In this article we look at VGA graphics performance and in game quality of the game Anno 1404. We'll take 15 graphics cards to the test with this title and will show you what you can expect per graphics card and monitor resolution.

Everybody has a certain type of games that he or she likes very much. For me that boils down to flight-sims, racing games, shooters like COD4 and RTS games like Settlers, SimCity and the Anno series as face it .. I like to tickle and challenge the brain a little every now and then, and not mindless hunting down zombies for hours.

So ever since the first Anno series was launched many years ago, I  have been playing this excellent RTS ever since. Heck, I had a ton of fun with the original game series like Anno 1602 and 1701. If you're unfamiliar with the Anno series of games, they have all been (1404 is the 3rd sequel) colony-builders that take place in vast archipelagos filled with pirates, natives, treasures, and rival colonies. Typically, players start with a single ship packed with essential goods with which they colonize a single island, and then need to expand their realm.

Based on this continued concept yet all new is Anno 1404 -- Dawn of Discovery. With the same principles and philosophy yet more trading dynamics in-game, this series changed a little. Next to that the graphics engine had an overhaul allowing a DX10 code path, brushing up and speeding up things here and there while pertaining really nice image quality.

The end result is one time-consuming monster of a game. Sure you need to like the genre, but after wasting two full days on the game (and a lot of coffee) I figured, let's have a look at VGA graphics performance, for you to be able to witness how well the game performance with your graphics card. Yes, over the past few days I’ve been entirely consumed by the game and really want to finish up this article so I can get my daily shot of Anno 1404 gametime again.

So then, 1404’s levels are set on a series of islands. Some of them are already inhabited, while others are virgin territory, ripe for conquest. Once you’re into the main game of the campaign these islands become mixed with “the Orient”, and open up options for building Middle Eastern, or desert-based land uses. Trade is crucial once you’ve got past the earliest twigs of the tech tree. Controlled via the map screen.

The 3D engine is smooth, beautifully detailed, and the game as a whole is lavishly presented (the animated “paintings” that set the scene between campaign missions are particularly evocative.) This is the gaming equivalent of cooking a large, delicious, yet unadventurous evening meal. Anno 1404 is the best Anno yet and one of the best strategy games in a long time. Tons of games are addictive, very few of them for the right reasons – but this game is both.

Anyway, let's startup this VGA chart. First up out image quality settings, a couple of screenshots and then graphics performance.