After the open beta of Forge of Empires was launched a few weeks ago, the game has picked up its pace. In less than a month, more than 250,000 players have registered to become mighty rulers! With further language versions starting in the upcoming days, even more players will get the chance to experience the game firsthand; And with a growing number of players also comes an increase in player feedback. Because our players’ problems, opinions and their feedback are very important to us, we employ a large number of dedicated people – called community managers – which you guys can talk to. You probably already even know some of them from our forums. So today we sat down with Gordon, the lead community manager of Forge of Empires and talked with him about his daily work, his responsibilities as well as his impressions of the Forge of Empires community.
Hi Gordon, thanks a lot for taking some time to talk with us. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Of course. Hi, my name is Gordon and I am the Lead Community Manager of Forge of Empires. My main responsibility is to keep in touch with our players. That means not only providing you guys with the latest information, but also listen to your feedback and forwarding it to the right people here at InnoGames.
How did you become the Lead Community Manager for Forge of Empires here at InnoGames?
I started working at InnoGames in October 2010 as a Community Manager for grepolis.net and tribalwars.us. Later on, during the development of Forge of Empires, I was offered the lead community manager position. But before working here, I did a lot of other things. As there is no specific community manager apprenticeship so far, you could call me a lateral recruit. Originally I did an apprenticeship as an audio engineer. But after an internship in this field, I decided to go for something different. This is why I migrated to Canada and did my bachelors there, studying International Business at the Mount Royal University in Calgary. And finally, after successfully finishing my studies, I moved back to Germany. Because video games are a true passion of mine – I’ve been playing games since my early childhood – I was looking for a job in the games industry. So I applied at InnoGames and because of my language skills, got the job as a community manager.
So what are your tasks and duties as the lead community manager of Forge of Empires?
My most important task is to be a link between different departments. First of all, I am the link between our players and the company. This includes not only informing them about new updates or features via our forum, but also listening to their feedback, discussing with them in the forum and forwarding interesting ideas and suggestions to our developers. But besides that, I am also a link for other departments here at InnoGames. I am linking the developers of the game with our QA and PR guys, as well as with our other community managers. In addition to that I am also responsible for the international support for Forge of Empires, taking care of all the different language versions. As a lead, I am also handling some organizational things as well as leading all of our community managers for the game. And besides all of that, I sometimes even have some time to do a little bit of game design too. So you see, my schedule is packed with a lot of different tasks.
Regarding the Forge of Empires community, what are you especially proud of?
For every gaming community, activity is very important. And to be honest, the activity of our players is simply astonishing. It is really awesome how early and how quickly they were involved. During the development of the game and even now, we have the feeling that a large amount of our players want to take part in the journey that Forge of Empires is to us. Of course we try to return the favor, putting a lot of effort into the game and into the support for the game. What I also really like is the atmosphere in the forums. From the beginning on, we always had a great atmosphere there: it was very creative, we had a lot of constructive criticism and there is always a lot of brainstorming going on. All of that benefits not only us, but also the players themselves. Because of their feedback, we are able to fix bugs, improve the game and also implement new features that they are asking for. So keep on doing such a good job in the forum – we really appreciate that!
What advice would you give someone in high school who’s interested in becoming a community manager?
What I noticed over the last couple of months is that there are a lot of companies now looking for community managers. If you are interested in this field, there are a lot of opportunities for you right now. So what skills do you need as a community manager? I would say, first of all, language skills and linguistic diversity are very important. The more languages you speak on a good level, the better it is. In addition to that, technical skills like programming or graphical design are advantages too, but surely no requirement. And most importantly, you need an excellent knowledge of the specific game, therefore being able to speak with players on an equal footing. If you want to be a community manager for a certain game and if you are already an active part of the community, than all you need to do is to stand out in the forum. One way of doing this is for example by helping others or writing guides. So basically you need to be active in the respective community. And of course you could also think about volunteering, for example as a moderator.
Thanks for taking some time Gordon! We appreciate it.
Is there a specific question you would like to be answered by the developers of Forge of Empires? Is there a specific job you would like to know more about? Let us know in the comments!
scusate ma trovo poco corretto che i giocatori per poter procedere nel gioco si vedano costretti ad acquistare dei “diamanti” rispetto al gioco Grepolis dove l’acquisto delle monete è puramente facoltativo e non limita il proseguo del gioco, ecco perché a grepolis ci gioco da tempo ma qui sicuramente smetterò a breve……Spartiate
Hi spartiate,
you can also play Forge of Empires without buying any diamonds. They will give you some advantages in the game, but are no requirement for playing.
Il m’arrive de rencontrer des problèmes de connexion: error 510.
Ou alors, je n’arrive même pas à avoir une connexion.
Que pensez vous de ce fait?
Amicalement, le jeu devient addictif.
