So im blowing stuff up, beheading people, commanding companys of troops, its time to just build a watermill and some harbours and stuff and watch little boats fish and my houses get built - whats the best city builder with maybe a bit of a history vice, as opposed to sim City
Children of the Nile - EE
On sale 50% off right now! Ten bucks.
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-COTNEE/children-of-the-nile-enhanced-edition
This is one of my favs for city builders. It has enough nuts & bolts to make it interesting. Ancient Egypt!
Tropico 3/4 is fun, but it's mainly because you get to be a banana republic dictator and the actual nuts & bolts of the game isn't terribly deep in comparison.
any of the annos?
I just picked up Port Royale 3 last week and so far 4 hours into the game I'm having fun. The game has all the elements like building, trading, managing a business, and fighting pirates or other enemies when you get a hankering for blowing stuff up. Port Royale 3 is made by Kalypso the same makers of the Tropico series.
Another vote for Children of the Nile (Enhanced Edition) you can get a demo of it at http://immortalcities.com/cotn/downloads/demo.php or via Steam
P.S. if you don't mind using Steam you can get the CoN Pack which includes CoN (EE) and the Alexandria expansion for about the same price (i.e. for £1.03 more here in the UK) as the base game via Gamersgate
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 24, 2012, 12:13:16 PM
any of the annos?
I have the next-to-last one and, while it has some nice polish and graphics, I wasn't terribly drawn in by the gameplay for some reason.
I also enjoy
Port Royale 3 for a nice trading empire oriented game. It has some business building in it but is primarily focused on your fleet(s), transporting and selling your goods. There is also prospects for a little political power, piracy/privateering, etc. But it's not strictly a "city builder" as you asked.
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 24, 2012, 11:31:35 AM
So im blowing stuff up, beheading people, commanding companys of troops, its time to just build a watermill and some harbours and stuff and watch little boats fish and my houses get built - whats the best city builder with maybe a bit of a history vice, as opposed to sim City
Bloody hell, its like Ghengis Khan settling down and buyin' a pub.....
Quote from: bob48 on October 24, 2012, 01:16:51 PM
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 24, 2012, 11:31:35 AM
So im blowing stuff up, beheading people, commanding companys of troops, its time to just build a watermill and some harbours and stuff and watch little boats fish and my houses get built - whats the best city builder with maybe a bit of a history vice, as opposed to sim City
Bloody hell, its like Ghengis Khan settling down and buyin' a pub.....
Didn't all the bloody tyrants of history eventually settle down into retirement by purchasing a pub?
Never played it but Glory of the Roman Empire may scratch that itch.
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 24, 2012, 12:13:16 PM
any of the annos?
Over at SpaceSector.com, they were talking about the latest Anno and it's DRM'
http://www.spacesector.com/blog/2012/10/anno-2070-deep-ocean-expansion-now-available/#comments (http://www.spacesector.com/blog/2012/10/anno-2070-deep-ocean-expansion-now-available/#comments)
Quote
Nick West says:
October 10, 2012 at 1:22 am
Every once and a while they say you don't need to be online to play the game which while technically true is effectively a lie. While not connected to their servers you can't use any of your account based unlocks or what not that allow you to have an effective civilization, so much so that if you try and play a save game without those account based unlocks that was built with them your civilization will quickly turn to ashes.
This doesn't just affect pirates (it actually doesn't affect them at all), every time steam has an Anno sale, Ubi's auth servers crash for the weekend effectively ruining everyones experience. So even though Ubi now gives lip service to not having DRM, they still have this account based unlock business which is effectively the same thing.
Reminds me of old school shareware games that would become impossible if you didn't register...
Relevant articles:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/02/legitimate-ubisoft-games-wont-work-tues/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/07/16/udontplay-ubidrm-servers-wobble-during-steam-sale/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/03/08/ubisofts-drm-servers-broken-all-day/
You can always try and wait for the new CivCity game to come out.
Quote from: TheCommandTent on October 24, 2012, 07:41:29 PM
You can always try and wait for the new CivCity game to come out.
What CivCity?
