Schmitz: We tried to keep it believable as much as possible and only use things that people can identify with. RPS: The game seems vaguely grounded in realism, but what is the most outlandish or unusual piece of science fiction technology that appears in 2070? The population will always live on the surface, so the cities that grow on the surface island will at some point be dependent on the resources gathered underwater.
Schmitz: The underwater world is a supporting layer where the player gathers resources of types not available on the surface and to tap resources that have already been tapped on the surface but ran dry. RPS: What can you tell us about the underwater cities? Did designing that offer any particular challenges? Sustainability or rapid growth, it is up to the player. On one hand you can choose an industrial and efficient direction, or on the other hand you might prefer a sustainable way. Last but not least you will be able to decide in which way you want to play the game. Further energy production was not really required in the former Anno settings. With the ecological system there is a completely new challenge for the player to take care of. Schmitz: The future setting now offers a dynamic world that changes according to the gamers playing style. can you explain how those work within the game world? What's the pay off for each? RPS: We've seen a bit about how the game offers different technology tries, some good for the environment, some not so good. Options involve things like map size, victory conditions, island fertility, resource amount, what kind of enemy AIs to play with etc. Schmitz: Traditionally The heart of Anno is the endless mode, where the player can set up the game as he likes. RPS: And are there still more freeform options for playing the game? What does those consist of? In the 2nd one the player will learn more about the story, involving the Tech faction and their motivations, while the 3rd chapter will require the player to make use of all options available to him. The first chapter will act as a kind of introduction to the game and its mechanics, starting with the Tycoon faction and then unlocking the eco faction.
Schmitz: The campaign is divided into 3 chapters. RPS: What sort of story, or *stories* does Anno 2070 tell? Can you tell us a bit about how a campaign game might unfold? The new setting offers new approaches to increase the game depth and offer a fresh and exciting new experience without losing the Anno experience that our fans like so much.
Therefore we thought it is now the right moment to move the Anno brand forward to its next stage. It seemed like a desperate undertaking to improve such a perfect game.
ANNO 2070 CITY SERIES
Schmitz: Anno 1404 is by far the best product of the series and is a highly appreciated award winning product. RPS: Can you tell us a bit about the setting for Anno 2070? Why take things into the future? Still we have great innovations in gameplay as well. By introducing a new setting the change is already very drastic and we did not want to change too much about what makes the game an Anno game. Schmitz: We wanted to keep the gameplay principle and not move to far away from the core experience. RPS: What do you guys feel you learned from Anno 1404 that you've brought forward into Anno 2070? Schmitz: Yes, Anno 1404 received the best ratings in Germany and the international press also celebrated ANNO 1404 as the first Anno to be successful internationally. RPS: Looking back a bit, how do you guys feel about Anno 1404? It seems to be me that it was the first game in the series to really hit a nerve with wider audiences? Is that the case? The work of our developers at Blue Byte and at Related Designs again proofs to be excellent and we are all having a good time.
As the Head of Production I'm responsible for the successful development of Anno 2070 and oversee all relevant stages of development. The game is being produced in collaboration with our partner studio Related Designs, that partially belongs to Ubisoft and that also worked with us on the Anno brand before. Blue Byte, an Ubisoft subsidiary, is in charge of the production of the game Anno 2070. Blue Byte is the German development studio of Ubisoft and is mainly responsible for all the Germany based productions like the famous "Anno" as well as the "The Settlers" series. Schmitz: My name is Christopher Schmitz and I work as Head of Production for Ubisoft Blue Byte in Germany. RPS: Hello! Could you begin by telling us a little about yourself and then a bit about the studio? We thought we'd have a chat with the game's lead producer, Christopher Schmitz, to confirm a few details of what to expect from the sci-fi reworking on the classic strategy series. Blue Byte's trading and building game Anno has leapt from the past into the future for its next instalment, Anno 2070, which is due to arrive on our shores on November 17th.