How is this different from 'Predynastic Egypt'?

[S22]

I quite like this game (Old Kingdom). It's a really nice resource/time management, strategy game. Not to mention the fact that I'm really interested into ancient Egypt.

Anyway, I was wondering, how is this different from Predynastic Egypt? I'm thinking of picking up that one too.

[Alexander]

The core mechanics is the same. You use food to create new workers and send them to perform tasks on the map areas. Scout new areas, build various structures to improve yield on them, discover technologies and cultural traits, worship gods, encounter other tribes, overcome trials. Eventually you unlock global map, meet the arch enemy, Seth's tribe, conquer it, unite the Egypt, then struggle against some separatists (you play for those in the Old Kingdom, BTW :) ) and build a new capital in Memfis, thus creating the Old Kingdom.

There are some differences though.
- There are no modifiers on the map. No fertile soil, cursed places, swamps or trees that you can remove or exploit. No wild animals either. However base yield on some areas is a bit different every time you start a new game.
- Building mechanics is different. You don't send a worker on the area where you want to build something. The buildings are organized into a tree: the first building you can build is a grain field in a certain area. It unlocks building houses in another area, another field of grain on yet another area and a flax field in yet another area. Building those unlocks other buildings in predefined areas, and so on. So in order to build a certain building in the tree you need to scout the area where it is supposed to be, make sure it is not occupied by another tribe, research a necessary technology and build all the buildings that stand before it in the building tree. Then you select the building in the tree and assign a worker into a special slot in the menu to start building. You can build only one building at a time. Some buildings improve multiple areas. Certain areas may be improved several times. Later on you'll build improvements for areas on the global map, something I really miss in the Old Kingdom.
- Other tribes are just markings on some areas, even on the local map. They don't have their own workers. Trading is different, it is more like the trading caravan event in the Old Kingdom: each friendly or neutral tribe wants some resource in exchange for another. Unlike the Old Kingdom, trading is a vital source of wealth later in the game. Some tribes have better prices than others. There's no luxury, so you use production for gifts, when you convince a tribe to unite with you. When a tribe is gone, its trade yield is added to the yield of the area that it once occupied. You probably won't conquer all the tribes on the map by the end of the game. Only the Nile valley is really important.
- There are no ways to prevent bad events. You'll have to deal with the Seth's wrath once in a while.

If you liked Old Kingdom, I really recommend you to try Predynastic.

[S22]

Thanks for the lengthy reply! I will definitely pick it up sometime in the near future, and can't wait for the next game in the series. :)

[The ONLY Miki P]

This one is much more difficult than predynastic.

[dbvel]

I was hoping for a REAL difference in terms of content and replay value. If you alreay played Predynastic I'd say don't expect much more from Old Kingdom.