Backyard Monsters on Facebook - The Power of Alliances

Backyard Monster Alliances

Backyard Monsters has finally made alliances official. Before, players would have to coordinate through group channels or Facebook chat. It was also very difficult to keep track of who your actual allies were. This is no longer a problem with the new alliance feature.

Kixeye, the makers of Backyard Monsters, has given players the ability to join together and launch epic battles. Gone are the days of minor skirmishes. Alliances will add a new level of competition to the game with more control, better communication, and alliance power-ups.

Creating An Alliance

Creating an alliance in Backyard Monsters is simple. All you have to do is click the Alliance tab at the top of the screen and click “Create An Alliance”. From there you choose your crest or flag, a name for the alliance, and a brief description. After that, your alliance is formed and you are ready to start inviting players.

To invite another player in to your alliance you must click on their main base. First, they have to have their map room at level two. After that, click the “Invite Player To Alliance” button. This will send them a notification that you wish for them to join your alliance. Once they have accepted they will now show your crest or flag on their base and can receive the benefits of your alliance.

It is best to have your base as close as possible to your allies. To do this, a player must destroy and claim an outpost. To claim an outpost requires 2,000,000 stone, twigs, putty, and goo. Once the outpost is claimed, the owner is given the option to invite another player to move their main base to that location. If the player chooses to accept the invitation, the cost of moving is 10,000,000 stone, twigs, putty, and goo. A hefty price, but well worth it for the added protection of having your allies closer to you.

Alliance Restrictions

Backyard Monster alliances are restricted to a maximum of 50 players. This is to help prevent gigantic alliances that would dominate every other alliance. There will still be very strong alliances, but with a cap things will be just a bit more balanced.

Players may also request to join a pre-existing alliance through the Actions button under the Alliances tab. If you are looking to join one of the top ranked alliances, be prepared for a lot of rejection. These alliances want the best and usually require you to have most of your upgrades at their maximum level.

Alliance Power-Ups

New power-ups are available for alliances and they affect all members of the alliance once activated. These power-ups have a lengthy charge time, but you or any player in the alliance may help speed up the rate at which they charge with the use of Shiny. At the moment there are only three power-ups available: Armament, Conquest, and Declare War.

Armament

This ability has a charge time of 12 days. It increases the hit points of all towers and blocks. Armament will also increase the damage of all your Booby Traps and lasts for 12 hours.

Conquest

The Conquest ability grants all alliance members a 25 percent discount on Outpost takeovers. The charge time for this ability is 14 days and its effects last for six hours.

Declare War

Currently the most powerful ability, Declare War increases all alliance members’ Flingers range, capacity, and target lock time. This allows players to attack opponents that were once out of reach due to the limitation of their flinger. This ability has the longest charge time, it takes 28 days to unlock and lasts for 12 hours. Expect to see enormous battles when this ability is ready for use.

Conclusion

The introduction of Backyard Monster alliances is the greatest addition to the game since the Champion Cage. I look forward to the carnage, rivalries, and future additions that alliances will bring to this game. Kixeye has been listening to the player base and is one of the few developers that releases games that do not require players to spend money to be competitive.

I hope other developers of Facebook games take note. There is a reason Backyard Monsters has a growing fanbase. Many other developers have created games where those with the biggest wallet is the winner. The term “wallet warrior” is becoming more popular amongst gamers on Facebook. Backyard Monsters does allow you to purchase Shiny, but this only increases the speed at which players can upgrade. Thankfully, there are no overpowering units or structures that can be purchased.

References

• All images taken from Backyard Monsters on Facebook.
• Source: Author’s own experience.