Tentlan Review

Tentlan Gameplay

Tentlan is a free-to-play resource-management multiplayer city-building strategy game. The game is executed in the historical setting of the Aztecs and Mayans.

Tentlan was developed and published by Lionmoon UG in July 2018. However, there is also an earlier browser version of the game, initially created in 2012. It supports cross-platform play.

Tentlan is a simultaneous strategy in which every action must be carefully planned and calculated since the player will have to not only defend his settlement from the attacks of other users but also attack them himself.

Despite the history of the game for eight years, the developers continue to support it and release updates, as well as open servers for new users. Depending on the preferred game, special servers are opened, aimed only at PvP, as well as servers with a high level of difficulty for NPC settlements.

The storyline of Tentlan

The plot revolves around the mysterious disappearance of the previous emperor Ahau. A newly arrived player takes his place. The player will have to lead a mysterious civilization and develop it from a small settlement to a great empire. Throughout the game, the narrative and plot features maintain in the inherent historical setting of Tentlan. An exciting part is that behind each building there is its thematic background, which the advisors tell to the player. For example, Itzel tells about the Moon Temple, formerly used in various ceremonies and rituals for the glory of the gods. Immersion in the history of the game world also occurs through the description of individual buildings while studying them. Each of them has its own thematic story about its current appointment.

Tentlan Learning System

Itzel, the daughter of Ahau, introduces the game to the player. She is a curator who provides general information on Tentlan and basic game features. This girl explains how to construct buildings, as well as the meaning of the main parameters of the city. Besides, she also clearly shows the importance of creating mining buildings and the main temple.

Ahkin is the second assistant explaining one of the critical mechanics - exploration. With his help, the player's city will grow and progress along the scientific line. He helps to understand the purpose of a particular study, and also provides advice on the consistent course of any technology.

The third advisor is Ical, Itzel's husband. He talks about the main advantages of the donated currency, explains how to use the erected buildings, as well as the troops.

Tentlan has a relatively low threshold of entry, since the learning system accompanies the player at first, explaining in detail each of the possibilities. The initial quests also help with this: by completing them, the user not only gets to know the game better but also receives primary resources and buildings.

If the player has any questions or misunderstandings about the game and its main mechanics, he can ask them to other users on the official forum, or look for an answer in the FAQ tab.

Basic game mechanics

Character customization

There is no customization of the protagonist's appearance in the game, but Tentlan allows the player to choose one of the existing avatars. There are both free portraits and paid ones. The player also has the opportunity to choose a nickname, as well as the name of the city.

Building system

The main gameplay is associated with the gradual development of your settlement. Progress happens by creating buildings for various purposes. Some of them are aimed at the extraction of primary resources; others strengthen the town or make it possible to recruit troops.

Any construction requires a certain amount of time to build and improve. As the level increases, it will take more time and resources to improve.

Tzolkin wheel

Tzolkin wheel is a win-win lottery made in the form of a spinning wheel. To spin the Tzolkin's wheel, the player will need amber stones and can obtain these mysterious stones by plundering barbarian villages. The probability of finding these stones increases daily, so it is recommended to raid barbarians as often as possible. Raids will help you get enough amber stones. If the player has an amber stone, it's possible to activate the Tzolkin wheel by pressing the "Spin" button. The spin value will be displayed below the button.

After starting, the rotation animation will start and the arrow, after a while will point the player to his reward. As prizes, there are both resources and all kinds of bonuses.

Battle simulator

For PvE and PvP systems, a unique battle simulator was made, which allows the player to simulate a combat situation and see the possible outcome of the battle. It introduces the values of each combat unit on both sides, as well as the presence of individual buildings, seasons and resources.

Changing season mechanic

The mechanics of the seasons in Tentlan are related to the ceremonies held in the temple of the moon. Moving from one season to the next allows the player to take advantage of its inherent effects. However, with the qualities of one, the qualities of the other disappear, being replaced by new ones. For example, a shift to fall adds 20% to the productivity of limestone and corn and also speeds up unit training by 20%. At the same time, in the fall, the population growth, cocoa productivity decreases by 5%, and the production of obsidian decrease by 15%. The cooldown between ceremonies is 15 minutes. However, the player can instantly perform the ritual by using the corresponding service in the in-game store.

