Cultures (video game series)

Cultures is a series of real-time strategy games, the game developer Funatics based in Oberhausen.

  • 4.1 Northland (2002)
  • 4.2 The Eighth Wonder of the World (2003)
  • 4.3 Cultures: The Abenteuerbox (2003)

Basic aspects of the series

This micromanagement and the resulting pretty high learning curve on the one hand the great incentive for many fans of the series, on the other hand, for many critics of the reason why the series was granted a rather moderate success.

Cultures: The Discovery of Vinland (2000)

The discovery of Vinland (DEV ) is the first installment of the series and was developed by Funatics in collaboration with the famous through the game Knights and Merchants developers Joymania. DEV was released in September 2000 and published by THQ. The campaign is about the search for the sun splinters ( after a portion of the sun is canceled, it exploded across America in many parts that have landed scattered all over the country). In the course of the campaign you have, inter alia, again obtain, as most are stolen or revered by Indian tribes the sun Splitter by battle, trade, tribute.

Cultures: The Revenge of the Rain God (2001)

With Revenge of the Rain God an add-on was released in March 2001 DEV. It expands the game to a new campaign, new peoples ( Maya ) and new single and multiplayer maps. In the new campaign, a well-known from DEV of friendly Indian tribe is threatened by the Mayas. You have to defeat the enemy Mayans or pay tribute.

Cultures Gold

DEV and the add -on ( Revenge of the Rain God ) appeared together in a so-called " Gold Edition" later supplemented by some new cards.

Cultures 2: The Gates of Asgard (2002)

Cultures 2: The Gates of Asgard was released in spring 2002 on the Austrian publisher JoWooD.

The player assumes the role of Bjarni, who already in the previous game The discovery of Vinland in his father's Leif Erikson page fought against evil forces. In Cultures 2 Bjarni has a vision in which he sees a new menacing threat to the world, the Midgard Serpent Jörmungander. In his vision, he fights on the side of three strangers who are in the game to his friends and with whom he side by side fighting: Sneezy the Saracen, Sigurd, a famous hero of the Frankish Empire, and Cyra, the pretty princess from Byzantium. Together they must face the danger and compete in the final battle against the Midgard Serpent.

Tales from the World Cultures

The two originally as add- ons to Cultures 2 imaginary parts of Northland and The Eighth Wonder of the World published under the title Stories from Cultures World in self-distribution with support from Halycon Media and NBG Multimedia, since JoWooD no longer wanted to maintain the contractual relationship with Funatics.

Both parts have an opposite Cultures 2 detailed graphics, weather effects ( rain and snow ), an editor with which players can create their own maps, and an adjustable difficulty level. Together they appeared later in the package Cultures: The Abenteuerbox.

Northland (2002)

Northland ( RNN ) was published in October 2002 as the first title of Funatics Software GmbH after Funatics Development had bankruptcy by the financial scandal of the parent company Phenomedia AG must login. The relaunch of the company and thus scarce resources explain in addition to the original plan as an add -on, why RNN uses a new engine, what is " real" new parts usually do.

RNN published in 2003 in English -language version under the title Northland from the publisher GMX Media. Ports for Mac and Linux were (no multiplayer mode, an editor ) of Runesoft (formerly epic interactive ) made ​​in reduced form.

In the RNN Cyra heroine is kidnapped to Asgard. A demigod who mingles with the heroes Cyra gives an amulet so that the god Odin in love with her and no longer pays attention to what is happening in the human world Midgard. This will acquire dominion over the earth the demigod. You have to liberate Cyra from Asgard and destroy the amulet.

The Eighth Wonder of the World (2003)

The Eighth Wonder of the World (DAW ) was published in March 2003 as the second part of the miniseries Tales from the World Cultures. Also DAW later appeared as Mac version, as well as in English -language version by GMX Media as 8th Wonder of the World.

Changes compared with RNN are a slightly revised version of the editor, an earthquake effect, as well as new buildings that can not be actively built by the player however, but either are already on the card and need to be protected, for example, or by Missionsskripting be placed after the relevant materials have been delivered.

The aim of the campaign is to the seven wonders of the ancient rebuild to unite their power in an eighth wonder of the world, and thus prevent an unspecified Phantom Menace.

Cultures: The Abenteuerbox (2003)

In August 2003, the two stories of the Cultures World titles together in a box, without any new features to offer, so this box may have been of particular interest to newcomers appeared. Why this box was released exactly, is not known. However, it seems paradoxical, since only four months later, a similar bearing box appeared with a large scale and some new features.

Cultures: The Saga ( 2003)

With Cultures: The Saga was released in December 2003, a compilation of title The Discovery of Vinland (without add-on ), Northland and The Eighth Wonder of the World.

The interesting thing is that the saga is basically a new game, which contains the campaigns as well as single and multiplayer maps of RNN and DAW under a common interface. So you installed, unlike the Abenteuerbox just a game, instead of two. In addition it includes the new " Dragon Land " campaign as well as exclusive two campaigns that were created from a map author from the community.

However, DEV is due to the different engines as a game on a second CD at.

In the new campaign, the dragon Norbert disappears together with the son of Bjarni and Cyra. They are kidnapped and must be rescued by Bjarni and Cyra. This campaign is not as extensive as that of the previous two with 5 missions.

Cultures Online

Funatics Development develops together with Gamigo an online variant of Cultures. Here, the player controls not only the fate of his colony, but also a group of "heroes", then building and RPG elements connected to each other. Cultures Online is based on a Flash client and was as of April 30, 2010 in an unfinished previous version ( "closed beta " ) tested, which merged in a short another ("open beta" ) version on June 28, 2010. Since July 7, 2010, the final finished version is running. 2010 Cultures Online has been nominated for the Audience Award at the German Developer Award in the category " Best Browser Game ".

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