Here are some of the goals of the game:
Native Relations:
When you have friendly relationships with a nearby tribe, you can expect a steady stream of gifts from them, forge alliances and receive troops when you go to war with a rival colony, and offers to train your people in any skills at which the Natives are experts. In the demo, the English were next to a tribe of friendly Native Americans who happened to be expert sugar planters and offered to train English units in sugar planting, knowledge that could rapidly give the English side an economic advantage over the other three colonies. The only real downsides to trying to coexist with Native Americans is that they'll get upset if you build too many colonies near their cities without paying them for the land, and they may expect you to side with them if they choose to go to war against rival Native tribes or your rival colonies.
Native Americans will also get upset if you expand your colony's borders too quickly or too much, even if you're expanding away from the friendly tribe's territory. This can lead to war, but it's better if you instead give the tribe gifts and favors to placate them. You can also opt to send missionaries to a tribe's city to build a mission, which can begin converting all of the local tribesmen into populations loyal to your particular colony. That part of the game is almost so realistic that it makes me a little uncomfortable, but it certainly seems to be a winning tactic, judging from the part of the demo that looked at a game that was close to ending.
Native Americans will also get upset if you expand your colony's borders too quickly or too much, even if you're expanding away from the friendly tribe's territory. This can lead to war, but it's better if you instead give the tribe gifts and favors to placate them. You can also opt to send missionaries to a tribe's city to build a mission, which can begin converting all of the local tribesmen into populations loyal to your particular colony. That part of the game is almost so realistic that it makes me a little uncomfortable, but it certainly seems to be a winning tactic, judging from the part of the demo that looked at a game that was close to ending.
When it's time to declare a revolution, you begin by declaring the principles of the new country you're trying to found. You aren't obligated to pattern your nation too closely after America: The English colony in the demo was a theological monarchy. Each characteristic you pick grants your new nation particular bonuses, so what kind of country you choose to found may have more to do with how you like to play games than what sort of political beliefs you have. Once you declare revolution, you have a brief time to prepare your colony for war while the mother country's troops sail across the Atlantic to come give you a beat-down. Once they arrive, the fight's outcome really comes down to how well-prepared you are. You can use ships to sink enemy ships before they can land troops on your territory, which makes winning the war easier. Unfortunately, building ships is expensive, and it's rare you'll have as much of a navy on hand as you wish you did. Once the fighting starts on land, then it really comes down to who has the most powerful units. There's nothing you can actually gain by defeating European ships that aren't carrying troops, since defeating the invasion force dictates whether or not you win independence. While the war goes on, you'll have to keep an eye out for other colonies that may join in the fray, but you may also get valuable help from any Native allies you've cultivated. It's not guaranteed that rival colonies will want to fight you once you declare revolution, but you need to make sure that you keep everyone happy while you trade with them.
Confirmed Map Types:
- Americas (North & South connected by Ithmus)
- Caribbean (small island chains)
- United States (historical not random)
Quote from IGN Preview:
The game will feature randomly created maps, just like Civilization, and it's up in the air whether historically accurate maps will be included.
Screenshots:
Screenshots available here. (Removed to separate page due to number of SS's)
Videos:
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