Forge of Empires

-2.73
Bad
Price: Free
Ads: No
In App Purchases: Yes

Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 16 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 11 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.94

3 votes
1 votes
Playing by Appointment -
3 / 1 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

3 votes
1 votes
Daily Rewards -
3 / 1 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

3 votes
1 votes
Grinding -
3 / 1 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

3 votes
1 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
3 / 1 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

3 votes
1 votes
Wait To Play -
3 / 1 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

1 votes
3 votes
Advertisements -
1 / 3 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

3 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
0 / 3 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 26 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 13 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-2.39

4 votes
Premium Currency -
4 / 0 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

4 votes
Pay to Skip -
4 / 0 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

4 votes
Power Creep -
4 / 0 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

3 votes
1 votes
Pay to Win -
3 / 1 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

3 votes
1 votes
Recurring Fee -
3 / 1 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

2 votes
1 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
2 / 1 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

2 votes
1 votes
Waste Aversion -
2 / 1 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

2 votes
2 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
2 / 2 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

1 votes
2 votes
Accidental Purchases -
1 / 2 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

1 votes
2 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
1 / 2 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

3 votes
Pay Wall -
0 / 3 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 18 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 7 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-2.8

4 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
4 / 0 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

4 votes
Reciprocity -
4 / 0 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

4 votes
Competition -
4 / 0 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

3 votes
1 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
3 / 1 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

3 votes
1 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
3 / 1 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

3 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 3 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

2 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 2 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 19 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 7 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-2.88

4 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
4 / 0 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

4 votes
Complete the Collection -
4 / 0 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

4 votes
Variable Rewards -
4 / 0 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

3 votes
1 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
3 / 1 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

3 votes
1 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
3 / 1 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

1 votes
2 votes
Illusion of Control -
1 / 2 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

3 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
0 / 3 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

Google Play:  (4.42) with 756,574 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Competition reported on May 10, 2024
in almost everything there is to gain, you are compared to other players/guilds. Although, for the most part, there's never any penalty in being the worst, it just gives more rewards to those on the top, which consist of things like forge points (progression points.) Goods and non-premium currency.
Variable Rewards reported on May 10, 2024
random rewards, but the percentages are displayed and my rewards have reflected the percentage chances.
Premium Currency reported on May 10, 2024
for diamonds, a premium currency.
Complete the Collection reported on May 10, 2024
during events, they have many sets to complete. Some are just standalone buildings that can be upgraded and others are things you need to assemble together to create a set of something.
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on May 10, 2024
a couple of achievements/badges. Pretty much all of which can be achieved by playing casually for maybe a year or two.
Social Pyramid Scheme reported on May 10, 2024
you gain diamonds if your friends have progressed through the ages.
Social Obligation / Guilds reported on May 10, 2024
to a degree. This is an optional obligation, the social climate in these guilds vary from guild to guild, most are extremely open about it.
Reciprocity reported on May 10, 2024
trading goods. Again, optional for progression and such and is a core mechanic to the game that it genuinely doesn't feel too manipulative.
Power Creep reported on May 10, 2024
over time, there has been massive power creeping. Although, this could be from negligent game design rather than manipulative strategy.
Pay to Skip reported on May 10, 2024
can spend to speed up practically any time-based thing


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot Forge of Empires - Build a city!

Develop your own city through the ages into a glorious empire. Guide it through the ages, research new technologies, expand your empire and live through an epic story. Battle other players and prove your skills as king and warlord.

FEATURES

- Build your city and evolve from the Stone Age to modern times (and beyond).
- Develop new technologies and discover new buildings and goods
- Produce supplies to manufacture goods
- Exchange your goods and trade with your neighbors
- Discover new territories and seize control of the provinces and their rewards
- Use your negotiation or battle skills to take over sector by sector

Forge of Empires is based on our successful browser strategy game which was published by InnoGames, developers of fantasy strategy game Elvenar, in the summer of 2012. Finally, the online strategy game is available for Android as well, providing cross-platform access.

Forge of Empires is free to download and install. However, some game features can also be purchased for real money. If you don't want to use this feature, please disable in­app purchases in your device's settings. A network connection is also required.

General Terms and Conditions: https://legal.innogames.com/portal/en/agb
Imprint: https://legal.innogames.com/portal/us/imprint

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