Are the graphics better?

[kb]

They are pretty good in the original version interested in whether much or any improvement has been made in this new edition.

[Doctor Hades]

I think they are exactly the same, the only difference being online and higher resolution support. Saw a video on YouTube of Anno 1404 History Edition and the interface and graphics looked identical. Not sure if this is now using DX11 though instead of DX9?

Really this should be a free update to owners of the original games for this reason as they are not remasters or remakes.

[Karl]

It has 4k support supposedly and has some of the underlying issues resolved as it's been updated for modern computers. You can check the specifics at the anno union

[Doctor Hades]

The original game had a lot of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, many of which were fixed in the unofficial Venice addon v1.10 patch (though this did not fix the main campaign).

I wonder if the poor translation has been fixed in this build? Anyone know?

[Doctor Hades]

I decided to purchase this as I had 14% of from a respected key seller with the initials GGG so I redeemed it (UPlay version only, not Steam). Got it for just over £10.

Anyway, I can confirm that the game is not exactly the same as before.

It is a smaller install size of 4 GB vs. 6 GB of the original. The user interface is also easier to read on my 2560x1440 display, being slightly larger and cleaner than the original version. The graphics though remain exactly the same as before - even the settings menu is the same - although weirdly the game has now reverted to DirectX 9 instead of DirectX 10.

Not sure why that is as I honestly would have expected this to have been using DirectX 11, given how better suited it is to these kinds of games (thanks to improved multi-threading support).

Oh and my profiles and saved games carried over perfectly from the base game in case anyone is wondering, although my save games still annoying show "Unknown Profile" under the filenames despite the fact that Profile Management shows my two previously created profiles from when I bought the game back in 2012!

[kb]

Thanks for these replies and interesting observations and points. My original version is patched with the unofficial update and also the 2GB 'fix'. My inclination is not to make the jump to HE.

[Doctor Hades]

Newer HE version is 64-bit but runs worst. Same save and graphics settings gives me around 100 fps in the new version versus 150 fps in the original. Not only that but because the HE version uses DX9, the Transparency setting no longer works as it requires DX10 which cannot be set for the newer game.

Not sure how UbiSoft managed to make an inferior game but they have plus they have the cheek to sell it rather than offer it as a free upgrade to owners of the original.

[Phatt Jit]

are any fixes from the unofficial patch implemented like the typos and some of the campaign bugs?

[Doctor Hades]

Somehow, I doubt it. This is a minimal effort release by UbiSoft in my opinion.

[Waner16]

I found a page on the anno union website where they explain the changes made in the new version of the game. One user has made an interressing comment on it saying he has send a mail to ubisoft to understand why they were so much problem in it. They say that they were working on a patch to correct it.

Here is the link https://anno-union.com/en/devblog-anno-1404-history-edition/. If it doesn't work just go on anno union, click on the article "The Anno History Collection is out today!"; and then go on anno 1404 Devblog.

[Eddie Dexx]

Originally posted by Doctor Hades:

Newer HE version is 64-bit but runs worst. Same save and graphics settings gives me around 100 fps in the new version versus 150 fps in the original. Not only that but because the HE version uses DX9, the Transparency setting no longer works as it requires DX10 which cannot be set for the newer game.

Not sure how UbiSoft managed to make an inferior game but they have plus they have the cheek to sell it rather than offer it as a free upgrade to owners of the original.

Hmm, now that I've read this post.. things are starting to be clear now. Since Ubisoft jumped bed with Epic Fail.. they've skipped all Steam releases of all their new launches.. except this one. Since this is inferior to the original.. it now makes sense why they launch it on Steam. Probably to get more overall sales 'cause Steam is the largest PC platform. Typical Ubisoft

[Lonit]

history edition forces you to ubisoft connect, gold does not