The exception is the very oldest universes that have determined players and get infusions of new players through mergers. Keep in mind that activity will always keep dropping over time unless the universe is very new. A site such as can be used to look up how many active and total players there are for each universe. What is the fleet speed, the economic speed, the research speed? What size is this universe? How many galaxies does it have? What percent of wrecked ships goes into debris fields? what is the deuterium consumption? Does this universe have any special settings? (Such as no marketplace, or a lower new player protection limit). Open it and you'll find all the settings listed at the top.

Instead head over to the Forums (Boards) that are linked from the OGame lobby. You may also see these labels Gameforge put on, such as 'Military', 'Economic', 'Balanced', etc. The oldest and the youngest universes usually are the most active. When you survey the universe list, you can see the age.

Now, knowing what you want, more or less, check out the options. Have friends that are playing? Then make sure you pick the same universe as them.And probably, you should start as a Miner first to build a good economic foundation. Look for lower deuterium consumption and higher debris field percentages. You likely want a universe with fast fleet speeds and defense that goes into debris field. Want to be a fleeter in time? It's harder than ever now with mobile devices in play and other factors.It most communities this old universe is called 'Universe 1', but maybe not in all. And the oldest one will have the best chance of staying that way the longest. But being in an active universe is always the best. It may be as if the leaderboard is etched in stone. So maybe skip the dead period and just start there to begin with. Or they'll get merged into it after a dead period. Want to be playing years from now? The oldest universe is probably still very active, and will continue as such even after newer universes die off.You'll progress way faster and not get so impatient. Want or need to grow fast? Don't plan to play long? (We hope you change your mind). Of course, older universes may die out or get merged faster. But you'll have a better chance of catching the players above you, provided you stick at it over time. Do you want to play a few months? Or many months? Or you in this for the long term? Players with supreme patience and long term planning skills might be happy with slower economy universes. How long do you want to play? Consider the long term.You'll probably get help from established players, be more likely to grow in peace, and have plenty of inactives to raid. What if reaching the top isn't as a big a goal for you? You may be better served in an older universe, as long as it is active. Unless you plan to be smarter than all of them or invest as much, you might want to choose a different goal. Many players spend a lot on Dark matter to reach the top. These give you your best chance of reaching the top. Mostly likely a new one or one that is only a few months old. Do you want to rise through the ranks quickly? Do you want to reach the top of the leaderboards? If so, choose a younger universe.Have more time to play? Can be online more often? Then feel more comfortable with a faster fleet speed. (Arguably the single most important skill in Ogame). Of course, no matter how much you play, you had better learn to fleetsave, and fast. Pick a universe with defense that goes into debris, and building a defense to defend production is basically useless. Pick a faster fleet speed, and you'll have to be online more. If you can only play a few minutes at a time a few times a day, or less, then look for a universe with slow fleet speeds and no 'defense to debris'. If you choose the right universe, that is. How much time can you dedicate to playing? OGame is a beautiful game in that it can be played as much or little as you like.Or in an old and stable universe that is still active, where experienced players can help you. If this is your first time playing, better to start in one at least a few months old to avoid that period. Are you a new player? New universes are brutal in their first few months.

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