Last minute changes for 3.0

Anyone have any thoughts on what to do between now and next Wednesday, January 28 when 3.0 goes live?

Here is what I am doing:
1. I am upgrading all of my ports to level 16. Ports cost more in 3.0, and there will no longer be any defensive advantage to having a small port when the new version goes live.
2. I am selectively breaking soft caps where it makes sense to do so. This means level 25 walls, level 9 museums, and level 17 wineries.
3. I'm going to demolish my workshop in all but one town just before the new version rolls out so that I'll have free space for the new buildings. I am considering doing the same thing to my embassies.
4. I'm hoarding gold.
5. In my town that is not yet soft capped, I am racing to build up my walls and town hall as much as I can over the next 5 days.

Any other ideas/suggestions?

I've been doing this for the past month lol

I'm thinking about ditching all my trading posts except for one to free up space. I'm doing alot of the same in my colonies. I'm also trying to upgrade all my units before the switch. I've read posts where you can't do upgrades on units till you level up the workshop much higher than you need to now.

Good idea. Any idea if the upgrade costs are greater in the new version?

Do you think trading posts will have more importance in 3.0 where pillaging for gold is no longer an option?

I have been breaking down the troops I don't need in order to make some gold... When the new patch comes out I will only have about three different troops and two different ships... the rest seem to be about useless to me. I have already destroyed all but one workshop in order to make room for the new buildings. I am trying to get my town halls up to par and on the Beta server I want to have my last GR upgraded before the new patch so I can start my 6th colony there. So, I build and build... just like the rest of you!

Hello all...

Some small words of advice...I have an account on .org and have been both enjoying and regretting certain things about the v0.3 upgrade.

First off, production of EVERYTHING is boosted...for example, on my marble island I now have 434 workers producing 503 marble/hr with only a lvl 3 stonemason. The wonders all actually work, and the stonemason building shows the breakdown of regular production, the wonder boost and the stonemason boost. The carpenter does reduce the amounts you need to build, but for the most part building costs have risen incredibly high on EVERYTHING, though the building times are drastically reduced (i.e., going from lvl 10 to lvl 11 town now only takes 3hr6m instead of 8hr5m). It is taking me FOREVER to save up the resources to build anything at a higher level.

Military costs are much cheaper...to keep our military/naval minimum standard for my lvl 10 town only costs me 268gold compared to almost 1000 on v0.2.8.

If you haven't finished all researching, you will find that some of the new researches appear in the middle of the lists breaking up things you have already researched...you may have to go back and research those before you can go on to continue researching where you were, because they are prerequisites. You do not lose anything you have already researched.

My advice...upgrade everything you can before the patch...it may take awhile, but be significantly cheaper, leaving you with the resources you need to build all the new buildings...they are pretty cool if you ask me!

If you have anymore questions ask away here and I will answer whatever I can. Or PM me in the game if you are on gamma...

Talie

What can you share about the military aspect. Not so much about attacking but more about the units and how big of a military can one support. Hope that makes sense.

With only lvl 5 barracks:

Recruit Units
Phalanx
Costs:
Citizens: 3
Building material: 46
Sulphur: 52
Upkeep cost per hour: 8
Building time: 25m 2s

Swordsman
Costs:
Citizens: 2
Building material: 28
Sulphur: 36
Upkeep cost per hour: 5
Building time: 13m 2s

Archer
Costs:
Citizens: 3
Building material: 55
Sulphur: 76
Upkeep cost per hour: 8
Building time: 35m 16s

Slinger
Costs:
Citizens: 1
Building material: 40
Upkeep cost per hour: 3
Building time: 15m 13s

Cook
Citizens: 1
Building material: 108
Wine: 345
Upkeep cost per hour: 30
Building time: 2h 6m

Doctor
Costs:
Citizens: 1
Building material: 84
Crystal Glass: 622
Upkeep cost per hour: 30
Building time: 1D 18h

