Europa 1400 The Guild
Sold Out		(Win98/Me/2000/XP) (DVD Case) (EUROPA14PR)

JoWooD Productions

Game

The Game of Your Life

It's the year 1400. Europe sees the dawn of the "golden age of the new departures and the free spirit" - the late Middle Ages. Under the rule of the bourgeoisie and businessmen, more and more towns are emerging from the clutches of the aristocracy and are achieving independence, power and wealth.

New businesses are flourishing, bringing financial strength and political influence to a growing economy. However, life in the narrow, overpopulated alleyways and streets of the towns also has its downsides: epidemics and diseases are spreading, and thieves and highwaymen lie in wait to get their piece of the wealth. Now you can try your hand in these exciting times of change. Will you head down the path of an honest craftsman or a dubious priest? It's your choice...

Features:

New breed of real-life simulation, combining elements of economic simulation, real-time strategy and role-play in a fascinating, innovative way

Set up your own family dynasty and take one of 12 different career paths - from blacksmith, alchemist, or barkeep, to priest or thief.

Maximize your influence and power with over 30 different offices and 72 office ranks - and make life difficult for your opponents through policies, sabotage, intrigue and conspiracy.

Immerse yourself in a complete, medieval world. Explore four historic towns - each with a population of over 500 computerized citizens.

Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

Seasons and historical events influence game play.

Choose from free-play or mission-based play.

Up to seven players-either computer or human-on a (LAN) network

Richly textured real-time 3D-graphics and historically accurate middle-age soundtrack with over 30 different titles deliver unique experience.

Requirements:

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP: Pentium II, 400 MHz 3D-Graphics Card with min. 16 MB, 64 MB RAM.

Reviews:

The Wargamer by Lloyd Sabin

"Europa 1400: The Guild (Europa 1400 for short) immerses the player in this dynamic world. Instead of giving the player a top down perspective like Medieval: Total War, however, the game gives players a bottom-up perspective, a view of the world as an individual, with very familiar goals and concerns. The player is not at the helm of a great medieval empire that encompasses millions of people and multiple great cities. He is instead one of those millions, living in one of those great cities, concerned with family, civic, and professional matters. For gamers who have ever played Medieval: Total War and wondered, "Hey, what did that arbalester do with himself before this war started?" then Europa 1400 is the game they have been looking for."

"The player creates his character in Europa 1400 much like character generation is done in many role-playing games, by selecting from a wide variety of personal skills and attributes. Europa 1400, however, takes a more realistic approach by giving the player a choice of his family lineage, and specifically, choosing who his mother and father are. For the father, the player can choose from a thief, a craftsman, a priest (hey, wait a minute…oh, yeah, that happened back then), a trader, or a mercenary. For the mother, the role of thief, craftsman, poet, and trader are offered."

"Once the player has chosen what he wants to be when he grows up, the level of difficulty for the game is chosen, ranging from "very easy" to "very difficult." Depending on which level of difficulty is selected, the goals in Europa: 1400 vary widely. The most open-ended type of game is the "free" mode, where there are no career goals or any other types of in-game requirements (eerily similar to my own life after graduating with a humanities degree). As the difficulty level increases, so does the loftiness of the game's goals, which can range from becoming a scholar or a noble, to building a career as craftsman, to simply living life to "indulge your passions." The choices are very varied, and replay value is immense as a result."

"Players who love to micromanage every little detail of their games and like to venture out on their own with a minimum of hand-holding will be delighted with Europa 1400, and will probably play for months, if not years, to come. Players who do not like to be thrown into the thick of things will most likely get frustrated quickly. And almost everyone will be a little disappointed with the dated graphics and the random crashes. That being said, Europa 1400 is a very ambitious game and should be applauded. How many "medieval life simulators" can most players name, anyway?"

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