Test: The PC classic conquers the browser

08/27/2011 - The editors have been transported to a small island, where they are busy founding a settlement. Stone quarries and sledge works were erected and bandits were spotted in the outskirts. Whether we bravely took up the fight or preferred to leave the island to its own devices, you can find out in the current test.

RATING

INPUT

19/20

Good-looking homepage. Fixed, but extensive avatar selection. On the start page, the player is greeted by his own avatar When logging in, helpful tips are displayed during the loading time Very clear and well-structured tutorial in linear quest form with rewards. The player is excellently taken by the hand and the functions are explained in an exemplary manner Already in the first hour many feelings of achievement and quick level ascents, which unlock further features and make you want more Fair game odds: even newcomers who proceed haphazardly will not experience major resource bottlenecks in the beginning There is an incredible amount to discover, the many buildings are animated and the workers are scurrying around: the typical settlers-aquarium effect makes you forget that this is actually a browser game The subtle, funny sound effects and the harmonious birdsong create a relaxed atmosphere If newcomers can`t find their way around, they can resort to the in-game chat with different channels, the forum or the support

During startup there are delays due to short loading times, depending on the sto times and your own internet connection. Likewise, during the game sometimes when loading graphics for the first time, this could make newcomers think that a function does not work

GAMEPLAY

18/20

Roomy menu, which was also explained very well in the tutorial. Despite the complexity of the title, everyone could quickly find their way around Nice text overlays help at almost all points of the game, so exploring the mens and submens gives newcomers a taste of what to expect New features like buildings are unlocked by leveling up. The experience points needed are gained through quests, which are easily accessible and very easy to understand. There are no text orgies as in many other browser games Special events such as the completion of quests or new messages are announced and underscored by cutting sounds Everyone starts on their own island, which is divided into sectors. Only NPC raider camps have to be actively fought in order to conquer further areas of the island. In this respect, there is no pressure from an active threat Incredibly extensive for a browser game: The depth of play and the wealth of detail sometimes make you forget that this is a Free2Play and not a full-price title Those familiar with the PC series will quickly get to grips with the game, but will also discover many new features and modifications: Food, for example, can be used to produce food packs that can be used to temporarily increase the productivity of the many farms. It is thus no longer the prerequisite for production The controls are very well done. Mouse and keyboard are used. The incredible feel of the game will make you accidentally use the right mouse button at first Skillful reification of game components: Resource packs or additional quests are mapped as items like tradecards: They can be found, crafted, bought and given away, and thus can be used in a time-shifted manner when the need arises

The time required varies enormously depending on the level progress: in principle it is possible to use DSO like a casual title, a newcomer will be able to use it almost like a fulltime game After the exemplary fast sense of achievement at the start of the game, the user is slowed down extremely with the change from level 16 to 17: The required raw materials and end products increase massively. The user is brought to the bottom of the facts zurck that this is a browser game after all

GRAPHICS

19/20

Harmonious mix of colorful, comic-like elements such as the avatars and items and pre-rendered graphics such as the buildings Very lovingly and detailed designed world with high-quality material as it is known from the PC series A whopping 56 different building types, which even change depending on the expansion level. In addition, there are many decorative buildings and NPC buildings Typical Settlers Aquarium effect: Almost all buildings are animated along with construction and dismantling, the workers scurry around, NPC animals wander through the woods and the water shimmers: It is a joy to watch the hustle and bustle obvious isometric perspective on the detailed world helpful zoom function with 13 levels via mouse wheel or men

Complaining on a high level: not all buildings or figures are animated. So you look for a loose geologist in contrast to the PC version in vain

TECHNICS

17/20

using Flash. The file that has to be loaded to start the game is only about 5 MB, which is a great achievement considering the scope of the game High-quality fullscreen mode is also possible in full HD, which can be adjusted individually thanks to the 13 zoom levels For the usually resource-hungry Flash, DSO runs exceedingly smoothly and is CPU-friendly, provided it has around 250 MB of RAM available data, such as buildings with higher expansion levels, are only loaded when they are first used: This initially saves loading and waiting time Sounding audio effects, which can optionally be disabled Comfort: With the registration, the account for the official forum is automatically created

