Batheo

Batheo is a browser game (MMO-SLG) in a strategy/role-playing game hybrid based on Greek mythology and western folklore. It is developed by Power Host Technology Limited and published by ClapAlong. The game went through several beta testing phases before officially launching December of 2010. Batheo was republished to an English speaking audience due to its success in China as Ao Shi Tian Di which was based on Ancient China’s Three Kingdoms era. A localized version of Ao Shi Tian Di is published by Koramgame under the name Dynasty Saga.
Batheo is free-to-play with the implementation of microtransactions like in many other browser games. The game does not require any client download and is played through an internet browser that’s compatible with Macromedia Flash Player. Players can purchase “Claps”, credits that can be used to convert into gold within Batheo. Gold allows players to accelerate the process of training heroes, upgrading buildings, and eliminating the cool-down to various actions within the game. Those who purchase enough gold gain access to VIP services which grant extra perks.
Gameplay
“Batheo” is a Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) Game which requires players to log-in before entering and playing. The game is on-going which allows players to interact with one another even when the other player is not logged on. The game follows a semi-linear, map-based narrative where the players travel across the major events of greek mythology as well as various folklore while battling major figures. Some of the paths are forked and allows the players to choose which map to go through first, if at all. The player progresses through battles by economizing their own city and fortifying their armies and heroes with equipment, training, and upgrades. The strategy aspect lies within the management of resources, battle formation, and decision making while elements of Role-playing games such as leveling up, open-ended gameplay, fulfilling quests, and player interactions such as group battles and player versus player actions are implemented. In terms of the open-ended aspect, players are able to put their focus anywhere they want and still progress through the game. If the player likes to battle more, they would focus on hero training and attacking other players. A player can choose to be more passive and work towards getting through the map narrative as quick as possible and would put efforts into managing currency, upgrades, and hero training. The player’s ultimate goal is for the player themselves to decide.
Economy system
The majority of the game is based on managing the time, resources, and priorities of building a stronger army. A player can upgrade buildings, train heroes, contribute to a league, enhance equipment, strategize battle formations, take on quests, invest in prosperity, research in technology, and anything else that would benefit in winning battle. Resources are acquired by seizing farmlands for crops, silver mines for drachmas (currency used for upgrading buildings, enhancing weapons, and other services), taxing the population for drachmas and gold at certain chances (used for reducing cool-down times), and laurels (used for technology research and accelerated hero training). Any actions, such as upgrading, go through a cool-down phase before the same action can be performed again. Gold can be used to reduce the cool-down to zero and allow the player to repeat the action.
Combat system
Combat in Batheo is launched and not controlled. The outcome of a battle is solely dependent on equipment, stats, formation, and chance. In this manner, the combat is reliant on the player’s strategy and the army’s growth. Equipment on a hero affects their damage, guard, magic, faculty (size of army), magic defense, and specials. A hero’s level can be raised by training their troops in the “training ground” and affects all the stats of a character: the higher the hero’s level, the stronger the hero’s army. Formation is the one thing the player can manipulate to determine the outcome of a battle. Certain formations grants the heroes more attack power, more defense, etc. By placing heroes of higher defense in the front, the player can focus on increasing the damage the hero in the back of the formation without having to worry too much about defense. When the player is prepared to fight, they can choose to launch an attack on a Non-playable character (NPC) or legion on the narrative map to progress through the story, seize a silver mine or farmland from NPCs or other players, attack a player from another faction, attack a player within one’s faction and city to colonize the player, or participate in large scale wars. When a battle begins, the player will be prompted to a graphical scenario between their heroes against the enemy. If the player has fought the enemy before, they can skip the fighting sequence and see the result immediately.
Currency/Point System
Batheo has six distinct in-game currency/point systems that are used differently.
Drachmas are the basic in-game currency that’s earned through fulfilling quests, mining silver, and taxing one’s people. Drachmas are used for upgrading buildings, training heroes, contributing to league technology, enhancing equipments, buying equipment, buying crops, and commissioning merchants. The maximum capacity for drachmas can be increased by upgrading the “silver vault” building.