Hi Thiel,
we forwarded your problem to our developers. Do you still have problems connecting to the game?
you all have designed a overall pretty good game. i intend to use this comment system to inform you of things about the game that could be better or things that players (at least myself) could do without. the first major downside to the game that i found was that your resources can become rotten. this game in my opininon (especially being browser and time based) is not a game to be played all the time, I see it as a game that you check on from time to time. when someone like me gets on this game a few hours after starting the beta to find out the resources you were waiting for become rotten it pretty much makes me not want to play it anymore because i know i do not have enough time to play it the way it needs to be played to keep up with others that do have the time. like i said the game seems great but if you are trying to get all sorts of different types of players to enjoy this game then i think that rotten resources are somthing that can be done without, especially for the type of game it is. if you do not plan on changing this please inform me so i do not waste anymore of the little bit of time i have playing this game.
Thank you,
loc1018
je veux jouer
Can’t connect to this game
even when confirm e-mail address
Hi Alain,
do you already have registered for the game? Please make sure to register before trying to log into the game. Do you still have problems logging into the game.
I’m registered and comfirm my e-mail address
Connection is unlocked my name goes on top password is ok but where you chose the world (arvahall) it is always blank and gives me an error when I press connection
I even tryed to register under another neme and it did the same thing I like this game and I want to play it please help
Hi Angel,
please make sure that you select the right world that you have registered for, when logging into the game. Do you have tried a different browser for logging into the game?
I tryed 3 diff browser still the same
Try for yourself
User ***
Passw ***
Hi Alain,
which language version and which world have you registered for?
today I have the same problems with explorer. With chrome it’s ok!
Hello,I’ve got the same problem,I cannot connect to the game.I press connect and the I see the InnoGames logo and down a circle.I have waited 25 minutes and still nothing.Answer me please,I like this game so much.
Hi tormaalexandru,
we have some connection problems and our developers are working very hard on fixing them. Here are some suggestions, how your connection problems might be fixed:
1. Please clear the cache of your browser!
2. Please stay at the Forge of Empires tab while loading the game!
3. Please close other tabs before logging in to Forge of Empires!
Does it work? You also can find additional help in our forum at: http://forum.en.forgeofempires.com/forum.php
seit ich nach meiner voranmeldung in arverhall bin,stieg meine sucht nach diesem spiel täglich,leider konnte ich mich nicht für das deutschsprachige anmelden,was mich direkt im spiel auch nicht stört,nun bin ich aber leider im forum verwarnt worden,obwohl ich eigentlich nur um hilfe gebeten hab,da ich seit tagen meinen scout nicht weiterschicken kann und 2erspielte erweiterungen nicht in der anzeige erscheinen.ich hoffe,da mir die forumsmitarbeiter nicht mehr schreiben,dass ich auf diesem wege hilfe bekomme.besten dank und liebe grüsse,eure mumigugu
Hi Gudrun,
if you still have problems with your scout and your expansions, please report a ticket by right clicking in-game and then choosing support.
das hab ich inzwischen mehrmals getan,da rührt sich leider auch nix,inzwischen hab ich 3erweiterungen nicht bekommen.der scout läuft ja auch nicht,wie kommt man dann zum turm?
Hej jag kan inte registrera mig
Hi Sarge,
have you tried to register with different web browsers so far? What error message is coming when you try to register for the game?
KÉRDÉS!;azt szeretném kérdezni,hogy a játékba hogy lehet pl;törölni az utat,épületet mert másikat szeretnék épiteni.Más hasonló játékba mindig van törlö és valamit visszakap az ember ha lebontja.A törlés a felylödés miatt kell,pl;a kunyhot leakarom törölni és nádfedeles házat szeretnék épiteni.
A másik kérdésem az hogy elfoglaltam már 3rom provinciát és a provinciákba nem lehet belépni hogy fejlödlön és védelmet hogy lehet a provinciákba telepiteni.Ugy volna jó ha a provinciák is tudnának felylödni és igy a kereskedelem is jobb lenne mert lehetne provinciák közt is kereskedni.
Szia! Remélem még játszol a Forge of Empire-en.Én ma megpróbáltam regisztráció után többször is elkezdeni a játékot de nem enged belépni. Critical erreor? Fail to load the main menu felirat jelenik csak meg. Nálad nincs ilyen gond?
Kérlek írj a xxx címemre.
Köszönettel ! Dbuzso
Hi Dbuszo,
sorry for the inconvenience. As we have some connection problems at the moment, we forwarded your problem to our developers. Have you also tried to login via a different browser? Does this work?
mein account wurde gehackt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
habe mein account wieder !
I like and dont like the recent update. what happened to the tools like move and sell I cant find them anywhere. how you supposed to delete obsolete stuff to upgrade
Hi Joe,
when you click on the building menu, the move and sell buttons now appear directly under your forge points in the upper part of the interface.
Hi,
Some bug are in the games. Many times call the diamonts, and after restarts the system. The “Maney” are lost,and don’t come the goods.
This situation is to expensive.
Hi Peter,
if you have problems buying diamonds, please report a ticket by right clicking in-game and then choosing support. There you can select premium as type and then report the bug.
bonjour,
je voulais savoir pourquoi je n’arrive pas à me conneter alors que j’ai activé mon adresse mail et que mes identifiants sont bons ?