This mechanic allows the user to come up with their strategies for the fastest and most efficient development of the settlement in Tentlan through the use of specific properties of the seasons.
In-game events

In Tentlan, in-game events are stably organized, timed to coincide with specific dates and holidays. For example, on weekends, events are often held to improve the production process passively. Besides, sometimes some events add innovations to the gameplay. An example is The Bacabs' Crystals event. Throughout the event, resources such as red, blue, green, yellow and white crystals will spawn in Barbarian villages. By successfully capturing these resources, players will subsequently be able to take advantage of unique functions, such as the ability to see if a person is online, as well as get a particular unit, etc.

In-game resources

The game contains the following resources, obtained in various ways:

• Limestone is a vital resource for the development of an empire. It is mined in a quarry. This material is present in any construction work and is also used for architectural purposes. By improving the quarry through expansion, workers will be able to mine this material in large quantities.
• Obsidian is a resource obtained from the obsidian mine. It is used when constructing and expanding buildings. Due to such quality as hardness, it stabilizes the structure of the building. Despite the use of obsidian in almost every construction, it is not in demand as much as limestone.
• Cacao is a resource used to maintain the combat level of an army, as well as to increase the total number of combat units. Also, in Tentlan, these fruits are considered an exchange currency. The larger the cocoa plantation, the more cocoa a player can collect in an hour, and the richer his empire will be.
• Corn is a vital food resource that increases the population of the player's settlement. It allows residents to keep fit and healthy. With each improvement of the corn farm, the total production per hour will increase.
• Population is one of the leading indicators of progress in Tentlan. Expanding the head temple will allow the player's people to lead a more active lifestyle, which will help accelerate the growth and prosperity of his empire.
• Turquoise is the most precious and rare resource that is donated currency. The player can get it for completing certain quests, as well as for real money.

The primary method of using all the described resources is the construction and improvement of the building's characteristics of the player's settlement. Not only the level of a building is essential, but also its location concerning the rest of the city's facilities.
Despite the above, the leading game resource is time. The more progress and the level of buildings the player has made, the more time it will take to produce and improve in the future.
All processes in Tentlan are tied to time. For impatient players or those who want to save time, the game has an in-game store with the donation system.

The donation system in Tentlan

Turquoise is a material believed to be the tears of the gods. It is the main in-game donate currency. Donation system in Tentlan is discreet; however, it allows you to save a lot of time, as well as gain some advantage over other players.

With its help, here for a while player can get protection from attacks from other users. Besides, players can also activate the growth of resources, reduce the time of their extraction, and perform auto harvest. Turquoise allows changing the name of the player as well as the clan. With them, anyone can instantly get any bonuses, resources or combat units. Therefore, for 450 Turquoise, a player can save 50% of combat losses with a magic bracelet. Besides, for 550 Turquoise, the user will be able to avoid any types of attacks on the city thanks to the voodoo mask. All effects and bonuses are temporary and require re-purchase.

Buildings in Tentlan

The player should also pay attention to the consideration of the main types of buildings, their importance and other nuances. The primary process of passing the questline in Tentlan will be associated with the uplift and improvement of all kinds of facilities in settlement. The place of the player in the overall rating and his strength also depends on them.

The Sun Temple is the main building, both in terms of its purpose and an architectural point of view: it's located in the centre, and other structures are placed around it. The Sun Temple is a sanctuary that attracts all citizens. On the inner walls of the temple, there is a cross-section that reproduces scenes of sun worship ceremonies. The expansion of this temple will allow people to lead more active lives, which will help accelerate the growth and prosperity of the empire.

The observatory is where the wise men of the city come together to conduct research and scientific experiments. Their achievements help the town to flourish and develop. The observatory is one of the key buildings in Tentlan as it allows the player to carry out the researches required for various activities in the empire. The study of individual technologies opens up new buildings, increases the population, as well as the speed of extraction and the amount of extracted resources. The observatory research window is a kind of technology tree since improvements in individual sciences lead to the overall progress of the settlement. The technology tree is very extensive and includes 15 different sciences.

