The Wargamer

The Wargamer is pleased to present Related Designs

And Sunflowers GmbH with an Award For Excellence - Dawn of Discovery

is one of the finest examples of a city-building game in years.

Author:  Anthony Micari

It is amazing how much difference three centuries can make.  Sunflower’s latest entry into the Anno series, known as Dawn of Discovery in the States, focuses on the year 1404, bringing players back in time from the height of European colonization in 1701.  Despite this being the fourth game in the series, the developers have always improved the gameplay in each sequel enough to warrant another go.  Now, with the solid 1701 AD passing the torch, the question is whether the proverbial hat is being beaten.   I’m happy to say this is not so.  Dawn of Discovery is simply the best in the series and one of the finest city building games since the days of Pharaoh, Zeus, and Emperor.  Simply put, if one likes this genre, Dawn of Discovery simply must be in their library.

I recently took a vacation to Paris, France, and this coincides with my review in two ways.  The first is that while there, I purchased the Collector’s Edition of this game, which is not available at retail in the States.  in general the European gaming public has always been much more serious about their historical strategy games.  This beautiful edition comes in a wooden box shaped like a treasure chest, which opens to reveal the game, an art book, a working compass and a bag of almond seeds (no joke).  Alas, the game on the disc is in French, so import only if your love of this game exceeds normality and you don’t mind also gaming in French.  The second way my trip coincides is in the rich medieval history that permeates each of Paris’ districts, culminating in the amazing cathedral of Notre Dame the center of the city.  The Anno series has always utilized generic nations meant to represent real world civilizations, but its representation of medieval architecture is superbly done and fully captures the spirit of a world on the brink of being reborn.

Gameplay

1701 AD had a tighter focus on story than its predecessors by including a narrative campaign, and Dawn of Discovery follows suit with eight campaign missions focusing on a corrupt Cardinal and his obsession with organizing a devious crusade to the Holy Land, as well as the player’s mission to save a dying King.  Let’s just say that when the Cardinal has the facial characteristics of Emperor Palpatine, complete with ridiculously puffy and discolored under eyes, he can’t be up to any good.  There is also a character that is obviously meant to be Joan of Arc, as well as many characters representing various personalities one would have encountered both in Europe and the Near East during this period.  The narrative and story is well done and kept me quite engaged.

While eight missions may not sound like many, scenarios can take up to a few hours to complete.  In addition there a number of single scenarios that task the player with completing either peaceful or militaristic objectives such as building a settlement to a certain level or eliminating all opponents.  These are very open-ended and offer many preset and dynamic missions to complete.   Add to that a custom scenario generator, with a gleefully obscene amount of customization options and there is a bevy of gameplay to be had.  One interesting addition to the series is achievements that gamers would be less surprised to see in a console game, or at least a PC port of a console title.  Nearly everything in the game, from the number of ships one sinks to the time played, is tracked.  When the gamer meets these achievements, he receives points to spend on purchasing new player profile portraits, coat of arms, or most appealingly new decorative objects for their city.  This is very unique for a PC strategy game and something I hope other developers take note of.  At the very least it gave me an excuse to put more hours into the game.  Regarding online play, Dawn of Discovery has no multiplayer mode.  This did not faze me, as I prefer to play strategy games solo, both those gamers that like a multiplayer component should take note.

Overall, the gameplay in Dawn of Discovery will feel very familiar to anyone that has played a previous game in the series.  Again, the focus is on settling various islands, which specialize in different resources.  Providing citizens with these necessities and later, luxuries, allows them to advance from mere settlers to powerful Patrician and Noble classes.  Of course, more money, more problems, and the more resources the player will then be required to gather to satiate their citizens’ needs all the while keeping the budget balanced.  The player must also build certain structures to keep their people happy, and these have limited radii.  Careful preparation must be made in the layout of settlements.  It is a delicate balancing act that translates into engrossing gameplay.  My main complaint with 1701 AD was that sometimes it would take a long amount of time to get a colony up and running and set up successful trade routes, thus creating moments where the player was waiting for things to happen rather than participating.

