Dawn of Discovery

 PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Jun 17, 2009
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 160 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 140 out of 160
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 160
  3. Negative: 5 out of 160
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  1. TemplarGR
    Sep 9, 2016
    5
    Boring and deceptive game. I really wanted to like this. It has amazing graphics, good music, and it is charming. I wanted so bad to like this because i liked games like Settlers in the past. But this game is bad.

    The main issue with this game, is that there is really no freedom or creativity in strategy/city building. You have to min-max your cities in a certain pre-determined way,    Boring and deceptive game. I really wanted to like this. It has amazing graphics, good music, and it is charming. I wanted so bad to like this because i liked games like Settlers in the past. But this game is bad.

    The main issue with this game, is that there is really no freedom or creativity in strategy/city building. You have to min-max your cities in a certain pre-determined way, especially at higher difficulties. The game may seem complex at first, but it is not, this is not a strategy game, this is a puzzle game. Once you figure out how to layout your cities and in what order to build your production chains, the game gets very repetitive and unfun.

    And this leads to the next problem, this game is complex but is not deep. If you need to make some army units and need weapons, you will need to make whole production chains in order to make those weapons, but this is just busy work. The difference between just making a "base" in Age of Empires to make units, and making a whole production chain to make the same units in Anno, is just that it takes more time and takes memorization of the chains, nothing more.

    In the end, this game is a colossal waste of time. Fun to look at, but very shallow experience. Avoid.    … Expand
  2. Hudson
    Jul 30, 2009
    6
    Money is better spent on Spore or Sims 3. This game is a real snoozer and plays much like German boards such as Carcassonne, Settlers of Cataan and things like that. You will literally just sit and watch and watch and watch and be bored out of your mind. Pretty graphics do not make up for insipid gameplay and god awful instructions or in game tool tips. Also there is not one ounce of Money is better spent on Spore or Sims 3. This game is a real snoozer and plays much like German boards such as Carcassonne, Settlers of Cataan and things like that. You will literally just sit and watch and watch and watch and be bored out of your mind. Pretty graphics do not make up for insipid gameplay and god awful instructions or in game tool tips. Also there is not one ounce of combat built into the game. You are better off going backwards in the series and getting 1701.… Expand
  3. Zoidenberger
    Dec 2, 2009
    6
    A game which is entertaining for a couple of days, before becoming boring. There is very little variation between games and combat is very poorly implemented. May entertain fans of the genre, but this game's depth is superficial.
  4. killswitch1968
    Sep 25, 2009
    6
    Dawn of Discovery is a traditional 4X RTS game, with a decreased emphasis on combat and al ot of complicated involved city building. The biggest problem with the game is the constant feeling that you're lacking control. Even with intense micromanagement you will struggle to keep things running smoothly and you have to fiddle all the time with redundant boring tasks. And that's Dawn of Discovery is a traditional 4X RTS game, with a decreased emphasis on combat and al ot of complicated involved city building. The biggest problem with the game is the constant feeling that you're lacking control. Even with intense micromanagement you will struggle to keep things running smoothly and you have to fiddle all the time with redundant boring tasks. And that's only if you can figure out the cause of your problem. Frequently things are happening automatically that you simply cannot diagnose. Why am I losing money when my income is supposedly green? Why do I keep losing linen-shirts when I have 3 weaver plants running and I'm not selling them? Why does this mine keep getting overstocked with ore when I have a trade cart right next to it? With some improved control schemes and diagnostics there is a robust, even fun strategy game under all this. Without it, you just get a frustrating mess.… Expand
  5. gracjanski
    Sep 15, 2018
    6
    I know Anno 2070 also and both games have the same mistakes, the campaign is bad, in this case embarrassing, because the characters are so bad written. You cant take your village to the next mission, but get a designed village.
    The gameplay is not bad. In the beginning it looks complex and fun, but later on you realize, that there is no variety, because you need to to build the same    I know Anno 2070 also and both games have the same mistakes, the campaign is bad, in this case embarrassing, because the characters are so bad written. You cant take your village to the next mission, but get a designed village.
    The gameplay is not bad. In the beginning it looks complex and fun, but later on you realize, that there is no variety, because you need to to build the same things over and over again to level up your citizens.
    The graphics and music are good.    … Expand
  6. johnnybgood8
    Aug 2, 2017
    7
    I really was amazed of this game as a kid and the idea but never had good PC to play it. When I tried it for the firs time, it was hard and not that much fun. There is a lot of micromanagement in this game so Ill try anno 1701 first.
    Also game isnt that much deep as it seems. Also you are lacking control all the time in the game and need to tweak something.
    Still its a rock solid game    I really was amazed of this game as a kid and the idea but never had good PC to play it. When I tried it for the firs time, it was hard and not that much fun. There is a lot of micromanagement in this game so Ill try anno 1701 first.
    Also game isnt that much deep as it seems. Also you are lacking control all the time in the game and need to tweak something.
    Still its a rock solid game with a good graphic and music and for the hard core fans. Im more for the easier pace games like civilization    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Best PC Game of 2009
58
#58 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
24
#24 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Gamers.at
    92
    Dawn of Discovery is not only the fourth installment of the highly regarded ANNO-series but also the best, offering challenging complexity for core gamers and providing easy access for beginners at the same time. Don't miss this game if you are a fan of economic simulations.
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  2. PC Games
    91
    A near perfect blend of west and east, complexity and accessibility - Dawn of Discovery is by far the best economic simulation to date.
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  3. HellBored
    90
    Requisite whining about copy protection aside, this is a solid title that offers some fun and addictive game play, with lots to discover and plenty to do. It’s ridiculously easy to sit down with the intention of playing for a few minutes, only to look up and see that two or three hours have gone past. There’s a lot of character in the animations, the voice-acting is superb and the setting is fantastic. Dawn of Discovery deserves to be checked out by anybody who has an interest in exploration and the classic city-building titles of old.
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