Once upon a time, German economic strategies were popular, and they had a large number of fans. However, slowly this genre has become too niche, few new games are released, some of the strategies have become MMOs, and there are almost no really high-quality single-player projects left.
Company Ascaron was one of the largest developers of these strategies, but the crisis did not spare them. However, the publisher Kalypso Media managed to pick up almost all the main developers and continue to release games in this genre. Came out first Patrician IV who was quite thoughtful and interesting project. The main emphasis in the game was placed on trade, battles were given much less importance. However, the fans were satisfied and now we have the continuation of another cult series. Port Royale 3 .
Learning economics
Frankly, all games Ascaron Entertainment or current Gaming Minds Studios pretty similar in concept. The main thing that a player needs is to successfully speculate. Moreover, by playing these games, you can learn the basics of economics and the idea often slips that it will be much easier for modern schoolchildren or students to understand the basis of this science after games from these developers. Everything is done visually - you buy a product where it is cheaper and then you sell it at a higher price. So you can understand how many current millionaires earned their money. However, if in previous games of the series and the same Patrician IV it was necessary to monitor the situation in the cities, plan routes, but now everything is much easier.
So it turns out that now everything has become much easier for fans of these strategies, and the game itself is much more friendly to beginners. You can just build a lot of routes that will make a profit. Actually, more routes - more profit. Yes, sometimes pirates can attack our ships, but they won't be a big problem. We'll talk about battles later, but the developers didn't pay too much attention to them.
The second way to enrich will be the construction of buildings. Everything is simple here - you need to earn a reputation, buy a license and that's it. Next, you just need to monitor the supply of raw materials and bring workers, and then you can hire a manager and the buildings will bring a lot of income. And again, everything is done quite simply. Even with a shortage of raw materials, the buildings will be profitable, and the population will be satisfied, because it works for you. And you will not see any strikes, discontent of workers. You don’t even need to keep track of your salary - everything is automated.
You can also complete various assignments of governors to earn reputation in the country and city, as well as money. Moreover, if you do not complete the back ones, then the reputation will not decrease, soon you will be given another chance. And the reputation of the country and the city can help you in obtaining licenses for construction, as well as the opportunity to become the governor of the city.
All this looks interesting, but it is boring to play. Too many features are lost, you can easily trade, build buildings and become rich. There will be practically no one to stop you - countries rarely attack merchants, and pirates can pick up cargo and sometimes destroy a convoy.
About fights
Actually, we have come to another important component - the battles. On the one hand, now you can control not just one ship, as before, but the whole fleet, on the other hand, ship management is not very convenient, there are no duels, and many battles are won simply due to the strength or weakness of the fleet. There are no tactical tricks here, and quite often it is easier to make the automatic mode for completing the battle. Victory depends on how many guns and sailors you have. The latter can be easily taken in any city with a high reputation, and guns are bought for money.
About campaigns
All this will be taught to you in trading and adventure companies, which are not very different from each other. You will be given tasks, in parallel to teach the basics of the game. Only now there was a problem - newcomers are not explained some aspects of the game, which were, for example, in Patrician IV. There is no explanation in training about supply and demand. Moreover, it is not shown that it is necessary to monitor the amount of goods in the warehouse, which are indicated by lines. There are four strips and the more of them are filled, the more goods and vice versa. Also, it must be taken into account that sometimes the price difference between the previous unit of goods and the next one differs several times. However, all these aspects can be easily understood during the game.
Campaigns do not manage to attract players much, in the same Port Royale 2 there were different political situations and different goals for the player. And now everything is simple - two companies, where the emphasis is on trade, and in the other, attention is paid to battles. There is even a small plot that is tied to a small affair, it's a pity that almost no one was involved in the script, so the story looks rather sluggish. But you could come up with a few more short scenarios, set a time limit and different goals - this would diversify the game.
Technically, the game has become better than its predecessor, but the battles could look cooler. And so - pretty standard graphics, however, for such strategies it's good. With melodies, the developers also did not really try - I would like to hear more pirate romance, some kind of bass in battles, so that there is a desire to destroy the enemy. But everything is in order with the atmosphere - at first you feel like a simple messenger for happiness, and then a rich merchant, with whom other countries must reckon.
