dalgo
Emperor
Fans of Colonisation might also like a recent game Port Royale. You start with a single small ship in the New World, sailing for either England, France, Holland or Spain. You can make money by trading goods such as Sugar, Rum, Cotton, Tobacco, Timber, Cloth etc or by capturing them from enemy ships (Caravels, Galleons, Frigates etc). Prices are dynamic, ie they go up when you buy goods and go down when you sell them. You can build businesses such as Rum Distillery, Sawmill, Weaving Mill etc. You supply the raw materials and get the finished goods to trade. Sounds familiar?
However Port Royale is not Colonisation 2. You are limited to the Caribbean with 60 existing towns and you cannot create any more (although you do find a Hideout of your own later in the game). You can increase the size of these towns by providing them with food and basic goods. The game is entirely sea-based with no land travel or trading. There are no Founding Fathers (unfortunately) and no Indian tribes. But this is 10 years on from Colonisation and the gap is especially noticeable in the graphics which are brilliant. The range of goods (19), ships (12) and businesses (15) are larger also.
There is a wide variety of starting positions. As well as the four countries you can also start in different towns and choose from four different periods to play. The balance of strength between the countries changes according to the starting period although Spain is always the strongest. Combat is relatively simple, you control a fleet of up to 10 ships manually, or set them on auto and watch the battle. If you win you can capture or loot the enemy ships.
There is an RPG element with experience gained through fighting, trade, or completing missions. Promotion allows you to handle more fleets of ships and build in more towns. Although Port Royale is not turn-based there is a pause key to allow you to stop the game when you want to concentrate on your trading or building strategies. This part of the game is stronger than the combat side and I would say if you enjoy the trading in Colonization you will also like Port Royal. It may not be Colonization 2 but it does serve as a filler until the real thing comes along. I can certainly recommend it.
However Port Royale is not Colonisation 2. You are limited to the Caribbean with 60 existing towns and you cannot create any more (although you do find a Hideout of your own later in the game). You can increase the size of these towns by providing them with food and basic goods. The game is entirely sea-based with no land travel or trading. There are no Founding Fathers (unfortunately) and no Indian tribes. But this is 10 years on from Colonisation and the gap is especially noticeable in the graphics which are brilliant. The range of goods (19), ships (12) and businesses (15) are larger also.
There is a wide variety of starting positions. As well as the four countries you can also start in different towns and choose from four different periods to play. The balance of strength between the countries changes according to the starting period although Spain is always the strongest. Combat is relatively simple, you control a fleet of up to 10 ships manually, or set them on auto and watch the battle. If you win you can capture or loot the enemy ships.
There is an RPG element with experience gained through fighting, trade, or completing missions. Promotion allows you to handle more fleets of ships and build in more towns. Although Port Royale is not turn-based there is a pause key to allow you to stop the game when you want to concentrate on your trading or building strategies. This part of the game is stronger than the combat side and I would say if you enjoy the trading in Colonization you will also like Port Royal. It may not be Colonization 2 but it does serve as a filler until the real thing comes along. I can certainly recommend it.
