Creation

NEW INFO An Englishman’s home is his castle. Meet the hired help


Computers aren’t evil enough. When they beat us, they usually just out-hitpoint or out-gun us. They lack real, creative maliciousness just the sort of moustache twirling treachery that Settlers 7’s multiplayer will en-courage in its human players.Instead of merely accumulating the most land or money Settlers 7’s multiplayer fo cuses on Victory Points. Players earn VPs by completing epic tasks (such as having the biggest army, or being the first to defeat the local witch’s soldiers). Some are straightfor-ward awards, while others can ebb and flow, be won, lost or stolen. Collectively, the ways to earn points are split neatly between military, scientific and economic glories, ensur-ing that everyone is likely to be working toward a different set of goals at any particular time. Happily, this system doesn’t skimp on providing you with evil ways to hurl tacks under your fellow players’ feet. Research, for instance, in volves pitting your clerics against your rivals’, effectively starting a bidding war for new technologies. Special landmarks on the maps offer their services to any player capable of unlocking them. For instance, defeating the Fallen Knight in his Dark Tower will cause him to send a wave of death toward