But what upset - various bugs and crashes. Often when leaving the city Port Royale 3 hangs and you have to re-enter the game. There is also a problem with becoming the governor of the city - you have completed all the tasks, but you are not appointed. Well, another comical situation. Those who have played previous games in the series or the same Patrician IV from the beginning of the game they will try to build more trade routes in order to get money. However, the game will explain to you later how to do this and offer you to create the first trade route much later, when you have done it repeatedly.
In addition to campaigns, there is also a free game where you set your own goals. You can also try multiplayer, but there are very few players there and it will be difficult to find an opponent.
***
Port Royale 3 came out pretty ambiguous. The game will appeal to beginners who have not yet played economic strategies. But for ardent fans or veterans of this genre, simplicity will kill the buzz from the process. Instead of inventing interesting routes, cunning and insidious diplomacy, everything is automated here. Campaigns are also few, and AI is much to be desired. And yet, good graphics, various battles can also attract veterans, who, after familiarization, will continue to play with nostalgia.
Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants- a great real-time strategy with a touch of pirate romance. Want to travel back in time to a time when the Caribbean was shattered by gunfire and constant wars between colonial powers? So this game is exactly what you need! Coming out in 2012, not only for PC, but also for PS3, Xbox 360, the toy gained considerable popularity. But critics gave it mixed reviews - some rated it 9 points, while others only 6, saying that there were practically no innovations compared to the previous parts, with the exception of excellent graphics.
Game features
- Maximum freedom of action - the player can trade, piracy, or fulfill contracts;
- Colorful graphics flavored with well-designed animation of everything;
- Two campaigns that allow you to fully understand the controls and the principle of the game;
- Many ships - starting with a simple schooner, try to become the owner of a powerful squadron of three massive battleships;
- A variety of goods that can be very profitable to trade.
Game Review
Probably one of the main advantages of Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants is the ease of learning. The game contains two simple but exciting campaigns - having passed them under the guidance of a real sea dog, even an inexperienced gamer who plays such a game for the first time will easily figure out all the intricacies. Well, then - complete freedom of action. The player himself decides how to act and what to do. Do you want to join in naval battles, board enemy ships and replenish your fleet with them? No problem! Are you tempted to pursue a career as a Rogue Trader who makes a fortune through his talent to buy and sell profitably? And in this case, you will not be bored.
Compared to the previous parts of the series, this one has not changed much. The main change was the graphics. She is simply magnificent - to admire the sea surface, tropical islands and even storms can last for a long time and this activity will not get bored. The animation will also not disappoint even the modern spoiled gamer. The number of ships in a squadron has also changed - if earlier it was possible to combine up to five ships together, now the developers have reduced this number to three.
Gameplay
With many advantages, the game is not without flaws. One of the main ones is boring trading. You don't need to visit cities to find out where you can profitably buy or sell goods - everything is indicated on the global map. The player can only equip the ships, load them with the right goods in one port and send them to another. After that, it is enough to watch how gold flows into the merchant's treasury - first in a thin stream, and then a real river. But fighting is completely unprofitable - you can quickly burn out in this matter. After all, repairing a ship often costs more than you can get from selling a captured and well-perforated ship.
Trading, hunting for pirates, keeping up the good morale of the sailors - the life of a captain in the Caribbean is not easy. For this reason, I want to help you with some tips that will make it easier for you to immerse yourself in the world of Port Royal 2.
Trade
1. Shop locally
In principle, goods are cheaper where they are produced. Buy imported goods only in case of emergency, for example, if you need for a short time meet the needs of the city.
2. Supply and demand
How in real life The price is determined by supply and demand: the smaller the product, the more expensive it is. Therefore, avoid buying products marked in red on the menu. These products are rare in this city and are accordingly expensive. On the contrary, it is profitable to sell such goods in this city.
