Patrician III and Pirate Hunter are scheduled for release in PC CD-ROM format to major retail outlets nationwide this holiday season for approximately $40 and $30, respectively.
Said Michael Bell, Encore's CEO, "We are thrilled that Ascaron has entrusted the success of Pirate Hunter and Patrician III to Encore. These high-quality games are a perfect fit in our Third-Party Publishing Program, which offers publishers a wide range of services from sales, distribution and inventory management to marketing, customer support and public relations."
Added Roger Swindells, Managing Director at Ascaron, "Encore is the ideal partner for Ascaron, because they have a well-honed infrastructure focused on sales, distribution, marketing and public relations. We are looking forward to building a successful campaign in the U.S. and establishing Ascaron as a worldwide name in strategy gaming."
Patrician III
Patrician III is a real-time trading simulation set in Northern Europe during the 1300's. As a resident of a medieval town, the player's goal is to rise from a simple, insignificant trader to that of a Patrician and eventually become the head of the Hanseatic League. To achieve this rise in stature, players can fill their coffers through piracy and smuggling, hone their trading skills, or focus on town improvement and diplomacy. This ability to choose a gameplay style makes Patrician III unique.
As the third title in the popular Patrician series, this game also features:
- New map editor (Between 16 and 25 towns from a pool of 40 can be selected and customized)
- Customizable towns (Players can build up to two new towns)
- Seasonal and weather effects (Rain, snow, ice and trees in bloom impact production and transportation)
- Detailed ship models (Players can view the exact condition and amount of damage on any ship)
- New land routes, enhanced trading options, and expanded cities
- Five difficulty levels
- Single-and multi-player modes for up to 8 players
Pirate Hunter
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The high seas of the Caribbean during the 16th and 17th centuries is the setting for Pirate Hunter, a combat adventure where players plunder and loot ships, invade towns, capture buccaneers and defeat infamous pirates. Players can also increase their wealth by trading goods between cities and delivering on missions. The goal is to gain money to increase their fleet and ultimately become rich enough to become Governor.
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Features of the game include:
- 16 fully detailed scenarios with open-ended options
- Real-time 3D effects -- for example, during sea battles, ships sway on the waves and damage is shown instantly
- 5 levels of difficulty, defined by the nation and time period
- 4 nations (English, Spanish, French and Dutch) and 4 period settings
- Vast, detailed game world spanning 60 towns across the islands of the Caribbean
- Missions range from shipwreck and rescue to hunting pirates and attacking towns
- 12 different ship types, from the smaller sloop to the mighty Ship of the Line
- Extra game options to unlock as players progress
- Quick Game Start and Tutorial for novice pirates
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