Review | Commander: Conquest of the Americas
The Winds of Change
Format: PC | Genre: Strategy | Publisher: Paradox | Developer: Nitro Games | Release Date: 30/07/10 | RRP: £24.99
Mike Rose goes on a journey to conquer COMMANDER: CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS.
BUILDING ON the foundations set out by last year’s strategy trading title East India Company, Nitro Games once again invites us to sail the seas and conquer the coasts in spiritual sequel Commander: Conquest of the Americas. This time around, however, the emphasis is less on blowing other ships apart on the high seas and more on claiming the New World as your own through clever colony expansion and strategic diplomacy.
While Commander attempts – and generally succeeds – to resolve some of the issues that held EIC back, it also brings its own unique problems to the table. Even so, there is some solid RTS gaming to be found here, with genuinely exciting ideas on show. Whether or not you can let some of the more tedious details slide will inevitably determine how much satisfaction Commander provides.
Trade secret
The action is set at the start of the 16th century, with several European nations aiming to conquer the New World. Players choose a starting power, each with their own special strengths and weaknesses, and set out to expand their empire. This involves building colonies on the coasts of what is now America, and setting up successful trading routes between these newfound towns and your home port.
Each potential colony hotspot has its own surrounding materials that can be gathered or harvested rather cheaply, then shipped back to your home city and sold for a fortune. The key to success is to colonise areas which provide a variety of different materials, and hence will earn you far more cash back in Europe due to their rarity.
Setting up trade routes between colonies is the main driving force behind the entire experience, and this is made wonderfully simple due to an auto-trading system. Ships can be given a set route, told what to pick up and what to drop off at each port, and then set about their business without any further input. You’ll still need to alter the orders slightly every time a new material or item is available for trading, but otherwise it’s a great system and a welcome addition to the concept.
The speed at which new materials are produced at your colonies is dependent upon how happy your townsfolk are. Keeping up morale is vital to earning the big bucks, and a number of different buildings can be constructed to raise their spirits and maintain a positive attitude to work. Certain workhouses can also be built which will turn raw materials into more valuable products – for example, cotton can be turned into cloth via a Weaver workplace. This in turn can then be sown into clothes by a Clothier, and clothes will sell for far more than the original cotton.
Manning the warships
Your fleet will spend most of the time ferrying materials and new colonists around, but you also need to make sure each of your settlements have a strong military presence, in case nearby enemy colonies or local natives decide to come knocking. Soldiers can be moved from your home port to your colonies in a similar fashion, but there simply isn’t enough emphasis on this side of the game. You’re barely ever told to fortify your towns, and even when natives do begin to get rowdy, they deal minor damage and aren’t particularly worth worrying about.
Along with demands from your people, there are four advisors who watch over your work and frequently let you know what should be done next. These act as the game’s mission system, providing challenges to complete within a set period of time. It’s not always essential to complete these tasks, but failing missions from the same advisor multiple times will cause him to lose faith in you, and eventually give you the boot.
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