3. Consider ranking impact
4. Price limits
In Port Royal 2, 5 types of goods are distinguished: essential goods (wheat, fruit, timber, bricks), raw materials (corn, sugar, cotton, hemp), finished goods (meat, clothing, ropes, rum), colonial goods (cocoa, coffee, tobacco, dyes), as well as imported goods (spices, wine, tools). Despite all the fluctuations, you should stick to certain price limits. Be guided by the values from the table below to avoid losses when buying and selling goods.
5. Administrative centers
Finished goods and imports are cheapest in the administrative centers. In turn, here you can most profitably sell colonial goods. If you have a warehouse in such a city, use the ability of the warehouse manager: he must buy all imported goods at a price of up to 650 per unit. When convoys from Europe bring in imported goods, the manager will fill the warehouse with them. Thus, you will have a constant supply of imported goods bought at a low price!
6. Colonial goods
Note that not all colonial goods are produced anywhere caribbean. Coffee and cocoa, for example, are found only in the southeast, dyes - only in the west.
Production
7. Earn a license
Whether you can buy a building license is determined by your trade rating in a given city. To increase it, sell the goods necessary for the city, which are marked in red in the menu. Attention: selling goods to the city in excess of its needs does not increase the rating!
8. Help Effectively
The type of product doesn't matter, what matters is how effectively you deal with shortages. For example, if the city needs wheat and meat, then it will be smarter to supply the latter. Because the demand for meat is usually lower and can be satisfied faster.
9. Choosing a location
Think carefully about the choice of the city in which you want to establish production. Ideally, there is a demand for the goods you produce in the nearest settlements. Example: You produce sugar and cotton in Santa Marta and sell them in Cartagena, where they are processed into rum and clothing.
10. Grow slowly
For starters, 1-2 enterprises of the same type will suffice. Otherwise, there is an excess of supply over demand and, accordingly, low prices. Each factory or plantation built increases the population of the city by 120 people. Thus, with the construction of the enterprise, you also create demand, the settlement grows and grows.
11. Sell locally
Sometimes there are not enough caravans to sell manufactured goods in other cities. In such cases, feel free to sell them on the spot (for example, automated through the warehouse manager). A gain of 10% is always guaranteed if production goes without problems.
12. Produce building materials
It often happens that you have a license in the city, but not enough building materials. For this reason, choose for your first license a city that produces both wood and bricks at the same time. A couple of factories will quickly fill the local warehouse, a constant supply of building materials is guaranteed.
13. Player rank
Licenses with an increase in their number not only become more expensive, in addition there is also a limit on the number of licenses. How much you can have depends on your rank, which, in turn, is determined by your financial condition. In addition, your rank determines the number of captains you can hire.
Captains and Trade Routes
14. Experience of the captain
Only if the captain has at least 4 experience points, then he can manage the trade route - for this reason, experience has great importance. For example, if the caravan is on the high seas for a long time, the captain's navigation points increase, and with it the travel speed (max. 10% increase). Trade experience points are earned when the caravan stops in various cities and trades there - while the profit from trade does not play any role! At the highest level of trading experience, a discount on purchased goods is 5%. Naval battles finally raise the battle points and the captain's hit accuracy.
15. Optimal trade route
Try to include four closely spaced colonial cities with as many different products as possible and two administrative centers into the trade route. This guarantees profitable commodity flows, as ships can profitably trade all five types of goods.
16. Refuse guns on board
Do not resort to guns and sailors on automatic trade routes. They lower the ship's capacity and are an additional fixed expense.
Naval Battles
17. Full load
Warships must have the maximum number of sailors. Because artificial intelligence boards a ship only if it has 20% more sailors. Also buy as many weapons as possible. There is nothing more offensive than not having guns in a naval battle.
18. Change ships during battle
Repairing a ship is cheaper than buying a new one. Therefore, go aboard the next ship when the ship hit points fall below 30%. Attention: artificial intelligence is trying to sink ships that are fleeing!
19. One of the ships was captured - it doesn't matter!
If you win, you still get the ship back.
20. First knippeli, then buckshot
The following tactic has proven itself, especially against capital ships: knippels first break the sails and reduce the speed of the enemy. Buckshot then reduces the number of sailors, you can board the ship without fear, and it will be yours.