This time, those moments still exist but there are many more gameplay features to keep one occupied.  In addition to building up a Euro-centric civilization, eventually players will have to settle the Near East (once they get into the Sultan’s good graces of course).  A completely different civilization type, nomads, then opens up to the player and they have their own needs that have to be met.  As was the case with the previous games, each island can grow or supply a set number of resources, forcing expansion of one’s territory.  In Dawn of Discovery, however, the Near East islands have the ability to grow a resource of the player’s choosing by purchasing and planting seeds.   Another really cool addition is Honor, which is built up by completing quests.  This can then be used for trading purposes to acquire items for your ships and settlements, or even hiring captains for ships to increase their stats.  One particularly interesting type of item is treasure maps.  After acquiring them the player can send a ship off the game map, which may return with a precious artifact or never be seen again.  Using Honor, one can even forge better trading relationships with other civilizations, such as the Sultan’s empire or Barbary Pirates, opening up access to new trade goods and making the sale of the player’s own goods more profitable.  In scenarios and custom games, reputation points can also be earned by completing tasks that make one party or another happy and can be used to garner better diplomatic relations. 

War still plays a role in the game, with players being able to build warships and a variety of troops.  These are for the purpose of wreaking havoc on other players’ trade routes and destroying their fleet in preparation for invasion.  After securing a beachhead on the enemy’s islands troops can then be deployed to take them over.  As in the other entries, combat is certainly a main component, but not the main focus.  This seems to be the tradition with most, if not all, city building games.    

All of these new features, focusing heavily on quests, trade, and honor, make the game much more dynamic, but also more complex.  Playing the campaign teaches the player these new aspects, but I would advise new players not to jump into a single scenario or custom game right away.  This is one game in need of a decent manual, and the paper thin one supplied barely scratches the surface.  I wanted to jump into one of the larger and more complex single scenarios before finishing the campaign, and despite being very familiar with previous games, I actually was completely lost on some aspects, having to look up explanations online. 

Sights, Sounds, and Interface

The game is a real treat to the eyes and ears.  The score, especially the game’s main theme, is captivating, and the loading screens and mission briefings are wonderfully narrated drawings brimming with historical flavor.  1701 AD was a huge graphical boost for the series, and the team at Sunflowers managed to make this game look even more beautiful.  While the characters and people that populate the world of the Anno series have always strayed toward a more cartoonish look, the game world itself is beautifully rendered.  The oceans are simply amazing, and everything is so wonderfully animated, from a fisherman bringing in his catch to a friar emerging from his monastery to escort his donkey train (not to be confused with a love train).  Zooming in on structures and people going about their tasks always rewards the player with sounds that really pull one in to the era, from the creaks of wooden ships to the bells of churches and cathedrals.  

The interface has also been considerably reworked in this entry.  All important information is still neatly displayed on the main screen at all times, but everything else, from the procedure of placing structures to the amount of detailed information that is available on your settlements is highly refined.  The interface is truly elegant and a cinch to master.  I was especially pleased to see that the interface for the loading and unloading of goods from ships, as well as setting up which goods to buy and sell from your warehouse, was even more accessible.

In Conclusion

Dawn of Discovery is a wonderful game.  It is engaging and has a level of polish that is rare in the strategy genre these days.  If another entry in the series comes around, the designers will have their work cut out for them in besting this entry while presenting something fresh to long time fans.  But at this moment, one can simply admire a title that is like an oasis, quenching the thirst of strategy fans in a desert of mediocrity. 

Recommended Reading/Playing

Though I have not played the Wii version, which is purportedly similar to the Nintendo DS entry (albeit with better graphics and Wii Remote control), I did get a chance to play the Nintendo DS version.  It is very similar to the previous DS entry in the series, creating a little bit of déjà vu, even sharing part of the tile, Dawn of Discovery.  But the change in game setting, a slick interface and brighter, more pleasing graphics grace this entry and it should definitely be checked out by strategy fans that like to play on the go or fans of the previous DS entry that want an upgrade.

I devoured this comprehensive history of trade and its influence on pretty much all world affairs. 

Although this true tale of white men enslaved by Barbary Pirates and Sultans takes place in the eighteenth century, it is a part in the long conflict between the West and the Middle East.  Now that I mention it, just pick up anything by Giles Milton and you are assured a gem of a read.

System Requirements

Windows XP/Vista

Pentium 4 Dual Core Processor

3GB RAM

512MB ATI Radeon 9600/Nvidia Geforce 6100 Video Card

6GB Hard Disk Space