Battering ram
Costs:
Citizens: 8
Building material: 98
Sulphur: 112
Upkeep cost per hour: 30
Building time: 39m 50s

Barracks Building Progression
Level
1 46 6m 36s
2 107 17m 24s
3 183 22m 1s
4 278 27m 6s
5 394 32m 42s
6 539 38m 50s
7 720 45m 36s
8 942 53m 3s
9 1,219 167 1h 1m
10 1,562 405 1h 10m
11 1,988 700 1h 20m
12 2,515 1,065 1h 31m
13 3,168 1,519 1h 43m
14 3,979 2,081 1h 56m
15 4,985 2,778 2h 10m
16 6,232 3,642 2h 26m
17 7,778 4,714 2h 44m
18 9,695 6,043 3h 3m
19 12,072 7,692 3h 24m
20 15,020 9,735 3h 48m
21 18,675 12,268 4h 13m
22 23,208 15,411 4h 42m
23 28,828 19,307 5h 13m
24 35,798 24,139 5h 47m

Hi
Iv been playing on the speed server alot and IMHO heres a few tips.

Get carpenter and upgrade lots it can save you a fortune in wood when your after those higher lvl upgrades
use wine grower and upgrade in yer wine towns this can get you alot of extra needed wine.

If your not going to take advantage of the drop in price in GR upgrade straight away ( which takes 17hrs for lvl5 ) then upgrade those taverns to lvl24
if you can, when the patch hits I half expect all of my lvl 24 towns with a lvl17 tavern & lvl10 museum to go angry.

concentrate your forces, your high general score will scare of most people and 50 phallanx and a couple of ships in each town will bounce the random small pillages,
but with your major fleet and army keep them together.

If your gonna go portable make sure you get a good fleet i.e 100 paddle boats & 100 mortar ships to defend that port otherwise you might get blockaded and end up defending
a town with no wall ( unless you hide your army by ordering it to defend the town of one of the people attacking you, its a sneaky trick and they will have too leave there alliance for there m8's to attack you, but it does work as a delaying tactic till the cavalry arrives )

get sulphur lots & lots of sulphur you will be making much larger armies especially if you are an active pillager, the best form of defence is offence so you will be spending in excess
of 300-400k of sulphur just to get an army that can take on all comers.

Sorry if it goes on, its just my 5 pennys worth.

Good point about the taverns and happiness. I guess I could make troops in those towns to help with unhappiness until my taverns are upgraded.

Hey, I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but just in case no one did, anything under the softcaps are going to become more expensive, and take longer. But anything over the softcaps, will cost less. Excluding city walls, taverns, or city halls, upgrade as much as you can until they reach their softcaps. Also the update has been postponed, but no date has been announced for when it will be released. It will probably be sometime next week though, as I doubt it will be more than a week. Probably Monday or Tuesday is my guess.

I believe they have announced Feb 3 as the new upgrade date

that they have... between 8 and 10 US time... (2 and 4 GMT)

Can someone point me to where the "softcaps" are listed?

To be clear, the update will hit on 03.02.2009 between 1400 and 1600 server time (how it will read at the top of the screen).

I don't think there is a soft cap listing on any official list, though there might be a list on the ikariam wiki (Does anyone have the wiki link somewhere? I just search the ikariam main boards for the wiki in the rare case I need it.)

To my understanding the soft cap is the last level listed in the Help area for each building. I made a list of what level that is below.:
Level 24
Town Hall
Town Walls
Barracks
Workshop

Level 20
Hide Out

Level 16
Warehouse
Tavern
Ship Yard
Academy
Trading Post
Trading Port
Embassy

Level 8
Museum

If this is incorrect, I'd love for someone to let me know.
And I also understand that there is not suppose to be a technical softcap with 3.0, so this might not be the functional softcap for very long.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

Wiki link:

http://ikariam.wikia.com/wiki/Soft_cap

Yes, soft caps are going away with 3.0.