The Jaguar Temple is the third essential building associated with one of the central game moments - battles. From the front of this building protrudes a giant jaguar head - a symbol of war and victory. In this temple, the player will be able to recruit troops, give them orders and control their forces. Each expansion of the Jaguar Temple reduces the time for recruiting and training troops. In total, Tentlan has 15 different types of soldiers, performing other functions. For example, spies are troops sent mainly for reconnaissance and ineffective in battle. Or Polom, who serves as a porter for resources obtained from a robbed city. The Holcan Bowman is an efficient and fast long-range combat unit.

A huge variety of combat units allows the player to build his attack strategy, as well as get the maximum result with a minimum of losses in one or another battle.

The market is the commercial heart of the player's settlement: it's possible to make purchases and sales of various resources. The market is the perfect place to find out about the latest rumours and gossip from neighbours. Also here the user will be able to conclude deals with traders and receive the necessary resources instantly. With each market expansion, it will take less and less time to wait for the next trader to arrive.

In addition to the temples mentioned above, the game has more than ten buildings of various orientations that perform useful functions and open as you progress.

The visual component of Tentlan

Tentlan's appearance immediately evokes associations with titles such as Age of Empires and Stronghold Crusader. 2D graphics from the top view. However, the models of the buildings themselves are made in 3D. The game picture can be zoomed in and out with the mouse wheel.
The game has very nice graphics with excellent detailing of individual objects, such as temples and walls. Also, the landscape of the external environment of the settlement is highlighted.

The world map deserves special mention, which looks like a map from the third part of Heroes of Might and Magic.

The in-game HUD also blends in seamlessly with the Aztec style. In general, the interface is made in the form of ancient slabs with themed icons.

PvP and PvE in Tentlan

In general, PvP and PvE systems in Tentlan are identical. However, in the first case, the battle is fought with the settlement of a real player. Second, the attack takes place on a computer-generated village of the enemy bot.

PvE is a convenient way to quickly farm resources when they are scarce. Also, an attack on the computer will not entail retaliatory attacks towards the player. Another advantage of fighting bots is that the player's shield will not fall off when raiding.

The PvP mechanic is much more enjoyable. The principle of attack is the same as in PvE: the player puts up the desired number of troops to attack and sends them to another user's settlement. Previously, you can conduct reconnaissance by sending a small detachment to the walls of the enemy city. Scouting will help assess the risks: find out the number of resources behind the walls, as well as the size of the other player's army. Based on the information collected, it will be possible to understand whether it is worth attacking and whether the attacker's army will withstand. However, intelligence is not always successful: at higher levels, a counterintelligence function appears with the help of specific units.

Do not forget about your defence, because without an active protective effect on the city, other tribes can attack at any time. The player must always leave a certain number of units in the city to protect it.
Tentlan also has a clan system called tribes. It allows players from different settlements to unite into one massive force and simplifies the process of waging confrontations with opponents. There is a separate rating for clans, where the points are counted, gained during clan wars and successful attacks by representatives of other tribes. Besides, the clan opens up the possibility of a separate chat for its members, the function of exchanging resources and sending support troops, and endows with some passive bonuses.
It must be remembered that in Tentlan, the winner is not the one who has more resources or troops, but the one who can better use his advantages. By developing cunning strategies and moves that will confuse the enemy, the player will be able to attack him at the most unexpected moment.

In-game community

Tentlan boasts a beautiful and close-knit gaming community. A separate forum was created for players where they can share their gaming experience and conduct various discussions. Also, there is a different topic to help newbies. There have also been created issues in which players lead diplomatic relations (mainly representatives of clans are engaged in this) and trade various resources. Since users from different parts of the world visit the Tentlan forum, for convenience, the topics were divided by language.

Communication is also an essential part of the game. For this, the game has an online chat, where all server users who are in the game can correspond. And messages sent personally to the user. Compared to chat, letters are sent to the player by mail, and it's possible to read them at any time.

Tentlan System Requirements

• OS: 64-bit Windows 7
• CPU: Intel Pentium or compatible
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: 512 MB DirectX® 9.0c–compatible
• DirectX: Version 9.0c
• Storage: 300 MB available space

Games Like Tentlan

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Age of Empires 2 is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. Among the common qualities are the primary strategy genre, as well as the 2D graphics with an isometric view. Age of Empires 2 will appeal to fans of Tentlan primarily by its visual similarity and historical setting. However, AoE is much better in terms of genre development.
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