I think he means SimCity which is scheduled for later next year.
id forgotten i had PR3 - whilst its not build things and watch them grow its certainly an economy builder, it became too much hard work for me trying to run manual routes but ive found a tutorial on making really effective auto routes - ill see how that works out
still tempted by anno 1404 but its 'no longer available' on steam - whatever that means, but i see it at gamersgate
Quote from: Bison on October 25, 2012, 06:29:13 AM
I think he means SimCity which is scheduled for later next year.
Quote from: Anguille on October 25, 2012, 06:28:06 AM
Quote from: TheCommandTent on October 24, 2012, 07:41:29 PM
You can always try and wait for the new CivCity game to come out.
What CivCity?
Bison is correct I meant SimCity, it was a long day yesterday...
Although a CivCity might not be a bad idea :)
Quote from: TheCommandTent on October 25, 2012, 09:16:26 AM
Quote from: Bison on October 25, 2012, 06:29:13 AM
I think he means SimCity which is scheduled for later next year.
Quote from: Anguille on October 25, 2012, 06:28:06 AM
Quote from: TheCommandTent on October 24, 2012, 07:41:29 PM
You can always try and wait for the new CivCity game to come out.
What CivCity?
Bison is correct I meant SimCity, it was a long day yesterday...
Although a CivCity might not be a bad idea :)
There is one already, have a look at CivCity Rome. Although it is an older game and not as grand in terms of graphics as some of the newer Roman city builders it is the one that I find the most fun.
any thoughts on Tropico 4?
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 31, 2012, 05:59:25 PM
any thoughts on Tropico 4?
I love the Tropico series. I whole-heartedly endorse it. What kind of reservations might you have?
Geek, ignore the latest Anno due to that DRM bollocks, but Anno 1404 is city-building paradise. It's gorgeous, it's deep, it's teeming with life and content, it has building as well as supply chain management. You can make it as peaceful or as violent as you like. Untold numbers of starting options for the sandbox game. And despite the seemingly slow pace of the game, you always have stuff to do. There's not a moment's downtime. It's simply one of the best games I've ever played, and certainly the best city builder.
Also, the collector's edition (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anno-1404-Collectors-Edition-DVD/dp/B002DWAZQ2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351726106&sr=8-4) (of which I am a proud owner) is the best I've seen by a long shot. ;)
Quote from: LongBlade on October 31, 2012, 06:17:26 PM
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 31, 2012, 05:59:25 PM
any thoughts on Tropico 4?
I love the Tropico series. I whole-heartedly endorse it. What kind of reservations might you have?
other than seeking the wisdom of my fellow gamers - none at all LB
Quote from: Huw the Poo on October 31, 2012, 06:27:32 PM
Geek, ignore the latest Anno due to that DRM bollocks, but Anno 1404 is city-building paradise. It's gorgeous, it's deep, it's teeming with life and content, it has building as well as supply chain management. You can make it as peaceful or as violent as you like. Untold numbers of starting options for the sandbox game. And despite the seemingly slow pace of the game, you always have stuff to do. There's not a moment's downtime. It's simply one of the best games I've ever played, and certainly the best city builder.
Also, the collector's edition (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anno-1404-Collectors-Edition-DVD/dp/B002DWAZQ2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351726106&sr=8-4) (of which I am a proud owner) is the best I've seen by a long shot. ;)
so now im torn!!
thank you both guys
I've never played the Tropico games so I can't compare them, but from what I've heard they are good. I think I have Tropico 4 on my Steam wish list actually. Anno 1404 is one of my favourite games of all time though, it's a remarkable achievement.
I doubt you can go far wrong either way to be honest! You could always decide based on the time period - fifteenth century versus modern day. :)
do you know why steam dont carry it? i see it on gamers gate - anno 1404 that is
As far as I can gather, it's Ubisoft's decision. No idea what's behind it though. Aren't you tempted by that collector's edition for £18?!
where?
Quote from: undercovergeek on October 31, 2012, 06:38:41 PM
do you know why steam dont carry it? i see it on gamers gate - anno 1404 that is
It goes by the name
Dawn Of Discovery in North America.
Probably some ridiculous IP crap about someone owning rights to a g'damn name. ::) The EU version is Anno 1404 but evidentally they had to change the name for the NA release.
