In fact, playing 1503 is very much like reading a bestseller or watching a box-office hit. It is as if the development house has taken successful elements from other RTS titles, thrown in a couple of its own ideas, chosen a time period and released 1503.
Indeed, it has become so difficult to differentiate between the city building and RTS games available that developers are increasingly varying the game epoch to draw attention to their titles.
After all, gaming has become such a cutthroat business that development companies have come under increased pressure to release popular titles. Unfortunately, this big business has seen many publishers release titles that are good bets to sell well instead of gambling on ones that are unique but risky business ventures.
Don`t get me wrong, 1503 is not a bad title. In fact, it has addictive gameplay with the atmosphere drawing the player into the game world. It is just that 1503 is one of the many safe titles on offer and does not bring many new enhancements to the genre.
It features three tutorials focusing on the different game elements: discovery and settlement, trade and diplomacy and combat training. Unfortunately, these tutorials do not succeed in showcasing the game to its potential. The way the tutorials have been put together is slipshod at best with nary a voice-over in sight. It is even easy for the RTS novice to lose focus in the tutorials since there are not that many guidelines on what to do.
Apart from the tutorials, 1503 has nine continuous games that differ in such areas as number of islands, the availability of ore deposits, opponent types and money available to the player.
Call me old-fashioned, but these sandbox games have always had a special place in my heart (yes, us game reviewers do have these biological implants). There is something wonderfully addictive to be able to do anything you want without having a specific mission goal or time frame to work to.
Of course, it does contain 10 scenarios and one campaign for those gamers who want specific goals to achieve in their game play. The structured approach of the scenarios and campaign missions successfully show what 1503 can do. These scenarios are sufficiently diverse to keep the player entertained but are a bit too formulaic for my taste.
One of the strong suits of 1503 is its trade-engine. If you have ever played Sierra`s Emperor, then you will immediately feel at home with 1503. For trade to occur, you will need to have a warehouse filled with goods another nation wants. To get these goods, you will need to have several production chains in place.
A production chain starts with a primary producer such as a sheep farm. From the farm the goods will go to a workshop, like a butcher or weaver, and on to a warehouse or market building for storage. Finally, the goods will move to a sales location such as your market where it will be sold to the populace.
While this may sound complicated, Sunflowers succeeded in implementing this engine to great effect and it forms quite an enjoyable aspect of 1503.
While 1503 might not be a genre-defining title, it is still a lot of fun to play. Its graphics might be dated and its tutorials will not endear it to many, but the game does become addictive after a few missions.
Once you get the hang of the game play, the sandbox games are a sure-bet and will become the favourite area for many.
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