Anno 1404, known as
Dawn of Discovery in North America, is a
city-building game and
economic simulation game, with
real-time strategy elements. Released in 2009, it was developed by
Related Designs, produced by
Blue Byte, and published by
Ubisoft.
Anno 1404 is the sequel to
Anno 1701 and is followed by the futuristic sequel
Anno 2070.
Though the game centers around a series of fictional events, the
overall concept of the storyline is based upon real life aspects of
medieval/
renaissance history such as The
Crusades, advancements in
gothic architecture, construction of
cathedrals, and
hanseatic trade involving the rise of
patrician merchants and early forms of
capitalism.
An expansion, titled
Anno 1404: Venice, which adds multiplayer and other features, was released on February 26, 2010.
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Gameplay
As with other Anno games, the player, at the will of their unnamed country of origin, creates and manages their
fief aside
AI
players. The player must colonize islands, plan settlements, set up
factories and farms to meet their citizens needs, enter diplomatic
relationships with AI players, and engage in naval and ground combat
with others.
One of the main foci of the game in the "city building setting" sense
centers around the construction of monuments, namely a Gothic cathedral
and an Arabic mosque. The construction phases of these monuments are
dependent on certain preconditions which have to be met in order to
continue building. The player also needs to stockpile building material
in order to commence such a project. The process of the construction of
the cathedral resembles very closely the castle/palace (and Asian Dragon
Temple) feature that was displayed in 1404's predecessor,
Anno 1701.
Trade is an essential element of forward progress. Occidental
populations can not grow past a certain level of success without Spice,
and later Quartz, that can only be generated in Oriental lands. Although
populations generate taxable income, it is difficult to generate enough
gold to make meaningful capital investments without extensive trading.
This is simplified by an automatic trading process that allows an island
to make resources available to visiting merchant ships.
As the player progresses through the game, he gains access to naval
vessels and troops which allow him to invade and ultimately to defeat
other players. Anno 1404 features an updated interface, bigger islands
and worlds to explore, a
sandbox mode and other features new to the Anno series.
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