chosen:
[Down the staircase]
~@~ Aug 1290 (1/6) ~@~ Your chosen direction leads into a room full of treasure. You and your party stuff your packs with gold and silver jewelry worth at least 50,000,000 gold. Your adventure continues.
~@~ Aug 1290 (3/6) ~@~ A hideous crone bars your path. She warns you away from the dungeon, saying she has foreseen your doom. She offers a tarot reading to prove her claim. It will cost 25,000,000 g. Pay it?
~@~ Sep 1290 (1/6) ~@~ The crone accepts your tithe of 25,000,000 gold. She produces a deck of the Major Arcana. She enters a trance and mutters a few words. Finally she draws one card.
~@~ Sep 1290 (3/6) ~@~ The crone reveals a card. It is The Star. The crone is left starstruck, angered at your good fortune. She stomps away, muttering to herself. You continue on.
~@~ Sep 1290 (4/6) ~@~ A group of Orcs jumps your party! Their fearsome fangs drip with rancid blood. What action will you take?
Options:-
[Full charge into the enemy]
[Fight dirty]
[Run past the enemy]
[Rely on magic]
[Rely on steel]
Chosen: [Rely on steel]
~@~ Oct 1290 (1/5) ~@~ You move your warriors to the front, and set to battle. Though the enemy fights tooth and nail, your steel is stronger. You prevail, finding treasure worth 17,000,000 gold, Your adventure continues.
~@~ Oct 1290 (3/5) ~@~ The way is blocked by an ornate round seal, covered with gems. At the centre is a yellow crystal with a slot for a key. What action will you take?
Options:
[Bash it down]
[Unlock with magic]
[Align the crystals]
[Pick the lock]
Chosen: [Align the crystals]
~@~ Nov 1290 (1/4) ~@~ You've notice a pattern on the seal that matches the gems on its surface. By rotating the center, you align the crystals and the seal springs open! You found the deed to 3 acres of land, and you continue on.
Edit by Solution Spyker: Aligning the crystals Failed - "For a moment you thought you saw a pattern on the seal that would allow you to align the crystals and open the door. However you were wrong and the seal remains shut forever. Your adventure ends here."
~@~ Nov 1290 (2/4) ~@~ You group is attacked by a pack of Drakes! Their leathery wings beat the air in fury. What action will you take?
Options:
[Fight dirty]
[Run past the enemy]
[Full charge into the enemy]
[Rely on magic]
[Rely on steel]
Chosen: [Run past the enemy]
~@~ Dec 1290 (1/5) ~@~ Your group runs forward with haste. By the time the enemy realizes it, you're long gone. You've made it safely to the next step of your adventure, but you can't help wondering what treasure could be won.
~@~ Dec 1290 (3/5) ~@~ You enter a vast lair at the dungeon's end. Guarding the treasure is a Red Dragon. What action will you take?
Options:
[Enter combat]
[Fight dirty]
[Retreat]
[Bribe with 80,000,000 gold]
Chosen: [Enter combat]
~@~ Jan 1291 (2/5) ~@~ Success! The dungeon's treasure lies at your feet. You receive 120,000,000 gold, 9 gold bars, 2 acres of land, a blue potion, and a Draft of Quintain. You also earn 1 gold per acre forevermore
~@~ Jan 1291 (5/5) ~@~ Sent to all HUD's. LET IT BE KNOWN, THAT KING TOOHEY PANEER OF QUID TEMPUS HAS EMERGED VICTORIOUS FROM A MOST DANGEROUS DUNGEON QUEST, VANQUISHING THE MENACING BEAST WITHIN. HAIL TO THE HERO!!
After the event Ultralite Soleil confirmed that Toohey Paneer was indeed the first person to complete the Dungeon Quest 29th July 2013