# Facebook's Empires and Allies **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 14, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485 "2011-06-14T20:32:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/1 "2011-06-14T20:32:49Z")
Okay, I don’t expect this thread to take off, because I know most people here couldn’t give two shits about Facebook, let alone the games on there. But the company Zygna (same people who made Farmville/Frontierville/etc) came out with a new one a week or two ago: Empires and Allies. I’m hooked. It is THE best game on Facebook, in my opinion. It’s sort of like a cross between RISK and those RPG-type video games where you go against teams of things (each with their own HP), while your team all has their own HP. Think of Final Fantasy games…it’s like that… only with military forces. Very fun. **Zeriel** knows what I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/2 "2011-06-14T20:41:18Z")
What have I told you about taking my name in vain? In all seriousness, this might be the first Zynga offering I’ve seen that’s actually, y’know, a game. There’s even a single-player of sorts, although (as is typical) progress is faster if you have a broad group of friends playing due to the way mineral resources are handled. Essentially it’s a decent little resource management game with a touch of rock-paper-scissors style battles (with some interesting byplay from there being three different classes of units–land, air, sea–that interact differently (in the RPS sense) with units from the other classes). ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/3 "2011-06-14T21:39:20Z")
Is there a way to play via iphone app (like other Zynga properties) or even on facebook’s app? I spend most of my time on facebook on my phone when walking the dog. I’ve been invited into playing this game, I just don’t see myself doing this over work (That’s what the dope is for!) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/4 "2011-06-14T22:18:15Z")
> [@FlightlessBird](#): > > I spend most of my time on facebook on my phone when walking the dog. Do you worry about stepping in something? ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/5 "2011-06-14T22:45:19Z")
I have special shoes 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/6 "2011-06-14T22:49:44Z")
Looks like it beats the heck out of Farmville. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/7 "2011-06-14T22:59:47Z")
I’ve been hearing some FB friends go on about this new game. I may have to breakdown and try it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/8 "2011-06-14T23:22:04Z")
So far it seems pretty good, as far as Facebook games go. The mineral system is a bit of a pain, though. Most of my neighbors mine iron, as do I, so I often find myself short on uranium or aluminum or copper; my neighbors rarely sell what I need or buy what I have. I’m treating is as a placeholder until CivWorld comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/9 "2011-06-14T23:40:24Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > So far it seems pretty good, as far as Facebook games go. The mineral system is a bit of a pain, though. Most of my neighbors mine iron, as do I, so I often find myself short on uranium or aluminum or copper; my neighbors rarely sell what I need or buy what I have. I’m treating is as a placeholder until CivWorld comes out. Send me a PM and I’ll friend/neighbor you. I have well over a hundred units of copper for sale at any given time and I’m always buying iron (or invading Idle and taking his, either-or). ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/10 "2011-06-15T01:26:50Z")
Is there any way to start over from scratch? I started messing around with the game and made a mess of it; I’d like to detonate the whole thing and start over, but can’t find a way to do that. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/11 "2011-06-15T01:56:08Z")
I’ve signed up, anyone want to be my neighbor? Send me a PM. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/12 "2011-06-15T02:13:28Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I’ve signed up, anyone want to be my neighbor? Send me a PM. Are you a producer of Uranium or Gold? Are you a buyer of copper? (I’m trying to keep my friends list relatively tight, so as to not be perpetually expending energy on fighting off invasions =P) ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/13 "2011-06-15T03:18:50Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > Is there any way to start over from scratch? I started messing around with the game and made a mess of it; I’d like to detonate the whole thing and start over, but can’t find a way to do that. Doesn’t seem to be, no, but you couldn’t have messed it up too badly. Just sell everything you’re not using and move some things around and you should be good to go. If you sell everything, it’s just like starting over. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/14 "2011-06-15T06:53:37Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Are you a producer of Uranium or Gold? Are you a buyer of copper? > > (I’m trying to keep my friends list relatively tight, so as to not be perpetually expending energy on fighting off invasions =P) Seeings how I started playing 15 min before you asked me that I’m gonna have to go with a “nope”. Problem is you can’t get too far without neighbors or paying real dollars. I ain’t going to attack you though so don’t worry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/15 "2011-06-15T12:56:18Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > Seeings how I started playing 15 min before you asked me that I’m gonna have to go with a “nope”. Problem is you can’t get too far without neighbors or paying real dollars. I ain’t going to attack you though so don’t worry about that. Heh, let me clarify–when you get to the point you can build ore mines, it will let you know which one type of metal your island can produce out of the five in the game. Its to your advantage, generally, to have neighbors who produce different metals. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/16 "2011-06-15T13:24:14Z")
These things that start on the SDMB usually wind up with someone winning my lunch money. 🙂 I won’t have a lot of time to devote to the game, but I think I’ll give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/17 "2011-06-15T14:17:23Z")
I seem to be first among my FB friends to play. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/18 "2011-06-15T14:51:41Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I seem to be first among my FB friends to play. And next comes the, “Say, fellas, why don’t we bet our lunch money on the outcoome? It will be fun!” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/19 "2011-06-15T22:29:17Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Heh, let me clarify–when you get to the point you can build ore mines, it will let you know which one type of metal your island can produce out of the five in the game. Its to your advantage, generally, to have neighbors who produce different metals. I’m starting to get enough of each to where I can put minerals I don’t even mine in the market, for sale. Slowly but surely. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485/20 "2011-06-15T23:54:45Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Are you a producer of Uranium or Gold? Are you a buyer of copper? > > (I’m trying to keep my friends list relatively tight, so as to not be perpetually expending energy on fighting off invasions =P) I’m a producer of Gold, care to be my Neighbor? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-empires-and-allies/585485.md?page=2)