East India Company: High Seas Adventure
Company: Paradox Interactive
With the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, traders from London petitioned the Queen for permission to sail the Indian Ocean. With the seas now open to shipping traffic, groups from London set out to sail around the Cape of Good Hope and open trade in the Indies. Despite numerous setbacks, including the loss of ships and stiff competition from the Dutch, The East India Company was able to gain a foothold in the region and eventually monopolize trade in the region. Initially, the trials and tribulations of 17th Century trade doesn't sound like fertile grounds for a naval strategy game, but a quick glance at history and Nitro Game's East India Company say otherwise. East India Company is equal parts Civilization-style trading sim, RTS and shooter. After a short CGI introduction, East India Company gives you the opportunity to choose a country and begin your conquest of trade routes. Before getting into the actual mechanics of trade, understand that even though you are sailing under the banner of a country, you aren't actually playing as a country. It's a minor issue, but worth noting.
With a company selected, you are then presented with a strategic overview of the entire region, stretching from the Mediterranean around to India and parts of China. From here, you can command ships to move from port-to-port using a simple point-and-click system. There are numerous ports available, some friendly and others not so friendly, so allegiance is important. Unfortunately, the preview version didn't offer much more than the basics, but understanding how to work between ports will no doubt play heavily into the overall campaign. The one area the preview emphasized is the ship-to-ship combat. Although trade is a major element of East India Company, it's a cutthroat business and will eventually lead you into direct combat with competitors. Ship-to-ship combat includes two different modes, a traditional waypoint-based system and a shooter-like direct control system.
While in RTS mode, you can select single ships or mass select groups and move them around the battlefield. The system isn't much different from most RTSs, though the inclusion of wind-powered ships does introduce a few wrinkles. You're not commanding motor-powered frigates, so movements are slower unless you figure out how to read the wind and navigate accordingly. The concept isn't too hard to grasp, thought it takes a little while to "get it." You can, however, turn off the "wind" effect, though the speed difference isn't that noticeable. Slow moving ships are understandable considering the era, though it introduces a few minor issues that will hopefully clear up before release. Keeping track of ships is tough; you have to account for speed and the camera doesn't give the best of views. Though it offers a great look at the detailed ships, water and combat, it doesn't pull back far enough. It also doesn't help that the A.I. is a tad aggressive and will unleash a few shots before you get a chance to react. However, these aren't game-breaking issues and should be easy to tweak before release.
Taking direct control of your ship offers a completely new take on combat. You still have to deal with issues like wind and slow-moving ships, but get to make ship-to-ship combat something more personal. Large-scale fleet combat is great, but actually making firing orders and choosing the type of cannon ball (standard, grape or chain) and seeing the damage each does up close is an exhilarating experience. East India Company still needs a little work, but the overall experience so far outshines any smaller issues. Not only does East India Company offer something new in the RTS genre, it makes it accessible and fun. If the campaign plays out as well as the preview hints, East India Company could be the game for fans of naval combat.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Related Links: East India Company on IMDb Paradox Interactive
Up: The Video Game What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord?!