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Ubisoft's 'The Settlers' reboot finally arrives March 17th
Ubisoft has revealed that its 'The Settlers' revival will launch on PCs March 17th.
New Settlers 7 multiplayer maps added to UbiShop
Are you and your globe-conquering friends losing that competitive edge over Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom's catalog of expansive multiplayer arenas? Today, Ubisoft added three new competitive maps for the game to its online storefront: Tempest Taiga, Fiery Chasm and the Battle of Tanholm.
Server error preventing Australians from playing The Settlers 7
Ubisoft's PC game DRM has done an excellent job of keeping people from playing its games. Sadly, the people barred from the games are the ones who actually purchase them. The latest issue to pop up involves the Australian release of The Settlers 7. Players are reporting that the game pops up a "Server not available" message after the initial loading screen, preventing the game from even starting. The culprit this time isn't exactly the always-on nature of the DRM: it's an issue with authenticating multiplayer profiles ... which, unfortunately, is done before the single-player game can start. Ubisoft released a new patch today, but apparently it's still not fixing the issue. However, users have reported that Ubisoft can resolve the issue if called. If you want to play Settlers 7 today, you may have to settle for talking to tech support about it. [Via GamePolitics]
The Settlers 7 pre-order bonus and gold edition detailed
While you wait for the seventh Settlers game to arrive on March 23, Ubisoft would certainly like you to contemplate the pre-ordering of said game, nonetheless a full on pre-order of the digital-exclusive "Gold Edition." As to entice you die-hard fans to drop the extra $10 on the special edition (bringing the price to a more Modern Warfare 2-ey $59.99), the publisher has offered up an exclusive map, a handful of extra "castle forge elements" and a digital copy of the game's soundtrack. With just over one month left until the game arrives on both PC and Mac, we suppose you could just put the trailer above on loop until the time finally comes (it does feature Bruce Shelley, after all), but that'd probably make you a lunatic. Also, you might die. And then how would you settle a vast kingdom? Hmm? Didn't think of that, did ya? %Gallery-73725%
Ensemble's Bruce Shelley working on The Settlers 7
As spotted by Joystiq's sister site Big Download in a recent gameplay trailer, ex-Ensemble Studios co-founder Bruce Shelley is working on Ubisoft's next installment in the Settlers series, The Settlers 7. Oh, what's that? You've never heard of the Settlers franchise? That's okay, we're right there with you. Popular in Europe (like Jerry Lewis, but less obnoxious), the city-building sim developed by Blue Byte Software will apparently get Shelley's input as a "game design consultant" -- and considering the pedigree that comes with Shelley, we have to imagine that, If you're into that kind of thing, it's time to start getting totally psyched. The game is currently in beta and will be headed to PCs in "late March."
Ubisoft to introduce new online-enabled DRM for PC games
image source: Comedy Central PC gamers have long been vocal about intrusive DRM programs hidden in their games. With illegal game downloads in the millions, publishers are desperately trying to find new solutions in the war against piracy. Ubisoft's upcoming The Settlers 7 will introduce a new DRM model for the company, one that doesn't require disc authentication and allows multiple installations across multiple systems. "If you own a hundred PCs, you can install your games on a hundred PCs," Ubisoft's Brent Wilkinson told GameSpy. Central to Ubisoft's new DRM plan is its online integration. Like select Steam games, Ubisoft will require players to log-in with a Ubi.com account in order to play, even for single-player games. As a plus, the online connectivity allows saves to be stored on Ubisoft's servers, meaning players can resume a game from any computer they own. Wilkinson dismissed concerns that some players may not have a ready internet connection: "We think most people are going to be fine with it. Most people are always connected to an Internet connection." But just in case you aren't, may we suggest AOL dial-up? It's the future, we swear! [Via BigDownload]
Direct2Drive celebrates 5-year anniversary with 50 games for $5 each
Over the next five weeks, Direct2Drive is offering a special discount on a host of different titles in celebration of its five-year anniversary. Every Monday, Direct2Drive will feature a new set of titles, reducing them to $5 (or £5 UK), with the first week of the promotion focusing on "Ubisoft and Strategy titles." While the upcoming week's titles have yet to be revealed, Direct2Drive has teased us with utterly vague descriptions of what to expect: Week Two: Action Games Week Three: RPGs & MMOs Week Four: Indie Games Week Five: War Games The first week of the promotion ends on September 14. Games differ slightly based on your geographical region -- for instance, Ubisoft is strangely omitted from the European promotion. Check out a full list of this week's games for both regions after the break.
Settlers DS to be EB/Gamestop exclusive
Some of us have been waiting for the DS release of The Settlers for quite a while! And for those of you who are, like us, eager for some PC-style RTS action on the go, then there's just one more hoop to jump through: Gamestop. According to this week's circular, the game is coming out on March 28th ... but as a Gamestop exclusive. We guess you could also go to EB if you wanted. The upside to a game being exclusive to one retailer is that you'll at least know where to go to find it. Think positive! We hope that The Settlers turns out better than the last Gamestop-exclusive DS game.[Via NeoGAF]
