Anno 1404

  • OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
  • CPU: 3.0 GHz
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Graphics card: 128 MB
  • Memory requirements ( HDD): 6 GB

Anno 1404 is the fourth part of the computer game series Anno. This was developed by Related Designs and Blue Byte. The game was announced at the Games Convention 2008 by Ubisoft. Released it is in Germany on 25 June 2009. Using a later release of the official World Editor and the software ToolOne were published, which own scenarios can be created.

  • 7.1 reviews
  • 7.2 Metabewertungen
  • 7.3 Awards

Gameplay

The scenery of the game form Occident and the Orient in the 15th century. The most striking innovation in Anno 1404 as compared to its predecessors is that you build with the colonization of the Occident and the Orient two peoples, each with its own buildings and needs. This creates a dependency from each other, because the goods produced are the one people used the other for further development.

Anno 1404 offers in this framework, a campaign with eight stations, as well as six individual scenarios in three difficulty levels. In addition, unlimited endless games are possible.

Differences to its predecessors

  • School, University and Research no longer exists. This system has been completely replaced by the acquisition of fame points. With them can be bought perks and " progress ". These points are earned by completing tasks or the provision of other special performance, such as when climbing into the next population level.
  • Later in the game there is the magnificent buildings of Sultan Mosque, Frankfurt and Speicherstadt; the palace of the earlier versions, there is no longer the main game, but in add-on Anno 1404: Venice.
  • The increase in storage capacity is no longer only by market houses, but also by specifically intended warehouses.
  • The island of pirates is no longer vulnerable.
  • Basic needs such as food supplies are split and gradually extended by sub needs. Thus, at the beginning only fish demands, while also spices, bread and beef are required in the following stages of development.
  • Islands and islands are larger than in 1701 AD; it also takes longer for a ship has traversed the island world.
  • There are - the first time in 1602, in which King Edition "Water Mill" was available - Production facilities that need to be built on rivers ( Gerber, furriers, paper mill, sugar mill).
  • There are no individually controlled characters (about scouts and army ) more; for Schönbauer falls with a much used feature in 1503 AD away.
  • Detailed and individual port design is possible and necessary in order to ensure optimal trade route processing ( quays, jetties, repair cranes, defense towers, yards ).
  • The plantation system was revised: Each farm has certain fields that can be built in the plantation menu and each have fixed sizes from 2 × 3 to 4 × 4. Each orchard requires a certain number of fields to achieve the optimum production of power ( 3-8 ).
  • The military system is indirect. It does not control individual units more, but creates with castles Tribokstellungen or armies of various sizes, the bearing can be moved on the map. The bearings are then given commands such as " attack " or " Support ".
  • The routing control of vessels has been compared to 1701 AD substantially improved.
  • Mines and other natural resources deposits can be filled for a fee.
  • When playing with uncovered card, all the resources of the islands are visible without exploration.
  • It can not all residents simultaneously hold the highest level of civilization. There are certain minimum sizes preserved in the proportionality, so that a city is no longer exclusively of nobles (highest civil Ista -tion stage ) is given, but also a certain proportion of farmers, citizens and rulers stops.
  • Neutral forces such as the archaeological site, the Sanctuary, the Academy of the wise or the alchemist tower were settled in the game world. If these supplies of certain products, they left to the players bonus items, troops make available to generate or fame or different effects.
  • The mood of the population will no longer appear on the marketplace, it can be read when you click on a house of a certain level of civilization.
  • Distinguished guests who have brought special bonuses in 1701 AD for a short time, it no longer exists.
  • Unlike in all other parts of the series residential buildings must necessarily have a road connection, otherwise no connection to the marketplace consists of: The basic need "community" can not be satisfied then.
  • As a reward for particularly difficult missions and tasks the player gems, which can be unlocked with bonus content such as special ornamental buildings, new player portraits and colors in the profile system and applied in game plays.
  • Ships are repaired by special repair cranes and not as before in shipyards.
  • Prerequisite for the shore of troops on an island is the existence of at least one own office or the conversion of the first incoming army camp in the coastal and military building, a so-called fortress.
  • In order to take market houses, one must - in contrast to Anno 1701 - sacrifice no more troops. The acquisition starts automatically as soon as the building in question falls into the sphere of influence of an opposing military building. The transfer speed itself is dependent on the types of units and the number of camp involved and is between 5 and 60 minutes.
  • Also new are beggars who come from time to time on soul sellers and ask admittance into the city. Gives you begging them rights, the poor house unlocked, which you can build, but is not mandatory. However, increased by the presence of beggars in the city, the amount of available promotion rights of farmers to citizens and thus of citizens to patricians, etc. Prohibits to the beggars stay or already throws recorded beggars from the city, there is a risk that these return as outlaws and force production chains to stop. You can either bribe the robbers then, so they live as beggars in the city, or they are destroyed by their own military buildings.
  • Also, gates, castles and towers consume military points and thus are buildable only in limited numbers.

