Jun 30, 2006 IGN is your #1 destination for all video game news, expert reviews, and walkthroughs. R/anno: A subreddit dedicated the video game series Anno. The most recent entry Anno 1800 was released on April 16th, 2019.
| Anno 1701 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Related Designs |
| Publisher(s) | Sunflowers Interactive Deep Silver |
| Director(s) | Thomas Pottkämper |
| Designer(s) | Dirk Riegert |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Sebastian Steinberg |
| Writer(s) | Karin Trost |
| Composer(s) | Dynamedion |
| Series | Anno |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy, city-building game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Anno 1701, also marketed as 1701 A.D., is a real-time strategy and city building video game, part of the Anno series. It is developed by Related Designs and published by Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software. It revolves around building and maintaining an 18th-century colony in the 'New World'. With a budget of €10 million, it was the most expensive German game ever produced by 2006.
It is the sequel to Anno 1602 and Anno 1503 and was followed by Anno 1404, which is known in the United States as Dawn of Discovery, Anno 2070, Anno 2205 and Anno 1800.
Gameplay[edit]
Anno 1701, like the other six Anno games, is a game based mainly on the economics of the settlement created by the player. The more skilled a player is at maintaining a balanced economy the more successful their settlement will be.
As with other Anno games, the player starts as an unnamed country which has to colonize and expand in the game world. While the player expands, other computer controlled rivals are expanding and strengthening. As the player progresses through the game, players have access to lodge activities and troops which allow them to invade and ultimately to defeat other players.
The game is divided into five social stages: Pioneer, Settler, Citizen, Merchant, and Aristocrat. At the start of the game, all of a player's citizens are pioneers. They pay little amounts of taxes, and require only food and a town center. As a player's empire develops, so does his population. They begin upgrading (provided they have sufficient goods), paying more taxes, but also requiring more goods, such as tobacco products, perfume, lamp oil, and much more. It is crucial for a player to develop quickly, as not much profit is attained until reaching the merchant stage.
Players can trade with other opponents settling under the Queen's name, or with foreign cultures. All foreign cultures are on small or medium islands, and cannot leave their island.
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Liang Wu and his Asians are found on islands in the north of the island world. They trade the colonial good Jade, and purchase food.
Poxacoatl and his Aztecs live on islands in the southern zone, are few in number and believe in the infinite power of the gods. They trade the colonial goods Talismans, and purchase cloth and horses.
Amin Sahir and his Indians have a small settlement on one of the islands in the southern end of the island world. Their Indian Ivory is a desirable colonial good.
Tetonka and his Iroquois are situated in a dense forest on one of the islands in the northern zone of the island world. The Iroquois trade furs, and purchase tobacco products and weapons.
Ramirez and his Pirates take refuge in expertly concealed hideouts in the southern zone of the island world. Due to their aggressive nature they take rich rewards from raids, therefore they can offer all colonial goods.
Anno 1701 is almost entirely focused on trade and economics, leaving little left over for war tactics. The combat has been simplified in some respects compared to the previous Anno game (Anno 1503), which makes it less involved and less difficult for new players.
1701 has a wealth of enhancements that distinguish it from its two predecessors, Anno 1503 and Anno 1602. These developments include:
- The Queen
Now, players are settling the island world in the queen's name. Thus, she expects subservience and respect. Late in the game, she will begin demanding for tribute, giving you the choice to pay thousands of gold coins, or being attacked by her royal fleet. Either option will eventually lead to independence. Different opponents have different relationships with the queen. Deciding to attack the queen can upset many honorable opponents, while paying tribute can upset others.
- Trader Assignments
The Free Trader, a neutral merchant who sails his fleet around the world to trade, can offer players opportunities to assist him in matters. The assignments are optional, but the reward is immense, and sometimes crucial to financial success. In some assignments, players have to deliver select goods, while in others, players have to destroy ships.
