The Settlers II
Encyclopedia
The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici (original German title: Die Siedler II: Veni, Vidi, Vici) is a real-time strategy
computer game, released by Blue Byte Software
in 1996. Its gameplay is very similar to that of its predecessor, The Settlers, albeit with a Roman
theme and improved graphics. It is the second game in The Settlers series
.
Many fans of the franchise consider this the best game of the Settlers series, primarily because future installments changed the transport management aspect considerably. This popularity more recently boosted Blue Byte's decision to publish a remake of the game, The Settlers II 10th Anniversary
for Windows
and Nintendo DS
port
.
mode or through individual scenario
s defined by the user. The user can also engage in a split screen
match with a human opponent on the same computer with a second mouse.
The player's main objectives are building a diverse economy and conquering every computer opponent. The player begins each map with a warehouse
and a set amount of materials and tools. The economy is driven by serf
s who transport goods through a network of roads and also populate a building once its completed, if the necessary tool to perform the building task is present in the warehouse. The economy is based on gathering raw material
s which include food
, rock
, lumber
, and ore
s. The player has control over what percent of a material
s is transported to each building for processing. All raw materials are used to enable different economic functions such as food enables miners to mine, rock and lumber are used as material to construct buildings and other tasks while different ores are used to construct tools and war material.
The player has a limited territory (area of land) upon which he can construct buildings and roads. During the start of the game, the main warehouse is the main building granting territory around a specific radius. Territory can be expanded by creating one of four military complexes (Barracks, Guardhouse, Watchtower and Fortress) near the present territory border. Each complex must have at least one soldier
garrison
ed to receive the added territory bonus. Soldiers can be created by manufacturing a sword and shield, and using them to upgrade a serf. One "unit" of beer is also required to upgrade a serf to a soldier. Gold coins can also be added to raise the rank of a soldier making him stronger in combat. The player can send any amount of available soldiers to an enemy military complex where the soldier(s) must defeat all enemy soldiers housed in the building. If the player's units defeats all housed soldiers then the military complex is taken over by the player with the accompanying territory of the buildings radius.
The catapult can only attack an enemy's military buildings, such as Fortress, Watch tower, Guard house, or Barracks. As long as stones are supplied, the catapult will fire automatically. The probablility of a successful attack is about two thirds.
The player wins the scenarios once he defeats all opponents by occupying all their military complexes including the main warehouse or, in campaign mode, when he gains control of a specific area of the map that allows access to the next level. At this point, the game gives an option to either quit the game or continue playing even when all opponents have been destroyed.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
computer game, released by Blue Byte Software
Blue Byte Software
Ubisoft Blue Byte is a video game developer based in Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 1988. The company has produced popular titles like Battle Isle and The Settlers. In 2001, the company was purchased by Ubisoft.-History:...
in 1996. Its gameplay is very similar to that of its predecessor, The Settlers, albeit with a Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
theme and improved graphics. It is the second game in The Settlers series
The Settlers
The Settlers is a slow-paced simulation computer game by German developer Blue Byte Software, first released in 1993 for Commodore Amiga and in 1994 for the PC...
.
Many fans of the franchise consider this the best game of the Settlers series, primarily because future installments changed the transport management aspect considerably. This popularity more recently boosted Blue Byte's decision to publish a remake of the game, The Settlers II 10th Anniversary
The Settlers II 10th Anniversary
The Settlers II 10th Anniversary Edition is a remake of the classic real-time strategy game The Settlers II. It was announced in July 2006. The Settlers II 10th Anniversary Edition features up-to-date 3D graphics and new gameplay additions...
for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
.
Gameplay
Settlers II can be played in either campaignMilitary campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
mode or through individual scenario
Scenario
A scenario is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the Commedia dell'arte it was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play that was literally pinned to the back of the scenery...
s defined by the user. The user can also engage in a split screen
Split screen (computer graphics)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into non-movable adjacent parts, typically two or four rectangular areas. This is done in order to allow the simultaneous presentation of related graphical and textual information on a computer...
match with a human opponent on the same computer with a second mouse.
The player's main objectives are building a diverse economy and conquering every computer opponent. The player begins each map with a warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
and a set amount of materials and tools. The economy is driven by serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
s who transport goods through a network of roads and also populate a building once its completed, if the necessary tool to perform the building task is present in the warehouse. The economy is based on gathering raw material
Raw material
A raw material or feedstock is the basic material from which a product is manufactured or made, frequently used with an extended meaning. For example, the term is used to denote material that came from nature and is in an unprocessed or minimally processed state. Latex, iron ore, logs, and crude...
s which include food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
, rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
, lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, and ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
s. The player has control over what percent of a material
Material
Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...
s is transported to each building for processing. All raw materials are used to enable different economic functions such as food enables miners to mine, rock and lumber are used as material to construct buildings and other tasks while different ores are used to construct tools and war material.
The player has a limited territory (area of land) upon which he can construct buildings and roads. During the start of the game, the main warehouse is the main building granting territory around a specific radius. Territory can be expanded by creating one of four military complexes (Barracks, Guardhouse, Watchtower and Fortress) near the present territory border. Each complex must have at least one soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
ed to receive the added territory bonus. Soldiers can be created by manufacturing a sword and shield, and using them to upgrade a serf. One "unit" of beer is also required to upgrade a serf to a soldier. Gold coins can also be added to raise the rank of a soldier making him stronger in combat. The player can send any amount of available soldiers to an enemy military complex where the soldier(s) must defeat all enemy soldiers housed in the building. If the player's units defeats all housed soldiers then the military complex is taken over by the player with the accompanying territory of the buildings radius.
The catapult can only attack an enemy's military buildings, such as Fortress, Watch tower, Guard house, or Barracks. As long as stones are supplied, the catapult will fire automatically. The probablility of a successful attack is about two thirds.
The player wins the scenarios once he defeats all opponents by occupying all their military complexes including the main warehouse or, in campaign mode, when he gains control of a specific area of the map that allows access to the next level. At this point, the game gives an option to either quit the game or continue playing even when all opponents have been destroyed.
External links
- The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici at Moby Games