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jp's Anno 1701 (DS)
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| [June 29, 2020 04:56:55 PM]
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I hadn't played since April so I decided to pick this up just to see where things were at. So, I'm trying to get stuff going on a new island that doesn't have enough fertility, but it has a "watering hole" and I'm supposed to build something there. But, there was no option for that type of building/structure...and I have no idea how to build the thing I'm being asked to build.
Couldn't find any info online either.
So I gave up. Sigh.
THAT being said, there are quite a few things I thought were interesting about the game:
a. I enjoyed the "advisor" who would let you know when something was wrong and what you needed to do to fix it.
b. I easily lost track of my production and resources. I think that problem is that it's easy to build a lot of stuff, but it takes time for things to get rolling. It's interesting how this does NOT happen to me in boardgames - mostly because of the limits on actions AND the turn-based side of things. It's easier for me to notice when things produce and so on. Here it's a lot less transparent.
c. I enjoyed buying random "contracts" to go get looted/treasure resources. And, sailing around to avoid the pirates was an interesting action element to an otherwise "turn-based" feeling game... I wonder if they added this to give players something to do while they wait for their economy to build up (e.g. get to X resources so I can build the next thing).
d. The road building system is super cool. You basically get two end points and then located them where you want them. It's pretty intuitive and you get layouts that align with what you want. The interface for this was pretty slick IMO.
e. I enjoyed how the campaign slowly opened up - with new options being added and things being introduced slowly.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Jun 29th, 2020 at 17:01:41.
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| [April 17, 2020 05:41:13 PM]
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I bought this because it's a long-standing series I've never played and I've also been doing some research (with a colleague) on city-building games. What has impressed me the most so far is the really clever way the game slowly unfolds and introduces you into its systems and mechanics. It's clever because it's rolled into the campaign's story so every time a new thing is introduced it makes sense, is consistent with the narrative, and is also strongly connected to an in-game goal. It's also definitely not a tutorial (and then game). Rather, the game starts off with a few things and then each mission adds a few more, and you understand why they've been added or they become goals to pursue (now we need to build an X, but to do that you need Y, work on Y!).
I'm not sure how this would feel to someone familiar with the series - though to be fair I think the series has primarily been a PC thing, with the DS game considered a spin-off of sorts. Also, strangely, as I've just learned - the German version (the one I have) is titled "Anno 1701" but I've seen versions titled "Anno 1701:Dawn of Discovery". Including German versions! So, I don't know what the story behind the title differences (the difference is on the artwork - with the longer one having an added graphic on the cover with the subtitle).
For an information-simulation rich game, the DS seems an odd choice - the interface is heavily icon-based and there are some things I don't quite understand and I wish I could see/track...but, I've been having fun!
Oh, while it's a city-builder FOR SURE, so far there is an "action" element as well - you get to a point where you can pay gold to buy treasure maps which you can then follow (go to the "x" on the map) to obtain (the treasure, often goods, sometimes money). However, there are pirate ships around that can sink your ships so you need to (in real-time) try to escape from them as you make your way back to port.
Good stuff so far!
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jp's Anno 1701 (DS)
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Current Status: Stopped playing - Something better came along
GameLog started on: Saturday 11 April, 2020
GameLog closed on: Monday 29 June, 2020 |
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This is the only GameLog for Anno 1701. |
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