| rdfs:comment | - Uncharted Waters (大航海時代, Daikoukai Jidai) is the first game of the Uncharted Waters series and the second Rekoeition IP. Kou Shibusawa's goal for this game was to let players re-enact the romance and adventure of the Age of Exploration. Noriyoshi Ourai illustrated the game's cover. Music was composed by Yoko Kanno.
- Uncharted Waters (originally known as Age of the Great Voyages) is a series of Japanese privateer/trader video games set in The Cavalier Years. The first game was developed by Koei in 1991 (for MSX and NES, and later for Sega Genesis, Super NES, and the PC). The second installment, Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons, followed in 1994 on NEC PC 98, SNES, and Genesis, later ported to PC, Sega Saturn, and Play Station. Unfortunately, the second game was the last to be officially translated into English. Two more sequels, a Gaiden Game, and a MMORPG based in the setting never made it out of Japan. However, as of October of 2010, the MMORPG is in an open beta for the English speaking world.
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| abstract | - Uncharted Waters (originally known as Age of the Great Voyages) is a series of Japanese privateer/trader video games set in The Cavalier Years. The first game was developed by Koei in 1991 (for MSX and NES, and later for Sega Genesis, Super NES, and the PC). The second installment, Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons, followed in 1994 on NEC PC 98, SNES, and Genesis, later ported to PC, Sega Saturn, and Play Station. Unfortunately, the second game was the last to be officially translated into English. Two more sequels, a Gaiden Game, and a MMORPG based in the setting never made it out of Japan. However, as of October of 2010, the MMORPG is in an open beta for the English speaking world. Gameplay-wise, the series is a Wide Open Sandbox with RPG Elements in it. You play as an owner of a small fleet (up to 5 ships in the first game, up to 10 in the second) and are free to engage in any kind of activity on the high seas: trade, gambling, ship pimping, piracy, treasure hunting, exploration, even global politics, once you have the money (and firepower) to. What set the first game apart from its Western competitor Sid Meiers Pirates was the sheer size of the game world: instead of being confined to the Carribbean, you have the entire world to explore. The exploration gameplay was further enhanced in the second game, where you could sell the maps of your voyages, find natural and cultural wonders around the world, and look for even more treasures. The underlying gameplay mechanic involves ship management (crew, supplies, captains, repairs), character evolution (both the PC and the captains you hire), port development (trade balance, investments), and maneuvering between the major factions (Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and pirates in the first game; England, Holland, and Italy join the club in the second). It's pretty complex but not excessively so. Storywise, the first game follows Leon Franco, a young Portuguese sailor whose father invested all his money into a voyage to India, hoping to make a fortune selling spices, but died on the way back. Only his trusted First Mate Rocco Alemkel made it back to Portugal with a small boat to tell the tale. And thus, young Leon has to assume command and to take on the rough seas of the Wooden Ships and Iron Men era. Starting with small errands for the local merchants and collectors, Leon's fame eventually reaches the King of Portugal, who becomes his exclusive Quest Giver. The final mission, of course, involves saving the King's only daughter, whom Leon had the chance to woo earlier. The second game takes place some 20 years after the first one and follows six main characters, each with their unique (and sometimes overlapping) storyline. Additionally, there are now three kinds of fame: explorer (gained by discovering world wonders and remote ports and selling maps), piracy (gained by defeating enemy fleets, even if it is not, technically, piracy), and trade (gained by investing large sums into ports and fulfilling fetch quests), with each character having to build up one of them to advance their respective story.
* Joao Franco, Portuguese explorer and Leon's son, who is effectively kicked out by his father soon after coming of age, in order to achieve fame as a sailor of his own. Although he is considered an explorer, he is really a jack of all trades, as his storyline involves both trade and naval battles.
* Catalina Erantzo, a pirate from Spain, out to avenge the deaths of her brother and her fiancee at the hands of the Franco family (or so she believes). A Fiery Redhead, she has the best (initial) combat skills of all six characters but starts the game with a literal armada of privateers on her tail.
* Otto Baynes, an English Privateer on a secret mission by Henry VII to defeat the Spanish Armada and prevent the Spanish domination of the Atlantic.
* Ernst von Bohr, a Dutch explorer and cartographer aiming to compile a map of the entire world for his buddy Gerardus Mercator.
* Pietro Conti, an Italian explorer and treasure hunter, who inherited astronomic debts from his father and seeks ancient treasures to repay them.
* Ali Vezas, a Turkish trader who grew up in extreme poverty but slowly makes his way to the richest merchant in the Mediterranean, while searching for his long-lost sister. The first two games can be downloaded from various internet sites like Abandonia.com, and run perfectly smoothly in DOS Box on modern systems. Go get them.
- Uncharted Waters (大航海時代, Daikoukai Jidai) is the first game of the Uncharted Waters series and the second Rekoeition IP. Kou Shibusawa's goal for this game was to let players re-enact the romance and adventure of the Age of Exploration. Noriyoshi Ourai illustrated the game's cover. Music was composed by Yoko Kanno.
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