7 Cities of Gold

Seven Cities of Gold - the 1984 exploration strategy for Commodore 64
from Electronic Arts.

Sail for the New World, chart unknown coasts, trade with villages, and
bring maps and treasure back to Spain before supplies run dry.

Core loop
- outfit your expedition and set sail from the Old World
- hug coasts, land, explore inland, and mark discoveries
- trade or negotiate with natives - return to report and cash in

Systems and items
- generated world - choose known Americas or a fresh random map
- supplies and crew - food, men, ships limit how far you can roam
- diplomacy vs force - gifts open trade, aggression has consequences
- the pub and court - record maps, turn in gold, earn promotions

Level design and feel
Large scrolling overworld with seamless sea-to-shore movement. Villages,
missions, and cities punctuate long voyages. The pace is methodical and
tense as rations tick down far from home.

Why it is notable
- Ozark Softscape’s influential open-world exploration on C64
- early example of generated worlds and systemic first contact

Tips
- follow shorelines to stay oriented and refill supplies often
- carry trade goods - gifts make negotiations safer and cheaper
- after each voyage, visit the pub to record your discoveries

At a glance
Year - 1984
Developer - Ozark Softscape
Design and programming - Dan Bunten - Bill Bunten - Jim Rushing - Alan Watson
Music - Roy Glover
Publisher - Electronic Arts - Ariolasoft (Europe)
Genre - Exploration strategy
Players - 1
Controls - Joystick in port 2 - keyboard for naming and menus