The Settlers IV

2001 real time strategy and city building video game

The Settlers IV (Die Siedler IV), released as The Settlers: Fourth Edition in North America, is a real time strategy video game with city building elements, developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubi Soft. Released in Germany for Microsoft Windows in February 2001, in the United Kingdom in March, and in North America in August, it is the fourth game in The Settlers series, following The Settlers (1993), The Settlers II (1996) and The Settlers III (1998). In August, Blue Byte released an expansion, The Settlers IV Mission CD, featuring new single player campaign missions, new maps for both single player and multiplayer modes, a random map generator and map editor, gameplay improvements, and bug fixes. In December, they released a second expansion, The Settlers IV: The Trojans and the Elixir of Power (Die Siedler IV: Die Trojaner und das Elixier der Macht), containing new single player campaigns, additional single and multiplayer maps, improved graphics, and additional gameplay tweaks. In March 2002, The Settlers IV: Gold Edition was released, containing the original game and both expansions, plus fan made maps for multiplayer mode, and two minigames. In November 2009, Gameloft ported the original game to iOS, under the title The Settlers. Although featuring updated graphics and utilising touch controls, the gameplay, game mechanics and storyline are identical to the original. In April 2010, The Settlers was released for webOS, specifically optimised for the Palm Pre. Gameloft later released HD versions for iPad, bada, Symbian and Android. In 2013, the Gold Edition was released on GOG. com. In 2018, the game was re released as The Settlers IV: History Edition. In the game's single player campaign, the player controls three races (Romans, Vikings and Mayans) as they initially fight one another, before joining forces to combat the much greater threat posed to each of them by the exiled god Morbus, who has been banished to Earth after instigating a failed rebellion against the great god, HE. Unable to bear touching foliage, Morbus leads the mysterious Dark Tribe as he sets about attempting to erase all natural greenery from the planet's surface. The Trojans and the Elixir of Power takes place many centuries later, when the war against the Dark Tribe has faded from memory, and the three victorious civilisations have returned to fighting with one another. However, when Morbus once more proves a threat, attempting to permanently cure his allergy of greenery by creating a powerful elixir, it falls to the Trojans to unite the others, and stand against him and the Dark Tribe. Acting on feedback from fans who had felt Settlers III was too focused on combat, the designers aimed for a return to the core supply and demand based gameplay of the first two titles in the series. As a result, the game was designed to strike a balance between economic planning and military conquest. Although the basic gameplay remains relatively unchanged from Settlers III, some of the game mechanics have been altered. For example, for the first time in the series, the offensive strength of the player's military is tied to the economic value of their settlement; the player has access to each rank of soldier from the beginning of each mission, with the ability to select the rank of every soldier prior to recruitment; the game's single player campaign focuses on a race that cannot be defeated solely by military means; and specialty units and squad leaders have been added to enhance the tactical aspects of combat, with warships also made available, allowing for combat at sea. The Settlers IV received mixed reviews, with most critics feeling it was too similar to The Settlers III, and many opining that Blue Byte had failed to steer the gameplay away from an over reliance on combat. Although the graphics and animations were generally praised, the AI, mission variety, and limited combat strategy were criticised, with reviews comparing the game unfavourably to titles such as Age of Empires II and Zeus: Master of Olympus. The handheld version received more positive reviews, and was lauded for replicating the original game on a portable device, and for successfully adapting the controls to a touchscreen. The most common criticism concerned the lack of free play and multiplayer modes.

The Settlers IV is a real time strategy game with city building elements, and the primary goal on most maps is to build a settlement with a functioning economy, producing sufficient military and/or specialist units so as to conquer rival territories.

The game can be played in one of two modes; single player or multiplayer. In single player mode, the player can play either campaign missions or individual non campaign games ("Free Maps"). In campaign mode, the player must complete a series of missions, the goal of most of which is to defeat the computer controlled opponent or opponents by gaining possession of their territory, or, in the case of the Dark Tribe, by destroying their temple using gardeners. In the original release of the game, there were three separate campaigns of three missions each (one campaign each for the Romans, Vikings, and Mayans), and a fourth campaign of twelve missions in which the player controls all three races as they fight against the Dark Tribe. The Mission CD expansion added three additional campaigns of five missions for each race, plus three "Settlement" missions and three "Conflict" missions. The Trojans and the Elixir of Power expansion added three campaigns of four missions for each of the original three races, four Settlement missions, and a new campaign of twelve missions in which the player controls the Trojans against the Dark Tribe. In Free Maps and multiplayer mode, which can be played via a LAN or online, the player chooses the map on which to play, and then refines the game in various ways, such as adjusting the number of computer controlled opponents, the amount of raw materials available at the start of the game, and/or the victory conditions. The player can also select the type of game to be played, choosing from "Conflict Mode" (each player/race competes against one another), "Ranking List" (players receive points at the end of the game for ranking on Blue Byte's online league table); "Cooperation Mode" (players combine forces to achieve a predetermined objective against computer controlled races), "Economic Mode" (the winner is the player to produce the most goods in at least four out of seven categories within a time limit), "Settlefest" (players compete on separate, but identical, single player maps to be the first to reach a given objective), or "Free Settle Mode" (one player/race).

