In this third episode of the incredibly successful series, players climb aboard a vessel and set sail for places unknown to establish, expand and maintain a flourishing medieval metropolis. Gamers will experience a combination of empire building, strategy, trade and espionage as they grow their medieval metropolises and interact with other civilizations through diplomacy, economy or conflict. With completely customizable options, adventurers have hours and hours of unique gameplay and replayability, making 1701 A.D. easy to learn, yet challenging to master.

In 1701 A.D. players can attain five levels of civilization – Pioneer, Settler, Citizen, Merchant and Aristocrat. Each level has its own unique standard of living as well as villager requirements. Players can see the progression of their civilization in the economy, people’s dress, activities and households. The player will judge the needs of its island through ‘inhabitant feedback’, or animations. Positive actions, such as romance and kids playing, or negative actions such as fist fights and protests, will let the player know the general status and temperament of their village people.

A great indicator of the people’s feelings is the village center, which plays a special role in the lives of the inhabitants. When people are happy they will gather in the village center in merriment but when citizens are unhappy they protest in the center and fights ensue.

Making Your Village Happy

Balancing the needs of citizens and maintaining a thriving community involves several aspects. A few are:

• Production – Production chains are combinations of individual production buildings designed to produce end goods from their constituent resources. Production buildings can require a number of semi-finished products in order to produce a new article that a community requires.
• Tax load – Each inhabitant provides the player with a certain number of gold coins (taxes) per time unit. Villagers’ levels of satisfaction will be based on the how the player adjusts the tax rate.
• Trade – Trading with other islands is integral to the development of a successful village. Players will be able to establish trade routes and use their ships to bring cargo between the islands.

Unforeseen Hardships

Not everything that impacts the inhabitants of 1701 A.D. is controlled by the player. Unforeseen disasters or invasions can destroy villages and the player’s progress.

• Natural Catastrophes – Natural catastrophes can happen randomly and severely affect an islands progression. Volcanic eruptions are capable of doing incredible damage to the island where it is located. Hurricanes, which are extremely relevant these days, can travel from one side of the game world to the other side, destroying everything in its path.

1701 A.D. is rated E10+ for gamers aged 10 and up.