The zoom feature in Flash brings small sacrifices: Depending on the zoom level, buildings sometimes look blurry or the image rasterizes a bit Sometimes, depending on server load and your own internet connection, delays at startup or in-game due to data reloading. That strt every now and then

CONTENTION

19/20

Great entertainment value: a feature and game depth like a full-price title Relatively conflict-free, relaxed gameplay for a very broad audience. An absolutely family-friendly title The successive unlocking of new features and buildings through higher levels motivates to stay on the ball. There is always something new on offer Your own island is covered in a fog of war. New areas are explored with the help of explorers. This creates excitement and arouses the desire to expand Typical casual elements reward players who regularly look into DSO: For example, the explorer can be sent on a treasure hunt every now and then, which earns random items The troop types are unlocked one after the other: There are 9 units plus general on player side and 6 units and 5 bosses on NPC side. Freeing more island areas from NPC bandit camps is partly easy, partly challenging Those who deal with production times, quantity ratios and travel times will be rewarded by more effective production of raw materials and goods. If this is too much work for you, you will also succeed, just a little slower. Alternatively, Premium can be used While many things such as raw materials can be bought immediately through Premium, central products such as weapons must be produced From level 17, the traders` guild can be built. This allows the player to trade with others Buddies list: The settlements of the buddies can be visited. The production facilities can be temporarily increased just like your own. In addition, all items and quests from the store can be given to friends. This releases positive energy and makes immense fun A chat offers quick access to other players and promotes the exchange of opinions and communication within the community From level 17, players can form their own guilds and join groups of up to 100 members Although there are advantages to regularly maintaining and controlling your own settlement, longer abstinence is not a big problem When recruited friends buy gems (premium), the recruiter receives 200 gems as a gift The further development of DSO promises the expansion of previous elements, such as new adventures. Also entirely new content such as PvP are already in preparation

Waiting times increase enormously later on. For example, the geologist initially needs 4 minutes to search for stone. For iron from level 18, on the other hand, he needs 60 minutes The time it takes to reach higher levels in order to experience new things increases greatly from level 16. So do the raw materials and goods needed to get further. This should slow down the initial euphoria for some Resources of raw materials must not be fully exploited, otherwise the jobs are lost

FAZIT

92% With Die Siedler Online (DSO), Ubisoft has brought a successful traditional German series to the browser, which first saw the light of day in 1993 by Volker Wertich fr Blue Byte. The latest title in the series, Die Siedler 7, was released in 2010. The port to the browser game is truly masterful. Decades of experience in game development hit the browser game market with full force. The title is aimed at a very broad audience and skilfully presents the typical aquarium effect in the browser as well: the many buildings and workers scurry about lively and enliven the monitor. Getting started is excellently done: A newcomer is perfectly taken by the hand and motivated by quick successes and new features. Settlers connoisseurs will recognize many things, but there are also massive adjustments and innovations compared to the classic titles. For example, food now has different functions, there are NPC raider camps, and multiplayer elements allow friends to help each other or form guilds. However, the brilliant achievement of giving the feeling of almost using a full-fledged PC game could cause a little disappointment among some users: You want to experience and create a lot. This works well in the beginning, but afterwards it becomes clear: DSO is also a casual game, which increasingly stretches achievements and waiting times and therefore requires either patience or some premium investment. The immense depth of the game, the incentive to expand further, to be able to build new types of buildings as well as funny little elements like the treasure hunt have a great addictive factor. Technically, the game is superbly implemented, but there are still some problems that can hardly be avoided due to Flash and the amount of data that has to be reloaded. After a long test phase with four people, we still have a long way to go and are still enthusiastic. This is despite the fact that Ubisoft will expand the game significantly and DSO has not even implemented classic motivation systems like achievements (yet). Therefore our advice: If you know the Settlers series, you should take a look at the browser game. Whether for intensive use or browsergame-typical for in-between: It`s worth it! - Who does not know the series: Absolutely test!

• Source: Editorial office

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