- Guests of Honour
Traveling dignitaries can now visit your city and enhance the quality and power of a player's empire. For example, when the smith arrives, he replenishes tool supplies. The entertainers can brighten the moods of the populace, leading to increased tax revenue. Guests of honor come at random times during each social stage of the game, and can also be called to visit once the senate is unlocked.
- Tax Control
Unlike in the previous game in the series, Anno 1503, players can choose how much to tax their people, bringing back an old system that was featured in the first ANNO game. Low taxes are required for a social upgrade and please the people, while higher taxes lead to revolt and a lower population.
- New Goods
The new goods available include chocolate, perfume, and colonial goods (Ivory, Jade, Talismans, Furs). Also, goods can now be purchased in a village center, instead of at individual stands that had to be built individually in previous Anno games.
- Lodge Activities
Lodge activities are accessed at the beginning of the game, although only the spy is available for use. All the other lodge activities are researched throughout the game at either a school or a university. Some of the very powerful activities available to players include the deployment of the poisoner (who introduces the plague to an opponent's settlement) or the demagogue (who can rally workers to walk away from their jobs).
- Natural Disasters
Players are now subject to Mother Nature's wrath. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions all have the power to destroy settlements. Diseases are also rampant in the 1701 AD world, specifically the plague, which can wipe out hundreds, or even thousands, of people. The plague of rats can ruin tons of goods as well.
Development[edit]
Retro space impact. Anno 1701 was the most expensive German game ever made at the time of its release, with a budget of €10 million.[1]
Reception[edit]
| Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Anno 1701 received 'generally favorable reviews' according to the aggregate review site Metacritic.[2]
Sales[edit]
As Anno 1602 and Anno 1503 had been commercial hits, together totaling 4.5 million units sold worldwide, pre-release sales estimates for Anno 1701 were high. Retailers purchased 450,000 units in Germany in preparation for the game's launch; worldwide pre-orders from stores reached roughly 1 million copies.[8] According to Der Spiegel, the game and its predecessors were aimed at mainstream casual players who 'buy a game once a year and spend weeks with it', a goal reflected in the new title's pre-release television advertising. Publisher Sunflowers Interactive noted a high percentage of female players among the Anno series' fanbase, and they were a target demographic for Anno 1701.[9]
Upon release, Anno 1701 broke sales records to become the fastest-selling German computer game ever, with more than 200,000 units sold in German-speaking countries during its debut two weeks. In response, Sunflowers forecast 500,000 sales by the end of 2006.[10][11] It ultimately finished the year with sales of 320,000 copies in the German market alone, for revenues of €12.7 million. This placed it second for 2006, behind World of Warcraft at 345,000 units.[12]
The Sunken Dragon[edit]
On March 23, 2007, Sunflowers announced an add-on called Anno 1701: The Sunken Dragon. It includes new features, new missions, and a map editor. The add-on has an Asiatic look, as well as a campaign with 11 missions centered on the new player profiles.[13]
References[edit]
- ^Staff (July 19, 2006). 'Deutsche Spiele im Ausland'. GameStar (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2018.
- ^ ab'1701 A.D.'Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_anno1701_pc
- ^https://web.archive.org/web/20160518104938/http://www.1up.com/reviews/1701-ad
- ^http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/anno-war/745174p1.html
- ^Adams, Dan (October 30, 2006). '1701 A.D. Review'. IGN. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/1701-ad-review/1900-6161273/
- ^Staff (October 23, 2006). 'Teuerstes Spiel aus Deutschland'. n-tv (in German). Archived from the original on January 1, 2010.
- ^Görig, Carsten (October 27, 2006). 'Sky Du Mont wird Hardcoregamer'. Der Spiegel (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2018.
- ^Thöing, Sebastian (November 17, 2006). '200.000 verkaufte Exemplare'. PC Games (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2018.
- ^Staff (November 17, 2006). 'Anno 1701' legt Traumstart hin'. GamesMarkt (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2018.
- ^MCV Editors (August 20, 2007). 'ANALYSIS: Territory report: Germany'. MCV. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018.
- ^Anno 1701: Der Fluch des Drachen Teaser Webseite Ubisoft