First look: Fort Commander

Austria-based developer Zenith Studios is working on Fort Commander, a real-time strategy game set in the Caribbean in the 17th century. In the game, players will assume the role of the commander of a fort, and they will manage the expansion of the fort, the development of a fleet of ships, the recruitment of an army, and a variety of other responsibilities. In addition, the game will feature a "command chain" system that requires every order given by the player to travel through a series of characters until it reaches the appropriate target. As a result, the selection of army officers will directly affect the efficiency of the army, and if the chain of command is broken during a battle, the orders may never reach their target.

The game will include role-playing elements as well, and the characters in the game will have individual statistics that will affect their performance under fire. Players will be able to upgrade their forts and settlements with a variety of structures, and they can develop new units and technology in order to strengthen their armies. The goal of the game is to conquer as many other settlements as possible while defending controlled settlements from enemy attack.

We've posted some screenshots and concept art from the game in the gallery above. For more information, take a look at the official Fort Commander Web site. No publisher or release date for the game has been announced.