Whether playing single player or multiplayer mode, each game begins the same way; the player has a small settlement, a set amount of raw materials and tools, and a predetermined number of settlers. The basic gameplay revolves around serfs (the titular "settlers"), who transport materials, tools and produce, and who populate and perform the requisite task of each building. At no point does the player directly control any normal settler instead, general orders are issued (such as ordering the construction of a building), with the AI handling the delegation of orders to specific settlers. However, the player can control specialist settlers, of which there are four types; pioneers (extend the player's territory by digging at the border), thieves (scout enemy territory and steal resources), geologists (test mountainous ground for raw materials), and gardeners (reclaim terrain corrupted by the Dark Tribe). When playing a multiplayer game, the player also has access to a fifth specialist unit; the Saboteur, who can attack and destroy all enemy buildings, not just military installations. As in The Settlers III, players do not have to construct a road network. Instead, settlers can walk freely around the player's territory, with the AI handling pathfinding. Like all previous games in the series, The Settlers IV has an adjustable goods priority system, which determines the order in which items are transported. Players can also build marketplaces, which allow for the establishment of trade routes between areas on the same geographical region, and shipyards, which allow for the manufacture of warships, ferries (can transport specialist settlers, soldiers and war machines) and trade ships (can transport items from a landing dock to a different geographical region).

In the original game, the player controlled three races; Romans, Vikings and Mayans. The Trojans and the Elixir of Power added the Trojans as a fourth race. As in Settlers III, each race has a slightly different economic model. For example, the Romans' and Trojans' construction industries require roughly equal amounts of wood and stone, the Vikings' more wood than stone, and the Mayans' more stone than wood. Each race also has specific skills; for example, only the Romans can produce manna using only two buildings; only the Vikings can build war machines and warships which use manna rather than physical ammunition; and only the Mayans can grow agave plants in desert terrain. As in The Settlers III, the game features magic, whereby each race can call upon their deities for economic and/or military assistance. Once the player has both manna and priests, they have finite access to a number of spells, the nature of which depends on the race. These spells include tuning fish to stone, turning enemy soldiers to allies (Romans), turning stone to iron, temporarily freezing enemies (Vikings), turning wood to gold, turning enemy bowmen into butterflies (Mayans), turning sulphur to iron, and turning enemy soldiers into normal settlers (Trojans).

The player's territory can only be expanded by using pioneers or building a military complex near the territory border. To recruit soldiers, the player must build a barracks, with each individual soldier requiring their requisite weapon to transition from settler to soldier. The player can also build lookout towers, which are manned by regular settlers, and which can see for great distances, but don't grant new territory. There are three classes of soldier common to all races: swordsmen, bowmen and squad leaders. The level of swordsmen and bowmen is set by the player prior to recruitment, with both types of soldier having three ranks, determined by the amount of gold necessary for recruitment (no gold for Level 1, one gold bar for Level 2 and two gold bars for Level 3). Squad leaders are available in only one rank, and require a sword, a suit of armour and three gold bars to recruit. As well as being stronger and having more health than a Level 3 swordsman, they also affect the troops around them; improving their formations, increasing their combat strategy, and enhancing their abilities. and special military units (medics for the Romans, axe warriors for the Vikings, blowgun warriors for the Mayans, and backpack catapultists for the Trojans). As with swordmen and bowmen, special military units have three levels of recruitment. In order for the player to attack an enemy building, they must click near that building with soldiers selected. If the player's units defeat all soldiers stationed in the building, they will occupy it, with the player's territory increasing according to the building's radius. Of especial importance in improving the strength of one's army are "Eyecatchers" (decorative monuments), which are worth double their construction value in relation to the player's military strength.

