 Even Better Than AD 1701 (and as of patch 1.1, DRM free!) |
| Review Date: June 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Hamann, Seattle, WA USA |
I bought this game because I really enjoyed AD 1701 (aka Anno 1701). Outside of North America, this game is known as AD 1404 or Anno 1404 which makes it obvious that it is another entry in that series. Coming from AD 1701, I was not disappointed at all. This review is more for people who enjoyed AD 1701 and want to know what's new. People who don't know the Anno series should know that it is a city builder/resource management game. You build cities--like in SimCity--but in a fictional/historical context. And you need to use mines, farms, and ships to create and move those resources.
The game mechanics are very similar to AD 1701. The artwork, music, and voice work is similar. Now for the differences--which, fortunately, are mostly improvements.
In this game, you get two sets of populations, the Orient and Occident, with different needs but with some resource needs going across the populations--e.g. the Orient needs wood and tools from the Occident and the Occident needs spice, indigo, and quartz from the Orient. The person you play is from the Occident--you can't choose to play as a Occidental player yourself. As you play, you need to gain prestige with the computer player from the Orient to unlock building types for your cities in the Orient.
The higher socio-economic classes now have their basic needs fulfilled by multiple items, so there is less rioting because you fail to meet a need for a single item. That makes the population more stable. I had a few riots, but they were short lived and not too damaging. There are also ascension rights that create fixed ratios of the socio-economic classes. This fixes the problem of AD 1701 where ended up with snobby aristocrats and nobody else to be snobby to. Beggars are also added. You need to build them a shelter and they make requests. You can also kick them out, but I haven't tried that--they apparently become aggressive.
You can set prices on items to buy and sell are your port, but I haven't really used that. It will probably more useful in the future if they add the multi-player option. Perhaps, this replaces the option in 1701 where if you need a resource you could request a direct shipment that was expensive but guaranteed.
There are a lot of resources to manage with a fair amount of overlapping inputs (e.g. charcoal is needed both to make salt and smelt iron). You set up the fields for farms for more layout options. When mines run out, you can pay to dig some more and get more resources from the mine. Some of the factories have water wheels and have to go on a river site.
The guild house and school/university research system is replaced by a new system. You can get access to special items to purchase from the computer players. These let you add features to warehouses to increase space, add carts, make islands more fertile, levy tariffs, speed up manufacturers, etc. Even better, you can add features to ships such as special crew members, better sails, better arms, diplomatic letters, even a powder keg for damaging fleets. You can also get these through questing.
You can make Occidental ships and Oriental ships to take advantage of the different ships types--they differ by speed, cargo capacity, armaments, and the number of extra sails/special crew/etc you can add.
There are monuments requiring large amounts of resources to try to build--like a big gothic cathedral. The harbor system is really nice and lets you make quays with repair cranes, piers, defense towers and store houses.
I haven't done any fighting except what there was in the campaign mode. But the fighting is done with encampments rather than by micromanaging individual troops. There are even trebuchets to try to knock down the buildable city walls with towers and gates. There is some sort of provisioning system as well, but I haven't used that, either.
What's missing? I play single player, but people who liked the multi-player aspect will miss that since there is no multi-player support. I wish there was an intermediate cloth stage between the hemp and clothing and that the cloth would be necessary for sails. There seems to be a missing Orient socio-economic class. There are only two right now (compared to four for the Occident). Silk is only used for carpets and not for clothing. I'd like to see more use of more of these resources. I want to make indigo dyed silk robes--gosh darnit! Hopefully future expansions will add some of this.
So, I am enjoying Dawn of Discovery. I think it's enjoyable for anyone who likes this type of economic simulation where the emphasis is more on building and less on fighting.
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One of the best games I have played
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| Review Date: October 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. Snow, Las Vegas |
Before I begin, I would just like to say that the ridiculous DRM copy protection has been REMOVED with patch 1.1. Thats right, its gone!!! So I think that everyone that rated the game down should change their review or something, because now people are going to look at this game and see 2/5 stars and assume the game is horrible.
