Heritage of Kings: The Settlers

by UBISoft

Product Features

• World-building strategy game with cutting-edge visual technology
• Unique mix of RTS and addictive simulation gameplay
• 20 medieval missions; conquer 7 fantastic kingdoms
• Manage 70+ types of intelligent inhabitants
• Exciting combat system with upgradeable RPG elements

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000692N0K
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches ; 7.2 ounces
• Media: DVD-ROM
• Release Date: February 22, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,200 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Heritage of Kings: The Settlers is a world-building strategy game with fully rendered 3D visuals and unavoidably addictive gameplay. Players can dive into a detailed medieval world offering a unique mix of RTS and simulation gameplay. A fully functioning community can be created, new advancements can be discovered, and enemy forces will be repelled!

Key Features:

• A wide-ranging and addictive single-player campaign: 20 medieval missions challenge players to create their own realm by conquering seven fantastic kingdoms and retrieving the Orb of Power. Multiplayer content will be included.
• Cutting-edge visual technology: a breathtaking 3D gaming experience that takes advantage of Criterion's RenderWare technology.
  • Dynamic weather and seasons have a direct impact on gameplay: units travel more slowly on snow; rivers freeze and become battlefields!
  • A living environment: a wide variety of animals and plant life create immersion and detail.
• Expert concept development and game design contributed by Bruce Milligan: the well-respected RTS designer has worked on several best-selling titles in the genre.
• Manage more than 70 types of intelligent inhabitants: within an interdependent community.
  • Each character type has its own benefits, uses, skills, and abilities!
  • Barter materials, items, and advancements with sales people to acquire new abilities and options.
  • Discover important technological breakthroughs by using inventors, scholars, and alchemists.
• An exciting combat system with upgradeable RPG elements, including enhanced abilities, weapons, and technologies.

Product Description

Build your kingdom.  Lay claim to your empire.Product InformationThis story is situated in a world once home to many kings. But one overcamethem all and assumed the title “King of the Old Realm”.  The world hasseen many a war waged in the name of love and honor… but our story tells thetale of friends that are against the wars and want to preserve the fundamentalvalues of the Old Realm.Morning has broken in the small village called Thalgrund. Dario has a notionthat something horrible might happen and that he might die if he does not move.He opens the door of his little cottage and walks over to the well.  All ofthe sudden a cry lacerates the peaceful silence. Something had happened… Thearmy of Mordred used the cover of night to sneak in the neighboring villagehome of Dario’s mother.  One survivor from the village approaches Darioand tells him that his mother was badly injured during last night’s assault.Dario hurries across the fields to help his mother but when he arrives it isalready too late. His mother dies in his arms and he is just in time to hear herlast words about his well-known uncle Helias and a horrible secret. On herdeathbed she gives an artifact to her son ordering him to find Helias and askfor his advice. As yet Dario does not know anything about his past or hisdestiny but he is well aware that he might be facing events he will not be ableto change.Parts of the small village are still being attacked by Uther’s dark troops inthe name of King Mordred. Due to these tragic circumstances Dario is not ableto retain himself anymore and in the name of the villagers goes to war inorder to make an end to the injustice.Dario and the surviving villagers decide to attack the encampment of Mordred’sarmy. But as there are too few of them and because of their abysmal armamentthey need the help of the other villages in order to stand a chance.Unfortun

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Settlers, but a different interpretation., August 9, 2005

By 

Freth (Delaware, OH United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Heritage of Kings: The Settlers (DVD-ROM)

Remember how the previous versions of Settlers had a big focus on resource gathering and expansion to the point of micro-management and by the time you reached the point where you had enough resources to amass an army it seemed like a moot point? I've played the original Settlers series for years and during long hours at LAN parties the game would end up crashing before we were able to have any meaningful battles. The Settlers series of 4 and prior was all about building yourself up and fighting seemed like an afterthought.

Enter Heritage of Kings: The Settlers. The resource gathering is still a primary focus, but it has been dumbed down just enough so that you can focus on what the purpose of the game is, to conquer. Where before you never got to that point in Settlers 1 thru 4, now you actually do experience battle and the game is more evenly paced.

