Developer Deck13 Hamburg and publisher astragon Entertainment are happy to announce the worldwide release today of TransOcean 2: Rivals, the second chapter of their challenging economic strategy simulation series for PC and Mac with a suggested retail price of £18.99/€24.99.
In the online Multiplayer mode, up to eight rivals can compete against each other. Each game is divided into several rounds in which the players will have to complete various tasks in order to gain Victory Points, the criteria for which are defined randomly at the beginning of each game. Each play session will therefore offer new challenges and demand not only the employment of the players’ strategic skills but also a high amount of tactical flexibility.
The single-player campaign starts in North America and leads the player through six story chapters with steadily increasing levels of difficulty. Throughout the campaign they will not only learn about the gameplay elements and tactics of TransOcean 2: Rivals, but also discover new classes of ships, cargo and 60 redesigned harbours, the ideal training for a successful multiplayer career! A motivating medal system will inspire players to keep starting new game sessions in order to reach their optimum performance in each chapter.
In the Competition mode the game’s AI will adopt the part of the multiplayer mode’s human competitors. Every round offers testing victory conditions that will keep combining constantly into new fields of activity and whose completion will be awarded with valuable Victory points. Besides a keen sense for timing and economic inter-relationships, clever tricks such as acts of sabotage should be part of the player’s repertoire. The length of the game session and the number of enemy AI players (1 to 7) as well as the difficulty settings of the AI opponents are selectable by the player.
The Endless mode operates completely without any kind of constraints: Here ship owners will be able to manage their business to their heart’s content and work on growing it into their very own ocean carrier empire without any time limits or quests.
Demanding tasks will however not only be encountered on the open seas: During manual docking and undocking in the single-player mode of TransOcean 2: Rivals, captains will be able to prove their skills at the helm. This mini game will occur randomly whenever the tugboat crews decide to go on strike for better pay.
KEY FEATURES:
· Three varied single-player game modes: The challenging ‘Campaign’, the tranquil ‘Endless Game’ and the ‘Competition’ mode against AI opponents
· The popular single-player 3D mini-game is back! Man the wheel of your own ship and navigate through some pretty tricky situations
· Compete against up to seven other players in Multiplayer mode and employ the best strategy to earn Victory Points
· New types of ship and cargo: Next to Container Ships there are now also Tankers and Bulk Ships, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses
· Improve your ships with a wide range of upgrades
· Over 60 ports across all continents
Reviews
“We already saw a couple economic simulations coming out this year. For me, TransOcean 2: Rivals is clearly leading the pack.”
4,5/5 – http://www.nextgengamersnet.com/Games/TransOcean-2-Rivals/
“There’s a giant coming.”
Computer Bild Spiele
More About TransOcean 2: Rivals
In TransOcean 2: Rivals you face a new challenge as the boss of your own shipping line: The international competition has gotten a lot tougher and the battle for the most lucrative contracts has only just begun. Will you succeed in sweeping your rivals from the seven seas and leading your shipping line to global success and renown?
The Game
TransOcean 2: Rivals, the second chapter of the successful business simulation TransOcean, offers days of entertaining play either alone in its three single-player modes – Campaign, Endless Game and Competition – or with friends in a thrilling, competitive multiplayer mode.
Get started with your newly founded shipping line in one of 60 ports and begin your career with a small fleet of worn-out old Feeders, the smallest type of ship in TransOcean 2: Rivals. Choose your port wisely and complete your first contracts to nearby ports in order to generate your first funds. Conduct your business with brains, plan your voyages with foresight and don’t underestimate external factors like the price of oil or your rival companies. This is how you will slowly expand your fleet and establish subsidiaries across the whole world. Are you up to mastering all the challenges?
A livelier economic system influencing all kinds of goods ensures that in TransOcean 2: Rivals you are also faced with macroeconomic challenges. With the three types of ships – Tankers, Container Ships and Bulk Carriers – you have even more options to specialize and take your company to the top. Challenge your rivals and develop your own global business enterprise.
In the single-player mode, you can also give yourself a very unique challenge: Steer your ships directly in a variety of 3D environments when the tugboats go on strike and the going gets tough. Can you maneuver both small and large vessels undamaged through the harbor basin?
The Campaign
You already made it years ago. You paid off that hard-nosed investor and were the most successful shipping magnate on all the seven seas. But then something went wrong! Your shipping empire collapsed and what’s more – your old consultant and friend, Hiram T. Witherspoon, ended up behind bars. Now you’re living the life of a recluse as a dog sled pilot in Alaska. But your desire to help Hiram and put a stop to your adversary, Lydia Blythe-Smith’s, plans, drives you back to the world’s ports.
Have you got what it takes to face down old and new competitors and become the successful shipping magnate you once were? Because only then can you put a halt to Lydia Blythe-Smith’s attacks once and for all.
Campaign Features:
◾6 exciting chapters that gradually make the player familiar with all the game mechanics
◾Three different medals per chapter increase replayability enormously
◾Catch up with old acquaintances and meet some new ones, while pitting yourself against unscrupulous rivals
◾Also in all single-player modes: Steer your ships yourself in an immersive 3D mini game
Multiplayer Mode
In multiplayer mode you play against up to 7 real opponents. And you’re going to need real strategic skill to stay ahead of the competition. With increasing pressure from your competitors, you will also see your opportunities increase: Battle for economic domination in the different regions or engage in sabotage activities to damage your competitors. But think carefully: Your rivals won’t just take that lying down.
A single game is divided into several rounds in which you have to complete defined tasks in order to achieve Victory Points. The player who acquires the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins. Victory Point criteria are always randomly defined at the beginning of a game. You can manually set a game’s duration. This means there’s never an overriding optimum strategy and each game brings new challenges. While in one game you might receive Victory Points for making the most money, in another the reward will perhaps come from having the most modern ship. Will you rise up to all challenges and defeat your competitors?
Multiplayer Mode Features:
◾Play with up to 7 players in real time
◾Differing Victory Point criteria randomly set at the beginning of every game make every experience unique
◾Plenty of possible game strategies make for varied sessions
◾Sabotage your rivals to get ahead at the decisive moment
◾The length of every game can be defined and last up to 2 hours
TransOcean 2: Rivals, developed by Deck 13 Hamburg, is the sequel to the successful game, TransOcean: The Shipping Company, enormously popular with business strategy players, simulation fans and anyone who loves big cargo ships.
Features:
◾Three varied game modes: The challenging Campaign, the calm Endless Game and the Competition mode against AI opponents
◾The popular 3D mini game in single-player mode: Man the wheel of your own ship and navigate it through some pretty tricky situations
◾Step up against other players in Multiplayer mode and use the best strategy to win Victory Points
◾Sabotage your rival players
◾Developed by Deck 13 Hamburg, the creative brains behind TransOcean: The Shipping Company
◾New types of ships and cargo: Container ships, Tankers and Bulk ships, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses
◾Improve your ships with a wide range of upgrades
◾Over 60 ports across all continents
◾Awesome orchestral soundtrack
◾Expand your fleet and buy the biggest ships
◾Set yourself new, dynamic challenges and become the best shipping magnate