Impression from a fanatic Settlers 1 - 2 - 3 player

[Haradeas]

To say it short: I am not impressed by this game : /
Everything that made settlers settlers is kinda missing... where are the sounds of each building ? , even in settlers 1 ( 1993 ) there were better animations to charm you, you saw and hear falling trees, are pigs feeding, mineworkers working etc ^^

" it is a beta " is no excuse if you have been beta testing for more then 7 years...

So for now, I will leave this game, I can only advice everyone that reads this: play settlers 1 - 2 - 3 and feel the real settlers charm ^^

[BB_Azariel]

I'm sorry to hear this... But don't forget you are comparing an online game to a full-on CD-Rom game. The speed, level of detail, soundtracks just can't be the same as on an online game the players has to load these details up EVERY time he logs in (not just once when he installs the game).

Also, the beta test for this game started only a year ago in Germany (not 7years ago).

Hope you enjoy the previous versions of Settlers =)

[Freakshowboy]

Sorry to hear you think that

I have also played Settlers 1-2-3 and many browser games, and i must say i am enjoying this game a lot

[Sir_SnackAttack]

I played The Settlers 7, none of the previous as the games never appealed to me in my youth. I enjoyed mostly PS1 games such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Twisted Metal and the likes. You know, games where you actually had something happening and not had to wait ages for things to complete. Even when I received my first PC at the age of 10, the games didn't appeal. The slow paced waiting game with no actual action was just never an adrenaline rush. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault however, was a blast!

It's funny though. I play HoN, DotA2, MW3, DoD:Source, TF2. All very fast paced games with constant action, yet I still find TSO, as slow paced and dragged out as it currently is, to be fun. It's nice to have a casual game to attend once in a while, improve your settlement and especially to see how the next level building looks! (I encourage BlueByte to keep working at improvement textures on buildings when upgrading, it's so freaking awesome!!).

To expect the same level of polish from a browser game as in a CD-game you install on your harddrive, would be a mistake on your part. My expectations coming into this, was alike Travian or Grepolis and those incredibly boring, dull and lifeless browser games, yet I find TSO to be so much more advanced and detailed. It's truely a gem amongst browser games, with it's flaws of course, but there is a reason it's still in beta. I am sure we will see alot of improvements to both hasten the game pace a little aswell as combat system overhaul and many other things that will improve the experience. Technology only advances, so will TSO :)

[Qualan]

the pace is all a mindset. the traditional settler games are a few hours at most- TSO is more like a MMO in setup- longterm goals/levels and lots of time to spend- without the massive part though :P

[z0rrer0]

Hi all!

Well, though TSO is a browser game, I think a settlers 2 port to browsers is pretty easy with the actual hardware.

Anyway, in the future will be possible to see other human players on the same map?

Regards

[NinjaCool]

I'm a fan of Settlers 1, 2, 3, after which i consider Settlers series went downhill, although the Remake of Settlers 2 was a pleasant surprise :) My main complaint with this online version is the games lack of interesting varied and longer animations of the people working in the buildings, it quickly becomes dull to look at. I also miss the roads having an affect on game play, as good road planning was vital to Settlers games.

I do like the trade system and the ability to trade/talk to each others... I would have done the core game differently rather then all starting on the same map and no land interaction at all... Use a large interactive map (or more), with many smaller regions that offered different bonuses/random hidden bonus/options. We then settled in 1 of these regions to start our town (and offer the ability to make improvement on the map like different kinds of roads to connect to other towns nearby. The interaction possibilities with such a online system could be huge and we could have an even more realistic trade system, taking into account the distance and difficulty of the road, mountains, seas, bandits and such.

[Flank]

But don't forget you are comparing an online game to a full-on CD-Rom game. The speed, level of detail, soundtracks just can't be the same as on an online game the players has to load these details up EVERY time he logs in (not just once when he installs the game)

This is not really true, if it is developed and designed properly, a browser game can still bring quite a full gaming experience. Good design involves streaming and caching where necessary.

Unfortunately, I loved Settlers 1, 2, 3, and I understood that this would be more of a cut down game in some aspects because it is browser based - but there are just too many aspects that leave the game unfulfilling.

- General building is okay (basic but okay), and trading is okay.

- Combat design, the map design (in relation to bandit camps) and adventures are very disappointing.

- In most cases there is next to no room for strategy in combat, and you are better off sending waves of recruits.

- I've noticed the camp unit compositions are terrible, they don't allow you to employ some strategy and use cavalry or ranged units without losing all of them.

- The micro-transactions seem overpriced, a few euros just to purchase 1 x 24 hour buff


It will probably end up okay as a "facebook" game, but I think most people that played previous settlers will be disappointed and won't hang around for long once they figure out the very limited depth. I didn't mind this game at first, but the more I play it the less I am enjoying it (mainly due to combat and adventures).

I can't see PvP being very enjoyable either unless they are planning to overhaul the combat system.