Port Royale

[canute]

Anyone ever play Port Royale?  Like a combination of Pirates, RRT, Tropico...  Lots of details, sophisticated plotlines, economic systems, etc - and pretty fun naval battles.  Then they went ahead and made Port Royale 2.  I played it twice.  Blech.  Dreadful sequel.  I suppose if I played it longer, I'd find its merits, but as soon as I realised you could no longer command more than one ship in battle, I gave up.   Like they simplified the worng things.


Anyway, the original is a great game, if you don't mind doing a LOT of trading.  Pretty good music, too.

[Mr.P]

I had to choose between Port Royale and Anno 1503:The New World. I chose the later.

Sadly, despite downloading all the patches, updating my drivers etc I still cannot run 1503 without having a huge mess all over the gamescreen. So it sits on my desk, gathering dust.

If Port Royale allows you to build up New World ports/colonies et al then it sounds as if it may be my cup of tea.

Post some screenies if you get the chance and tell me what you think of the game. I could do with finding a decent trading game such as this.

[caddet]

I love Port Royale!  As a matter of fact, I'm playing through it again right now.  It's good to hear the warning about the sequel.  That saves me some money.

[Coconut Kid]

I had to choose between Port Royale and Anno 1503:The New World. I chose the later.

Sadly, despite downloading all the patches, updating my drivers etc I still cannot run 1503 without having a huge mess all over the gamescreen. So it sits on my desk, gathering dust. ...

I am absolutely stunned. I have been playing AD 1503 since it first appeared on the US shelves with no computer problems at all. That in spite of the fact that my computer is so weak in the visual department that the Port Royale demo was barely functional.

Firstly, the International Version of 1503 AD was released in several languages long after the original German version. There was one patch for only the German version. There are no patches for any of the International Versions. So I can only conclude, with respect, that whatever you downloaded in the form of "all the patches" has really screwed up a fine game which runs well without such sabotage.

It needs to be noted that the International Version comes in two (2) English versions. One is British and one is American.

The Add-On has been released in an International Version which does NOT include an American English version. This is NOT a patch, but commercially sold Add-On / Up-Grade.

There is a very helpful multi-language forum at:
http://www.anno1503.com/forum/index

Walks away mumbling "all the patches" but there's only one in German, hummm??? Why me? Which planet is it today?

 

[caddet]

I thought I should reply to a couple of comments, just so Coconut Kid doesn't feel so lonely.

First, I still love Port Royale, but don't plan on buying the sequel because of the warnings.

Mr.P mentioned Anno 1503, which I have.  But I also have 1602 AD, which I've had for quite some time.  And like most sequel games, I didn't care for the differences between 1602 and 1503.  I'm not sure which one was the sequel, but I got used to 1602 first.

As for the issue of a "very good computer" for most of the newer games, I have that covered.  But Trainz locks up my machine.  So does Cruise Ship Tycoon.  And Airport Tycoon 3 runs, but eventually quits the game to desktop.  But those are the only ones so far.  I still haven't loaded any Tropico patches.  In fact, I don't think I've loaded any patches on my computer for anything except the Windows operating system patches.

And finally, I can't wait to try out Pirates!  I prefer the builder type games, but the ships will get me into pirates.  Having played through Pirates of the Caribbean, I'm ready for Sid's "take" on pirating.  But a friend advised that I shouldn't buy it before Christmas.

As for Sid Meyer whipping out his black box, I don't think it's that simple.  I believe he's always designing.  Even before a game gets to the testing phase, he's probably well into the next game's design.  At least in conceptual terms.  That's why his games are so good.  He puts a lot of time in the thinking, so that by the time the coding starts, he's thought of just about everything.  And it's his reputation that smashes the market.

[canute]

Some screenshots!

Hey - another nice thing about this game. It doesn't need the CD to run...

[canute]

See all those ships? Each one is a different character - a pirate - famous or unknown, a trader, a military convoy, a bucaneer.  They each have their own agenda.  The other traders buy and sell for profit just like you do.  

[canute]

Hmm...resolution not too good - tried to reduce the size...   here's a cropped view of the same.

[canute]

Ah - automated trade routes - somthing similar to RRT.  A well-planned trade route can keep all your industries supplied and earn a handsome profit.  It IS a lot easier than it first seems...

[canute]

Oh, hard to read... but you get the picture...

