PCGames.de received an invitation from Blue Byte to their headquarters in DΓΌsseldorf, Germany, to check out the current state of The Settlers, which was announced at gamescom 2018 in development and is scheduled for release on PC at the very end of 2020. The result of this visit was a 16-minute video in German with English subtitles, showing the gameplay in detail.
The journalists were able to play the alpha version of The Settlers and chat with the author of the series, Volker Wertich. The game began with settlers landing and unloading resources from the ship to a new island. An interesting landscape draws attention: the landscapes are very diverse and seem to be created by hand. However, the maps are built using procedural generation based on the given basic parameters. This allows you to keep some novelty with each playthrough.
To create vegetation, mountains, water, the Snowdrop engine is used, developed by Massive Entertainment and used in such Ubisoft projects as ΠΈ .
Unlike plateaus, dryland maps have fewer resources and therefore larger building areas. In total, the game will have three natural zones, but the developers have not yet disclosed information about the third, promising that there will be more variety in other aspects.
Colonization begins with the search for a lush forest for the extraction of building material, berries and hunting for wild animals. But it is important to maintain a balance between the production of logs and the exploitation of forest resources. Animals also use complex simulations: they are born, breed, grow old, and die. Hunters obtain the meat of rabbits, wild boars and deer and control their population. Intensive hunting can endanger the food base for the population, and, on the contrary, insufficient extermination of living creatures promises the reproduction of dangerous predators.
The Settlers is a city builder, not a classic strategy game where the player controls the characters. For example, to start construction, resources must be taken to the construction site. At first, this does not require roads, but laying them will speed up delivery and ultimately benefit the settlement. And when carriers get carts and other vehicles, the road network will become a sine qua non.
The field is divided into hexagons, and buildings can be rotated before construction, taking into account the planned entrance to the premises. The settlement, as before, initially has a small territory. It will have to expand and build watchtowers in strategically important places. After that, part of the army is automatically placed there: the shooters occupy the towers, and the pioneers begin to move the boundary stones.
For food production, you can start by attracting hunters, gatherers, and building fishing houses. After harvesting raw materials, you should build a kitchen and trade tents where settlers can purchase food. Later, the game will be able to provide information about the well-being of the population, including filters for various areas for the minimap.
To move to a new level of development, you need to build a town hall as a central building that will open up new opportunities. Existing facilities can be upgraded to improve their efficiency. When constructing new buildings, a choice of the desired level will appear.
New opportunities for resource chains are also unlocked. To produce boards from logs, you need to build a sawmill. With the development of the settlement, there will be a shortage of another resource: settlers. The construction of the harbor will attract new residents. Later you can start minting coins to increase the efficiency of shipping. The larger the city, the more difficult it becomes to recruit new settlers.
There is no direct control over the settlers in the game, the citizens themselves know what to do. The player only influences the number of 4 groups: workers, builders, carriers and soldiers and their occupations, trying to find an effective balance, avoiding an overabundance or shortage. The results of actions, prioritization and decisions made are clearly reflected in the game world.
After some time, you will have to take care of the military infrastructure, build an armory where spears, bows and arrows will be created, place a training center where various types of troops are trained. For offensive operations, you need to build a garrison and appoint a commander from among the heroes. After that, there is some form of direct control over the army.
When a player discovers an enemy settlement, he can issue an order to attack the sector. The settlement includes several sectors, each of which has a watchtower. And the more of the latter, the more sectors are protected. Currently, soldiers automatically attack enemy units and destroy all buildings, capture the watchtower and raise the flag of their faction. It is assumed that in the completed game there will be several more options for controlling the army.
The Settlers is first and foremost a city builder that doesn't have the tactical depth and complexity of an RTS. To storm fortifications with fortified towers, berserkers are used, which can climb over the wall where the archers stand, and the engineers are ready to destroy the masonry.
The game will offer three strategic directions: battle, glory and faith. The first implies development, protection of territories and the conquest of new ones. Choosing the second path, the player will go to the arena: the duel will determine the winner. The developers will talk about the third option, faith, later.
Choosing the second path, the player builds an arena of the appropriate level and conducts gladiator fights. Heroes sent to the barracks can train and prepare for upcoming tournaments. The path of glory requires you to raise your reputation and stir up discontent in the ranks of your opponents. To hold a tournament, you need to choose one of your heroes and an opponent. The drummers then walk the streets of their city and rival, drawing citizens to the tournament. After the battle begins, fans of both factions appear. Depending on the result, the mood of the population in cities changes. When the enemy's reputation drops, the settlers will start to rebel against their leader and may choose the player's faction. As a result, not only is the territory expanding, but the economy receives a significant boost.
The Settlers promises to bring back the best elements from previous installments of the popular strategy series and add new features and mechanics like the power system and motivational elements. The campaign and side missions can be completed solo or in co-op. The game will also offer various online multiplayer modes.
Those who pre-order digital versions of The Settlers in stores ΠΈ will receive an exclusive monument to the first settlers. The basic version of the Standard Edition is priced at β½2999. Those who buy the Gold Edition for β½4499 will get access to the game 3 days earlier, as well as the Merchants and Monuments add-on and two decorative buildings.
Source: 3dnews.ru