The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
Preview
The settlers return in yet another sequel
by Marcus Mulkins
previewed on PC
Déjà Vu All Over Again
Some games have staying power. There’s just something about them that makes the players come back for more, looking to see the "new and improved” model. The Settlers is one such series, as is Civilization, Caesar, Patrician, and SimCity, to name just a few. Each of these retains a very high percentage of loyal players, and with each rendition they attract more fans. The Settlers has a somewhat better track record than most. There have been a total of 6 sequels (if you count one remake) and several add-ons to the various versions.
That’s actually quite a bibliography for what is in essence a simple concept of 1) starting with a Treasury with sufficient funds to cover startup costs. This may or may not include an amount of critical resources. 2) Pick a location on the map to start your city. 3) Build some basic housing to attract some citizens (settlers). 4) Locate sources of critical resources such as stone and timber and food. 5) Optimize roads for efficient resource harvesting and processing. 6) Build structures that utilize the harvested resources. 7) Build structures that improve the economy, promote the cultural growth of the population, and defenses to protect what you’ve built. 8) Repeat steps 3-7 as many times as necessary to evolve the community into a metropolis.
Did I miss anything? I think that list pretty much describes most of the citybuilding games, all editions, volumes, versions, and expansions.
So, what keeps people coming back for more? My theory is that it’s predominantly the improved eye candy (i.e. better graphics). And there’s usually an improved, more intuitive interface. Maybe a few additional twists to the storyline, or maybe a new spin on game mechanisms such as combat. Perhaps there’s a novel "new" idea, like the introduction of "Heroes" or "Specialists", which will have a significant impact on certain kinds of game situations.
The truth is, the bottomline reason is that the manufacturer wants to make money, and in the series, he knows that good sales are pretty much guaranteed. And because of the track history of the series, he knows from voluminous feedback from the fans of the series what kinds of things need to be tweaked or added to persuade the consumers to buy something they already have. Only now it’s the "new and improved" model. So, be the first on your block to own the new improved Widgetmaker 2007!
If We Say "Lively" Often Enough, Will You Buy This Game?
On April 25, 2007 Ubisoft, the publisher for The Settlers series, announced that Blue Byte, the wholly-owned development subsidiary of Ubisoft, would be releasing The Settlers – Rise of an Empire in September, 2007. In the press release, we were informed that in the game the player would be able to "build lively, bustling towns in a medieval world”, that it would provide "…(a) very special Settlers atmosphere in a lively medieval game world!", and that the ”lively, detailed game world is rich in animal and plant life." Is that lively enough for you? We were also told that "...everything is...lovingly animated...", that with female Settlers appearing for the first, that "(m)en and women fall in love with each other and marry," and that "(t)he settlers' busy life is presented in lovingly rendered animations."
Ah, The Settlers; ya gotta love ‘em! (Cuz we told you to, of course!)
All joking aside, the game does have a lot going for it. First and foremost is the extremely detailed animation when you zoom in on the Settlers. The graphics here elevate the game to a whole new level of eye candy. Zoomed in, you’ll actually be able to see the ice form on a pond! (I do wonder, however, how many current just-back-of-the-bleeding-edge PC’s will be able to handle that much detail without choking. In my normal pessimistic view, I would guess that much of the gorgeous detail will be wasted when the player has to reduce his graphics and resolution settings.)