QuoteAnno 1404, known as Dawn of Discovery in North America, is a city-building game and economic simulation game, with real-time strategy elements. It was developed by Related Designs, produced by Blue Byte, and is published by Ubisoft. Anno 1404 is the sequel to Anno 1701 and is followed by the futuristic sequel Anno 2070.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_1404
That has always caused confusion.
I liked
Dawn Of Discovery because it seemed to have a lot going on. But the mechanics felt a bit odd to me. Probably just the building output requirements were a bit simplistic.. as in you need 2 of these buildings to keep one of the next tier operating at full capacity. But there is also a lot of different buildings and such so it's a small niggle.
Geek, lookie here. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anno-1404-Collectors-Edition-DVD/dp/B002DWAZQ2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351752356&sr=8-4)
Quote from: Nefaro on October 31, 2012, 11:12:44 PM
I liked Dawn Of Discovery because it seemed to have a lot going on. But the mechanics felt a bit odd to me. Probably just the building output requirements were a bit simplistic.. as in you need 2 of these buildings to keep one of the next tier operating at full capacity. But there is also a lot of different buildings and such so it's a small niggle.
I like that, though. It adds another layer to the game, i.e. the optimal placement of producer buildings to maximise your outputs. But yeah, I can see why you wouldn't like that.
Quote from: Huw the Poo on November 01, 2012, 01:47:55 AM
I like that, though. It adds another layer to the game, i.e. the optimal placement of producer buildings to maximise your outputs. But yeah, I can see why you wouldn't like that.
I must just like a somewhat involved goods-based economy in city builders, as opposed to a building-to-building setup like that. While Anno/DoD has goods that you can trade, and they're needed in the economy, they seem to be a lesser focus compared to grouping your string of "Building 1,2,3 ->building 4,5->building 6" having to be shoehorned into a small overlapping radius, which is the basic focus of economy building in the game.
That's probably why I like Children of the Nile most, of the city-building focused games. Due to the economic model that's intertwined throughout not only the econ buildings, but the whole population. The other city builders have it, but they're just not as robust or wide-reaching IMO. I suppose CivCity Rome may be closer to Children of the Nile because Anno/DoD definitely had an unusual vibe about it's econ and I'm still not terribly crazed about how they did theirs, or at the least.. the impression it gives of plonking down predetermined chains of stuff to get what you want as opposed to free-wheeling it. It's the same reason I liked Grand Ages Rome
less than it's predecessor.
The Patrician series can be fun.
You start off in Europe, after the Black Death has devastated everything.
You need to develop and grow the cities through building and trade.
Have not got the most recent, Patrician 4, but really enjoyed the earlier iterations.
The only thing is it is pure trade sim. No warfare, except random pirates, no diplomacy.
Quote from: besilarius on November 01, 2012, 06:02:04 PM
The Patrician series can be fun.
You start off in Europe, after the Black Death has devastated everything.
You need to develop and grow the cities through building and trade.
Have not got the most recent, Patrician 4, but really enjoyed the earlier iterations.
The only thing is it is pure trade sim. No warfare, except random pirates, no diplomacy.
Port Royale 3 has been out, too. Same engine and everything but based in the Caribbean, which I prefer over the renaissance Baltic.
went ahead and purchased the gold edition from gamersgate. couldnt find it anywhere for under 20 bucks but it sounds like i will get my moneys worth out of it. anyone use mods for this, is there even a modding community? thanks.
What do you guys expect to see from the upcoming new SimCity?
I am not sure I like the exaggerated 'The Sims' style of graphics they seem to be putting out on every game that has the word 'Sim' in it. Other than that, from the videos I have seen so far, it does seem like another solid city builder with a lot of features copied from Cities XL. Hopefully they make it lots more stable than that title though. ;)
port royale 3 at gamersgate for $3.40 not sure why they dont put the DLC on sale as well. anyway did everyone get their moneys worth from PR3 and is it worth getting into for 3 bucks?
hmm reading some stuff on other forums, doesnt sound great. think i will stick with my dawn of discovery game and maybe throw 6 bucks at eador
Quote from: Yskonyn on November 05, 2012, 01:36:52 PM
What do you guys expect to see from the upcoming new SimCity?