The game begins shortly after the failure of a rebellion instigated by the dark god Morbus against the great god HE. For his treachery, HE banishes Morbus to Earth, Morbus's most hated place in the universe, due to its vast amounts of greenery. Unable to bear touching foliage, Morbus determines to destroy all of Earth's plant life. His dark gardener eventually develops a substance known as shadow weed, which sucks the energy out of the land, killing all nearby foliage, and transforming the terrain into a blackened wasteland: the Dark Lands. Meanwhile, unaware of the presence of Morbus, a war is raging between three races who have recently come into contact with one another; the Romans, the Vikings and the Mayans. The first to encounter the Dark Lands are the Romans, whose scouts return word of the effects of shadow weed, which they initially believe to be a new Mayan weapon. As a result, the Romans attack and destroy a nearby Mayan colony, but quickly realise the Dark Lands are not the Mayans' doing. When the Mayans, who have also encountered the Dark Lands, suggest a temporary alliance, the Romans reluctantly agree. However, as they begin to investigate the Dark Lands further, the Mayans turn on them. Elsewhere, the Vikings also encounter the effects of shadow weed, when they discover one of their most sacred burial grounds surrounded by the Dark Lands. Setting out to reclaim their territory, they are attacked by an army of mindless soldiers. Nearby, the Romans learn the secret of how the Dark Army is created human settlers are converted by Shamans into servants of Morbus, thus forming the Dark Tribe. They are then put to work on mushroom farms, converting mushroom spores into manna, which is transported to the nearest Dark Temple, where it is used to create the Dark Army. With this clearer understanding of the Dark Tribe, the Romans ally with the Vikings, and determine to destroy the farms. However, the Mayans see the alliance between the Romans and the Vikings as a direct threat. Only after attacking colonies belonging to both do they realise the alliance was not focused on attacking them, but on combating the Dark Tribe. By this time, however, they find themselves surrounded by the Dark Lands. Despite their previous animosity, the Romans and the Vikings save the Mayans, and the three unite, going on the offensive in an effort to wipe out the Dark Tribe. Eventually, the Vikings locate what they believe to be the final Dark Temple. They destroy it, but the remnants of the Dark Tribe survive, and rally for a final battle. Secure in the knowledge that one more victory is all that is required, the Mayans launch an attack. They prove victorious, and with all of the Dark Tribe's temples and farms eradicated, and no way of breeding new troops, Morbus retreats to his lair. Begging HE for mercy, Morbus is horrified to see vines infesting the building, quickly wrapping themselves around him, and turning him to stone.

The Trojans and the Elixir of Power begins many centuries after the events of the main game. Morbus remains in a petrified state in territory now controlled by the Trojans, who are unaware of the other races, of Morbus's identity, or of the war against the Dark Tribe. The story begins when Morbus's assistant, Q'nqüra, spreads shadow weed around the statue, releasing him. When the Trojans discover the statue gone and the effects of shadow weed spreading, they elect to abandon the area. Landing on a new island, they encounter friendly Romans and hostile Mayans. Allying with the Romans, the Trojans tell them of the disappearance of Morbus's statue, and the Romans tell them the history of the war, and call a meeting of all four races. They are all shocked, however, when they learn the Dark Tribe are now using aerial vehicles, dubbed manacopters, to easily infiltrate their lines and inflict huge losses. After the Romans, Vikings, and Mayans are all attacked, the Trojans are tasked with destroying the Dark Tribe's research lab and, with it, the manacopter blueprints. When they raid the lab, they discover Morbus's plan; his dark gardeners are attempting to create an elixir to cure his inability to touch greenery by using a complex combination of herbs, and are only one herb from a final breakthrough. The four races divide the land up into sectors to search for the final herb, and shortly thereafter, the Vikings locate it. Their priests begin to harvest it, but the Dark Tribe soon arrive, and the Trojans develop a poison to use on the herb should the Vikings be unable to harvest it in time. The Viking priest is ambushed and killed, and the Dark Tribe acquire the herb, but it remains unclear if the priest was able to use the poison before his death. Meanwhile, Morbus's temple is located, and the Trojans lead an assault. They succeed in destroying it, but not before Morbus is able to create and drink the elixir. Emerging from the ruins of his temple to see the greenery surrounding it, he laughs and declares "nothing can stop me now". Suddenly, he sneezes as he is engulfed by mist, revealing that the Vikings have succeeded. The game then cuts to some time later; on the site of the temple now stands a small cottage with a garden full of blooming flowers. Morbus then emerges from the cottage and happily attends to his garden, fully cured of his hatred of foliage.

