In recent years the MMO genre has concentrated on a few areas. Most games that have come out have been role-playing games with some empire building added into the mix. For die-hard RPG fans, like myself, this is a good thing. But what about other gamers? Where do they go? Time of Defiance is a unique new game that is trying to expand the MMO experience for players. It is an entertaining game that tries to bring MMOs to the turn-based strategy genre.

When you start Time of Defiance you are a new empire that is just beginning its life in a complex world. The universe of Time of Defiance is ruled by islands players can capture, colonize, and mine. Resources are a valuable commodity that cannot be wasted. Once you have mined out an island, that’s it. In order to preserve your empire and expand your power, you need to expand your territory. Each island in the game has a different amount of the basic resources available: wood, water, metal, stone, coal, and moss. These resources are the components you need to fuel your ships and construct new ones. Some islands are large enough to support new colonies with their own harvesters. Some islands are too small. To get at the precious resources in these islands the player needs to construct harvester ships and send them in.

There is a small catch to Time of Defiance: every enemy you face is another player. This leads to a higher difficulty rating for the game. As always, some humans are worse than computer AI’s as they learn the system. And some players are much, much better than a computer could ever hope to be. Diplomacy is important in Time of Defiance, just as much as having a military force capable of defending your territory. You need to know when to fight and when to talk. (And, of course, when to run away.)

Time of Defiance has the feel of a turn-based game. Construction of units or buildings is measured in minutes. Traveling between islands can also take quite a bit of time. This is a good thing, though. Time of Defiance is a complicated game and there is quite a bit for players to do. Ordering construction, managing exploration, and controlling trade with the Eighth House, which is part bank and part trading outpost. Unlike turn-based online games of the past, you start out with a small amount of options because you only have so many buildings and units. As time goes on you can get more “turns” as your empire expands. The slow pace is great for casual gamers and prevents the die-hard players from logging on when someone else is not on to defend themselves and completely destroying their empire in a few short minutes.

Time of Defiance is also a finite game. Each “game session” that a player belongs to has a designated endpoint a few weeks away. At that point there is a winner … and everyone else. This is a good thing, in my opinion, because there are going to be times when players end up in a bad starting position. Rather than being punished indefinitely there is always an “end game” waiting. It also keeps people from becoming complacent. The game allows players to restart their empire somewhere else if they get completely wiped out by a hostile player, so individuals don’t need to worry about spending their money on a subscription and then being “killed” and have nothing to do with the game.

Time of Defiance brings new life into an old genre of multiplayer empire building. With the longer construction and travel times, this game allows the casual and the die-hard players to interact without punishing the casual players. It has solid game-play, good graphics and good sound. If you are interested in an online world where you have to build an empire from the ground up, Time of Defiance might be for you.

Tips:

When you start your game there is something you should set up on every island you can: A Q-Net transmitter. Normally you have to ferry resources around in transport vessels. This takes time and fuel. A Q-Net transmitter will “beam” resources directly to a receiving station without using a transport. It takes time, but is more efficient.

The Eighth House has the option to buy vehicles, resources, and information. Before declaring war on someone, check the intelligence sale to find out exactly how strong they are.  Its not wise to declare war on a super-power…

Gameplay: 8.0

Time of Defiance is a solid game with a lot of potential. The interface takes a little getting used to, but once you do things flow fine.

Graphics: 8.5

The graphics in Time of Defiance are good. I played for hours and never had any issues with slowdown while my computer rendered the 3D world. Even combat with 10+ ships involved was crisp and clear. The game objects, like ships and islands, look nice. Time of Defiance is not the most graphically stunning game I’ve ever played, but for its level of excellence it doesn’t have any drawbacks. That’s a definite accomplishment in my book.

Sound: 8.0

The sounds in Time of Defiance were well done - everything from hearing combat to the electronic voice telling you when things were complete. The background music is also good. This is one of the few games I’ve played that had me wondering who created the music. I don’t have a burning desire to go get the soundtrack, but I’d like to hear more of their work.

Difficulty: Med/Hard

The game is about average on the learning curve. Understanding the system for mining, constructing, moving materials around, and fighting is a moderate curve. The higher difficulty is in fighting off other players. Every enemy you face is a human opponent. They might not be very good, or they might be a genius…

Concept: 8.0

I’ve seen complex, empire-based games done before. Most of those were created during the text-only “mud” days. Time of Defiance is a far better version of those games than I have seen. Period. It opens the door for players to try hundreds of different things.

Multiplayer: 8.0

The entire game of Time of Defiance is based around playing against other human beings. With options for trade, diplomacy and war, Time of Defiance definitely takes advantage of this. There is also a thrill that you cannot get fighting against an AI. Humans are much harder to play against. (And that’s why its so much fun.)

Overall: 8.1

Time of Defiance is a fun game. I spent hours tinkering with the game just to find all the options and explore them. It has a good design and good graphics. The player-versus-player design is great. Finally, it is a game that casual gamers and die-hard players can enjoy together.