I am not sure I like the exaggerated 'The Sims' style of graphics they seem to be putting out on every game that has the word 'Sim' in it. Other than that, from the videos I have seen so far, it does seem like another solid city builder with a lot of features copied from Cities XL. Hopefully they make it lots more stable than that title though. ;)
I am going to preorder it fairly soon. It looks like it will shape up to be excellent, IMHO.
I like the look of this too. I doubt I'll buy it though because I don't like EA's DRM. This is not something I usually get steamed up about (ahem), but I've read that it's pretty invasive.
Quote from: Nefaro on October 24, 2012, 12:09:12 PM
Children of the Nile - EE
On sale 50% off right now! Ten bucks.
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-COTNEE/children-of-the-nile-enhanced-edition
This is one of my favs for city builders. It has enough nuts & bolts to make it interesting. Ancient Egypt!
Tropico 3/4 is fun, but it's mainly because you get to be a banana republic dictator and the actual nuts & bolts of the game isn't terribly deep in comparison.
+1
Quote from: Father Ted on December 18, 2012, 06:16:20 AM
I like the look of this too. I doubt I'll buy it though because I don't like EA's DRM. This is not something I usually get steamed up about (ahem), but I've read that it's pretty invasive.
Always online requirement = no sale.
I grabbed the old Zeus & Poseidon (http://www.gog.com/gamecard/zeus_poseidon) pack from GOG, on sale for five bucks.
It's held up pretty well, especially since someone created a hi-res/widescreen mod for it. It was a later development of the Caesar 3 system and was reportedly the ultimate iteration of it (set in classical Greece).
I've dipped my toe into the first few parts of the tutorial; it's very extensive. While some newer fully-3D city builders may look prettier, this oldie has it's own charm.
Quote from: Father Ted on December 18, 2012, 06:16:20 AM
I like the look of this too. I doubt I'll buy it though because I don't like EA's DRM. This is not something I usually get steamed up about (ahem), but I've read that it's pretty invasive.
Har har... nice pun.
I've never been worried too much about it. I don't know if Simcity needs to be always on, or just to load the game. Given that the game has a decent (and I think optional) online community option, I would not be surprised if it was always on.
But to each his or her own on the DRM issue, really.
Quote from: son_of_montfort on December 18, 2012, 11:23:31 PM
Quote from: Father Ted on December 18, 2012, 06:16:20 AM
I like the look of this too. I doubt I'll buy it though because I don't like EA's DRM. This is not something I usually get steamed up about (ahem), but I've read that it's pretty invasive.
Har har... nice pun.
I've never been worried too much about it. I don't know if Simcity needs to be always on, or just to load the game. Given that the game has a decent (and I think optional) online community option, I would not be surprised if it was always on.
But to each his or her own on the DRM issue, really.
Yeah, the online play sounds pretty cool. Cities interconnected with trade, crime and residents flowing between them based on city performance.
Yeah and you can opt to make your city green and just get electricity from other cities. Also maybe dump garbage there as well. Hehe.
Quote from: Nefaro on December 18, 2012, 02:26:03 PM
I grabbed the old Zeus & Poseidon (http://www.gog.com/gamecard/zeus_poseidon) pack from GOG, on sale for five bucks....
If you buy the City Builder's Special (http://www.gog.com/promo/city_builder_s_special) from GOG.com you get Zeus & Poseidon and five other titles for 75% off for the next ~22 hours.
The Zeus game is pretty fun. I never really like the battle part of the series. It always felt like a last minute add-on to the project. All in all though it's a fun time waster.
Quote from: son_of_montfort on December 18, 2012, 11:23:31 PM
Quote from: Father Ted on December 18, 2012, 06:16:20 AM
I like the look of this too. I doubt I'll buy it though because I don't like EA's DRM. This is not something I usually get steamed up about (ahem), but I've read that it's pretty invasive.
Har har... nice pun.
I've never been worried too much about it. I don't know if Simcity needs to be always on, or just to load the game. Given that the game has a decent (and I think optional) online community option, I would not be surprised if it was always on.
But to each his or her own on the DRM issue, really.
AFAIK you need to be online to start the game, and you also need to be online to save the game, but you dont have to be online all the time(!!)
Quote from: undercovergeek on December 19, 2012, 02:49:18 PM
AFAIK you need to be online to start the game, and you also need to be online to save the game, but you dont have to be online all the time(!!)
Close enough, though. ;)
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