Hi ivoryum,
have you tried to use a different browser for logging into the game? Does it work?
oui cela fonctionne maitenant
merci pour cette reponse clair et rapide
where can we write about problems in game?
i have a problem reading messages, the message board is way up in the screen, i can’t find a way to read my message
Hi Andrew,
you can either report bugs in our Forge of Empires-Forum or you can write a support-ticket by simply right clicking in-game and then choosing support. The Forum you can access via the game by clicking the respective forum-button in your interface.
pourquoi vous ne nous mettait pas des diamants sans que l’on les paye vous savez je n’ai que 11
ans je ne peux pas payer et mes parents ne voudrons pas et oui ses sa la vie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
chtel byc si zahrat hru Forge of Empires
Hi Sermen11,
you can play the Czech version of Forge of Empires here.
Buon giorno,
cortesemente vorrei segnalarvi alcune lacune del gioco (opinione personale , nella speranza che non vadano contro la vostra politica di gioco).
-Per la costruzione di alcuni materiali ci vuole del tempo , che dopo tanta fatica svaniscono in un attimo se bisogna comprare qualcosa al mercato , i prezzi del sistema sono troppo gravosi per il giocatore : si potrebbe avere anche la possibilità di poter pagare per avere della merce in cambio?
-Non c’è la possibilità di vedersi nella classifica se non andando a sfogliare pagina per pagina . In tutti i gioco fatti ed in corso , non serve eseguire tale operazione.
-Non vedo corretto perdere i materiali che ho messo in lavoro.
-Manca di un bonus giornaliero di presenza.
-Non sempre vengono segnale , le case o le botteghe dove serve cliccare per poter recuperare il prodotto di essa.
Nella speranza di aver contribuito a qualcosa , porgo a voi e a tutti i giocatori che andranno in lettura , un cordiale saluto
Hello,
The arvahall site keeps getting stuck loading at 60%. This started several days ago. I keep trying and have gotten it to go through 2 times in 4 days. Not good for my production. I am using chrome for my browser. The other 2 worlds I havn’t had any issues. Also, it is hard to find where and how to send in a ticket for glitches like this. I really enjoy this game–is for shame that i’ll have to quit since it will not load. Likewise–it is frustrating to put in so much time–and then lose your world.
Thanks for looking into this.
Hi oakenwald,
we have some connection problems at the moment and our developers are working very hard to fix them. Here are some suggestions, how your connection problems might be fixed:
1. Please try logging in via a different browser!
2. Please clear the cache of your browser!
3. Please stay at the Forge of Empires tab while loading the game!
4. Please close other tabs before logging in to Forge of Empires!
Does it work? You also can find additional help in our forum at: http://forum.es.forgeofempires.com/forum.php
But please be assured, that even when you cannot login, your world is not lost! You can write support tickets in-game by right clicking and selecting “support”.
Hi Im Phil from London and when I went to log in this afternoon with my user name (above) it set me back to the begining of the game. I have spent hours and hours developing my kingdom and got to a ranking of 21 in the world and now its all back to nothing! Why has this happened and am I able to return to where Im ment to be????
Hi phil 626,
sorry for the inconvenience and this bug. Please report a support ticket by right clicking in-game! Then your problem should be resolved.
Buon giorno, si riscontrano problemi con i conteggi della classifica, mi son stati azzerati tutti i diamanti.
Il gioco manca di un punto di supporto tecnico ,dove segnalare questi problemi
I agree with loc1018. It a sound game but I also have a life. I dont mind that it takes real time to progress but I can’t sit here checking all the time just incase something becomes rotten. We have waited long enough with the real time waiting so we should be at least able to collect no matter how long its gone over the time period. And also collecting cash from huts ect should just go into the pot I spend twelve hours each day at work so that means all that time Im not collecting cash Im not making any money??? Great game guys really is but I can’t continue if this is how its going to be
Thank you
Hello:
the last 12 hour I have been producing Alabastro and then when I collect it , doesnt appear in my inventary. Whats happenned? No one has stole it .
Thanks
Hi Domingo,
thank you for your comment. Please report a support ticket for this issue by right clicking in-game and selecting support.
Started playing forge of Empires 4 or 5 days ago. Game allowed me to buy diamonds one time ,but for the last 2 1/2 days, when I attempt to buy more diamonds, only a blank white screen comes up in the middle of the game display…you can’t make money like that…Also, several battles have restarted on me and I don’t get the battle finished…have to put the battle on auto, and it doesn’t work sometimes…
Hi Robert,
sorry for the inconvenience. If you still have problems in the game, please report them in the bug report section of our forum at: http://forum.en.forgeofempires.com/forumdisplay.php?33-Bug-Report-section or submit a support ticket by right clicking in-game and then selecting support.
i can’t make another password . i want to go to another server but i can’t make another password . help me i want to play
i seem that i can not construct road anymore i’ve try reloading the game 6 time and still my raod do not build on two server…
Hi,
I was wondering would it be possible to maybe create an android app or make it playable on tablets? I think it would be a BIG bonus! :-)
Hi,
Have you ever considered making FOE playable on tablets? Through an app or online? I believe you will get even more interest then :-)