Anyway, I just discovered 1701 A.D. a few months ago, and after playing that and getting hooked on it, I discovered Anno 1404 (known as Dawn of Discovery in America), and it is AMAZING.
The graphics are top notch. Every little detail is shown...it is so relaxing to just watch the hustle and bustle of the city as the citizens go about their activities. But that doesn't mean this game isn't easy...in fact, it might just be one of the hardest games I've ever played. It requires actual resource management, trading strategy, combat, EVERYTHING. I love the depth. But it never feels overwhelming, thanks to an excellent control scheme.
Really, I don't think words can do this game justice, so I advocate that you download the demo for the game, mostly to see if you enjoy the game, but also to see if your computer can run it (it should be able to...I can run it on medium and my computer is average).
Please check this game out! I can guarantee that if you like Age of Empires or SimCity, you will LOVE this game. I can't stop playing! |
Over 200 hours so far
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| Review Date: October 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Paul Abrahamson, Chicago, IL |
Make sure you do not have anything to accomplish in the real world for quite a while before you start this game. You hear that double clang of the ship's bell to start the game and BANG . .there goes 4 hours! The pace is great, the advisors keep you focused on the action and yet can keep you off balance because of the reminders about what needs to be addressed. Islands to settle, tax rates to set, public building to construct and crops to manage. Just enough managing to be complex but not so much that it gets tedious.
Dawn of Discovery has two different modes. Playing story mode or continuous is your first option.
The story mode is GREAT. A long, fun, unfolding tutorial that gives you just enough information and leaves you with the question if you can go through it faster next time . .with different options . .which will give you a slightly different sequence of events. So many aspects to address or not. Visually entertaining, and the music is lighthearted and serves different actions well. (I love (hate) the earth quake and volcano music!) The vocabulary is not childish (which I always appreciate) and the little twist at the end of the story mode actually produced an audible gasp the first time.
Continuous mode gives you the reins of the world and you have to step up to the plate. I have just completed my second continuous mode and I have not doubt there will be at least a 5th . . the difficulties you can set can make this extremely challenging with very, very little wiggle room . .or you can set it up to be a fun romp in the park. It is the numerous options that make it so easy to replay this game over and over.
Dawn of Discovery is a versatile game that is well constructed and overall just a blast to play. City builders of the computer world . . clear your calendar, Dawn of Discovery may just lead you to discover the dawn of another day because you played all night! |
Greatest cheap wii game ever made
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| Review Date: August 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Piatt, NY |
I just picked this up at best buy for 30$. I heard of the PC version and how the DRM was a big downer so I decided to get the wii version instead. I was seeking gameplay over graphics going into this purchase.
Pros: Wii version is cheap(under 30$). Gameplay is fresh, fun and it keeps you busy(which keeps me interested). Its a good break away from all the overly violent/competitive FPS games out there. Good voice acting. Many build options. Customizable gameplay.
Cons: Cartoony(not necessarily a con for me, adds to fun factor), Graphics on PC version are apparently better, Mostly a sim type game from what I've observed(havent found much use for military...yet).
If you're in the mood for a fun game on a budget then check this one out. If you like games like sim city then you'll absolutely love dawn of discovery. I've had the most fun playing this wii game than any other I've played or purchased over the years(many popular titles). |
Ignore the average rating
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| Review Date: December 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: T. Gill, |
A note to anyone interested in this game:
The game's incredibly low average rating is due to "activists" spamming this game with 1 star reviews. These reviews were prompted by a DRM scheme which WAS in place to ostensibly prevent piracy. These 1 star reviews say nothing as to the game's quality and can be solely attributed to butthurt anti-DRM types. The offending copy protection scheme has since been removed via a patch. The ACTUAL GAME is fantastic, as I'm sure most 1 star reviewers on this page would agree.
In summary: ignore the average ratings, the DRM is gone, this game rules, BUY IT! |
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