The absence of different civilizations with different characteristics contrasts with other games such as The Settlers, and Age of Empires. After entering a character name, the player is asked to pick one of four different colored banners to represent their country. The game is also playable via null modem connection.Īnno 1602 is designed to be as nationalistically neutral as possible.
Despite this, Anno 1602 is still occasionally played by small groups of LAN PC gamers, or by players over the internet. Because the network play is less sophisticated than that of modern games, lags and disconnections often occur. The game also features online and network play with up to 4 other players simultaneously.
In Anno 1602, the player can choose to play out one of the game's many scenarios or engage in a free form game. The US release contains all 6 scenarios (in addition to the tutorial and training game) that were included in the original European release, as well as 9 new scenarios, along with a "free play role". As the game starts, the player will need to find a nearby island, colonize it, and start building up an economy. The player controls an unnamed European nation in 1602 AD that is looking to expand their power into the New World. Even though the game focuses heavily on an economic standpoint, on various occasions the player will be forced (or will bring it upon others) to defend their islands against possible enemies.Īnno 1602 is a colony building and trading simulation. Players can also trade with their own colonies, and various neutral CPU controlled players such as native tribesmen. The ultimate goal of the game is to discover chains of islands, settle them, develop on them, and then trade with other players.