Well I’ve been playing for a day now, and the game is really good if you like Euro board games :) It uses a couple of Euro game mechanics, like getting and losing victory points, and competing for technology and trading areas. Here is a review I agree with. My biggest complaint about it so far is that it doesn’t have a way to speed up the game. It also lacks some of the polish of Anno 1404, but makes up for that in the much better presentation of what’s going on in the game.
I went through the first five missions of the campaign, which is basically the tutorial. I’m now playing in sandbox mode in skirmish. I’ll play with other board game friends if they get it because the pacing is right for me. Most RTS’s are far too fast, and Anno 1404 starts with the players too isolated.
The game comes with a much better manual than Anno 1404 too. I got my manual from a now deleted link, but hopefully Steam will have it up soon.
I really like this game as well. The campaign does a great job explaining the systems, but it’s been boring so far since it’s basically an extended tutorial (just four missions in). The Skirmish mode is a lot of fun, though, and I also think the pacing is perfect. There’s a lot of information in the game, but at the speed the game goes at you have enough time to react to it without being overwhelmed. It feels like the game encourages good decisions instead of fast ones, which I appreciate.
My big complaint is the same as yours, though. It seems weird they didn’t provide ways to speed up the game because there are a few moments in matches where it drags. I think this game would have benefited from Defcon’s timing system, where all players can choose a game speed and the game moves at the slowest chosen time. However, I really like the visuals in this game, and the slower pacing gives me time to zoom in and watch the villagers perform their ridiculous animations.
I’m hoping there’s a multiplayer following for this game. I think I’d have an impossible time trying to sell most of my friends on the concept (and it’s really sad to see DRM kill such a unique and fun game). I also hope this inspires other developers to try more Euro board game style video games since I lately I’ve found myself enjoying them more than most video games.
More feedback, please! Bruce Shelley’s videos on YouTube discussing the game’s features has me interested (especially the different paths to victory in MP), and I’ve never played a Settlers game before.
The game feels slow to you? On bigger maps when your attention is split a bunch more ways in the mid-late game, it almost feels too fast to me. In a good way, mostly.
Mysterio, just get the game already ;) It’s really, really good and that’s coming from someone who didn’t care all that much for Anno 1404. I get the DRM boycott etc, but this is the first economy sim that has done anything for me since Tropico 3.
I don’t see many comparisons here to 4/5/6 or the earlier (better IMO) 1/2/3. The board-gamey features seem completely new, but how does VII compare otherwise?
German websites reported it being unplayable (lagging and disconnects every few minutes). They couldn’t finish at least one game and didn’t rate this part yet because of that.
The launch day patch is supposed to have fixed it but reaction is still mixed.
Same here but I agree that we should keep the anti-Ubisoft stuff in the other 2 threads instead and stop polluting every game thread with a game using the “Ubisoft Starter”.
Think we made our stand clear so let’s give those poor souls (damn ;) ) that bought them some space to discuss their experiences with those spawns of evil (I really, really try! ;) ).
If I have time, I’ll try and play a pub game this weekend. I really need to get in one or two more skirmishes so I feel comfortable with all the elements of the game before diving into multiplayer, but I can probably accomplish that over the weekend.
This is my first settlers game as well. It’s really different than any RTS I’ve played. Combat is still important, but it’s not the focus of the game. You’re not building up an empire to kill an opposing empire. You’re building up an empire to be more awesome than an opposing empire, but having a good army certainly doesn’t hurt.
The game is all about maximizing your use of the economic model which revolves around placing chains of workshops that pass resources around, upgrade the resources, and pass them further up the line. This means you have to figure out how to build your workshops so there is the least travel time between related workshops. It also means your consumption at each level needs to be matched by your production on lower levels. If any part of the chain falls apart, your ability to produce warriors, clerics (who you use to advance in the tech tree), and traders (who you use to acquire the ability to trade resources) can fall apart, stopping you from reaching that victory point goal you were working towards. Since what workshops you can build depends on the resources available on a given map, the game plays out very differently on each map (and on each starting position of each map).
The map is made up of a series of sectors. You need to recruit an army to claim these sectors. You can also tech up and build defenses to make your areas harder to take.
There are primarily two types of victory points: those which are taken permanently and those you fight over the whole game. The first kind have a condition like “The first player to build an Abbey gets a victory point”, and as soon as they’re earned the player has them permanently (and no other player can claim them). The second points are awarded for being the best at something, such as having the biggest population, and will switch between players often throughout the game. You can try focusing on victory points you think no one else is going after (meaning they may be easier to capture) or try to take victory points opposing players are working towards out from under them. These same principles are applied to trade routes and technology (only one player can use a trade route and only one player can research a given technology). The interaction between players happens mostly on this level, and periodically on the field of battle as well.
I agree with Adam B. It’s a fun game. Just get it.
There’s also technology that will let you see what your opponent(s) is doing so that you can try to be where he/she isn’t. Also there is a lot of pressure on certain resources so those will always be competed for I think (gold/coal/iron).
So is this game as good as Tropico 3? Is it up to the Caesar/Nile games? I haven’t played Settlers since like Settlers 3… waiting for a Steam sale… oddly have a desire to replay Black and White 2 now… hmm
Thanks a lot, porousnapkin! You and others are making it hard for me to resist purchasing! The logical thing for me to do is to wait for a Steam sale, but the devil on my shoulder is telling me to, “Buy! Buy! Buy!” since the gameplay and visuals are right up my alley.
Has anyone purchased the Gold Edition? If so, worth it? It doesn’t appear to be.
Also, the Steam store page lists only single-player. This is obviously an error, correct?
And there’s no link to a manual on the store page. Is the manual included in the download?
My manual was included in my direct2drive purchase. The game includes multi-player but I haven’t tried it. The Steam page also says you can choose a ‘fast or slow’ method of playing. I have no idea what they are talking about there, as there is no obvious way to change the game speed.
