Sovereignty FAQ

Sovereignty FAQ

Combat and Defense

Q: Will I see incoming Hostile or Neutral Armies attacking my Sovereign square on the Events Timer?

A: No, you won't. However, you will get an in-game mail when the army arrives, and your residents will report which player and town the army belongs to.

Q: Can I defend my Sovereign Square?

A: Of course! To all intents and purposes it is just another square on the map, but with some special bits plugged on top.

Structures and Destruction

Q: How do I destroy another player's Sovereign Structure?

A: By competing with that player for Sovereignty on the square (see the claiming guide). You cannot Siege or Blockade Sovereign structures directly. Alternatively, you can destroy the city that holds the Sovereignty - when a Sovereignty-holding city is razed, all Sovereignty and Sovereign structures are lost. When captured, Sovereignty transfers to the capturing player.

Communication and Notifications

Q: Where will emails regarding Sovereignty changes, challenges and Hostile Occupations go?

A: They will be in your Inbox with a new filter category called "Sovereignty". When the mail system is revamped, these will be filterable by town with blanket rules available.

Economic Impact

Q: My, those hourly resource costs for Production Structures look high! What can a very large, focused city produce if it specializes massively?

A: A production speed increase of more than 250% in a particular production area is very achievable and self-sustainable. More is possible with suitable supply chains to the focused city.

Q: Isn't that going to completely change the Illyriad Economy?

A: Yes indeed. It's the first book in a trilogy entitled "Whither Illyriad's Economy?". This update addresses many economic imbalances while spurring conflict via strategically important terrain and providing incentives for specialization and cooperation.

• Part 2: Trade overhaul
• Part 3: Crafting system

Conflict and Strategy

Q: Isn't this going to cause a lot of conflict, especially over the mega-food and production bonus squares?

A: Gosh yes, we hope so.

Q: Are you planning to allow Caravans to accompany armies?

A: Yes, as part of the Trade overhaul. But remember - if you siphon 9,600+ resources per hour by occupying a Sovereignty V square, the owner will know exactly who you are and may be unimpressed.

Q: With both food constraints and military production bottlenecks being lifted, doesn't this mean a City could raise taxes to 100% and support a really huge army?

A: Yes. However, currently the city must both produce and support the army, as there's no means of transferring soldiers between cities. This will change in the Trade overhaul where units become tradable commodities and entirely military-focused cities will become reality.

Powerblocs and Clustering

Q: Doesn't this system penalize players & Alliances who have built cities next to one another?

A: In some ways yes, in others no. The penalty is relatively small - clustered cities can't claim the cheapest Sovereignty on adjacent squares, so they must claim further afield at higher cost. However:

• Powerbloc benefits (siege defense, travel times) more than compensate
• Competition for scarce resources in populated areas is realistic
• Powerblocs can claim substantial territory even at higher cost
• This becomes highly valuable with future Fog of War/Visibility systems

Future Development

Q: Are there future plans for other Sovereign Structures?

A: Yes, very much so. Future structures may include:

• Standalone structures for Mana, Research & Gold production
• Crafting structures
• Additive structures (roads) once pathfinding is implemented
• Military structures (Watchtowers, Garrisons) with Fog of War

Q: What are the next development priorities after Sovereignty?

A: 1. New spell schools (long-promised) 2. Trade system overhaul 3. New City Map graphics and design 4. Quality of life improvements: reducing clicks, unit arrival times, military strength summaries, mail system revamp

Resource Management

Q: What happens if I run out of resources to support my Production Sovereign Structure costs?

A: The server will automatically: 1. Choose the most recently built Production Structure 2. Stop its bonus (applying the loss to existing production orders) 3. Cancel your Sovereignty Claim on that square 4. If insufficient, repeat for the next most recent structure

To restore function, you'll need to place an army back on the square and reinitiate your sovereignty claim. Running out of resources is manageable but potentially very dangerous.

Skills and Complexity

Q: More than 100 new skills? Are they insane?

A: Yes. However, many of these skills will feed into the upcoming Crafting update, providing long-term value beyond just Sovereignty.