By Craig Pearson on April 24th, 2012 at 3:30 pm.
Research at the RPS news desk means someone asks a question in chat and the others ignorantly speculate. Google is right there, but you don’t get good responses to keen, incisive questioning, in this case about the newly announced Anno 2070 Deep Ocean expansion pack: “Anno 2070: I’m trying to find out if the main game has water, or if the additions bring watery goodness to it? I mean to live under?”
John: I’m fairly sure old screenshots had wet bits.
Adam: I think the new expansion just has a new even deeper watery bit
Adam is correct, and it allows Ubisoft to legitimately claim that it makes it “A deeper game experience”, which makes marketing copywriters froth like a windy sea. The main game is a rather watery real-time management game, where you raise a happy empire in a world ravaged by global warming. What will the expansion bring? Does it have hidden depths?
There’s a new addition to the Tech faction, the Genius class, which I’m reliably informed is the first time an Anno game has expanded a civilisation level. The new class will add a new Tech Monument, production chains, vehicles, items, as well as tweaks to expand the development of industries and economies. The depths also bring some new resources, and there are new underwater trading routes. What’s for sale down there? Signed photos of James Cameron posing with fish. In 2015 he was made “The King of Underwater”, a largely ceremonial honour that he takes rather seriously. The briney addition will enable to players to take advantage of geothermal energy with underwater power plants, and you’ll also have to contend with the deadliest of all the oceanic horrors: The Tsunami.
RPS have gained access to the original pitch that the developers made to UbiSoft. Be quick before their lawyers yoink it.
It’s out in Autumn.
24/04/2012 at 15:44 Was Neurotic says:
When the form is more entertaining and stimulating than the content, you know you’re in the right place. :D
24/04/2012 at 15:47 jonfitt says:
If you’re deep enough under the sea, i.e. far from the coast, is a tsunami dangerous?
24/04/2012 at 15:51 Brun says:
No – in deep water tsunamis aren’t particularly dangerous.
24/04/2012 at 15:52 MacBeth says:
Not at all – in fact you’d probably be hard put to even detect it passing by, as the wave will only be a few inches to a couple of feet high at that point.
24/04/2012 at 21:29 Chaz says:
Well the tsunami wouldn’t be dangerous, but the earthquake that starts it would probably be especially perilous to under sea dwellings.
24/04/2012 at 15:56 Lacero says:
He may love it, but how will James Cameron play it properly at the bottom of the mariana trench with all the online only modes disabled?
24/04/2012 at 15:56 mouton says:
“RPS have gained access to the original pitch that the developers made to UbiSoft.”
I read it as “the pitch that the lawyers made to UbiSoft”. And it still made sense.
24/04/2012 at 15:57 Elmar Bijlsma says:
The choice of setting implies they rather watered down the whole franchise.
24/04/2012 at 15:58 Kyrall says:
I dare say it’ll still make a splash.
24/04/2012 at 15:59 Brun says:
I dunno, I heard the gameplay had a lot of depth.
24/04/2012 at 16:04 westyfield says:
I’ve already resigned myself to the drip-feed of DLC.
24/04/2012 at 16:11 Kirrus says:
I’m waiting to sea if the price will plummet before I take the plunge and spend some squids on this one.
24/04/2012 at 16:19 Reefpirate says:
This game is still wet behind the ears, some DLC will dew it some good.
24/04/2012 at 16:16 RakeShark says:
The offerings so far seem to be pretty abyss-mal.
24/04/2012 at 16:26 Milos says:
I’m foaming at mouth just thinking of all the new additions.
24/04/2012 at 16:21 Kyrall says:
I’m getting a sinking feeling that this expansion may turn out sub-par…
24/04/2012 at 16:46 Greg Wild says:
It does seem to be a rather damp effort.
24/04/2012 at 17:22 squareking says:
Could potentially turn the tides.
24/04/2012 at 17:40 Tams80 says:
I hear it features a boy called ben, who is thic.
24/04/2012 at 21:36 marcusfell says:
I cannot fathom this pun thread.
24/04/2012 at 21:45 Strangerator says:
Wonder if we can in-trench our units?
24/04/2012 at 15:58 Squire says:
Marge:- Homer that’s your solution to everything, To move under the sea. It’s NOT gonna happen!!
Homer:- Not with THAT attitude.
24/04/2012 at 18:34 MythArcana says:
I wonder if old Jimmy will appreciate the UbiShaft copy protection from Hell.
24/04/2012 at 18:40 Durkonkell says:
This is the only post on RPS tagged “Adam is not wrong”. Should all the posts where he’s not been wrong be tagged now, or is this the ONLY post in which he has been not-wrong?
25/04/2012 at 00:28 Adam Smith says:
My opinions should come to you with a pinch of salt or two. I hate it, but that’s the way it is.
25/04/2012 at 00:33 Dances to Podcasts says:
I think it means he’s a bit of alright.
24/04/2012 at 20:20 niurr says:
http://cdd.me/1sw
25/04/2012 at 05:28 MacGuffin says:
Does this title still have the DRM that I normally avoid in Ubisoft products?
25/04/2012 at 08:59 jrodman says:
Does it still have TAGES?