I'll give you a perfect example: I haven't purchased the game yet. Why? Because I decided to download the demo and try it first. What ended up happening is I spent about 4 hours building my kingdom and amassing troops to conquer neighboring kingdoms. I went almost all the way through the technology tree as it is allowed in the demo (which is a step or two from the top) and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. My point is it's as captivating as Settlers 1 thru 4 was, but in a more balanced way. There's still fun to be had by playing the previous games, which is why you should own a copy of Settlers 4 and Heritage of Kings: The Settlers, so you can have the best of both worlds.

And no, I don't consider this game a sell-out. I consider it a welcome change. They focused on what needed to be fixed in order to give combat a chance in the game. Also, the kingdom you build is much more fleshed out and believable. I say why complain when Settlers 4 is about as good as you're going to get with the prior version. I think if they had released another game that played the same people would be even more upset. After all Settlers 4 is basically Settlers 3 Gold if you really consider the two side-by-side. What we have here with Heritage of Kings is a new game engine, beautiful 3D graphics, awesome combat and heroes with special abilities. Some say it's comparable to other strategy games, but I beg to differ. It's Settlers at its heart, just balanced for a more enjoyable experience. I find this game equally as enjoyable as any of the previous installments. Maybe more so since it's just a better game.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Settlers - Now Like Everything Else, March 4, 2005

By 

M. Smith (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Heritage of Kings: The Settlers (DVD-ROM)

In trying to upgrade and improve the Settlers series, the makers have taken away the very things that made the game stand out and in turn created a game much like everything else. Yes the graphics are greatly improved, a big change from the grainier looks of previous versions. But having already played many games like Age of Empires, I didn't want another game just like that.

Many people complain of the pokey nature of the settlers as they struggle to move the raw materials around the map. This is what made this game a great tactical treat. I could severely hamper an opponent not by attacking his army, but by striking at his production. By taking a few forts right in the middle of the path his settlers had to take to transport, say, coal from the coal mines to the weapon smith, I've now drastically affected how quickly he could create more soldiers. It also made things quite tense as I raced to finish a fort of my own, in which I'd heavily invested much raw materials, before the enemy could show up and knock the thing down. Nothing like waiting a long time for a large building to be constructed, sucking up much of your precious resources, only to have the enemy take just one of your forts and then trash everything around it, included your nearly completed building. All that time and materials, gone in a flash.

The new game has raw materials instantly "beamed" into your coffers. Yet despite this, it still takes forever to accumulate enough anything to really produce much. Money especially, a new item in the game, which is needed to create soldiers. Buildings now longer are constructed in that great view where first you see a wooden frame and then the finishing exterior goes up over it. Instead they just sort of rise up out of the ground in a cloud of dust. The game touted that you'd be able to rotate the view in a fully 3D world. You can, but you can't leave it that way. The view snaps back to the originally as soon as you let go of the rotate key.

I'm fairly disappointed with this new game, having considered The Settlers city a great find ever since the first, actually called Serf City. I still have the box and the 3.5" disks.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cool but would like to see some key features return, December 17, 2005

By 

Catherine A. Pitkin "cwpit" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Heritage of Kings: The Settlers (DVD-ROM)

This is a fun new game in the settlers series with some cool features like heroes, great graphics, and great use of weather in the story.

There are also some sadly missing great attributes of the settlers series that I hope they bring back in the next version. Missing are carriers, trails, and the complex economy where you start with some bricks tools and have to build up industries relying on different foods, etc. The real fun of the old series is in the building of the economy, bounded and measured by the famous carriers. The use of carriers made sure that you had to make good sensible cities or they would end up horribly inefficient.

The new game has fun things too. The heroes bring a lot to the game as they have some character and special abilities and handle a lot of the fighting and leading of fights. Weather is used in an amusing in fun way - you have access to an inventor who can create a weather machine which freezes the lakes and opens up new avenues of attack.

There no longer seems to be an on-line community to create maps that allow the game to be replayable. This is one of the biggest missing features. There is an online section that does not seem to be connected to anything.

Overall I like this game but I hope that the designers consider bringing back the old favorites for their loyal fanbase and mix them with the new great ideas. I would buy it again if they did.