aguywhoplaysthief on 26/6/2009 at 07:27

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This was released on Steam in the U.S. a couple days ago, and I wanted to make sure that it gets a mention. This series hasn't gotten much press in America, which is a pity because they really are standouts in the empire building/economic/trade "sim" game world, and in gaming in general.

If you aren't already aware, the gameplay is a hybrid of Caesar, SimCity, and Civilization: Colonization, so if you liked those games, you should definitely give this one a look.

The wonderful thing about this game is that is focused on creation, and not destruction. Yes, you can fight and have wars, but they are almost always a nuisance, unlike in more expansive games like Civilization where it always seems necessary to blow shit up all the time.

For me, my favorite aspect of this game is the level of polish. The interface, graphics, the animation, music, voice acting, and gameplay have clearly been gone over quite a bit. The quality control that was present in 1701 and (so far at least) in 1404 really is a cut above the average PC game these days, and is something that other studios should be paying attention to (*cough* Creative Assembly *cough*).

The biggest problem with the game is 1701. That game was already very good, and this game isn't much different. The graphics are a bit better, and they added a few nice features and refinements, but otherwise it is much the same game. This fact makes me worry a bit for the future of the series because there isn't a whole lot more that they could do to it that wouldn't spoil it by adding too much complexity.

(http://store.steampowered.com/app/33210/)

(http://anno.uk.ubi.com/pc/)

EvaUnit02 on 26/6/2009 at 11:23

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Gamersgate weekend deal

(http://www.gamersgate.com/DDB-A1517/anno-1503-gold-and-anno-1701-gold-bundle) Anno 1503 Gold and Anno 1701 Gold bundle - $19.99 USD - 50% off

aguywhoplaysthief on 27/7/2009 at 04:54

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It's been well over a week, but I've only now gotten a good amount of play time in, and I have to say it's more sophisticated than 1701 if you want it to be. In the later periods the different needs that your envoys and nobles need is quite large, but if you don't bother trying to build the cathedrals/great mosques, it isn't any more complicated than 1701 was.

The population amounts that you need are incredibly high for the cathedrals, so you have to move all your production plants onto other islands to make room. It was like that in 1701, but not to such a great extent. I don't know how you would play the game with small islands, but it would be much harder I'd imagine.

Combat, while not really needed much, is very poorly designed in 1404. They made the combat system based off of base camps, and your troops (1 unit per camp) can attack enemies within a certain range. You can move the camps, but it takes time. It's very slow and boring, and isn't like any other RTS combat system that I've seen. It was easy in 1701 since you could just load boats up with soldiers and land them on the enemies island, but now it is a real exercise in frustration. That being said, it's not a major deal since it's such a small part of the game.

The new campaign is actually cute and fun until the last level - the problem is that it seems that you will be forced to play the campaign it if you are new to the series since the manual tells you nothing about the game, which is rather poor.

Overall, it's an excellent game for the creation-oriented player, and you should get it.

FYI: There is a useful production calculator that's been made by some Germans. It isn't necessary by any means, but if you have serious OCD and have to have perfect efficiency, it's very helpful:
(http://www.anno1404-rechner.de/index.php?lang=en)

Fragony on 27/7/2009 at 16:04

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The previous Anno was a real joy on the DS, it shall be mine.