The Settlers: Rise of Cultures

Olympus had it enough with those stupid humans and doesn't want them to use his name for anything anymore. But his two counsel angles convince him to give the humans a last chance to regain his respect. So now the Bavarians, Scots and Egyptians need to complete some objectives for Olympus while an evil Bavarian General and the Goddess Sachmet try to sabotage their doings.

During the eleven missions of the campaign, the player controls all three nations in order to please Olympus and to learn the unique sides of each folk which is the biggest change to the predecessor The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary. While the Bavarians have a good balance between economy and military and use traditional products like meat or beer, the Scots are more of a military force but can't build their economy up as fast as the other nations. They also have a different production line-up with a big focus on sheep which are needed to tailor kilts for the soldiers. The Egyptians are even more extreme. Their soldiers aren't very strong but they can build up a big city in no time mainly because they don't need any wood. Instead their buildings are made from clay bricks which can be produced faster.

The other big change to the basic gameplay is the whole military system. Soldiers are now divided into melee and long-range combat. And instead of upgrading them inside forts and other buildings at the frontlines, they are now trained and upgraded in a new building type called barracks. The combat also isn't a fight one settler against another anymore but instead many against one. So instead of everyone waiting for their turn in the line when there is no one else two fight, two or more soldiers can attack the same enemy. This makes archers especially powerful.

Other changes to the core gameplay include the addition of a place of devotement. There the player can turn resources in for temporary buffs or even direct attacks on the enemy like doubling the speed of your settlers for 15 minutes or destroying an enemy ship. And instead of sending a scout or geologist to a flag to make him do his work, the players are now required to build a small shack for him.

If the player has satisfied Olympus, he can go online and play matches with or against up to six players or bots. Instead of a simple server browser, the game features a 3D Lobby for which the player needs to create an avatar. In the lobby the players can play mini games like Texas Hold'em or buy decorative items for their avatar with the money they win in the mini games or find in treasure chest in the game. For each win and loss the player's avatar also gains experience and ultimately levels him up which upgrades his look.