Usually you can see a corelation between something going up in price when they go out of print to the quality of the game. Its not always the case but it is regarding this game.

If you like to play what I call slow real time strategy games then this is for you. I like to play this game at the slowest setting and micromanage. Very relaxing and you don't feel rushed like some real time strategy games make you feel. Don't make the mistake that many make with 1503 A.D., they don't play it long enough. It takes time to learn this game but it will reward you in the long run. Kind of like a music CD you buy that you don't like the first few times you hear it but then one day it clicks and it becomes one of your favorites.

This game is totally awesome and the graphics only make it better. Yes it is difficult to make a thriving city but it is very possible. At the beginning of the game you first (after you have built a warehouse) build a couple main markets places to increase you amount of owned land. Then set up a specific area for your houses, woodcutters, hunters, ect. In order to get a stable economy you have to "please" your people either leather, cloth, food, ect. I have devoted numerous hours into this game and have made many charts that tell the average amount of people one hunter place can provide enough food for. Also at the beginning of the game start to purchase tools because you'll need them. To purchase tool go to the main market building and go to buy goods. Then select how much you are willing to pay for however many tools. Sometimes the traders will not come if the circumstances are not to their liking. And another person had asked this question. And here is the answer... to trade you need to first make sure that a trade agreement has been signed with the person that you want to trade with. Then click on a ship, go to the trade point screen and then click on your opponents ""warehouse"". After this a screen will come up that says load or unload. click on one of the boxes and choose what to trade. If there is a yellow triangle thing pointing to a resource, that means the your opponent needs that resources if it is a blue/ green triangle that means that he is exporting it.

Some people complain about this game and cry like little babies because they are too simple to figure out the game. For one, someone said "my sheep never have enough grazing land. Well that's probably because they didn't pay attention to the lit area around the building which represents the ""service area"" you can't put other stuff in that area because if you do your sheep have no place to eat grass which is called grazing. Some people say it's too hard well its not I'm 13 and have been playing for 3 and 1/2 years and I can tell you it's not hard. You just need to take the time to explore the game. A different person said that you can't board ships when the box says you can, in fact on of the things the people say in the game is "board the ship" but you can't. The same person said that you can't build your own main market place over an almost destroyed main market place of your opponents when in fact you can. For the coastal main market places you need to use a ship with the necessary resources and build a warehouse over it. For main market places that are on land you need to use a scout to carry the resources near the main market. And this is to Tiffany L Savage you didn't waste any money on this game you just need to grow a brain in place of that walnut on a stick in your head. I can't believe you don't know how to grow tobacco. House enough settlers, get a ship, load it with resources, sail to a island that has the right climate and start building. If your ship has the resources and is close enough to land one of its commands it to build a warehouse, which is like a harbor in a way because that is where water trade is conducted. As for "gr8m8" you suck because you said the graphics are bad when really they are above 55 if you rate it 1-10 and that's impossible. Maybe you should do what Joanna Daneman did and switch it to your language... what an idea.

1503 A.D. is a wonderful simulation game for several reasons. It is an engaging game, well worth its modest price. If you are NOT a "gamer", 1503 A.D. is a great first simulation game to try and see if you like this genre.

First, it's important to note that 1503 A.D. is not about slash and burn like Age of Empire. Nothing wrong with Age of Empire, but in that game your sole purpose in building an economy is to build a military to defeat the other guy. And when the other guy's defeated, the game stops. And if you don't attack him, he'll attack you, so it's a tense play.

In 1503 A.D. your goal is to build an economy and explore the new world. It is a simulation of that time when Spain, France, England, Holland etc. first sent ships to the Americas and the Caribbean Islands and discovered the fantastic lands and resources available there. You play at your own pace without time pressure.

I find it engaging on three levels: first, creating a working economy (it's literally a little MODEL of a world, with miniature ships, buildings, roads, trees, animals, crops, and people); second, extending that economy over multiple lands, using ships as the means of communication and trade (for example, you need a tropical island to grow dye plants for luxury clothing); third, the basics and luxuries correspond to the actual economy of that time (food crops, clothing crops, tobacco, dies, spices, whale oil, etc.)

As several reviewers state, 1503 A.D. is quite engaging to play over many hours. You can stop and resume anytime. There are indigenous tribes to discover and trade with. There are prebuilt tutorials and campaigns to try. And there is a "sandbox" mode where you just pick a map and build on your own, with nobody telling you what you have to do.

There are other computer players to trade with. And yes, if you wish, to fight with. You can build troops and warships and send them off to do battle with other settled cities or with the bad guys everyone loves to hate, pirates. The point is, you don't HAVE to do this if you don't want to. Or you can do it LATER, after you've gotten the other features under your belt.

At $9.99 the price is hard to beat, plus, the game plays on normal computers and does not need super graphics cards. I think this is an engaging game well worth its modest price. And it's a GREAT way to explore playing simulation games and see if you like them.

One other tip, in addition to the printed manual that comes with the game, there are many free ONLINE web sites and forums with lots of help, tips and walkthrus etc. from other players. So you can play on your own, or follow a detailed walkthru, or just look up stuff somewhere in between.

Wow...someone's selling a secondhand copy for $60? I got it at Target for $20. Anyways, this was a top-notch City Builder & since it's now OOP, if you WERE looking to buy this, I reccomend getting 1701 AD/Anno 1701. It will be released prior to Halloween & looks even more promising.

There are 2 kinds of strategy games; ones where you mostly build economy & ones where you mostly fight. I like both, but this is the first kind; good for relaxing, esp. with all the [...] on TV.

One thing I like are the "borderline 3D" graphics; it looks 3D enough to me, but without the inevitable headache & confusion of 3D games/movies. Surprisingly, I find that the background music takes awhile before it seems monotinous, like maybe 2 or 3 hours.

In the end, it seems inevitable that you will go bankrupt long before the game should end. There are no tips or cheats for this game (that work) that I can find, & the help tutorial does not cover everything. Also, one of the songs seems to have a lot of glitches.

Also try some more Sunflower games (this is a Sunflower game) like Knights of Honor & ParaWorld.

Heres my take on this game:

Pros,

-Graphics are very very good
-The sound is Awesome
-Skill is acutally required to play it(unlike other stratagy games like Lord of the Realms, age of empires and Empire Earth)
-There is always somthing to do in it (just to name a few; fighting, economy building and city building)
-There is a manual included (so its not one of those games that installs the manual on to your PC)
-Games that you play in it can actually last a very long time
-Tons of different climates (ice, forest, jungle, desert)
-Huge maps

Cons,

-The game is very hard
-you will almost always find your self low on money or even bankrupt (unless your a vetrain player or some PC nerd)
-The makers at EA Games made the game play way to complicated. for instance, in order to get a jewellery stand, you need to find a gem deposit and a gold deposit. then you need to build a gold mine and gem mine on to the deposits. this lets you build a Goldsmith, which makes the jewellery, leting you make a jewellery stand. what makes it really hard is that gem and gold deposits some times arnt even in the game or are on a far off island thats to small to build on, forceing you to trade with computer controlled tribes who some how have the things you cant seem to get.
-everybody says and tells me to read the manual to learn how to play the game. I've read the manual from front to back hundreds of times and i still cant figure out how to play it to the fullest. I seem to always become bankrupt or get so frustrated with the trading, deplomacy and money management that i end up curseing at my PC and wanting to burn the game.

All in all, this game is good. If you like overly complicated games that take some time to master at, then this is for you. But if your like me and like to sit down for a nice relaxeing game of empire building and dont want to be bothered with the extreme realism that this game send your way than maybe you should find something different.

If anyone who reads this can help me out in any way on tips or hints on how to play and manage through this game, PLZZZ contact me at
radioactive_foxhound@hotmail.com