The Settlers IV
A real-time strategy game with city-building and three playable races.
The Settlers IV, released as The Settlers: Fourth Edition in North America, is a 2001 real-time strategy game with city-building elements developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubi Soft. It is the fourth game in The Settlers series, following The Settlers III. The game was later ported to multiple mobile platforms by Gameloft and re-released as a History Edition in 2018.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Blue Byte
- Publisher
- Ubi Soft, Gameloft (handheld)
- Producer
- Thomas Hertzler
- Designer
- Hans-Jürgen Brändle
- Rainer Foetzki
- Torsten Hess
- Thorsten Mutschall
- Marcus Pukropski
- Erik Simon
- Artist
- Torsten Hess
- Writer
- Torsten Hess
- Thorsten Wallner
- Joachim Walther
- Wolfgang Walk
- Composer
- Haiko Ruttmann
- Series
- The Settlers
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The Settlers IV combines real-time strategy with city-building, using a point-and-click interface. Its gameplay and mechanics closely mirror those of The Settlers III. On most maps, the main objective is to establish a settlement with a working economy, then produce enough military or specialist units to take over enemy territories. To succeed, players must manage economic details, erect buildings, and gather resources. The game offers two modes: single-player and multiplayer. In single-player, you can tackle campaign missions or play individual non-campaign games, called Free Maps. Campaign missions typically require defeating computer-controlled opponents by seizing their land; for the Dark Tribe, victory comes from having gardeners destroy their temple. The original release featured three campaigns of three missions each—one for the Romans, Vikings, and Mayans—alongside a fourth campaign of twelve missions where the player leads all three races against the Dark Tribe. The Mission CD expansion added three more campaigns of five missions per race, plus Settlement and Conflict missions. The Trojans and the Elixir of Power expansion introduced three campaigns of four missions for each original race, four Settlement missions, and a new twelve-mission campaign where the player controls the Trojans against the Dark Tribe.
Plot
The story starts after the dark god Morbus failed in his rebellion against the supreme god HE. As punishment, HE sent Morbus to Earth, a place Morbus loathed more than anywhere else because of all the plant life. Unable to stand touching greenery, Morbus decided to wipe out every plant on the planet. His dark gardener created a substance called shadow-weed, which drains the land of its energy, kills all nearby plants, and turns the ground into a dead, black area known as the Dark Lands. At the same time, three groups—the Romans, the Vikings, and the Mayans—are fighting each other after recently meeting. The Romans are the first to find the Dark Lands. Their scouts report back, and the Romans think the Mayans have a new weapon, so they attack and destroy a Mayan settlement. But they quickly see the Dark Lands are not the Mayans' work. The Mayans, who have also seen the Dark Lands, suggest a temporary truce. The Romans agree, but the Mayans betray them as they start looking into the Dark Lands further. Meanwhile, the Vikings find shadow-weed around one of their most important burial sites. When they try to take it back, they are attacked by mindless soldiers. The Romans then discover how the Dark Army is made: shamans turn human settlers into servants of Morbus, creating the Dark Tribe. These servants work on mushroom farms, turning spores into manna, which goes to a Dark Temple to build the army. The Romans team up with the Vikings to destroy the farms. The Mayans see this alliance as a threat and attack both groups. Only later do they realize the Romans and Vikings were fighting the Dark Tribe, not them. By then, the Mayans are trapped by the Dark Lands. The Romans and Vikings rescue them, and all three join forces to destroy the Dark Tribe.
Development
The Settlers IV was announced by Blue Byte at the ECTS in August 1999. Volker Wertich, creator of the series and designer of the original Settlers and Settlers III, was not involved because Blue Byte wanted a release by Christmas 2000, which he felt was insufficient time. The game was first shown at E3 in May 2000, where Blue Byte stated gameplay would emphasize economic planning over military conquest, citing negative fan feedback that Settlers III was too combat-oriented. The designers intended a return to the supply and demand-based gameplay of the first two games. They revealed three playable races—Romans, Vikings, and Mayans—and a non-playable Dark Tribe. Project manager Hans-Jürgen Brändle explained the Dark Tribe's importance to economic gameplay. In an interview, Brändle stated they ensured a balance between settling and combat with every rule change. He noted that feedback indicated the economy in Settlers was great as is, so they did not artificially inflate it with new goods or people. Speaking to IGN, Brändle reiterated hopes to more fully integrate economic settling with combat. The Romans were chosen as a traditional Settlers race, the Vikings as the most fan-requested, and the Mayans because they use more stone than wood and are historically mysterious. Brändle addressed graphic similarity to Settlers III, saying they deliberately used a similar engine to make fans feel at home.
Reception
The Settlers IV landed with a mixed critical reception, earning a 74 out of 100 on Metacritic from five reviews and a 71 percent average on GameRankings from seventeen. The iOS version fared better, scoring 79 percent on GameRankings across six reviews. Damian Knaus of PC Players gave the PC version an 85 out of 100 and a Gold Player award. He liked the Dark Tribe but found gardeners an unnecessary addition, and noted the game lacked real innovations and female settlers. Still, he called it the best Settlers game so far and praised its graphics. Rüdiger Steidle at PC Games awarded 77 percent, the lowest score the magazine had given any Settlers title. He said Blue Byte had not changed the concept from Settlers III, and while he liked the graphics, tutorials, and mission variety, he criticized bugs, remarking that the game shipped just in time for its first patch. Jim Preston of PC Gamers gave it 72 percent, praising the economic system but faulting its lack of variety, calling the gameplay complication masquerading as depth. Dan Adams at IGN scored it 7 out of 10, comparing it unfavorably to Zeus: Master of Olympus. He criticized its similarity to Settlers III, poor AI, pathfinding issues, repetitive missions, and over-reliance on combat, though he appreciated the graphics, animations, and personality. He concluded that Blue Byte had not found new ideas to keep the series from becoming stagnant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is The Settlers IV available on?
The Settlers IV was released for Windows, iOS, webOS, bada, Symbian and Android.
Who designed The Settlers IV?
The Settlers IV was designed by Hans-Jürgen Brändle, Rainer Foetzki, Torsten Hess, Thorsten Mutschall, Marcus Pukropski and others.
Who composed the music for The Settlers IV?
The music for The Settlers IV was composed by Haiko Ruttmann.
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