The Settlers 7 Preview

[Bawheidbob]

Ok the original was one of my favourite games i lost hours and hours watching my little men cut trees but the squeals all got too complicated for my simple brain. This sadly will most likely fall into the later category once again but none the less you guys may be interested

The Settlers 7 Hands-on - PC Preview at IGN

[Drac]

I didn't even know they made Settlers 3, 4, 5 or 6.

[Reoh]

I have one of them around here somewhere, or was that cultures? Shrug. Someone bought it for me.

[Sp!at]

Settlers 2 was the version I truly loved. Since that version I feel they lost the plot some-what and tried to make it something that removed it from the simple charm of the first versions.

On first look this new version appears interesting and the different approaches to the game-play could be a lot of fun.

[[Silencer]]

I agree with ya there Splat, for both 1 & 2.

Fond memories with Settlers 1 on the Amiga 500, and Settlers 2 ease of (split screen) multi-player for the PC. Not to mention the fun you can have with the introduced catapults!

[Sp!at]

I bought this yesterday and have to say it looks quite impressive (if you can get past the bloody UbiSoft DRM).

It is probably the simplest version to play as it by-passes much of the old micromanagement. The biggest change when comparing it back to older versions is that the map is now made of pre-defined regions. Instead of getting soldiers to establish guard-posts to secure territory you now need to conquer or bribe the neighbouring regions. Each region has its own set of resources so you need to plan ahead on what you want to do.

You don't search for ore by sending out geologists. The mines are already there but you need to secure the region it is in. This leads to faster game-play. Buildings now have expansion slots. For example, if you want to cut wood, hunt for game, fish etc, you first need to build a lodge and then use one of the expansion slots for the fisherman etc. Nice idea as it keeps everything neat and compact.

The old hap-hazard army and battle model is gone. Even in beloved version 2 this seemed awkward but the new version looks very good. You can setup guardhouses at choke-points and these need to be taken before you can conquer the province. But normal infantry can't capture guard-houses so you need specialists within the army to succeed.

Basically, in all areas, micromanagement has given way to strategy. The game itself also plays quite quickly and has a good time balance.

The only negative the DRM. Quite often the game simply won't start because it is having connection issues with UbiSoft. This is really really frustrating and at one point after purchasing but not being able to play I was considering returning it. Luckily I did eventually manage to play it and can see that the game itself is excellent.

Strongly recommend this one.

[hadrian6616]

Cheers for the review Sp!at. .

[Bawheidbob]

Thanks for that i wish Ubisoft would dump this silly protection but it is here to stay i think.

Think i am going to get this one though thanks for the short write up

[astrospud]

YEah I remember the old Amiga version - played it to death! Also bought 3 a few years ago.
That one had me going "meh"...
Bought 7 a couple of days ago and still nutting it out.
Thanks for the review Splat. I need to learn proper urban planning and think ahead if I'm going to get any good at it...

[Sp!at]

Oh, this just gets better and better.

Tried my first skirmish game today against the AI. The premise with multiplayer and skirmish games is that it is a race to achieve a set number of victory points. You get points for all sorts of things and the game can change on its head in an instant. For example, you get a point for having the most residents, taking specific regions, setting up a special trade route, gaining the most prestige, etc.

So it isn't a battle to the death which can get drawn out and become boring. Instead it enhances the strategic approach and keeps the game short and lively. Now the pre-release marketing video makes sense! It can turn on its head that quickly and there are many ways to achieve a victory. This aspect reminds me a lot of the board-game 'Settlers of Catan' if any have played that.