21. Optimal Battle Caravan
For hunting pirates and similar missions, create a purely combat caravan. Cannons occupy a volume of 3 barrels; these ships can no longer be used for trade. Combine maneuverable ships with heavy ships in your fleet.
Port Royale games are a separate genre in the gaming world. Each part of the work is fundamentally different from the previous one. Port Royale 4 deserves special attention. The game that came out last from the developers differs from the previous parts. The level of graphics, gameplay and physics have improved significantly. Some players like it and some don't.
The last part of the game
Game Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants considered the latest in the series. Some players call it the fourth part of the work. This strategy was released on computers and consoles in 2012. Game Features:
- improved 3D graphics;
- open world;
- the ability to improve ships;
- the freedom of action.
This part of the game was received by the audience very controversially. Some gamers rated it 2 out of 10, and some 10 out of 10. This is due to the fact that people who played the previous parts gave a low rating. After all, the new "Port Royale" is fundamentally different from the previous parts.
Port Royale gameplay description
At the very beginning, the player has a small ship that can be used to sell goods. The first task is to earn a lot of money from trading. After that, it is necessary to continue to develop on the received start-up capital. Gamers need to establish their own state on the shores of the seas. At the very beginning, this will be difficult to do. Gradually, assistants will be connected to the development.
Every day the power will become more majestic. To do this, the player will have to negotiate with other countries, capture cities, buy new ships and much more. All this is possible with the help of competent trading.
Criticism of the game
The very first parts of the economic strategy were quite difficult for gamers to play. Previous games have positioned the Caribbean as a hostile place. To survive in it, you need to try. However, in Port royale 4, the developers removed all the difficulties that players faced.
Cities now display products that are most in demand. Focusing on this, a person can only build a profitable route. Such mechanics simply kills all interest in the game. Now the gamer can simply automate the process of making money in Port Royal. If a person wants to engage in robbery, then it will not lead to anything good. V new game battles have become boring and fast, in comparison with the previous parts.
It is because of the simplification that this game has faced negative reviews. However, not every player took it negatively. There are people who are really interested in being in Port Royal.
On a whim, Ascaron parted ways with mossy Europe and set off to conquer new lands. However, the hand does not rise to write the word "clone" opposite him. Contrary to the laws of mathematics, from a change of place all the terms of attractiveness " Patricia» formed into something new, recognizable externally, but fairly transformed internally. The aged nobleman suddenly looked younger, dignified, had gangster habits and, driven by a passion for adventure, set off in all serious ways.
And yet they look alike, like twin brothers; economic model, social status system, shipping and building our own enterprises ... in a word, everything that is dear to us Patrician 2, was carefully and carefully transferred to Port Royale. The political situation, of course, is different: no single trade organization like the Hanseatic League, only four powers (Spain, England, France and Holland), constantly at war with each other, and an atmosphere of daring permissiveness around. The action takes place in the seas and cities of the newly discovered Caribbean in one of four time periods, starting in 1570, when Spanish rule in the region seemed unshakable, and ending in 1660, in the era of the decline of the Spanish colonies and the heyday of piracy. Having chosen one of the parties, the initial capital and "character characteristics" (without the notorious role-playing elements, it could not have done here), the player finds himself face to face with a very prettier, painted in rich colors, but familiar interface.There are not so many major changes; veterans Patrician 2 easily adapt to new surroundings. However, those who did not have a chance to play the previous creation of Ascaron will also have no difficulties: Port Royale noticeably simpler and friendlier than its predecessor. The picture has become brighter, the interface is more convenient, and the spirit of romance and adventure has been added to business seriousness.