The Settlers IV was announced by Blue Byte at the ECTS in August 1999. Volker Wertich, who had created The Settlers series, and designed and programmed both the original Settlers and The Settlers III, was not involved in development, because, as he later explained, "Blue Byte wanted to have it ready for release by Christmas 2000, which, in my opinion, was not sufficient time to create a worthy title". The game was first shown at the E3 event in May 2000, where Blue Byte stated that gameplay would emphasise economic planning over military conquest. Citing negative feedback from fans who felt Settlers III was too combat orientated, the designers intended the new game as a return to the core supply and demand based gameplay of The Settlers and The Settlers II. They also revealed the game would feature three playable races (Romans, Vikings and Mayans) and a new non playable race (the Dark Tribe). Addressing why the game would feature nearly identical economic processes as Settlers III despite the refocused gameplay, he explained: "The majority of the feedback gave us a clear understanding that the economy in Settlers is simply great as it is, and that the game should not be artificially inflated with new goods or people. The fun, the ease of playing, should not be overwhelmed by unnecessarily complex contexts". Of the three races in the game, Brändle explained the developers chose the Romans as they were a "traditional" Settlers race, the Vikings as they were the most fan requested race, and the Mayans as they needed a race than used more stone than wood in their construction industry, and because the developers felt that the Mayans are a somewhat historically mysterious culture. However, there were certain overriding rules to which the individual artists had to adhere. One of the most important was a technique Hess had employed on Settlers III; after the textures were applied, they were "dirtied" so as to create a lived in, real world sense. Hess explains, was: "Rigid and straight edges should be avoided. Beautiful curves and moving lines are instead used to suggest life in the settlers world. For the textures, this means stronger colours, a slightly higher contrast than the figures, as well as a lot of detail and the use of many different colour families. We definitely want to avoid a sterile look. We also draw all the textures by hand". However, the beta was postponed in early August, due to "technical issues related to the lobby software causing disruption to Battle Isle: The Andosia War". In late August, Blue Byte revealed it would be at least mid September before the beta began. In early November, the online beta was cancelled, with Blue Byte's stating, "We have decided to take this step to concentrate on completing the game. Conducting a large, public beta test requires a lot of additional resources, which we now want to invest more specifically in development. Quality assurance will instead be ensured by our own internal testing department". In an interview with Planet of Games, Brändle clarified: "We do not have the resources to filter and sort all of the anticipated feedback from a beta test. We are currently concentrating exclusively on completion of the product". The following week, Blue Byte announced the slated December release had been pushed back to January 2001, with Thomas Hertzler (Blue Byte CEO and the series producer) explaining, "we know that many gamers were particularly looking forward to The Settlers IV this year and, of course, we understand if Settlerss fans are disappointed. In the end, however, we made our decision with the players in mind. The Settlers IV will not be on shelves before Christmas, but fans will receive a game that corresponds to Blue Byte's high quality standard".

Blue Byte later released two German language expansions. In November 2002, they released Die Siedler IV: Die Neue Welt Set shortly after the Vikings discover America, the game begins with the Mayans organising a feast for the Vikings, before travelling to Europe with the aim of taking possession of the Wonders of the World, beginning with the Colossus of Rhodes. The Vikings, meanwhile, discover a map amongst the Mayans' possessions leading to a mythological island inhabited only by women, which they promptly set out to find. The Trojans, having been expelled from Troy by the Romans, are searching for a new homeland, and so head west. At the same time, the Romans are attempting to reconquer the world, beginning with the newly discovered continent. The expansion features four five mission single player campaigns (one for each of the three original races, and one for the Trojans), each with multiple objectives, many of which are optional, and most of which are economic based rather than military based. There are also two new single player maps, and three new multiplayer maps, all with enhanced graphics and textures. In November 2003, they released Die Siedler IV: Community Pack. The expansion features four fan created single player campaigns based on real historical conflicts; the Roman attack on Carthage during the Third Punic War, the Viking invasion of England, the Huaxtec resistance against Spanish Conquistadors, and the battle for Troad during the Wars of the Diadochi.

In November 2018, Ubisoft re released the game as both a standalone History Edition and as part of The Settlers: History Collection. Optimised for Windows 10, the re release contains the original game, the Mission CD, The Trojans and the Elixir of Power, Die Neue Welt, Community Pack, and the "Smack a Thief" minigame, and features autosave, 4K monitor support, dual monitor support, adjustable resolutions and texture quality, vertical synchronization, and online multiplayer. Available only on Uplay, the History Collection also includes re releases of The Settlers, The Settlers II, The Settlers III, The Settlers: Heritage of Kings, The Settlers: Rise of an Empire, and The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom.