Hey, i am looking for a niche game that i have faint memory of.

Platform(s): PC possibly run on Win 98 or XP

Genre: Strategy/Management that focused on sliders. More kind of a waiting game.
Estimated year of release: 1998-2005. I acquired if from a magazine that has no archives unfortunately. It could have been a shareware game.

Graphics/art style: Pixel graphics aiming somewhat to semi-realistic. Not minimal. I believe main game-play screen had a visible city at the top of the screen that was growing. With night and day cycle. At the bottom there were categories of citizen occupation: cradle for creating people, farmer for food, researches for research and warrior for fighting power, possibly a wizard or miner for magic power. Each one had a slider (or required clicking +x and was set in stone) how many of new people are assigned to given occupation.

Background of the city was changing depending on the # of citizens, this was akin to next levels and progression. It was as if the city was traveling through worlds.

Game was set in medieval times (possibly with magic, don't remember) with Arthurian style (but Nordic might fit as well).

But it's important to note that game was tiny and had little to no requirements on the system.

Notable characters: I believe none, it was about a city.

Notable game-play mechanics: Waiting and distributing free population to occupations managing enough people grow for future events, feeding everyone while teching up all the time. Possibly there were some events.Other details: I remember that tech was represented as a "lit" light bulb.

There might have been some events that were occurring as notifications and some enemies to fight.

Game-play loop was similar to Despotism 3K - where you manage your population but without any prestige.

I can post a simple image of game screen as i used to remember it.

Another clue, i believe this was distributed as shareware on CD-ROM with one of Młody Technik magazine.

So it wasn't one of the Heroes of Might & Magic games?

Unfortunately not even close. It was more focused on a single town, without aspect of developing a given buildings (i think). If combat was present it was super super simplified. Here i attach a game screen i can remember. There might be something more on the screen but i can't recall right now.

Farmers and Babies are examples of either buttons or sliders - not sure. City graphic was way more simple.

Another day, another chance it might get solved. Bump.

What was the exact name of the magazine you mentioned in your first post?

This was a polish magazine Młody Technik. They had several issues that contained a CD. Unfortunately i have browsed archives and only pdf files are available and they were not listing the contents of said disk. What might be a good clue is that games were either shareware or free-ish. I remember that games included on those disks were: Battle for Wesnoth or ShadowFlare. Both game were free! So the one i am looking for also should have been available for free (at least trial/first episode as with ShadowFlare).

Looking at the setup of your post, I assume you already know about this site:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tipofmyjoystick/

https://www.reddit.com/r/tipofmyjoystick/comments/64i787/psa_a_guide_to_better_results/

In the (highly unlikely?) case that you do not know that site - you should definitely give it a try.

Maybe you can find it in other gaming magazines, for instance, Świat Gier Komputerowych or Click!, which might have had it on their cover CD as well?

Genesia/Ultimate Domain, 1993 game with 1994 ports and CD-ROM edition re-release in 1995:
https://youtu.be/-HcA7kYXInU

Reminds me of Lords of the realms

Sliders often used for taxes, recruiting people, farmers, etc etc.

Go figure it's here too..

https://www.gog.com/en/game/lords_of_the_realm_royal_edition

Thank you for so many replies! I have already created two threads with no feedback or interest. I have already checked archive lists of popular magazines i used to buy. It appears it was in "Młody Technik" Unfortunately no.

And not this one.

This seems to have similar game play loop but not this one.

I will check out this game as they look fun. Game i am looking for did not have an isometric or 2d top down view. City was just a simple representation of the # of people.

After browsing fantasy/strategy/simulation on https://www.myabandonware.com/ and a few sites i am slowly thinking that this game was pure imagination. But it was not, was it?

The mind is very well known to play tricks with those that accompanied it over the years. Relations become darkened by only remembering the bad times. Foul deeds of the emotional variant tend to be coloured with a golden eyed periphery so thou shall not be remembered as a bad bad person. by yourself

And the same goes for medieval gaming experiences that could have been more clouded with the child's happy faced, grasshopper green then the intelligent observant being that is with us today, asking his question of sweet meadows and holy ale.

Lords of the Realm was the first game i thought of. I played that one extensively in my younger years. Mostly as demo that came with a magazine.

This might be another one, though i only know it from hear say.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/dd_stronghold_kingdom_simulator

Maybe it's The Kings of the Dark Age from 2005?
There is a demo (which I couldn't run), and I don't know if it has a day/night cycle.

https://www.mobygames.com/game/68968/the-kings-of-the-dark-age/screenshots/

Interesting take! Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately, those are not the games i am looking for. They had WAY less graphical side. Game was tiny as in several mb and had little to no requirements as it run on my ancient Win 98.