Accounting
You are not familiar with Patrician 2? Then I will briefly outline the main ideas. driving force v Port Royale is trade; sea freight is a reliable, although not a quick way to make a fortune and earn the respect of fellow citizens. The theory of enrichment is simple - we buy cheap, sell at exorbitant prices, and spend the difference on new ships, enterprises, repairs, crew, weapons, etc. Unlike Patrician 2, the global sea map is initially almost empty, and we have to independently find new cities on it. B O Most of them are young colonies, which is reflected in the gameplay in a peculiar way: a division into the so-called. "governor towns", which have regular communication with Europe, and small settlements dependent on them. Accordingly, the list of goods includes three categories: food and raw materials, the demand for which is equally great everywhere, colonial goods destined for shipment to Europe, and imported products, which are well distributed in colonies not connected with the mainland. In a local, hard to predict market, this system introduces some element of reliability. Prices, of course, change dynamically depending on the magnitude of demand and the availability of goods in urban warehouses.
As capital grows, an additional path to enrichment appears: own enterprises. Having bought for a round sum the right to build in the city and erected a mandatory representation - a warehouse (Storage), we get the opportunity to establish private production. The list of available buildings is not so wide and varies from city to city - the geographical and climatic features of the area affect. In addition, some goods are produced with less efficiency, which can significantly reduce profits. The rules of a successful business are obvious - you need to produce what is in the greatest demand and promises the least cost; at the same time, one should not lose sight of the workload of warehouses and the situation with the labor force in the city. As in Patrician 2, you can build public utility buildings, which increases popularity among the townspeople.
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest
But all these trade and economic difficulties, without which it was unthinkable patrician, have inexplicably lost their meaning in Port Royale. The spirit of lawlessness, the acrid smoke of cannons, and easy as a fair wind gain - that's the salt of the local seas. The authors gently push the players to a simple thought: quick wealth does not come through honest means; but who here is afraid of dishonest ways?
It is allowed to engage in sea robbery right away, just spend the starting capital on recruiting sailors and acquiring cannons, and forward to glory - the capture of small, weak convoys will make the novice merchant the owner of a decent fleet in a matter of minutes. The sale of extra ships brings a good profit, and the growing firepower allows you to arrange more and more risky sorties. At the same time, the image of a formidable filibuster does not at all mean a loss of reputation, since victories over pirates bring both honor and, often, considerable rewards, and for the “legal” robbery of merchant ships of other nations, you can always buy a letter of marque.
The adventures don't end there: the game does its best to ease the burden of trading by slipping various tasks, mysterious rumors and maps of buried treasures... And, of course, battles: up to two dozen ships of various colors collide in a fierce battle, majestically gliding through the waves, dashingly circling and bombarding each other with cores, turning the bloody fun into a uniform ballet. There is not much room for a tactical mind, and usually, after the preliminary distribution of orders, all that remains is to admire the graceful and deadly fleets of the warring fleets. However, it is by no means always the case that only superiority in strength decides. For example, ammunition can run out at the most crucial moment, and the lack of people in the team will easily allow an insidious enemy to board a key ship. You have to pay attention to various little things, which, of course, is nice.
V Port Royale the concept of a separate ship has disappeared, now only convoys and their captains are under our command (also, by the way, with their own set of parameters growing over time). This simplifies both trade and repair and purchase operations - there is another step forward compared to Patrician 2. The number of convoys, as well as the number of cities in which you can build your own enterprises, depends on the rank - the local version of the character's "level" familiar to roleplayers, which increases through successful trade deals, naval victories, successful completion of missions, etc. .
Seven feet under the keel
The number of features is too large for a small review - a lot is left behind the scenes, but it’s not a shame to draw a conclusion right now: Port Royale justifies the time spent on it. Of course, there are disadvantages. The interface is still quite inconvenient and overloaded, naval battles, despite their entertainment, are often monotonous, missions are typical and boring, AI seems to have received only superficial attention from developers ... In addition, all kinds of errors, not fatal, come to light every now and then (there were no drops on the desktop), but annoying: the picture often “disappears”, information windows, on the contrary, refuse to close, there are always difficulties with the network game ... This annoying ballast deprived Port Royale“Our choice”, and yet he rightfully receives high praise. Colorful graphics, pleasant music, a deep strategic foundation (with a good pedigree) and the atmosphere of a good pirate novel - all the components of a successful project are evident.
In general, feel free to buy champagne, hit it with a swing on the monitor, and have a happy voyage. Maybe somewhere out there, among the salty waves, we will meet again ...