Laurels are like battle points and used for many combat related upgrades. Laurels are gained through winning battles against NPCs on the narrative maps and by fulfilling “daily quests.” Laurels are used to “fast track” or gain extra experience points for heroes in training, improving a hero’s attributes and upgrading a technology
Gold are rare and special within Batheo. It is used for accelerating the process of training heroes, bringing the cool-down of an action to zero so that the action can be done again immediately, and for upgrading aides, capacity for training grounds, chest space for items, and the level of one’s league badge. Gold is acquired by rare chances during a “levy” or taxation of drachmas. One can also purchase “claps” and convert them into gold as part of the micro-transaction model for the free to play game.
Faculty is the number of men available for battle. It is listed as the amount the player currently has on hand out of the maximum amount of soldiers a player’s faculty can hold on user-interface on top of the screen between “gold” and “laurels”. The maximum capacity in the faculty can be increased by upgrading the “barracks” within the city. A player’s faculty can be replenished by conscripting soldiers by consuming crops or by conscripting volunteers. The amount of soldiers goes down in number when battling NPCs and players. The amount lost depends on the battles and the size of each army. Players cannot go into battle if the amount of soldiers in the faculty drops down to zero.
Crops are gathered by seizing a farmland or by purchasing them from the market. Crops can be used to conscript soldiers into one’s faculty and can also be sold in the market for higher prices to make a profit. The maximum capacity of crops can be increased by upgrading the “granary” building. The crops price changes every half hour which allows players to buy crops for low prices and sell them at high prices for a profit.
Prestige points are experience points for a player’s title. Gaining prestige points raises a player’s title and grants the player a daily salary of Drachmas; the amount determined by the rank in title the player stands in. Prestige can be gained through levy events, contributing laurels, and by investing drachmas for prestige and prosperity within an area.
League System
Players can create or join a league which acts as a guild within Batheo. Being in a league and contributing in game currency “drachmas” grant players extra perks such as receiving more drachmas per levy (tax). A player can contribute towards raising the member capacity, levy contribution, the rate of currency that’s brought in with each levy, increase in farmland yields, and boosting prestige rate. Leagues are also a convenient way to communicate with players who want to take down legions or participate in faction wars.
Within a league are six different titles that members are given and promoted to depending on the rank of contribution. Of those six titles are host, vice host, chief, official, senior, and junior. Those of higher ranks have the authority to approve players who are applying into the league and to kick out those who are already in it.
Formation System
As mentioned in the combat system, the outcomes of battles in Batheo are determined by statistics and chance and cannot be manipulated once engaged. Formations can be customized so that heroes of higher defense can take the front to protect healers and damage dealers in the back. Each formation preset has its own perk that helps in battle. Among these perks are increases in block, regular damage, spell damage, critical strike, dodge, elemental damage, counterattack, and defense. By utilizing these extra perks in battle, a player has more control over a situation for each unique battle.
Aide System
The aide service becomes available to the player after reaching a certain level and allows automated tasks to be executed, even when the player is not logged in. The player can set the aide service to automatically levy, fast track hero level, upgrade buildings, and invest drachmas for prosperity and prestige among other useful tasks that usually requires the player to execute the actions themselves after an action’s cool-down drops back down to zero. More actions can be multitasked as the level to the aide service becomes higher. More options become available as the level of the aide service rises as well such as automatically enhancing equipment and upgrading technologies. An aide service’s level rises when the option to “upgrade” become available and the player contributes a certain amount of gold. The aide service is a system that allows players to continue improving their heroes, city, and technology when they’re not logged on to do it themselves.
Payment
Players can purchase points called “Claps” that is used universally across the games on ClapAlong’s site as part of their micro-transaction model. The prices have changed from when it was first launched and now. Claps can be converted within Batheo for gold as to aid players in accelerating the process of upgrading buildings, technology, and items among other things. Players can choose from set amounts of claps to buy or set their own amount with a calculated conversion of $1 USD 10 Claps 30 Gold.
VIP Service
If a player purchases a certain amount of gold, they gain access to various privileges that help within the game. The VIP services are distinguished by 10 levels of VIP and are reached by buying the required amount of gold for that level. Purchasing 1000 gold grants access to VIP 3 while buying 2000 gold grants access to VIP 4 with VIP 4 gaining all the perks of VIP 3, 2 and 1 along with its own level’s perk. The VIP service unlocks privileges such as having more builders, longer training sessions for heroes, or being able to purchase more divinities in order to launch attacks.

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