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modern equivalent of Uncharted Waters?
citric
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Man I loved that game:
I must've dumped fifty hours into the NES version. It eventually drove me to find an outdated atlas so I could figure out where the hell I was.
I know there's some Uncharted Waters Online version, but I don't play online games. Is there some other awesome seafaring, trading, epic adventure story made in the last decade I could play instead? I have a hankering for some sabering.
I must've dumped fifty hours into the NES version. It eventually drove me to find an outdated atlas so I could figure out where the hell I was.
I know there's some Uncharted Waters Online version, but I don't play online games. Is there some other awesome seafaring, trading, epic adventure story made in the last decade I could play instead? I have a hankering for some sabering.
No, we need no more tires.
citric on
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People will say Pirates! and others, but it just ain't the same. The sooner you accept that, the sooner that you can enjoy these games for what they are, instead of constantly being disappointed by them.
Okay, here we go.
TL;DR: If you like the immersive trade and/or exploration aspects of Uncharted Waters, you may be disappointed with other offerings. However, if you just want to sail around and wreak havoc, you have some very good options such as Pirates! Gold and Sea Dogs.
OK, first of all, there's obviously one game that can compare with Uncharted Waters, and that's Uncharted Waters: New Horizons, the sequel. This game was available on PC (I believe you can find it on your more popular abandonware sites; not going to get into the whole "is it really abandonware" thing because frankly, I have no idea), SNES, and Genesis. The SNES/Genesis versions are nearly identical, but the PC version had different graphics and a few extra features (you can play poker in addition to blackjack, or some crap). Essentially, though, all 3 versions offer the same game experience. I don't want to yak about this too much because I'm almost certain you've played it. If not, though, holy hell, go out and find a copy. It's like the original UW, plus infinity, times sex.
As for non-UW titles, (Sid Meier's) Pirates! series is the one most often brought up. The original Pirates! was a very influential game, but it's a little primitive by today's standards. Pirates! Gold was available for the Genesis and the SNES (I think) in addition to PCs, and it's probably the closest that you can get to the Uncharted Waters experience. It's pretty open-ended, but not nearly as much as UW. Finally, there's the 2004 edition of Pirates! which I spent some time with and enjoyed, but it just wasn't the same. After playing with UW's rich, dynamic economics/trade system, the one in Pirates! is downright anemic. There are additional things to do like go ashore to look for treasure or fight battles, but it just seems tacked on. It's a pretty game, and it's fun to upgrade your ship and play an active role in combat (I never get tired of the wails and cries of the enemy ship's crew when you unload a broadside on their asses), but it's just not quite... wait. I know what I'm trying to say.
Uncharted waters is a sim. The kind that rewards meticulous micromanagement and deep, well-thought-out strategy. You gain experience and levels. You invest in industry. You choose what type of material your ships' hulls are made out of. It's made by Koei. Koei!
All these other games are... well, I don't know what they are, but they aren't sims. They are geared more for the mainstream gamers and less for the kind that like to sit and watch numbers go up and giggle madly. I'm less interested in the dancing mini-games where you try to win the heart of the governor's daughter and more interested in finding profitable trade routes, playing the silver and gold markets to reap huge sums which I'll reinvest in my country's colonies. Don't get me wrong, they're all great games, but as I said at the beginning, none of them are built around a trade/exploration sim that's anywhere near as rich as what you see in UW.
Aside from these two *ahem* flagship series of the 'sea adventure' genre, you have your Sea Dogs (great) and your Corsairs (not so much), and then a bunch of other assorted titles. A lot of these titles put most of their emphasis on combat, paying little attention to trade, exploration, or even a persistent plot. Sea Dogs is one possible exception, which is a little more RPGish than the others. You may want to try this one along with Pirates! Gold and see if you like 'em.