The Settlers: Rise of an Empire

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The Settlers: Rise Of An Empire
Developer(s)	Blue Byte Software
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Engine	RenderWare Foliage - SpeedTree
Version	1.6
Platform(s)	PC
Release date	September 25 2007 September 28 2007 & September 30 2007
Genre(s)	Real Time Strategy, City-building game
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Media	DVD
System requirements	Windows XP, 1.8Ghz Processor, 512MB RAM, DirectX9.0c compatible graphics card (64MB RAM)[1].
Input methods	Keyboard & Mouse

The Settlers: Rise Of An Empire (original German title: Die Siedler - Aufstieg eines Königreichs), a real-time strategy, is the sixth game in The Settlers series. It was developed by Blue Byte and published by UbiSoft, with a US release date of September 25, 2007,^[2] a European release date of September 28,^[3] while the Australian release date was September 30.^[4] A Limited Edition is also available, containing additional in-game content (including statues and a pavilion), an art book, bonus DVD, original soundtrack, technology tree sheet and a demo cd.^[5]

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Ecosystems 1.2 Features 1.3 The Knight 1.4 Economy 2 Critical reception 3 Beta 4 Demo 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] Ecosystems

In The Settlers: Rise of an Empire, the developers put a lot of attention to detail, and from this level of detail ecosystems form in the game world. For instance, if in North Africa you see a herd of Zebra, you will no doubt see Lions attack them for their own food and thus keeping the numbers of Zebra down, which means they don't over-populate. However if the player was to herd the Zebra then the Lions would search for other food and this could mean that the lions would attack the player's Settlers or the rival players' settlers. So a compromise has to be made by only hunting small portions of zebra and lion in order to create a solid ecosystem. The same is done in the European areas with Deer and Wolves.

[edit] Features

The game features races from Medieval Europe (such as the Vikings), as well as Northern Africa. Unlike other games in The Settlers franchise, a lot of the gameplay involves trading with other Settlements in order to create a flourishing community.

Female Settlers have been included for the first time (Unlike the Amazons in Settlers 3, these are "spouses" that are available for all races, not a specific race), adding a number of new gameplay features, such as Viking raids for women, and that Settlers now fall in love and marry (heavily influenced by the player in town celebrations and fairs). This added a new feature to the "God game" part of The Settlers.

The settlers have various needs that have to be fulfilled to keep them happy. If they lack something, they will go on strike. At the start of the game, there is only one need: food. As the player promotes his knight, the setters will develop more needs and wishes. At the highest knight title, they demand food, clothing, cleaning tools and entertainment, and wish for prosperity and decoration. Fulfilling wishes isn't critical, but they raise city reputation.

[edit] The Knight

The Knight is the player's champion among the settlers. There are six knights to choose from. Each knight has one passive and one active ability. The passive ability is always in effect and the active ability can be used by the player.

There are also seven knight titles, ranging from Knight (lowest) to Archduke (highest). With each promotion, the player gains access to new buildings and military units, but the settlers' needs will also increase.

[edit] Economy

In terms of complexity, the economy system falls somewhere between Settlers 1-4 and Heritage of Kings. There are 10 types of resources and 18 types of goods. The goods are grouped into six categories, each satisfying a specific need or wish (except for military goods).

The player's Storehouse acts as a hub of commerce within the settlement. Resource gatherers bring resources to it, and the artisans living in the city fetch them from there. There is no benefit in constructing related buildings near each other like in previous incarnations of the game (except in Heritage of Kings). Resources and goods can also be sold from the Storehouse.

[edit] Critical reception

Reviews on the game has been generally mixed. While most reviews have praised for its graphics and animations,^[6] the disappointments were due to its over-simplistic gameplay compared to its predecessor. In-game lagging and crashes have also been noted.^[7][8]

[edit] Beta

A beta test for the game was released by GameSpot available to its members.

[edit] Demo

A Demo was released by Ubisoft on August 23, 2007. The Demo includes "two maps: a tutorial and a skirmish map".^[9]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Settlers: Rise of an Empire Official Site
• The Settlers: Rise of an Empire Official Forum

v • d • e The Settlers video games The Settlers • The Settlers II • The Settlers III • The Settlers IV • Heritage of Kings • The Settlers II 10th Anniversary • Rise of an Empire