Editor

On October 7, 2009, two editors were, coinciding with the first patch released. These are, firstly, a map editor to create your own cards, but to create their own islands and on the other a tool that allows you to create your own scenarios.

" The editors are primarily designed for advanced players. They are primarily in contrast to the editors of 1701 to interested beginners. There are basically tools and editors with whom we have worked in development. You have to be a programmer to use these programs, but it helps to already modding, scripting, level design, etc. a little know about. In the development of the editors were primarily used by level designers and game designers to create game content and edit. It is therefore also committed lay people be able to work after a training phase with our tools. "

Internet portal

Anno 1404 contains the function, Scores and screenshots via an Internet portal, called the gateway to the world to share. To use this function, the user must create an account at Ubisoft and there register his game. Also may be needed in the foreseeable future of the free patch for version 1.1, so that the door can still be used to the world.

Anno 1404: Venice

The February 25, 2010, published under the title Venice add-on offers the possibility of multiplayer games with up to eight players at both the network and the Internet unsubscribe. Moreover 15 scenarios for the single player mode are included. As a new neutral party of the Venetian merchants is included, which provides the player next to some new items, additional diplomatic actions. So it is possible with his help, to sabotage enemy players or buying entire settlements. The range of natural disasters, the main game is complemented by a volcanic eruption, which can occur on certain islands in the game. In addition, the players new buildings, ships, orders and achievements are made available. On 25 November 2010 the Anno 1404 appeared: Gold Edition, consisting of Anno 1404, the add-on Venice and the Gold Edition of Anno 1503.

Official Strategy Guide

For Anno 1404 also an official strategy book was published, as well as for the other parts Anno Anno 2070, Anno 1701, Anno 1503 and Anno 1602. It contains helpful tips for beginners, since Anno 1404 is very complex. There is a walkthrough for all the campaign missions and tips on how to play, also a reference card is included.

Criticism

By using the Tagès copy protection, combined with a three-time online activation without compromising the ability of deactivation, the game got very bad reviews on Amazon. In the leading game magazines the game but without exception very good reviews reached.

It is possible to play the game on computers without Internet connection, here had in version 1.0, the activation of previously nevertheless made ​​through a computer with internet access. The procedure is described in the Handbook as well as in the official forum of Ubisoft. Here, it is also noted that there will not be a program for own deactivation of licenses.

For the case of switching off the activation server, the publisher announced the removal of the online activation through a patch. This was done so by the patch 1.1, which also removed the Tagès copy protection from the game.

With the add-on of copy protection but was reintroduced. In addition, a serial number must be entered, which is linked to the online account for the multi- player mode.

The add -on Anno 1404: Venice and the main game also contained a frequently occurring serious bug that makes it impossible to store larger endless games from about 15 megabytes. Here, the game crashes to the desktop without an error message when starting saving. Another variation was that the save has been completed seemingly without problems, but the save game took only a few kilobytes of memory and could not be reloaded. In addition, during the game occurred uncommented crashes to the desktop. These and other bugs have been fixed in the new 1.3 patch for the main game, respectively, of the patch 2.1 for the add -on Venice and the patch 3.1 for the newly released King Edition On November 25, 2010.

Reception

Reviews

  • Computer Bild Spiele: 2.35 ( school grading system )
  • Gamestar: 91% ( Anno 1404: Venice: 93%)
  • PC Games: 91% ( Anno 1404: Venice: 90%)
  • Gamona: 89 %
  • Riot: 92%
  • World Games: 90%
  • GameFAQs: 92%
  • 4players: 89 %

Metabewertungen

  • Critify.de 90/100 on 27 reviews
  • Metacritic.com 82/100 on 31 reviews

Awards

  • Gamestar: Platinum Award and Award for outstanding play depth, Gamestar for Best Strategy Game 2009
  • PC Games: Gold Award and Award for outstanding graphics.
  • Online worlds: graphics and gameplay Award.
  • German Developer Award 2009: Best German Game 2009
  • Best German strategy game 2009
  • Best Game Design 2009
  • Best Graphics 2009
  • Best Soundtrack 2009
  • Best German Game 2010
  • Best international game in 2010 under the name Dawn of Discovery
Video game publisher France Publication Single-player video game Multiplayer video game Digital distribution Mod (video gaming) Imperial Cathedrals Berth (moorings) Gemstone Almshouse Bribery Game-Design Intranet MobyGames Anno Online
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