[canute]

And the battle...  this was early in the game so the fleet is pretty modest.  

The sea battles are lots of fun.  One of the big let-downs of version 2 is that you can only do one ship at a time, tag teaming.

You can plan an attack like a coach, telling each ship where to go (zone or man to man).  Of course you can pause and change orders at any time, or let the ships' captains do as they please.  But the movement is swift.  Basically, you select any number of ships and guide with the mouse.  I don't know how realistic it is, but it's certainly good game play.  (For example, you never have to worry about friendly fire accidents.)

Before each game, you set the difficulty level for sea battles: easy, medium or hard.  

[canute]

About ready to anihilate a pirate!

[canute]

So... there are some screen shots.  Maybe I'll put some PR2 ones for comparison.  I think there may be some good innovations in PR2 - I haven't played it much.  They have more commodities and their distribution in the region makes a little more sense.  Maybe the plot lines are more developed.  

You can build industries in any town you buy a permit in (always have one in your home town). These get more expensive as you move up in rank - so it's best to cruise around making cash for the first few months and buy permits in four towns.  Then begin your empire.

One thing to keep in mind - you can have up to 10 convoys depending on your rank.  It was difficult at first to handle more than 2 - bt it gets easier.  The interface can be a bit awkward sometimes, takes some getting used to...

Anyway - check it out sometime.  

[CafeDave]

Thanks for those screenshots canute!  I was playing the demo again last night to compare it with Pirates!  While I thought the sea battles in Port Royale were quite good the first time I tried them, but now they seem quite simplistic compared to Pirates!  And the graphics just don't cut it either.  The ships, cannonfire and explosions are all stunning in Pirates!  The only thing bad is that the sea battles are so slowed down.  There should be a speed adjustment button or something.  I'll post a screenshot for comparison when I get a chance.  PR does have significant other benefits though compared to Pirates!, like the large number of trade commodites, city building possibilities and greater fleet size.  I didn't really get into the trading aspect in the demo though, so can't comment on how good it is in the game.

[CafeDave]

I posted my screenshots of Pirates! over here:
http://dynamic3.gamespy.com/~tropico/cafe/index.php?board=26;action=display;threadid=9119

[caddet]

I'm not sure I sould load any patches for Tropico.  I never had any of the myriad problems I saw described on the board when the game was new, and don't see how it could run any better than it does.  When I bought my new computer in November (a year ago), I bought the Paradise Island expansion.  I still have not had a single run problem with any Tropico scenario or random map I have played.  As for running well, I wish some of my other games ran as well as my Tropico does!  I consider myself quite fortunate to have so few problems with so many games loaded.

[caddet]

I wouldn't say frightned.  I just see no need to "fix" something that doesn't appear to be broken, so I've never even taken the time to download any patches.  That probably comes from my Navy days, and from working in a nuclear plant.

As for Paradise Island needing the patch, I don't know.  While I have installed Paradise Island, I don't think I've played any of the additional scenarios.  But you said the patch makes it complete.  That piques my curiosity.  What does it complete?  What additional features does it add, and do these new features appear in the original scenarios after Paradise Island is installed?

[Mr.P]

Going back to Port Royale, the screenies remind me of an old game in a similar mold, called Discovery.

Did anyone play that on the old Amiga computer in the late 80's/early 90's?

[Coconut Kid]

Wednesday, 3rd June 2009 at 12:30 pm
Kalypso Media confirms acquistion of Ascaron assets and the foundation of a new development studio!

Kalypso Media can today confirm that an agreement for the acquisition of most brands, intangible assets and exploitation rights of insolvent Ascaron Entertainment GmbH- has been signed with the German administrators, Pielemeyer&Welsch.

Kalypso will take over the full rights of the famous Ascaron brands, such as“DarkStar One”,“Patrician” or“Port Royale”, though a few existing license agreements held by Ascaron UK will stay with the Ascaron until expiration.

Moreover, the German publisher will hold a majority of share of a new studio which will be established mutually with former Ascaron lead designers Kay Struve and Daniel Dumont. The 12 ex-employees of Ascaron will be employed at the new studio to continue the high-quality development of console and PC products.

Simon Hellwig, Managing Director of Kalypso explains:“ We are very proud of this deal, which allows us to continue the development of well-known brands, to create a high potential of further growth and to secure some of the teams jobs as well.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/press-releases/48014/Ascaron-Entertainment-GmbH-acquisition