The premise of the game is very simple, such that it makes it sound like a game of Civilization. It is some-what of an empire building game, but there is so much more than meets the eye. Of course, you have your settler when you first start, with which you must find a suitable terrain to build your city. Once you've found that spot, you must build schools, farms, furnaces, quarries, etc. to supply the basic needs of your fledgling city.
As always in games of this calibur, you have to monitor your city for food, supplies, morale, and fatigue. If your city is unhappy, they won't work, if your city is fatigued, you're running a Nazi death camp instead of a city.
The game runs in real-time rather than turns, and is in a persistent world. Even when you aren't there, your city is. This adds a new degree of play, as you have to not only plan an offense, but a formidable defense, less you be “offlined” as the general community likes to call it.
Unlike Civilization, which is just an empire builder, Artifact has a purpose. With the vast empire/wealth/resources you accumulate, you have to find 10 artifacts scattered about the map. Once you find them, you have to keep control of them to win. While it might sound easy at first, finding them is only half the battle.
Established players are very persistent about hoarding, as well as attacking your position to get your artifacts. Once a single player/alliance has control over the artifacts, a timer is set. When that player/alliance has all the artifacts for the set period of time, the game is over.
The game is pretty extensive when it comes to military. You have several units to choose from creating, each with a pretty clear purpose. You have your archers, pikemen, infantry, cavalry, catapults, galleys, and transports. You also have scouts, which are a vital part of the game, as knowing where your enemy is gives you a large advantage.
As you can imagine, games in Artifact last not hours but days, sometimes weeks. This is one of the greatest features of the game for me, considering these days, I don't have 4 or 5 hours to sit down at a computer to challenge someone to a game of Empire Earth, or Age of Empires.
Because of the length of the games and the dedication it takes to win one, I wouldn't recommend Artifact to people who are looking for fast paced fun. While the battles in Artifact are real-time, it can take a day or two to get into a position to experience them.
Also, the game is free, to a certain extent. As a Freeman, you get 8 hours a day of access (drops down to 4 once you leave the beginner games), and can play in up to 3 games at once. There are merits to purchasing either Full Access, or Citizenship+ levels.
With the purchase of Full Access, you are given 24 hours access in up to 12 games at once, which is more than any one person should EVER be playing Artifact. You also have the option to create or join a clan, and participate in Citizen+ games, including fast paced Blitz games. I've yet to play a Blitz game, but they only last 5 hours and 50 minutes, so you can imagine the scrambling there.
Full Access will run you $20 bucks every 3 months. If you are interested in having premium features of Artifact, but don't want to pay every 3 months, you have the option to purchase a Citzen+ account. Here they are:
Citizen
- 6 Hours per Game per Day
- Active in up to 5 games at once
- Can Create or Join Clans
- Can Participate in Blitz Games
- $39.95 US
Gentry
- 8 Hours per Game per Day
- Active in up to 5 games at once
- Can Create or Join Clans
- Can Participate in Blitz Games
- $54.95 US
Noble
- 10 Hours per Game per Day
- Active in up to 6 games at once
- Can Create or Join Clans
- Can Participate in Blitz Games
- $69.95 US
Royal
- 12 Hours per Game per Day
- Active in up to 8 games at once
- Can Create or Join Clans
- Can Participate in Blitz Games
- $84.95 US
Imperial
- 14 Hours per Game per Day
- Active in up to 10 games at once
- Can Create or Join Clans
- Can Participate in Blitz Games
- $99.95 US
Keep in mind, the Citizen+ prices are only a one time fee. Once you pay that fee, you have everything described in under the title. You can upgrade Citizen+ titles as well, so you can start off as a Citizen and move up as you progress in the game. You simply have to pay the difference in the title.
Artifact
is a great game for those who are just a bit to busy to play Civilization, but still want to get a strategy game fix.
