blue-byte-software posts

While it's not yet listed on the official Settlers 7 web site, the 2010 released fantasy strategy-sim game will be getting its fourth paid DLC expansion pack on Monday, according to a pre-order listing on the GamersGate web site. The DLC will cost $4.99 but will be free to download for owners of the Settlers 7 Gold Edition.

The DLC for the Blue Byte Software-Ubisoft game will add a new two player map (Forest Realm) along with two more maps, Tower Island and Throne of the Kings, that have been made especially for the game's new co-op mode. That new mode will be made available for free via an upcoming patch update that will allow all players and all maps to have access to the co-op mode. This new gameplay mode will allow players to share things like technology, trade posts and victory points with his or her team partner along with sending resources and goods to each other.

Even before the same developer started The Settlers series, Germany-based Blue Byte Software launched the first game in its sci-fi themed Battle Isle turn-based strategy series back in 1991. Now the DRM-free PC game download site GoG.com has added a bundle containing most of the games in the series under the name Battle Isle Platinum.

The $9.99 bundle has a ton of turn-based strategy retro gameplay as players take their armies and pit them against each other on the planet Chromos. The games in the bundle include:

• Battle Isle 1 including Data Disk 1 & Battle Isle '93 & Historyline: 1914-1918
• Battle Isle 2 including Scenery CD "Titan's Legacy"
• Battle Isle 3 along with extensive video sequences
• Incubation and the wilderness missions.

The bundle also has a number of free downloadable extras including a game soundtrack, artwork, posters, reference cards and more.

Fans of The Settlers 7 are getting a surprise early Christmas expansion pack this week. Developer Blue Byte Software and publisher Ubisoft have released a new and large downloadable expansion pack for the fantasy strategy-sim game. It's the third such DLC expansion for the game since The Settlers 7 was first released earlier this year.

The $14.99 expansion, which can be purchased and downloaded from Ubisoft's online store, has two new scenario maps (The Awakening of the Eternal City and Perils of the Coast) along with Rise of the Rebellion, a new five map mini-campaign for the game. If you don't feel like getting the entire expansion in one shot, Ubisoft has split off each of the scenario maps in separate DLC packs for $4.99 each as well as the mini-campaign for $7.99.

Fans of The Settlers 7 are getting some new maps and missions to try out via a new paid download via Steam. The second paid downloadable expansion for Ubisoft's latest game in the strategy-sim series is now available to grab.

The Empire Expansion adds three new multiplayer maps to the Blue Byte-developed game. One is the water-themed level Whitewater Falls while the second is the mountain-themed Twin Peaks (we need a good cup of coffee now). The third map is the rural themed Grassland Media. The DLC costs $3.99 to purchase and download. You can also get both the DLC releases on Steam for $5.99, a $2 savings versus buying each separately.

This patch for The Settlers 7 updates the boxed retail game to v1.09. It includes bug fixes, gameplay enhancements, and two new maps. The patch is available in either a full version, or as an incremental patch that upgrades the game from v1.01 or above. Full patch notes, which include map descriptions, can be found after the jump. The Settlers 7 playable demo can be found here.

Download The Settlers 7 v1.01+ - v1.09 Patch (466 MB)
Download The Settlers 7 v1.09 Full Patch (819 MB)
Download The Settlers 7 Demo (2.55 GB)
Check out all Settlers 7 downloads

What's got this big rock creature all excited? Maybe its the fact that the game he appears in, The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom, has just given its players a new downloadable expansion pack to try out. The DLC for the latest game in the fantasy strategy-sim series is now available to purchase and download for $3.99 from publisher Ubisoft's online store. It's also available at Impulse and should be available soon at other PC game downloadable outlets.

The expansion adds three new multiplayer maps to the main game developed by Blue Byte Software; Tempest Taiga, Battle of Tanholm and Fiery Chasm. The DLC does require the new 1.07 patch for the game which can be grabbed right here at Big Download.

Download The Settlers 7 v1.01 - v1.07 Patch (242 MB)
Download The Settlers 7 v1.07 Full Patch (609 MB)
Download The Settlers 7 Demo (2.55 GB)
Check out all Settlers 7 downloads

Ubisoft's release of the strategy-sim game The Settlers 7 last month has continued to be plagued with online connection issues that on the surface seem to be related to the publisher's new "Always On" internet connection that's at the heart of their DRM-set up. The game's official message boards are full of posts from players who still cannot play the game weeks after it was released

An Ubisoft community manager recently posted up word in the message board that, "People are blaming the DRM, but I have checked and it's working - which means it's something else.. so that needs to be looked at, and that's where support come in." Still the fact that a number of players continue to have these issue worldwide would seem to suggest at least some kind of online issue. We will be emailing Ubisoft to get some kind of official response to these problems and how they plan to fix it.

[Via Blue's News]

Reports from Australia have come in stating that the recently released strategy-sim game The Settlers 7 is unplayable for many in that country and the cause seems to be publisher Ubisoft's pesky 'Always On" DRM set up. Australian web site Games On Net reports that a "server not available" error happens after some gamers confirm an active net connection.

While this error seems to happen to some gamers all over the world it apparently hits Australian gamers in particular. The web site states "the majority of Australian copies are unplayable." At the moment there doesn't appear to be any solution for this issue.

It's pretty rare that a PC game is ported to the Mac these days and its even rarer when the PC and Mac versions are released at the same time. However that's exactly what's happening with the strategy-sim game The Settlers 7. The Mac port of the game is now available to purchase at GreenTreeOnline.com

The port is being handled by TransGaming who used their Cider tech to allow the Blue Byte-Ubisoft title to run on Macs. Both the regular and Gold Editon of The Settlers 7 are available to purchase and download with the standard edition also available in retail stores. There's no word if the Mac port will require that the game be always connected to the internet like the PC version.

We knew that developer Blue Byte Software had brought in former Ensemble Studios head Bruce Shelley to help in the design for The Settlers 7 in an effort to expand the game's US audience. However we don't think that he had in mind the plan to make the US box artwork for the game look so, well, grim.

As pointed out by Flash of Steel, the US box design for the strategy-sim game makes the title look like a highly grim and gritty fantasy title. Contrast it with the UK box cover for The Settlers 7 which is light, cartoony and makes people smile just by looking at it. Clearly publisher Ubisoft doesn't believe the US audience will buy the game without this kind of tactic. You can check out the two very different box designs after the jump.