Those boundaries can also be expanded by building cities, fortresses, and researching the appropriate technologies capturing enemy settlements can likewise do the same, though with an “assimilation” penalty making city defense all the more vital. Carried over from Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, these mark your country’s territory. These however are largely where the similarities end.Ī major addition to that tried-and-tested formula is the deceptively superficial introduction of national borders. And similarly to Age of Empires, the player can progress through eight “Ages” – Ancient, Classical, Medieval, Gunpowder, Enlightenment, Industrial, Modern and Information – gaining more abilities, upgrades and technological advantages in the process. There’s a basic “rock-paper-scissors” dynamic to combat, determining how effective certain unit types are to others. City centers create citizens, which serve as the player’s builders and resource-collecting workers. Playing as one of 21 distinct civilizations over several generations, you’re tasked with building a nation, dealing with neighboring realms, fighting for survival and eventually conquering the world.Īll this is conducted on variable, randomized maps in a manner that, at first glance, would be familiar to anyone who’s played RTS games in general. More specifically, the game covers about 6,000 years of it.
It went on to garner acclaim from both professional critics and strategy aficionados, spawn its own spin-off and inspire a fanbase that persists to this day.īefitting its spiritual predecessors, Rise of Nations is focused on world history. The game’s premise was in essence “ Age of Empires meets Civilization” with its own unique flavor added into the mix. The result was Rise of Nations, released on the PC in 2003. Reynolds, previously the lead designer for strategy classics Civilization II and Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, took on the challenge of creating a RTS game that succeeds in integrating elements from his previous turn-based work in a seamless, entertaining package.
More often than not, attempts at it tend result in piling on as many time periods in one game as possible in the case of Empire Earth, this could even extend to adding sci-fi elements like robots.Įnter Brian Reynolds and Big Huge Games. Conveying an epic scope of the ages meanwhile – such as the Total War and turn-based Civilization series – while retaining relatively accessible gameplay tends to be a more daunting task. When done well, as the Company of Heroes games demonstrate, it can also translate into sales. In the realm of real time strategy, history has proven itself time and again a reliable subject matter.
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