I saw on the Kontor website that the English could be improved upon so I decided to try to make it make more sense. I don't know German but I translated the English into better English to make it look more professional to help you guys out. it is the least i could do for you guys, keep up the good work. When you make changes to website and if you want me to do it again feel free to email me. I will highlight things I changed in Green and things I think could be done better but I am not sure how to state it since I can't read the original German in Red. I will put questions and suggestions to you I added in purple. If other fluent English speakers see something I missed post it here. Also if you speak German and English maybe you can come up with a better translation for the parts in red. I hope this helps.
Home page:
Welcome, stranger!
It's the year 1640.
After a long civil war, a fragile peace prevails in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
In KONTOR, you create your own merchant family in a city of your choice where you play a game with many other players.(Do you actually mean players as in real people online or as in NPC families?) Based in your Kontor - residence, warehouse as well as office at the same time - you administrate your crafts enterprise, trade with both local and remote business partners, apply for a seat in the city's council or forge plans against your competitors.
Will you outwit the long-established and noble patrician families in your city and, against all odds, ascend to the ranks of the mightiest merchants? Or will a reckless move or even the resurgence of the war force you to change your plans?
The future is in your hands!
New Story Page:
In a time without a glimpse of hope, in which looting and torture are part of the everyday life, only violence and infirmity thrive, countless people are murdered and in which even war is wary yet unable to lie itself to rest, eventually the question of a righteous and merciful god arises. Hence I tell you, councilors, citizens, brothers, raise our walls and let nobody pass through the gates who adheres to this false god and his lust for destruction. For only the lucid may withstand this madness...
From the inaugural speech of Guntram Blauenbrück
Alderman of the Free Hanseatic League
Mayor of Hamburg
Winter 1639
It is the year 1640. Five years ago a shaky truce was concluded between the warring parties of the Teuton War which started in 1581 with the armed resistance of the Netherlands against Spain which turned into barbaric carnage in 1618 as the armies of the Catholic League and the Protestant Union moved marauding through the Holy Roman Empire.
The truce has lasted five years. Five years which have been used for recovery but also for rearmament of all parties. Genoa and Milan were awarded the eighth elector dignity of the Empire and now provide their own electors. The Hanseatic League, who successfully averted its downfall by closing extensive trading contracts with the East India and West India Trading Companies, recently welcomed three additional cities into it's network and established two new remote trading posts.
Many cities have grown into well-fortified bastions with several thousand citizens. Remaining mostly untroubled by the horrors of war, they rebounded far better than all the rest of the parts of the Empire and now seek to increase their wealth. (Perhaps add in other things they seek to increase as well, such as power and prestige)
Citizens of the free cities live at ease from their small trades such as blacksmithing, wheelwrighting and pharmacies. But only a few courageous men and women want to compete with the long-established patrician families and fight for a place among the top merchants.
From their offices they forge plans in many ways: they delegate their own craft and have it run by capable master craftsmen, trade with other cities, gain a seat in the city council, become trading partners of the Hanseatic League, lend money to nobles, lead or participate in risky ventures, speculate at the stock market, and fight their competitors both publicly and in secret with dozens of different strategies.
New FAQ page:
Frequently asked questions
1. What is Kontor?
Kontor will be a game which takes the players into the time of the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire. The player can choose to play as a merchant or craftsman, play fair or use shady measures to achieve their goals.
If you want to get more answers about Kontor, feel free to ask in our forum.
2. Wait, you write about the Thirty Years' War with a truce in 1640?
As you might have noticed, the Thirty Years War didn't end before 1648. In Kontor, history won't be exactly as it was in the 17th century, in fact there will be quite a few differences between real history and history in Kontor.
3. When will you release Kontor?
This question can only be answered with the three words "when it's done". We can't give any release date because we're financing this project on our own.
Please don't expect Kontor to be available before 2012.
4. How much will Kontor cost?
That's not decided yet.
5. Will Kontor be released in [insert your country here]?
We're planning to release Kontor as a download version, so as long as there's internet in [insert your country here], you should be able to get your hands on it.
6. On which platforms will your release Kontor?
Kontor will be released on PC only. There are no plans yet to port the game to other operating systems other than Microsoft Windows.
Shoutbox
