I enjoy the historically based games that merge city building, battles and a touch of RPG all in one. In the beginning you have one ship and no reputation...As the game develops you can easily become overwhelmed in the micro managing of 15-20 different cities,Numerous ships, politics, housing, industry, and just plain old buying and selling of goods.

Many of the other reviews go into the specific historic issues as related to the Hanseatic league, but all you really need to know is you need to make money. Buy low-sell high! That is all you need to know to start. You trade goods from town to town with your ship(s).

As you begin to gain money and status, you will start to learn which towns need certain goods(Which I won't go into here), and then to build industries, housing, more ships, etc. Eventually you become targeted by Pirates. The battle graphics are very basic and controls very low tech. I has hoping for an improvement from P2, but it is the same. Some battles take 15-20 minutes, esp. when you have to chase a badly damaged ship against the wind. Don't buy this game if you are into battles... I think they were an after thought.

My first P3 game is now 40 hours long, and I control 30 ships and have offices in 5 towns. I don't even turn the game on unless I have two hours to spend. I enjoy the game very much and try to automate as much as possible to allow me to keep an eye on the markets and fine tune trade routes for the most profit. My defenses are quite good to cover trading, and when a pirate attacks they are usually sunk or captured... but there goes another 20 minutes. You control the speed of the game, but as slow speed your trade routes will take so long you might look up and the sun is rising!!!

If you enjoy reading historical fiction and sim-city type games, then buy this game, but don't tell your wife... or husband.


You Will Enjoy This Game   April 1, 2004
 14 out of 17 found this review helpful

For those of you who are looking for a game with depth this is it. It does take awhile to learn how to play the game but once you do you will enjoy it. You start out with a single ship and trade or fight your way to riches. You build up towns that you build offices in by suppling the town with various goods that you can buy in other cities or produce yourself. This is not a process you complete in a few hours. It's like a project that you work on for several nights. Set goals before you begin, such as how many people will be in the cities. I like to start in different towns and see how far I progress in say 10 years. Trying to do better than before. Each city is different and looks great. This game really makes you think and stratigize how to best build up your fortune.


Patrician 3 Not a Good Game   January 6, 2004
 16 out of 51 found this review helpful

I saw this at a popular mall store and ended up buying it.It looked similar to Caesar 3,Civilization 3 and several other games of that sort. I always start a new game with the Tutorial.
It gives you several modes to play in from Sea Combat to City development and Trade to Political.It doesn't give you any sense of how to maneuver your ship or what reasonable goals would be for a starting player that has never played the Patrician system before.I have to hope that people who have played Patrician 1 and Patrician 2 can make it through it .I'm not sure that that's
enough to reccommend the game.At one point you have to hire a crew and it tells you to hire a crew but there is no hire button.There is also no Strategy guide available for this game.
I'm not talking about a cheat book,I mean a book that says Shift+H = hire .Wait til its in the $5 or less before you buy this.


Patrician III is an oddly intense diamond in the rough.   January 3, 2004
 35 out of 36 found this review helpful

Patrician III is highly detailed, and those of you who prefer games to have great depth will enjoy what this simulation has to offer. Similarly, those of you who set aside realism for increased action and speed of play may find this game slow or frustrating. I feel that given a chance, this game is worthwhile to anyone willing to explore outside the usual areas of profitable game development.

The place where Patrician III departs from other games is the setting. Many who consider themselves historically knowledgeable may find the Hanseatic League something they just don't know much about. Simply put, this is a period of time where privately run businesses formed alliances for the greater interest of everyone. At first play seems like it doesn't matter when this game takes place. If the designers set this fifty thousand years into the future, replaced the map of the Baltic with a star-field, and put a Star Wars label on it, it would sell like crazy. But that is not the point; the point is that this is a historical simulation, where obstacles of this period determine player concerns.

One feature of life in this period is that there isn't a lot of technology to rely on. Your mission is to make your mark on a world that is rapidly changing. Lords and Ladies are being replaced by Merchants and Councils. Access to boats is what determines if a place is deemed habitable. These are the workhorses of a map covered by water. But although boats and transporting goods is the key to the game, Sea Dogs and Homeworld fans will be disappointed to find out that there are only four types. These types are also only open to a few modifications. However, with these few options, the game presents an unexpected element of sail combat. Your captain, your crew, your weapons and your seamanship will all affect the outcome of battle. While small, these flares-at-sea are reminiscent of the madly fun battles in the old game Pirates!, by Microprose. They make every voyage a risk, without detracting from the real focus.

But the game is mainly concerned with finely controlled economics. Population, local manufacturing preferences, the sentiment of the populace, as well as good old supply and demand wreak havoc on prices. It is dizzying to watch, as prices will change before your eyes and with each barrel of beer or spices you buy or sell. It is a necessary evil. Since money and fame are the name of the game, much of gameplay depends on how the player copes with change: Bring goods to one of 24 towns to earn money and make people happy; Use your money to build businesses, rental houses, and public facilities in order to make yourself popular; Gain status and station with your popularity and gain control over the town and more. Meanwhile, expect a number of competent competitors to be doing the same in their own hometowns. Alternately, the game includes the option to play up to 7 other human opponents over the internet. This option may give this game the stamina it needs. The previous two iterations were well received in the European market and now enjoy a small but dedicated following.

What is pleasing is that there is enough going on to begin with. Even the novice levels feels like there is too much going on at first. You want to revisit the gentle waters of the tutorials rather than the frozen north seas in winter. The immersion is another unmarketed but exclusive aspect Patrician III . A game like Half-Life makes you feel like you are actually in Freeman's suit. However, Patrician III's weakest aspect is probably creating a game world that seems real. In fact, at times it looks like a simply drawn façade for the impressive mechanicals behind the curtain. Where this game captures you is inside your head, not on the screen. You will soon be calculating your moves like Kasparov, planning the loads you must take, deducting taxes, and operating expenses and making sure you still have enough for the church extension you promised to your fellow citizens. It is maddening to see how few gold coins a week can bring in. At the same time, there is so much to do: purchase more cutlasses, build middle class houses, recalculate your minimum pickup cost on three different goods since your blasted competitor built that cattle farm.

Although these opportunities for excitement are worthwhile, it is important to remember that in Patrician III business is the heart of everything you do and money is the blood that pumps through it. As a guideline, if it is not profitable, don't do it. While the many illegal activities have consequences, the benefits are well balanced. The game even tracks your reputation with the seedier element of this society. If your are careless you will suffer punishment that hurts your wallet and your reputation.

This game should not be recommended to everyone. You need patience. Even though it is in real-time, you need to enjoy building something slowly. You also need an ability to enjoy while learning since the learning curve in this game can be devious. Anyone who will give this game a long look, will be rewarded. You may even see done here that nameless missing thing in so many other games collecting dust.