CatanDC in a sea of ports:

CatanDC is a free Dreamcast implementation of the fantastic board game "Settlers of Catan" or "Die Siedler von Catan" depending on whether you speak English or German. The game, designed by Klaus Teuber, is a combination of many different genres of games, and is easy to learn, as well as fantastically expandible. If you wish to purchase the game, I recommend visiting the vendors, Kosmos in Germany and Mayfair Games in North America. There are many computer versions of the game available in both free and commercial varieties. Currently there is no English PC or console version available however Capcom was supposed to release an online version of it for the PS2 in November 2002, but this hasn't come to pass. (* Update: Some Screenshots have Come Out - Check Them Out Here, they look, interesting *) If you like CatanDC I would urge you to buy whatever localized version of the game is available. Although screenshots on these pages include textures made from scans from the boardgame, CatanDC is and will not be distributed with this artwork.

The Rules:

The goal of CatanDC is to settle Catan. Catan is considered settled when one of either 3 or 4 factions has acquired 10 Victory Points. Victory points are acquired through building settlements, roads and cities, and through purchasing development cards. Each player starts with 2 settlements and 2 attached roads (and thus totals start at 2 points each). Resources are distributed to players depending on where they settle. Settlements produce 1 resource when their number (at the center of the hex) is rolled, and cities product 2 of that type of resource. Resources are used to build the items needed to expand and win the game.

Built Items - Cost To Build - Point Value

Settlement - Wheat, Bricks, Wood, Sheep - 1 Point
City - 2 x Wheat, 3 x Ore - 2 Points (replaces settlement)
Road - Wood, Brick - Longest Uninterrupted Road is Worth 2 points
Development Card - Ore, Wheat, Sheep - Varying Value

In addition - the largest army (player who plays the most soldier cards, and more than 3 of them) gets 2 extra points. Both the longest road and the largest army may be taken away by a player who builds a longer road or a larger army.

Types of Development Cards:

Monopoly - Forces everyone at the table to give you all of one type of resource of your choice at the time of play
Soldier - Moves the Robber and allows you to steal 1 card from an adjacent player
Year of Plenty - Gives you 2 resources of your choice from the bank, at the time of play
Road Builder - Allows you to place 2 roads on the board at no extra cost
Chapel, University, City Hall, Library - Worth 1 Victory Point, Not Displayed Until used for Victory

Only 1 Development Card can be played in a single turn, and at any time (so the soldier may be played before rolling, to prevent further handicap). Development cards must spend 1 turn in the players possession before they become playable (cards cannot be played on the turn they are bought). This does not apply to point cards that can be directly used for a win.

Once all development cards have been played or bought they are no longer available to the players.

A players turn consists of 4 phases:

Rolling
*Playing Development Cards
Trading
Building

*Players may play a single development card at any time in their turn.

Once something has been built, trading is no longer available to the players.

The Robber and the Rule of 7:

When the number 7 is rolled, and any player has more than 7 cards they must discard half of their cards, rounded down, to the bank. As well, whoever rolled the 7, gets to move the robber to whatever hex on the board they wish. When the robber is placed, 1 card is chosen at random from 1 of the players settled on that hex. When the robber is situated on a hex, all production from that hex is turned off. This is of great strategic importance because the robber can be used to amplify the value of your resources, stop someone from advancing or winning, or give you a resource that someone is unwilling to trade. The robber is also moved by the soldier card, which are the vast majority of the Development Card deck.

Status of Development:

Progress on the game engine and visualization is going very quickly. In a month's time (early May 2003) the full engine, onscreen interface etc. should be complete, perhaps ready for beta testing. Things that haven't been touched yet include:

AI - Players can play against the computer
Multiplayer - 4 player VMU based secrecy
Network - Break out your BBA or Modem, CatanDC's going online
Cities and Knights - A more complex and intriguing expansion of the original Catan game. New resources, more ways to win, technology levels and much more

Open Source ???:

I will probably opensource the game because it's unlikely that Capcom would help me put this game out. Also, this opens up the development to more coders and platforms.

Interested ???:

I'm starting a mailout list for you folks who are interested in CatanDC. Email me with "subscribe" in the subject line and you're in! Beta tester applications accepted as well!